Pearson Student’s Persuasion Letter Entices Taco Cabana to Visit

As part of a school assignment in Tyra Damm’s seventh grade English class, Pearson Middle School student Avin Baidya wrote Taco Cabana, asking them to reopen a Frisco location. The corporate office was so impressed with his letter that they sent a Taco Cabana taco truck to campus, and they fed all of Avin's classmates plus as many teachers as possible. That must have been one incredibly persuasive letter!

Students Place in Young American Talent Contest

Congratulations to several high school students who placed in the Young American Talent Contest! Their creativity and artistry are clearly outstanding. View their incredible artwork. 

• Sajani Silla (Reedy) - Best in Show 

• Esha Shetty (Reedy) - New Category Animation Award

• Sophie Russell (Heritage) - 1st Place Ceramics 

• Alex Sandoval (Independence) - 2nd Place Color Drawing 

• Yu Shimizu (Lebanon Trail) - 3rd Place Digital Imaging

• Tanushri Talla (Liberty) - Honorable Mention Drawing - Black and White 

Debate Students Place in Top 16 at State

Congratulations to Independence High School debate competitors junior Ashley Bajaj and senior Anum Khan who finished in the Top 16 at the State UIL Cross-Examination Debate Competition! The students competed in Austin after advancing to state along with another team from Independence that included Iyan Khan and Chloe Yim. This year, the policy debate topic was “The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States.”

The two-partner teams worked together and did a ton of research, becoming topic experts related to water in the United States and all of the laws already on the books, along with what has been discussed for possible future law. They worked together to anticipate questions and to be ready to present and attack plans quickly.

Their teacher, Emiley Henry, is proud that her students are learning about the importance of researching several sides of the same issue as they evaluate the credibility of what they’re reading, decide what to believe and defend those beliefs.

Teachers of the Year Honored at RoughRiders Game

Congratulations to the Frisco ISD Teachers of the Year who were honored at the April 21 RoughRiders game! The teachers received free tickets to the game and vouchers for free Whataburger and were led in a parade across the field by Gainer the Gopher!

FISD Teams Named Finalists in High School Ideas Challenge

Frisco ISD is home to several entrepreneurship teams that were named finalists in the 2022 Texas High School Ideas Challenge, hosted by the Texas A&M McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship. The Challenge is designed to encourage high school students to explore entrepreneurship and foster the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. Best of luck to these teams who were named finalists!

• Chance Tickets - Centennial High School

• H.E.M.A. - Frisco High School

• Investa Sport - Centennial High School

• iPath American English - Centennial High School

• J.S.I Wind Turbine EV - Heritage High School

• sMile - Centennial High School

• Stewup - Heritage High School

• Trainee - Centennial High School

• WorkBee - Centennial High School

CoServ and RoughRiders Recognize Lawler Band Director

Congratulations to Lawler Middle School Band Director Christian Holzer who was recognized for being an outstanding teacher by CoServ and the Frisco RoughRiders. He was surprised by a visit to the campus where he was presented with the honor and a check that will soon benefit the students of the campus. He was nominated by a community member for his dedication to his students and the community and will be honored on Riders Field at a home game in the near future.

McSpedden Student on Team that Won Regional STEM Competition

Congratulations to third grader Naisha Tawari from McSpedden Elementary who was on a team of four that was declared regional winners of the Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association's 30th Annual ExploralVision STEM competition!

As part of the competition, students created a diabetic balance shoe, which helps detect and prevent diabetic foot ulcers by using sensors for pain, blood flow, blood pressure, blood sugar and temperature. Sensors detect loss of balance and use motors and conveyor belts on the hi-tech DiaBal shoes to spread the feet, stabilize and prevent any falls. The shoe also massages the leg to ensure good blood supply and connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth to capture data and provide updates to doctors. 

The team will find out if they are invited to nationals in May.