"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it."
~Danny Kaye
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Leading Linguists
Students Earn Language Awards
Nineteen Lakehill world language students attained recognition for excellent performance on the 2011 National Spanish and French Examinations.
Students from Lakehill earned a total of six medals on the National Spanish Exam - one gold and five bronze - along with four honorable mentions. Lakehill medalists include Marianna Eboli, gold, and Laura Currey, Brandon Kinard, Alison Hanson, Nina Unger, and Andrea Usuga, bronze. Honorable mentions were awarded to Clayton Drazner, Alex Montfort-Mills, Ryan Kennedy, and Alexis Johnson. The National Spanish Examination, which is conducted each year by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, measures a student's knowledge of Spanish against a national standard.
The National French Exam, conducted each year by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), measures a student's knowledge of French against a regional and national standard. Nine Lakehill students were recognized on the exam, two with national awards and seven with regional awards.
Receiving National Bronze Medals were Ethan Weil and Ruth Godbey, placing ninth and tenth in the nation, respectively. Emily Allton received a regional Certificate of Honor for placing in the top 20th percentile, while Laura Ballard, Hannah Cavuoti, Marianna Eboli, Sydney Firsching, Stephanie Flores, and Cameron Gavinski received Certificates of Achievement or placing in the top 50th percentile.
Students at Lakehill have a long history of achievement on these exams, thanks to the dedication of Spanish teachers Joan Mayo and Lou Wilkin and French teacher Cassandra Leach. "Attaining recognition on these examinations is very prestigious and we are extremely proud of these students for their hard work," said Joan Mayo, Foreign Language Department Chair.
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Photo by Ron Gavinski.
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Musical Masters
Choir Wins Big at Winspear Lakehill's Upper School Choir performed at the Winspear Opera House on Saturday, May 7, bringing home big memories and two even bigger trophies.
The Spring in the Parks Music Festival brought together groups from all over Texas and around the country, including bands, orchestras, and choirs, and encompassing all styles of music, from jazz to show choir.
Lakehill was the final group to take the stage in the two-day competition. Receiving all 1s in performance by all three judges, Lakehill earned the coveted Superior Rating (the highest rating) and a trophy recognizing their achievement.
All mixed choirs with Superior Ratings were then evaluated again by the judges to select the Best in Class. The judges, an elite group of nationally renowned choral conductors, selected Lakehill for this honor. Choir Director Tracy Herron is thrilled with the results. "I have wanted the students to have the opportunity to perform at the Winspear for some time, but it was not available as a venue until now," he explained. "These competitions are not inexpensive, but they are well worth the investment for the exposure, the opportunity to perform in a world-class venue, and the chance to compete against top groups in the country."
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Full House Dad's Club Breaks the Bank with First Poker Tournament
Lakehill moms, dads, and friends enjoyed a night of cards and camaraderie on May 7 as the Dad's Club hosted its first annual Poker Night.
Held at Bolt Productions, thanks to the generosity of parent Spook Bolt, the evening offered food catered by Primo's, drinks, and a good time with friends. The event drew a crowd of 45 players and spectators.Organizers offered a Poker Tutorial to help newbies get their feet wet.
Carlos Lopez was the top finisher, with Chad Lacerte taking second place. Brad Bartholow claimed the Bad Beat award and the First Bust award. Deandra Clendenin cashed in on her beginner's luck to take fourth overall and the prize for top female finisher.
Creating a new Lakehill tradition, the first place winner received a special necklace, designed by Matt Trent, which will be passed along as an heirloom from winner to winner for years to come.
The Dad's Club raised nearly $4000 that will help fund the new sport court. Based on the success of their first event, the Dad's Club has already set its sights on hosting another tournament in the fall. "This was a great way to get families together for fun and to help the school at the same time," explained organizer Rick Currey. "I am thrilled with the success of our first event."
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Community Spotlight
Middle School Students Give Graffiti the Brush Graffiti - the slogans, drawings, and symbols made on property without the owner's permission - is not only unattractive, it can be an expensive burden for a community, as it lowers property values, generates repair costs, and can incite additional criminal activity. Lakehill's seventh and eighth grade students recently partnered with the Ferguson Road Initiative (FRI) and the City of Dallas to give graffiti the brush. Graffiti abatement as it is called, is typically a joint effort between the community, the Police Department, and community organizations to eliminate graffiti vandalism. Representatives from Ferguson Road Initiative's Weed and Seed program and the Dallas Police department joined the students for the project. Weed and Seed programs offer strategies to "weed" communities of crime through law enforcement measures and "seed" them through partnerships with education, health, and social service programs. "I am glad we had this opportunity to make a lasting impact on the community," explained seventh grade student Mitchell Levinson. "I enjoyed working on the project with my friends and felt like we helped restore pride to the neighborhoods where we worked."
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Photo by Irwin Thompson.
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Sports Snippets Varsity Track Takes on State
Ten members of the Varsity Track Team traveled to Waco on May 6 and 7 for the State Track Meet. The team has enjoyed unprecedented success this year, capturing Lakehill's first district track championship title, its first regional title as the second best team in North Texas, and the team's largest representation at a State Meet.
The girls team finished the season fifth in the state with boys and girls having several top finishers at the State Meet:
Alexis Johnson took first in State in the 100m and fourth in the long jump.
The 4x100 relay team of Kara Gamboa, Jenna Burch, Ayana Heard, and Alexis Johnson took second. Kara Gamboa took 4th in the 100m while Maia Heard placed 3rd in the 400m. Emily Allton took 4th in the 3200m and 4th in the 1600m.
The 4x400m relay of Jenna Burch, Ayana Heard, Sydney Thompson, and Maia Heard finished 5th.
Charles Burch took 5th in the 400m and Joseph Nall finished 6th in the 3200m.
Congratulations to these fine athletes on a spectacular season!
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What's Happening?
June 6 - July 29
Lakehill Summer Camps
Register by May 15 to guarantee that your camp selections are available!
Many camps are reaching capacity! Check out all the great camp offerings and make plans to spend your summer with us!
May 12
Upper School Athletic Banquet
6:00 p.m., Environmental Science Center
May 13
Lower School Field Day
Volunteers needed to help with this fun event. Contact Heidi Alexander for more information. Students head to the practice field at 12:30 p.m. for their class cheers. Games begin at 1:00 p.m. and should end by 2:30 p.m.
May 13
Middle School Musical, Cinderella, Jr.
7:00 p.m., Wyly Auditorium
Recognition Ceremony following the performance.
May 14
No Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Up this month! Thanks to Cub Scout Pack 46 for cleaning the lake in May!
May 15
Baccalaureate 2:00 p.m., Lakewood Country Club
Lower School Awards Ceremony 2:00 p.m., Auditorium
May 18 PFC General Meeting Don't miss the last meeting of the year. Celebrate this year's many successes, meet your new officers for next year, and find out about all the wonderful events planned for 2011-12! 8:15 a.m., Cafeteria Middle School Awards Ceremony 2:00 p.m., Auditorium
Upper School Awards Ceremony 11:00 a.m., Auditorium
Upper School End-of-Year Party 12:30-3:30 p.m., RLP
May 19
Lower School Skating Party 12:30 - 2:30 p.m., White Rock Skate
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