Heritage Percussion Takes Stage at PASIC
Congratulations to Heritage High School percussionists on a beautiful performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis last month! As winners of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition, the Heritage percussion studio was invited to perform in concert, bringing the exceptional talent and dedication of Frisco ISD fine arts to an international stage. Heritage percussion director is Alan Brawdy, and head band director is Jason Prasifka. Find a list of PASIC performers and 2025 graduates who took part in the winning audition in the spring.
Education and Training Student Advances to State TAFE
Liberty High School junior Phoebe So has advanced to the state Texas Association of Future Educators competition in February! Phoebe, is on the Education and Training pathway at the Career and Technical Education Center, and works as a classroom intern at Isbell Elementary. She qualified in Interactive Bulletin Board for the state contest. Her dedication, creativity and leadership truly shine, and this accomplishment reflects the hard work she pours into her future profession. Congrats, Phoebe!
Sparks Learning Partnership Featured on NBC5
An innovative partnership between a classroom teacher and digital learning coach at Sparks Elementary School was recently featured on NBC5’s Carter in the Classroom segment. Second grade teacher Alyssa Newcomb, Sparks’ teacher of the year, and DLC Brandon Hunter teamed up on an AI chatbot to enhance math learning for young students. Reporter Wayne Carter followed along from Newcomb’s group math lesson to individual student engagement with the chatbot, as second graders used the tools they learned from their teacher to answer questions that became more difficult as they grasped the concepts. Their work exemplifies the future-ready focus and excellence at work in classrooms across Frisco ISD. Watch the NBC5 report.
Frisco PTAs Win Chamber’s Receipt Race
Congratulations to six Frisco ISD PTAs that received donations from the Frisco Chamber of Commerce for turning in the most receipts during the chamber’s Receipt Race! The chamber launched the effort last year to support the Frisco Rail District, and PTAs jumped on the chance to earn money for their campuses! Through their collective efforts, PTAs encouraged families to shop, dine and do business in the Frisco Rail District, resulting in collectively turning in 745 receipts totaling $47,498 from Rail District businesses. Wow! Find out more about efforts to support the Rail District.
The winning schools and their donations:
$3,000 winners: Staley Middle and Smith Elementary
$2,000 winners: Rogers Elementary and Cobb Middle
$1,000 winners: Sem and Robertson elementary
Culinary Students Highlighted in Community Impact
Culinary students at the Career and Technical Education Center have been working hard all fall to bring fellow students, CTEC teachers and the community great food through their bakery, dinner pickups and Saveur dine-in restaurant. Check out Saveur's menu and dates and hours of operation on their webpage. After that, check out a profile on the program and chef-instructor Sara Hosford published recently by Community Impact.
INCubator Students Shine at SMU Event
Last month, Frisco ISD INCubatoredu students attended the INCubator Student Showcase at Southern Methodist University, coming away with valuable experience in pitching and selling their businesses. During the event, the Emerson High School team behind Nature's Note was voted on by their peers across the region to pitch their product. Nature's Note is a luxury fragrance brand focused on long-lasting, high-quality scents that stay light, smooth, and never heavy on the senses. FISD's 2025 INCubator Pitch Night winning group was also invited to share their product pitch and had judges ready to sign up for their product on the spot! The Emerson team’s Veera Plant Care, formerly known as LeafLink, provides simple, stylish and sustainable plant-care kits paired with an app that helps users track watering, sunlight and overall plant health. Kudos to all the students and Emerson INCubator teacher Revenia Lock for her leadership with the INCubatoredu courses!
Also around Frisco ISD …
Lebanon Trail senior Tejasvi Manoj has been named as one of the Top 100 Emerging Innovators of 2026 and will be recognized at the Limitless World Summit in April. In September, Tejasvi was also named Time magazine’s 2025 Kid of the Year.
Wortham Intermediate fifth grader Kaira Ganesh won the Texas State Chess Championship for fifth grade, finishing with a perfect score.
Comstock Elementary second grader Kian Ganesh defended his Texas State Chess Championship title for the second consecutive year, securing first place for his grade level.