Schools Earn Grants in Cotton Bowl Art Contest
Congratulations to the Frisco ISD art classrooms that won grants as part of the annual Cotton Bowl Art Contest! In addition to the grants, first-, second-, and third-place grade-level winners received a framed copy of their artwork to hang at their school, and a copy will hang at AT&T Stadium.
Recipients of a $500 grant, plus an additional $200 for placing in the contest:
Riddle Elementary - Jessa Lee, 1st grade (teacher Julianne Szczesny)
Anderson Elementary - Chidanvi Jain, 2nd grade (teacher Jessica Jones)
Isbell Elementary - Carson Chan, 3rd grade (teacher Jolie Poirot)
Recipients of a $500 grant:
Bledsoe Elementary (teacher Emily Harris)
Borchardt Elementary (teacher Christina Lytle)
Minett Elementary (teacher Dawn Dempsey)
Mooneyham Elementary (teacher Honor Escobar)
Robertson Elementary (teacher Jill Hutchings)
Scott Elementary (teacher Tiffany Adkins)
Sonntag Elementary (teacher Lesley Tumlinson)
Sparks Elementary (teacher Emily Scott)
Smith Elementary (teacher Jennifer Pitts)
Taylor Elementary (teacher Kevin Walsh)
Artists’ Winning Works Headed to State PTA Contest
Frisco ISD students are advancing to the Texas PTA Reflections contest! After competing at the campus and District PTA levels this fall, students’ works on the theme of “Accepting Imperfection” were selected to move to state. Find a full list of Frisco ISD’s Reflections state qualifiers. Congrats!
DECA Students Advance to State Contest
Frisco ISD’s DECA students competed this month at the District Career Development Conference in Irving, the first level of competition on the road to state and international contests. About 2,800 students attended the District 7 contest, which is among the most competitive districts in the most competitive state for DECA. Over 600 Frisco ISD students advanced, qualifying for the State Career Development Conference next month in Dallas. Best of luck to the state qualifiers!
Frisco High Teacher Nominated as Lifechanger of the Year
Alma Hernandez, an ESL teacher at Frisco High School, has been nominated as 2025-26 LifeChanger of the Year! The award, presented by financial services company National Life Group, recognizes educators from across the U.S. who make a difference in students’ lives by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership. Hernandez was nominated for her dedication to both teaching and the community. She now goes on to compete for one of 17 cash prizes up to $70,000 and the title of LifeChanger of the Year. Congrats, Ms. Hernandez!
Memorial Percussionists Impress at International Convention
Congrats to Memorial High School percussionists on an amazing performance at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago last month! Memorial is one of only a few high school percussion programs chosen from across the globe to perform at the clinic. The program was selected after an application process that included audio recordings and a portfolio. The Memorial percussion studio is led by percussion director Jacob Carter and assistant director Tanner Bittinger. Memorial’s head band director is Mark Teal.
Also Around Frisco ISD …
Wakeland senior Evelyn Arnold has won the 2025 National Rice Month Scholarship Video Contest $5,000 grand prize with her video “Growing More Than Grain,”