May 2015 
In This Issue
Faces of Harmony
Whitney Stevenson
Teacher, Ft. Worth 

I started teaching at Harmony Science Academy Fort Worth 7 years ago. I had just decided not to continue law school and was looking for a job that I could use my history degree in. After researching various options, I decided to apply to Harmony and the rest is history! I have also made some lasting friendships- at my recent wedding, almost all of my bridesmaids were current and former Harmony teachers! 
Kumail Hasan
Alumni - North Austin
BA Govt: The University of Texas at Austin

After graduating from HSANA, I attended The University of Texas at Austin and graduated in December 2014 with a degree in Government/ International Relations. I cannot thank Harmony enough for preparing me for my journey and making me a well-rounded individual. Many of my former Harmony teachers, who continue to play a major role as mentors in my life, really deserve special shout-outs for always being there for me when I need advice. I want to thank the Harmony administrators and teachers for their absolute dedication in preparing students for college and their future careers. Like they say, there really are no schools like Harmony Public Schools. 
Thank You Harmony Family! 
Our first "Call to Action" to support fair funding was a success due to the loyalty of our parents/guardians across the state. Thank you for showing your support for fair funding or all public charter schools. Because of your contribution, the Texas Charter School Association offers their thanks and appreciation. With your support, all things are possible! 
Gifted and Talented Program (GATE) 

The Houston Advancement team were crowned first in their division at the Mind of State Texas Competition. The students will advance to the world finals which will be held at Michigan State University in May. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college through learning and role-play.
World Affairs Council Event in Austin

The Making of Argo
Students listened to the remarkable story of Joseph D. Stafford III, a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, now retired who were caught in the hostage crisis in Tehran as shown in the movie Argo, back in 1979. Read the full story here.
Dallas Mayor Brings High Hopes

#HighExpectations
Students in Dallas spent a day interviewing for paid internships at the Mayor's Intern Fellows Program event. Dallas mayor, Mike Rawlings, hosted a number of different companies including AT&T, Atmos Energy, Parkland Hospital of Dallas, and more in the hopes of connecting talented Dallas high schoolers with opportunities in the city. The students were excited to have the chance to intern with local companies for eight weeks over the summer. Their hopes are high that they might be selected for an internship.

Brainteaser 
Person A was born on April 23, 1948. Person B was born on April 23, 1962. If both are alive now, in what year was person A twice as old as person B?

Last month's answer: R
Last month's winners: Mark Whiting, Raquel Bruce, Elvan Celik
Correction From April Newsletter
The school listed as moving on to the robotics World Championship was Exploration. The school that actually won was Excellence. 
8th Annual ISWEEEP Olympiad 2015 
The 8th annual International Sustainable World Energy Engineering and Environment Project Olympiad (I-SWEEEP) began Friday night, May 8 at the GRB convention center. The enthusiastic crowd of nearly 1,200 people, including students from nearly 70 countries and more than 40 US states, their parents, coaches, industry leaders, guests, dignitaries and more, filled the convention center. Attendees left the event all smiles and energized by the speakers and performers, while the winners left energized and ready for new adventures. Check the I-SWEEEP website for names of the winners, dignitaries and much more!
Robotics World Championships



El Paso is on Fire!
After months of practice and hard work HSI-El Paso students, the Golden Tigers are happy to announce that they have qualified to the FIRST FTC World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri! HSA El Paso team, the Robotigers Zeta also advanced to the FLL Razorback International Tournament in Arkansas. Way to go! 
Commissioner Michael Williams Visits Austin School




Commissioner Williams met with Harmony CEO, Dr. Tarim, Superintendent Cuneyt Akdemir and other administration, students, parents and teachers Friday May 8, in Austin. In addition to a tour of the facilities, a STEM demonstration, and the opportunity to meet with Harmony students and parents, the Commissioner presented North Austin students with a certificate for their recent success in the Texas Quiz Bowl and National Merit Finalists. The Commissioner spoke warmly of Harmony and our contributions made to education. 
STEM Education Day 2015 






On May 8, educators, corporate professionals and community leaders, were on hand for STEM Day 2015. STEM Day served as the Houston-based festivities for the Celebration of STEM Education Week in Texas.  The event served as the perfect cross-section between education and industry, with educators hearing first-hand from those with major corporations, what is needed in today's workforce. The day also featured visits from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Mayor Pro -Tem of Houston, Ed Gonzalez. 
Buffalo Bayou Clean-up by Harmony

#CharacterMatters 
To celebrate Global Youth Service Day and Environmental Education Day, 40 Sugar Land High AP Physics students and Harmony staff collaborated with the University of Houston Downtown to participate in a hands-on learning opportunity and to contribute to a clean-up project along Buffalo Bayou. This program is part of an annual partnership with UH-D to foster volunteerism as well as expose students to nature and local ecosystems.
Harmony Girls Rock Mathematics Competition! 




AMC8 in West Houston
8th grade students applied their problem solving skills in a huge way. Competing against several other teams, Harmony students walked away with 1st and 3rd place awards. 
Promoting Diversity
Cultural Bowl Winners
In partnership with El Paso Community College, Harmony students competed in a cultural bowl and were quizzed on different countries foods, culture, sports, and language. Each year to prepare for the event, Social Studies Chair, Mr. Chavira collects information from different cultures and creates packets for his students to use study. This extracurricular activity serves to expand the horizons of our young generation and promotes our core value of working together. Participating against 20 other teams, we are pleased to announce that our students won first place! 
Destination Global Tournament 
The Scienceshrooms Take Over
Harmony School of Political Science and Communication's Destination Imagination (DI) team, the Scienceschrooms, won 2nd place in Dallas at DI State Tournament.

We are pleased to announce that, due to their win, they will be going to Globals in Tennessee!

TEDx Talks at Harmony

Sugar Land students organized the first ever Harmony led TEDx event. The topic was a "Palette of Perspectives" and how things are viewed from several different angles. With around 75 guests, Harmony hosted speakers on how we view things around us and whether or not our perspectives are reality. Poetry from Outspoken Bean, a short story on life's challenges from a Harmony teacher, a lesson on our own prejudices by Dr. Mekel Harris, how we plan to revitalize social media with Analisa Cantu, and the amazing way we can see illusions by Caesar Magic made the event enlightening and uplifting for all in attendance. 
Charter School Rally at the Capitol

Hundreds of Harmony and other charter school parents, students and supporters marched at the capitol in Austin on Wed. April 30th, to advocate for legislation that backs the Texas public charter school system. Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush were able to attend and fire up the crowd with encouraging words. The Texas Charter School Association, who organized the event, could say that this rally was a huge success! 


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