Wylie ISD Community News

Superintendent Dr. David Vinson covers the week ahead, from softball and baseball playoffs to the Wylie Way Awards.

Collaboration at its finest -- Students in advanced art and STEM at Cooper Junior High have joined forces to build mini golf courses. Nine different mini golf courses will come to life just in time for the CJHS end-of-year field day.

First, advanced STEM students constructed mini models out of foam board. Next, engineering students will make the electrical parts, and art students will create the aesthetic design. Each of the nine groups, made up of students from each program, drew straws to select the theme for their course. From the ocean to outer space, these seventh and eighth graders have their work cut out for them building these mini golf courses to scale using plywood.

“Kids are learning to work together, combining their ideas,” art teacher Brian McClure said. “They are learning how to adapt just as they would have to for a real-world client.”

You can learn more about this collaborative lesson in learning by visiting our website.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2024 Best High Schools rankings last week, and our high schools are top-notch! Wylie High and Wylie East are in the Top 9% of high schools in the nation. The U.S. News rankings include data on nearly 25,000 public high schools across the country, and approximately 18,000 schools received rankings based on six factors pertaining to state assessment performance and how well the schools prepare students for college. The rankings include traditional high schools as well as charter, early college, and magnet high schools. Way to go, Pirates & Raiders!

Natasha Aguilar's fourth graders at Cox Elementary learned about pollution for Earth Day last week. Her classes read the nonfiction book "The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem" and learned how one man's solution saved thousands of lives. Students also practiced vocabulary as part of the lesson and used dictionaries and thesauruses to discover definitions and synonyms.

Cox Elementary is hosting a book drive in honor of Daniela & Sofia Mendoza. The drive begins May 6 and will end May 17. The books will be donated to Family Compass’ “Growing as Parents” program and the little free libraries in Wylie and Sachse. For more details, see the flyer below.

Our bakers at the 544 Cafe have been working so hard to develop and test recipes for a fun project and now you get to eat their homework! Visit the link below to get more information on their Mother's Day Tea Party in a Box and show Mom how much she means while supporting our student bakers.

To learn more about what is included or to place your order, please visit https://forms.gle/TdtLGbfxkQeU68pv6

Pre-orders will close Friday, May 3 and pick up will be Friday, May 10.

Interested in signing up your student for a summer sports program? Registration is now open for Wylie ISD athletics camps. Visit our RankOne website and look for “WEHS Raider Nation Camps” under Wylie East High School Sports Camps and “WHS Camp of Champs” under Wylie High School Sports Camps to register today.

Other WEHS and WHS sports camps are available through Performance Course. For more information, please see the links below.

Welcome back to News from Collin College. Stay up to date with the latest information about Collin College and the Wylie Campus.

Q. Looking for a new summer camp for your fellow scholar?

A. Students can enroll in a new summer youth program known as “College for Kids.” The program will offer a true college experience where students can take part in project-based and exploration courses – discovering new talents, meeting new friends, and developing knowledge and skills for college success.

For more information, contact Gwendolyn Weatherford at College4Kids@collin.edu and you can register here.

To learn more about this year’s summer camps across Collin College, visit www.collin.edu/community/summercamps.html.

Q. Have you registered for May and summer classes?

A. Registration for Maymester and summer courses is open for all. Click here to view the schedule of classes.

Q. Have you registered for fall classes?

A. Registration for fall courses is now open for all. Click here to view the schedule of classes. Don’t wait!

Q. Do you have questions about career exploration and development?

A. Collin College’s “Focus 2 Career” is a career development platform that guides students in exploring various career paths, building a strong career foundation, composing a portfolio of career development progress, and much more. For more information, contact John Daniels at jdaniels@collin.edu.

Q. Did you know that Collin College has a new academy?

A. Click on the link below to find out more about the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Collin College: www.collin.edu/tamuengineering/.

Dr. Sahalie Mitchell, a Humanities professor at the Wylie Campus, has worked at Collin College since Fall 2020.

She started teaching college courses in 2009 as an instructor of record while obtaining her master's degree. She then taught as a part-time professor and then again as both an instructor of record and a lecturer for almost six years while obtaining her Ph.D.

Dr. Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Whitman College, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The University of Texas at El Paso, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities – History of Ideas from The University of Texas at Dallas.

What do you love most about your job?

Dr. Mitchell: First and foremost, I love my students. I love getting to know each and every one of them throughout the course of a semester, and I try really hard to foster opportunities for personal expression that encourage deeper connections between the students and myself. My goal as a professor is to create a close-knit environment that extends beyond the classroom. It is the best feeling in the world when I have students tell me they met some of their closest friends in my classroom or make efforts to reach out or stop by and say hello even after our semester together has ended. I always tell my students I am here for them at any point in their academic career, so they know our professional relationship doesn't have to end just because our semester together is over.

What would you like parents and students to know about the Wylie Campus?

Dr. Mitchell: If you want a higher education experience that is welcoming, supportive, and feels like a second home, I highly recommend Collin College Wylie Campus.

For more information about the Wylie Campus, visit www.collin.edu/campuses/wylie.

To learn more about Collin College, visit www.collin.edu/.