LHS Farmer Community Newsletter

Farmer Community,

Before our students and staff head out the door for Spring Break, we wanted to share some of the great things happening around the Lewisville Community. In this newsletter you'll find a few special notes from LISD families recognizing staff members, as well as many stories highlighting the exceptional work happening in our classrooms. There are plenty of academic, athletic and fine art events occurring this spring so make sure to check your child's campus calendar as well as the Lewisville High School calendar for events happening in your area. We hope you enjoy some rest and relaxation over Spring Break, and we look forward to ending the school year strong!

The Recognize SomeONE submissions are pouring in, and we're sharing a few for teachers in the Farmer community. As a reminder, you can visit LISD.net/recognize any time to submit your own encouragement for LISD staff.

• Patricia Marcum Lerwick, Spanish Teacher at Killough | "Ms. Lerwick really took the time to help my son with his first Spanish class. She communicated throughout the semester and made sure that I was aware of his progress throughout the class. She is an amazing teacher and thought she should be recognized for all of her efforts."
• Daniel Donegan, Social Studies Teacher at Huffines | "I want to recognize Mr. Donegan. Since my daughter started taking his class at the beginning of the year, she has blossomed. She is so excited about history. We are able to have active, stimulating conversations about what she is learning and how it affects us today. She is looking for books, and shows about all periods of history. It's been wonderful to see her become so engaged and excited. Thank you Mr. Donegan!"
• Randy Ibarra, 1st Grade Teacher at Valley Ridge | "Mr. Ibarra has made a huge impression on our daughter and has made the 1st grade year so much fun...We can see how well he loves the students and how he cares for them. We can also see the progress our daughter made academically. She comes home eager to show off her work and loves giving us math tests. (We may have a future math teacher on our hands). We are thankful he was our daughter’s teacher. Mr. Ibarra, thank you for the energy and effort!"

Dr. Lori Rapp surprised all the LISD Teacher of the Year Finalists, including Jolene McDonie and Morgan Bridges. See the surprises HERE.

Last month, we announced our Campus Teachers of the Year and District Teacher of the Year Finalists. Help us celebrate the following individuals:

Elementary Teacher of the Year Finalist

Jolene McDonie | Valley Ridge STEM Academy

Morgan Bridges | Lillie J. Jackson Early Childhood Center

Campus Teachers of the Year

Nicole Franczvai (LHS), Cortni Czechowski (LHS Harmon), David Gilbert (LHS Killough), Raul Platas (Student Success Center), Marta Rendon-Gomez (Lewisville Learning Center), Kevin O'Gorman (TECC East), Michael DePauw (TECC West), Cedric Jones (DeLay), Martha Irene Villalobos (Durham), John Leininger (Hedrick), Lakeisha Jones (Huffines), Yesenia Lares-Benedict (Central), Jennifer Younger (Creekside), Miranda Lindsey (Degan), Allison Isham (Lakeland), Kristen Randall (Lewisville ES), Morgan Bridges (Lillie J. Jackson), David Velazquez (Mill Street), Logan Guajardo (Parkway), Alice Cooper (Rockbrook), Roberto Chavez (Southridge), Jolene McDonie (Valley Ridge), Ashley Harlan (Vickery)

Lewisville High School’s entrepreneurial students in the INCubatoredu program recently made their MVP Pitch to local business leaders and investors with a chance of receiving funding. The business-minded INCubatoredu program is a course in its fifth year at LHS that’s designed to get students excited about becoming true entrepreneurs. Students had the opportunity to create and fully develop their own product or service and make their MVP (minimal viable product) pitch in hopes of being funded by a panel of business leaders in the community who served as guest judges. READ MORE

The Lewisville ISD Wonder Wagon was unveiled during an official ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Monday, March 6, 2023. Though the titular wagon, part of the district’s elementary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) department, was only recently revealed, LISD STEM administrators have already begun to introduce Wonder Wagon programming to elementary campuses. READ MORE

For years, Lewisville ISD has emphasized the importance of mentorship and community engagement through our annual Career Out program. The program, which took place this year on Friday, March 3, is a day for juniors and seniors across all five high schools to job shadow executives, administrators and team members from host sites in and around the LISD community. READ MORE

Lewisville ISD is proud to announce 55 high school seniors were recently named Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP). Congratulations to Sonika Harish from LHS who was named a Finalist this year. Click HERE for the full lists of students.

Teachers at Rockbrook Elementary are flipping the script as they become students in their own classrooms. The staff is participating in Learning Labs, a chance for teachers to observe one another and then work with a facilitator to implement their learnings in their very own classrooms. The Learning Labs program, orchestrated by Rockbrook’s Instructional Coach Carrie Montz, started with kindergarten and first grade teachers earlier this year. READ MORE

Lewisville ISD recently hosted its fifth annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair at Lewisville High School. The fair was attended by 400 high school students from across the district and gave students the opportunity to connect with these historic institutions. Representatives and alumni from over a dozen HBCUs took part in the event, showcasing their schools via booths, presentations and open discussion. Community partners, student life organizations and the Lewisville Education Foundation also took part in the event. READ MORE

Teachers and staff at Lakeland Elementary encourage and spread kindness to each student every day on campus. This time, with the help of Ashley HomeStore, the Dallas Cowboys and Kendra Scott, a special surprise and act of kindness was revealed just for the teachers on Tuesday morning. The entire Lakeland campus, along with members from LISD’s administration, gathered in the school gymnasium for a pep rally and presentation headlined by Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, who revealed that Lakeland was the recipient of Ashley’s Act of Kindness where the teacher’s lounge received a total remodel. READ MORE

Southridge Elementary students Kaylin Jones, Brent Pace and teacher Mitchell Bitner were all recognized by the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber's January Luncheon. READ MORE

We are so excited for the new Book Vending Machine at Parkway! Because of a generous grant from Lewisville ISD Education Foundation and our campus PTA fundraising efforts, all Parkway students will be able to experience the love of reading...at their fingertips!

Since its inception in 2011, Lewisville ISD’s annual Chin Festival has provided the LISD community with an opportunity to be immersed in a unique cultural experience. This year’s student-led event was no different, treating the audience to selections of traditional Chin dance, song, fashion and food. Attendees included members of the LISD Board of Trustees, district administration, municipal government officials and hundreds more members of the community. Teachers and pastors from local Chin churches were recognized for their efforts in ensuring that the LISD Chin community continues to thrive. READ MORE

Ms. Colman and Ms. Formichella’s students were recognized for earning the most reading minutes read in Amira out of all 1st grade Dual Language classes in LISD!

Want to submit a story idea? Email communications@lisd.net