Welcome to the Way to Go Wolverines Archive. Please take a moment and look at all of the wonderful achievements by the Wakeland Wolverines from the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years!

The Wakeland Bands performed at the Choice Music Events Gulf Coast Showcaseof Music on the UT-Brownsville campus and received the following awards:

WHS Jazz Ensemble -Straight Superior Ratings (I-I-I);Best in Class
WHS Concert Band -Straight Superior Ratings (I-I-I);Best in Class
WHS Symphonic Band -Straight Superior Ratings (I-I-I);Best in Class

WHS Wind Symphony -Straight Superior Ratings (I-I-I);Best in Class

Additionally, the Wakeland Wind Symphonywas awarded the Best Overall Band at the contest.

Congratulations Yearbook Staff:

The Wakeland Prowler yearbook staff received the highest rating of Distinguished Merit from the Interscholastic League Press Conference for the 2010-2011 publication. Current members attended the ILPC spring convention April 27-28 in Austin where they received the news.

The 2010-2011 yearbook, themed "Insight", also received eight individual honors: Honorable Mention-Captions, Honorable Mention-Ad Spreads, Jennifer Bressler Third Place-Class Section Spread, Ciera Velarde and Meagan Presciano Honorable Mention-Club/Organization Spread, Lexus Carter Honorable Mention-Sidebar Graphic, Bria Jones First Place-Sports Feature Photo, and Joey Ochoa First Place-Student Life Photo. Ochoa's photo was also named Tops in Texas for the best student life photo across the state. The 2011 book also was named a Gold Medalist by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and an All-American by the National Scholastic Press Association.  The book was honored in the Josten's Look Book as a model of the best in yearbook publications across the country.

WHS Choir win awards:

UIL Concert and Sight-reading

Non-varsity Girls Choir – Straight One’s “Sweepstakes”

Varsity Girls Choir – Straight One’s “Sweepstakes”

Varsity Mixed Choir – Straight One’s “Sweepstakes”

Director’s Choice Festival / Contest, South Padre Island

Treble Show Choir – Superior rating and “Outstanding in Classification”

Varsity Mixed Choir – Superior rating and “Outstanding in Classification”

Congratulations French Club Members:

The French club exceeded their goal of $3,200. In total, they raised an estimated $5,000! This is enough to send six kids with Muscular Dystrophy to summer camp.

The top sellers were Nik Reda who sold $900 and Walter Imaican who sold $890. Our top class bought $887 worth of Shamrocks! Students brought in large donations from corporations, family members and even their own paychecks! It was a lot of fun to see everyone get so involved. Thanks so much for your donations

Congrats Choir:

Congratulations to the Wakeland JV Girls Choir, Varsity Girls Choir and the Varsity Mixed Choir. All three groups received the highest award of Sweepstakes at the UIL Concert and Sight-reading contest. Each group received the highest possible scores from all of the judges.

Congrats WHS Track Team:

Doriel Yeager - District Champion 300m Hurdles; second in 110 H.H.

Alex Marr, Turner Smiley, Adam Carlton and DeVaughn Childress - 3rd (Regional Qualifier) 4X100 Relay (Same as Above) 2nd (Regional Qualifier) 4X200 Relay

Turner Smiley, Josh Harris, K.J. Williams and Doriel Yeager - 2nd (R.Qer) 4X400m Relay

Turner Smiley - 3rd (R.Qer) Long Jump

Dan Hauser - 3rd (R.Qer) Shot Put

Team Finished 3rd at District Meet.

Congrats Girls Golf Team:

The Wakeland girls golf team won the district championship tournament held at Mansfield National golf club on April 11 and 12. They were led individually by Alexis Thompson, a first team all district selection, who shot a day 2 score of 74. Hannah Soto joined Alexis on the all district first team with a second day score of 76. The rest of the team, Brielle Ward, Megan Pasteryk, and Kelly Lowery all contributed by shooting some of their best rounds of the season. The girls will play in the regional tournament on April 18 and 19 to try to secure a trip to state.

Orchestra wins awards:

On Friday, April 13, members of our orchestras participated in the Space City Showcase of Music Festival in Houston. After a great performance, we were awarded trophies for the following ratings: Superior Musical Performance, Outstanding in Class, and Orchestra Overall Outstanding!

We had a great trip, with many educational experiences included, in addition to our performance.

Congratulations Alex Baker:

Senior Alex Baker qualified for the UIL State Academic Meet set for May 21-22. Baker placed second place in feature writing at regionals at UNT in order to qualify. She won a silver medal at the district 9-4A meet on March 24. Baker is the editor-in-chief of The Prowler yearbook, a member of the digital newspaper staff and is active in many other organizations, such as ITS and theatre.

WHS student's artwork selected for poster:

Kari Schackmann's painting was selected for the Frisco Arts in the square Festival Poster. Click HERE for more information.

Congrats to the Varsity Winterguard:

On Saturday, February 25, they competed in the North Texas Colorguard Association Contest hosted by Birdville HS at Thomas Coliseum. The Varsity Winterguard finished 2nd in the Scholastic A Classification. At this point in the season, the Varsity Winterguard is ranked 3rd in the North Texas Circuit, behind only Colleyville Heritage HS and Keller HS. Bravo to Mr. Kichline for all his great work with the girls. We wish them the best of luck as the season continues.

Congratulations Choir:

Many of the choir members participated in the UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest at The Colony High School. The students earned 31 - 1st Division (Superior) ratings/medals and 11 students earned 2nd Divisions (Excellent).

Congrats to the JV Winterguard.

On Saturday, they finished in 2nd place in the North Texas Colorguard Association Contest hosted by Coppell HS. Our JV Guard competed well against a field of mostly Varsity guards. The top 9 in the Regional A Class were as follows:

• Kaufman HS Varsity
• Wakeland HS JV
• Waco-Midway HS Varsity
• Arlington-Bowie HS Varsity
• Garland HS Varsity
• Frisco Heritage HS Varsity
• Redwater HS Varsity
• Grand Prairie HS Varsity
• Mesquite-Horn HS Varsity

Bravo to Mr. Kichline and the guard for their tremendous work.

Congratulations Orchestra:

On Saturday, February 18, members of our Orchestras participated in the regional UIL SoLo & Ensemble contest at Creekview HS in Carrollton. We had 19 students participating. At the end of the competition, we brought home 15 first division medals, out of which 13 for Class One solos and /or ensembles, and 2 for Class Two solos.

At this time we have the largest number of State qualifiers yet in our orchestra history here at Wakeland: 6 solos, and 3 ensembles will represent our school and the district at the state level S&E contest in Austin in May.

Here are the names of the State contest qualifiers:

• Acosta, Andrew, violin( 1 solo and 1 ensemble)
• Hamer, Cameron, violin (1 solo and 1 ensemble)
• Lee, Gillian, violin, and piano (2 solos)
• Choi, Jae, violin (1 solo and 1 ensemble)
• Erbes, Courtney, harp (1 solo and 1ensemble)
• Kwak, Jamie, violin (1 ensemble)
• Michie, Matthew, violin (1 ensemble)
• Geller, Joseph, viola (1 ensemble)

Visual Arts Students earn top ratings:

During the weekend of February 18-19, the Visual Arts Department participated in the Texas Art Education Association’s Regional Visual Arts Scholastic Event.  Nine individuals participated: Cameron Boudreau, Bailey Carver, Brynna Elzey, Laura Minor, Carolina Orozco, Alex Poston, Rachel Rood, Elizabeth Salmon and Kari Schackmann. Of the 16 works submitted, 6 came away with “Excellent” ratings and 10 with the top rating of “Superior.” One of Bailey Carver‘s paintings will advance to the State VASE held in April. Congratulations!

Lexi T.-Cameron University-Golf

Jennifer P.-East Central Oklahoma-Soccer

Ashley K.-East Central Oklahoma-Soccer

Katey C.-Arkansas State University-Soccer

Nick W.-William Jewell College-Football

Ryan W.-United States Air Force Academy-Soccer

Brad S.-Valparaiso University-Football

Collin County Junior Livestock Show

Myers Park & Event Center McKinney, TX

January 2- January 7, 2012

Connor N. 1st place Chester Barrow & 4th place White OPB Barrow
Maddie B. 3rd place Chester Gilt
Hannah R. Reserve Champion Mini Lop Buck
Catherine C. 1st place Dutch Doe
Jordan S. 1st place Lionhead Buck
Laura R. 2nd place Holland Lop Buck

Courtney G. 3rd place Horticulture project
Nicolette B. 4th place Horticulture project
Kennedy P. 6th place Horticulture project

Swimmers Break School Records at TISCA Swim Meet!

Congratulations to the Wakeland Swimmers for a job well done. The 4A North Texas TISCA Meet is a qualifier only meet. The swimmers who qualified were competing against some of the best swimmers in the state of Texas and managed to hold their own. Out of over 35 teams, the girls finished 8th, and the boys tied for 3rd! Some highlights include: A dazzling 1st place finish by the boys 200 medley relay, which consisted of Chase Garrott, Brayden Seal, Zach Kline, and Liam Garrott, started the day off in true Wolverine style by breaking the meet record. Brayden Seal had an incredible, record breaking, individual performance as well, finishing 2nd in the 200 I.M. and 1st in the 100 Breaststroke, breaking the school record in both events. The girls’ 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, both made up of Caroline Williams, Kristen Brown, Taylor Hanttula and Meghan O’Neill, made it to the championship finals, where they finished 6th and 7th respectively. The 200 free relay, Taylor Hanttula, Caroline Williams, Kristen Brown, and Madie Rodgers, won the consolation finals and achieved the best time of the year so far. The boys’ 200 and 400 free relays both finished 2nd in an incredible showdown that came down to the final touch. The boys responsible for these outstanding performances were Coleman Phelps, Brayden Seal, Zach Kline and Liam Garrott on the 200 and C. Phelps, Z. Kline, Chase Garrott, and Sam Moore on the 400. Meghan O’Neill crushed the school record in the 500 free, and finished 5th overall. Caroline Williams broke her own school record in the 100 fly. Freshman Chase Garrott showed that he is going to be one worth watching, finishing 3rd in the 100 fly and 4th in the 100 back. Older brother Liam Garrott also demonstrated his incredible talent, finishing 4th in the 50 free and 3rd in the 100 breaststroke, also getting a time under his old school record along with teammate Brayden Seal. The young Wolverine Swimmers have much to be proud of! Keep it up!

Coach Secord earns coaching award:

Congratulations to Coach Marty Secord for being named one of the 2011 Dallas Cowboys High School coaches of the Week. For more than 15 years, the Dallas Cowboys have honored high school football coaches throughout the 10-week high school football season who are making an impact in their community both on and off the field.

As part of this recognition, Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities will be presenting the WHS football program with a $1,000 grant. He has also been invited to attend the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants home game on December 11 to take part in a Coach of the Week on-field recognition ceremony in front of 80,000+ football fans at Cowboys Stadium.

Congrats Orchestra student:

Courtney Erbes received All State honors, and will participate in the All State Orchestra!

Congrats Rotary Students of the Month:

Bailey Carver and Cameron Hamer

WHS Athletes sign with Colleges:

8 Student Athletes sign to go play at the college level. Below is a list of where they will be going to school next year. Congruatulations students!

Girls Basketball:

Danielle Westerfield - Northwestern State Louisiana

Faith Hunt - Angelo State

Girls Softball:

Hannah Newcomb - West Texas A&M

Brittany Gehle - West Texas A&M

Darian Dunn - Angelo State

Monika Reichhardt - Saint Marys California

Tess Soefje - University of Houston

Baseball:

Willie Schwanke - University of Arkansas

All are pictured below:

WHS Band places 7th in STATE!

We are honored to announce that the Wakeland HS Band earned our second consecutive title of “State Finalist”. We performed at the Alamodome at 9:00am, finishing 3rd overall after the Prelims Round. We performed again at 8:00pm and finished 7th in the State. Thank you so much for all your support over the course of the marching season. It has been a wonderful experience for the students. While it’s tough to drop down in rankings just before the end, I think the overall experience speaks for itself. We are so proud of all they have accomplished, and of our distinction as a 2-time UIL State Marching Contest Finalist.

~Gerry Miller

Director of Bands

Vidoes of the performances, please feel free to share…

Prelims - http://youtu.be/W6owt7-I8ZA

Finals - http://youtu.be/njD5c6BuEq4

Congrats Cross Country:

From the District 9-4AXC meet, please congratulate the following runners:

Team Results

Varsity Girls: 3rd *Advanced toRegionals *Medalist (Madie Zimmerman-1st)

Varsity Boys: 3rd *Advanced toRegionals *Medalists (Turner Pool-7th, Peter Lefebvre-9th)

Team Results

JV Girls: 2nd *Medalists (Natalia Velasco-1st, Rachel Bassett-11th)

JV Boys: 2nd *Medalists (Antonio Arias-5th, Daniel Rentie-6th, Toby Gray-7th, Christian-9th, Darius Warren-13th)

*Only school to qualify both Varsity Boys and Girls to Regionals! *2nd year in a row to do this!

*Only school tobring homea trophy in each division!

visit our blog: http://wakelandcrosscountry.blogspot.com

Wakeland band advances to STATE!

For the second time in the short history of Wakeland HS, the Wakeland Band will be performing at the prestigious UIL State Marching Band Contest at the Alamodome in San Antonio next Tuesday, November 8. The UIL SMBC is one of the most-respected marching contests in the country, and we look forward to this wonderful opportunity for our students. We finished 2nd in Area B Competition, and won the visual caption in Finals. We're well on the road to becoming State Finalists for the second consecutive time. A video of our Finals performance can be found by clicking on this link (http://youtu.be/2OCO85J6lXM). Please share it with everyone/anyone.

Congrats Band:

Congrats to the Wakeland Band. Saturday, October 22, marked Wakeland's 6th consecutive Marching Sweepstakes (I-I-I or "straight superior ratings"). This is a great accomplishment for our students and the first step on the road to earning our 6thConsecutive UIL Sweepstakes Award following UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest in April of 2012. I know that they LOVE performing this show - it's the conversation-show at every marching contest - and next week will be vitally important. We hope to see you there. The video is up if you want to check it out, or share it with friends...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPovbG2Fwz8

Sarah Cocke and John Shortreed

Congratulations Orchestra Students

The following Orchestra students attended Region 24 Orchestra Auditions on October 15, and made the cut for either thePhilharmonic Orchestra, or Symphony Orchestra (top group).

Andrew Acosta (11) - Symphony Violin

Cameron Hamer (12) - Symphony Violin

Jae Choi (9) - Symphony Violin

Courtney Erbes (9) - Symphony Harp

Matthew Michie (9) -Philharmonic Violin

WHS, fellow orchastra students, and Mrs. Duston are very proud of this outstanding achievement of our students!

WHS Students win at District Show:

L. Lowe and L Salmon were district winners at the TASB (TX Assn of School Boards and School Administrators) show put on by TAEA (Tx Art Education Assn).

The exhibit will showcase Pre-K through 12th grade works of art from across the state of Texas. Thirty school districts will be represented at the Texas Association of School Board and School Administrator Conference. The exhibition will be on display for conference attendees, September 30 - October 2, 2011.

The TASB / TASA Convention Exhibit will be displayed in the exhibit hall at the Convention Center in Austin.

The level of student and teacher achievement evidenced in this exhibition is a direct reflection of your leadership and support of the arts. Your cooperative efforts make this exhibition possible.

TAEA is proud to be able to provide avenues for children within the state of Texas for exhibition and promote the importance of student art within the community.

Congratulations on this honor and for allowing TAEA to exhibit your students' artwork.

Congrats WHS BAND

On Saturday, October 1, the Wakeland Band performed at the 2011 Bands of America Arlington Regional at the University of Texas at Arlington. The Wakeland Band earned Best Effect in Class, Class Champion, and performed as a part of the Finals performances. The full retreat was an inspirational experience - getting to medal our kids on the field during the ceremony will forever be one of the most memorable moments of my years at Wakeland.

Wakeland (13th place overall) - 70.25

Congrats to the WHS drumline!

On Saturday, September 24, the WHS Drumline participated in the Plano Drumline Contest. The Drumline earned their highest rank to date in the toughest category (Marching Show) finishing in 3rd place, behind perennial 5A percussion powerhouses Marcus and Colleyville Heritage, and scoring ahead of several dominant percussion programs in the area like Fossil Ridge, Keller, Hebron, Lewisville and Creekview.

Additionally, the WHS Cymbal Line kept their streak alive winning Best Cymbal Line at the PDLC for the 2nd year in a row.

Finally, Brandon Green (12) won 3rd place in the solo competition for his performance of Nick Werth's tenor solo "Chocolate Cherry Bomb".

MAY 2011

April 2011

Bailey Carver wins BEST IN SHOW!

Bailey Carver brought home the Best of Show Award at the ceremony for the Tribeca Art Project. Bailey’s painting beat out approximately 50 other works for top honors. Congratulations to her on an excellent job!

WHS Athletes Sign with Colleges:

WHS students receive 2011 Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Scholarship

Mason Rougk: The Matt Martinez Jr. Memorial Scholarship - $5,000

Kapi Berhanu, Alexander Bailey, Jonathan Cox: GDRA Texas ProStart Scholarship-$1,000

WHS band earn a PERFECT SWEEP at UIL:

The Wakeland HS Band program (and its feeder middle schools) earned a PERFECT SWEEP throughout UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest. This feat is quite unprecedented - no AAAA band program in UIL Region XXIV has ever earned straight I's with 3 ensembles at the HS level, not to mention our middle school successes as well.

After the Wind Symphony performance, the final results are as follows:

WakelandHS Wind Symphony (Mr. Miller, conductor) - I-I-I; I-I-I

WakelandHS Symphonic Band (Mr. Denis,conductor)- I-I-I; I-I-I

WakelandHS Concert Band (Mrs. Marquez, conductor) - I-I-I; I-I-I

Cobb MSSymphonic Band (Mrs. Ball, conductor) - I-I-I; I-I-I

Griffin MS Symphonic Band (Mrs. Parr, conductor)- I-I-I; I-I-I

We would also like to recognize the great middle assistant school directors as well - Mrs. Tucker and Ms. Garnand, as well as our talented percussion staff - Mr. Gomez, Mr. McLaughlin, and Mr. Stroup. We are also always blessed with a ton of support from our Guard staff - Mr. Kichline, Mr. Warren, and Mr. Johnston.

Thanks to all. Without the support of a great WHS Band Booster Organization, talented middle school directors, wonderful private lesson teachers, caring parents, dedicated alumni, fantastic teachers, and friends, this would not have been possible.

Sincerely,

Gerry Miller

Director of Bands

Orchestra brings home trophies:

Orchestra participated in the Lone Star Showcase of Music festival at Krum HS on Saturday, April 9.

After asuccessful performance, they were presented with the following trophies:

1)Superior Performance

2)Best in Class

3)Overall Outstanding

Please congratulate the orchestra students, we are very proud of them!

WHS choirs competes in the UIL Concert and Sight-reading contest:

The Chorale (Varsity Mixed Choir) earned the top award of “Sweepstakes” (Superior) in concert and sight-reading.

The Concert Girls Choir (Non- Varsity), received a 1st Division (Superior) on their concert presentation, and a 2nd Division (Excellent) in the sight-reading competition.

MARCH 2011

WHS Athletes Sign with Colleges:

Pictured Above: Mitchell Williams signing with Mary Hardin Baylor	Pictured Above: Ryan Rice signing with John Hopkins University

WHS Wind Symphony receives honors:

The Wind Symphony left on Wednesday for the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. The student-performers had a great concert on Friday and attended many wonderful concerts, masterclasses, and motivational sessions. This event is an invitation-only national concert band performance venue featuring some of the most legendary clinicians and teachers in music. Our commentators and clinicians included Jerry Junkin, University of Texas/Dallas Wind Symphony; James Keene, University of Illinois (retired); Gary Hill, Arizone State University; Col. Lowell Graham, United States Air Force Band (retired); and Craig Kirchoff, University of Minnesota. Videos of our hour-long performance (broken into smaller segments) are available on the WakelandHSBand’s youtube channel. Please visit our channel if you'd like to watch some/all of the works performed:

Children’s March (Grainger/Rogers) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2owA717cjaQ

The Engulfed Cathedral (Debussy/Patterson) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZAS79IcMug

Masquerade (Persichetti) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlUZuCDabo4

Ballet Music from ‘Le Cid’ - part 1 of 2 (Massenet/Reynolds) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3EOTFIepso

Ballet Music from ‘Le Cid’ - part 2 of 2 (Massenet/Reynolds) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkirBlAFNNc

WHS Winterguard makes program history:

The Varsity Winterguard made program history with their performances at the WGI Southwestern Colorguard Championships (formerly known as the "PowerRegional"). The Varsity Winterguard placed high enough in their Preliminaryround on Saturday toearna place in Semi-Finals Competition. They finished 9th overall in their semi-finals round and 16th in overall Scholastic A. WGI - Winterguard International - is the parent organizations that governs the entire actiity around the world. WHS Varsity Winterguard was a 2009 WGI Austin Regional Finalist and can now add to their list of accomplishments a 2011 Southwestern Championship Semi-Finalist. Bravo to all our student-performers.

Students march in World Class Drum Corps:

A quick Spring Break treat for the WHS Band family…the students who marched in World Class Drum Corps are featured on www.dci.org’s are featured as the “DC-EYE” for this week. Here’s the link, and the caption…

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=b07ba81c-653f-4784-8811-354b3be8a82f

“Ten current and former students from Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas performed as members of World Class Drum Corps this summer.
Here's a photo from the Friday night Semifinals with Lucas Oil Stadium as our backdrop.

Left to right: Andi (front ensemble, Blue Knights); Matt (contra, The Cadets); Kate (drum major, The Cadets); Danielle (guard, Pioneer); Sean (baritone, Blue Stars); Taylor (mellophone, The Cadets); Allison (mellophone, The Cadets); Michael (bass drum, Blue Stars); band director Gerry M. (staff, The Cadets); Tanner (baritone, The Cadets - not pictured); Ryan (front ensemble, The Cadets - not pictured).

"It was a great summer filled with many wonderful memories.“

Orchestra earns awards

On March 8, 2011 the WHS Varsity String Orchestra participated in the UIL Concert & Sight Reading contest at Newman Smith HS in Carrollton.  They received unanimous Superior ratings in their Concert (on stage) performance, and excellent ratings in the Sight Reading portion of the contest.

The recordings and very, very nice judges' comments from the competition have proven, once again, that the Orchestra is taking its performance to a new, higher level every year. 

Way to go Orchestra!

Congratulations Business Professionals of America (BPA) Students:

BPA held the State competition March 3-5. Brent Walther placed 2nd in Java Programming and advanced to nationals and Nick Johnson placed 7th for Interview Skills and will be an alternate for nationals. Nationals will be held in Washington, D.C.

Student advances to national competition:

Wakeland's junior Nadia Grier competed at State DECA over the weekend in Quick Service Management. Out of 100 students she advanced in the top 7 to attend national competition in Orlando, FL. She has worked extremely hard for this honor. Congratulations Nadia!

Winning Logo Designed by WHS student

Over 60 logos, all designed by CTEC graphic design students, were submitted to the Be Fit Frisco committee. Among the Finalists was WHS student Dakota Richins.

Band Stundents Earn Awards at UIL competition

On Saturday, March 5, 149 WHS Band students competed in the UIL Region XXIV Solo and Ensemble Contest at R.L. Turner HS. Of those, 126 earned UIL’s highest rating: Superior/1st Division/Commended. This is our highest 1st Division percentage in school history (85%, up from 79% in 2010). Additionally, a record 47 Soloists qualified for the UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest held over Memorial Day Weekend at UT-Austin. Congratulations students!

February 2011

Swimming and Diving Results 2010-2011

Both the boys’ and the girls’ teams had a fantastic season this year.  They were excited and ready to get the championship season started. The girls did a great job and competed well against some of the toughest competition in the state and finished 6th in District 9-4A and 8th at the Regional level. Both the 200 and 400 Free relays – Caroline Williams, Taylor Hanttula, Rishawna Crane, and Meghan O’Neill – broke the long standing school records and set the pace for the next few years.

The boys brought home back-to-back District and Regional Championships and sent a strong 6 swimmers and 1 diver to the state level. Led by District and Regional athlete of the meet, Devin Compan, the boys were determined to finish strong and they did just what they set out to do.

State qualifiers included:

Freshmen: Brayden Seal

Sophomores: Liam Garrott, Zach Kline, and Coleman Phelps

Seniors: Devin Compan, Tanner Sanders, and Bryan Cindell

All three relays qualified and competed very well. Members of each relay were:

200 Medley Relay:  Coleman Phelps, Liam Garrott, Zach Kline, and Tanner Sanders

200 Free Relay: Liam Garrott, Zach Kline, Tanner Sanders, and Devin Compan (they finished 3rd at State! Also, their time qualifies them for an All-American consideration time!!!)

400 Free Relay: Brayden Seal, Zach Kline, Tanner Sanders, and Devin Compan (they finished 4th and broke their own school record!)

Individuals:

Brayden Seal did an outstanding job, being one of the few freshmen in both the 200 and 500 freestyle, dropping his own best time and setting two new school records. He finished 9th and 7th, respectively.

BJ Cindell finished his senior year with an outstanding 4th place finish in the Diving competition.

Devin Compan showed everyone exactly what he was made of in both of his individual events – the 50 and 100 freestyle. He finished 4th in the 50 free, gaining automatic All-American recognition with his time of 20.90. He turned around beat the entire field in the 100 free, bringing home the very first individual state championship for the boys’ team, gaining All-American status once again, and took out the 10 year-old state record, putting himself and Wakeland on the map with a new state record of :45.45.

THE BOYS FINISHED 4TH IN THE STATE, BRINGING HOME THE FIRST UIL BANNER IN THE PROGRAM’S HISTORY!!! WAY TO GO SWIMMERS AND DIVERS!! The bar has been raised. Let’s do it again next year!!

Orchestra earns awards and has 4 advancing to state:

On Saturday, February 19, 2011, nineteen (approx.2/3of members) Orchestra students participated in the UIL Solo & Ensemble contest atCreekview HS, in Carrollton. They have displayed impressive level performances, and as result, brought home 12 medals for first division ratings across all three classes. Four of our students will travel to Austin to represent our school and district at the state level in May.

Please acknowledge their outstanding achievement. Great Job!

State Qualifiers:

Andrew Acosta (10, violin)

Thomas Lu (9, violin)

Cameron Hamer (11, violin)

Joseph Geller (10, viola)

January 2011

Collin County Junior

Livestock Show

Myers Event Center McKinney, TX

January 4-8, 2011

Breeding rabbits:

Hannah Rigsbee (shown top left)-Grand Champion Mini Lop

Breanna Forse (shown top middle) -Reserve Champion Mini Lop

Emily Turzai - 2nd place Mini Rex

Shop:

Alex Marcantel (shown top right)-2nd place Shop Table

Swine:

Maddie Briggs-2nd place Cross Gilt

Andrew Lamas-3rd placeYork Barrow

Alex Marcantel-3rd placeYork Barrow

Horticulture:

Kristen Wells-4th place Round Arrangement

BPA Members earn awards at Regional Competition.

Raameen Shakeeb (advanced to state)-2nd Place Banking and Finance

Brent Walther (advanced to state)-1st Place JAVA Programming

Nicholas Johnson (advanced to state)-1st Place Interview Skills

Colin Walker (advanced to state)-Presentation Management-Individual

Jessie Sackett (advanced to state)-1st Place Human Resource Management

Ravi Gattamaraju-4th PC Servicing & Troubleshooting

Kyle Ratliff-4th Place Computerized Accounting

Tori Ramirez and Taylor Carlat-6th Place Presentation Management-Team

WHS Band members compete and win.

On Saturday, January 10 Wakeland HS Band students performed at the TMEA Area A Auditions held at Abilene Christian University. Of those, two were selected as Texas All-Staters. They are…

Austin Sarich (11) – clarinet

Marde Meek (12) – oboe

Pedro Chavez (12) – tuba, was selected as an alternate to the All-State Band.

Over 55,000 students begin the process to become Texas All-Staters, and less than 2% earn a place in the group by the end of the process.

December 2010

Woodwind choir Performs for community.

The WHS Woodwind Choir, under the direction of Sarah Marquez, performed a concert of Holiday Favorites at the Rambling Oaks Retirement Home on Christmas Eve.

November 2010

Legacy Line Members perform at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Legacy Line had 4 members (Rachel Cocke, Madeline Doerr, Sara Morterud and Morgan Wright) who traveled to New York City over Thanksgiving break to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They performed with the Spirit of America dance group who combines All American dancers from across the country. The Legacy Line was acknowledged as an All American Team during summer camp at SMU, and this allowed any member on our team to participate. They performed a Country/Western routine during the parade then escorted Santa. Click HERE to view their performance. They are hard to spot so look closely.

Culinary Students Work with Chef Guy Fieri.

Two FISD culinary arts students, Sophie Schaeffer and Mason Rougk from WHS (pictured on the right), were selected to be student assistants of Chef Guy Fieri on Friday, November 5, at Northeast Mall in Hurst. The students prepared samples for 150-200 particpants at the book signing. Click here to read more

WHS Photography Students place at contest.

The Association of Texas Photography Instructors released their fall contest winners over Thanksgiving break. There were over 6000 entries in 23 categories and 2 divisions.

For Wakeland:

Meghan Herrling 1st place Beginning Travel Portfolio

Sara Leguizamon-Honorable Mention Beginning Open

Jessica Tillman-Honorable Mention Beginning Open

Kanyon Farley-3rd place Advanced PSA/Advertisement.

October 2010

Congrats to the Wakeland HS Band.

On Saturday, October 30, the band competed in the Bands of America SuperRegional Contest in San Antonio Texas. Of the AAAA programs at the contest, Wakeland finished 7th overall after the preliminary round. This contest comprised the very best AAAA and AAAAA Bands in Texas. It’s a true accomplishment to have maintained a top-10 ranking among AAAA groups in the State for the past 2 years.

Thanks,

Gerry Miller, Director of Bands

WHS Media Students win at TAJE state Convention:

The weekend of October 23-25 members of the Wakeland High School Media Department traveled to San Antonio for the annual TAJE state convention and contests. Thirteen members placed in contests that were held Saturday. Kathryn Thiel-Honorable Mention News Writing, Megan Presciano-Excellence in On-Site Architecture Photography and Honorable Mention in On-Site People Photography, Melissa Hollis-Superior in Feature Writing, Rachel Knight-Excellence in On-Site action Photography and Superior in On-Site Open Photography, Jamie Miller-Honorable Mention Commercial/PSA and Superior In-Camera Videography, and Kanyon Farley-Superior Commerical/PSA. As a team, Alex Timmermans, Corina Lopez, and Becky Ray received Honorable Mention honors for their In-Camera Feature Story. The Photo Scavenger team received first place honors. The team was made up of Bria Jones, Joey Ochoa, Alex Baker, and Jordan Adamo. The students attended workshops on Sunday and heard from UN Photographer, John Isaac, for the keynote address on Monday.

Links to videos:

Kanyon Farley, (12), Superior, (1st place) Commercial/PSA http://www.schooltube.com/video/aaebfcba99d1c787fa4f/Dairy-Queen-Blizzard-Commercial

Jamie Miller, (11), Honorable Mention (3rd place) Commercial/PSA  http://www.schooltube.com/video/1bc44ab488b23998580f/Wakeland-Prowler-Yearbook-Commercial

TAJE Group Photo

Broadcast Winners

Publication Winners

Congrats to the WHS Band:

The Band competed in the UIL Region XXIV Marching Conteston Saturday, October 18 and earned its 5th consecutive Marching Sweepstakes (I-I-I or straight first division/superior ratings from all 3 judges). The judges were incredibly positive and really loved what our kids are doing. If you haven’t had a chance to see the show, here are two performances you can check out on our youtube channel…

UIL Region (this performance uses an alternate ending because of UIL time restrictions):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fn1l8gNUV0

Birdville ISD Marching Contest Finals (this performance includes the FULL SHOW):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aPdAXQTHQU

Congratulations to the following orchestra students:

The following students had asuccessful auditions Saturday, October 16. They will participate in the All - Region 24 Orchestra Clinic and Concert at Turner HSin Carrollton on December 10 - 11. They will be representing our school, as well as district at region level. Please congratulate them on their achievement.

Philharmonic Orchestra

Gillian Lee (9th grade, violin)

Joseph Geller (10th grade, viola)

Symphony Orchestra - top group

Drew Acosta (10th grade, violin)

Tom Lu (9th grade, violin)

Ellison Jackson (12th grade, violin)

September 2010

Congrats homecoming Queen and King

French Club appear on TV

The WHS French Club appeared on the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon fundraiser, Monday, Sept. 6 on NBC. The French Club presented a check reflecting the money they raised during the Shamrock charity fundraiser last school year. Way to go French Club!