PTA NEWS BLAST
March 24, 2014
Tanner Silva App & Drone Camera

FORT WORTH - Fort Worth resident and budding entrepreneur Tanner Silva has both a top-selling App and an aerial drone photography business, and he is still in high school!  A Paschal High School senior, Silva started the App "Podsnatcher" for Mac, which is sold on the App Store. 

During his summer break in 2012, Silva noticed that there were no Mac-compatible podcast apps that give users the ability to manage and download podcasts easily.  Silva says that managing podcasts through conventional methods can be very tedious.

 "I was genuinely shocked when I discovered this, as I knew podcasting apps sold really well on the iPhone," states Silva.  "I knew this hole in the market would not last forever, so I jumped at the opportunity."

Teaching himself Mac programming, Silva launched Podsnatcher six months later on December 21, 2012 in the Mac App Store.  By the second day, Podsnatcher reached the top 10 selling and grossing new apps in over 10 different countries (including the United States). Today, over a year after its original release, Podsnatcher is still in the top 20 selling and grossing charts for news apps.

                The following summer in 2013, Silva was surfing the web, browsing YouTube, and saw video of a quadcopter, a four-bladed, remote-controlled camera with blades that allow it to be launched and hover for aerial photography.  Silva says that "these multi-bladed drones are becoming incredibly popular. They're already being used by professional TV crews, including Top Gear (BBC) and Duck Dynasty."

Silva pursued buying one, but found that the pre-built models (known as "ready-to-fly" quadcopters) were quite expensive. Never a person swayed by a challenge, Silva decided to build his own quadcopter. After buying circuit boards and radio equipment from China and soldered them together into a single circuit, he programmed the circuit boards to work in unison to get the aircraft in the air. Over time, he added more electronics and features to his quadcopter, including a live video downlink to a pair of video goggles, an active camera stabilization system, and a GPS guided, autonomous return-to-launch feature.

Since constructing his own quadcopter, Silva has taken aerial photos all across Fort Worth and two locations in Arlington, including Montgomery Plaza, Paschal High School, Colonial Country Club, the TCU campus, AT&T Stadium, and Rangers Ballpark. Never satisfied with the status quo, Silva has since upgraded his quadcopter to a hexacopter by adding two additional motors. 

Currently it is illegal to sell photos taken by drone cameras, so Silva uploads photos taken by his hexacopter for free on his Instagram page at tannersilva.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that camera drones fly below 400 feet, a rule to which Silva adheres

Silva chocks his entrepreneurial spirit up to curiosity and hard work.  "I have always been the type of person to rise to an opportunity," says Silva.  "If I see something that fascinates me, I don't simply say to myself 'that seems really cool, I wish I could do that.'   Instead, I will teach myself the necessary skills to achieve what I want to accomplish."

Silva is a member of Paschal's National Honor Society, has been in the Paschal Chess Club, Paschal Play It Forward, Paschal Legacy Club, and is a past member of the Paschal Golf Team.  He is also active in community service projects.  After graduating with honors from Paschal in May, Silva plans to attend Florida Gulf Coast University in fall 2014, and looks forward to taking pictures of the Atlantic Ocean and his college campus with his drone camera.

Silva's drone camera pictures may be viewed at  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7gtopdsxgiu0uup/WHYBRVScrL
Garage Sale

Benefiting Senior Celebration 

Saturday, March 29

8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

3908 Stonehenge Road 

Fort Worth, Texas 76109


PHS Fashion Design Sweeps the Runway

  

Results are in and 7 out of 9 of our Fashion Students have placed in the FCCLA Regional Competition on February 16-17!

They qualified to participate in the state competition April 9-12

Corpus Christi here we come!

 

The winners are:

 

FASHION DESIGN

Taylor Boyd - 2nd place

Erika Stewart - 3rd place

 

FASHION CONSTRUCTION

Samantha Caraveo - 3rd place

Ashley Felan - 5th place

River Garza - 6th place

 

RECYCLE AND REDESIGN

Tayla Green - 4th place

Maria Covarrubias - 6th place 

Panthers for Pets

Paschal Panthers for Pets is organizing an item collection this week! Below is a list of daily items we are collecting...

  • March 25 newspapers
  • March 26 pennies (we will have students coming to your rooms and collect coins... we have done this before and we were able to collect lots of $)
  • March 27 gently used towels/blankets
  • March 28 dog and cat food, treats, toys, leashes, bowls, beds, puppy pads, cleaning supplies

All the items can be left in the front foyer (or room 202 if you want to contribute now) with Mrs. Parker. Because we dream big, we are trying to help four organizations this time: Fort Worth Animal Shelter, The Humane Society, Apollo Support and REscue Group, and Don't forget to feed me.

 

We will also have a pet adoption here at PHS on April 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

 

Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Marchi in room 202.

PHS JROTC

The Paschal Rifle Team recently competed in Alabama for the Army JROTC Service championship in both the team and individual categories.  The team finished tenth and did not advance to the national championship.  However, in the individual category, Isela Velazquez took the gold medal by finishing first in the country for the Army.  Isela will advance in the individual category to the National Championship at Camp Perry, OH from 20-22 March where she will compete against the top Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army shooters in the country.

Team members were:  
Turan Vural, Stephanie Martinez, Hanh Nguyen, Isela Velazquez and Larenda Reyes

IMPORTANT DATES

 (for athletic and other events not listed, please visit www.paschalhs.org)
  

March 25:

Panthers for Pets

 

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Cheerleader Tryout Clinic

PHS Girls Gym

 

6:00 p.m.

FWISD College Experience @ South Hills High School

 

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Cheerleader TCC Clinic

PHS Girls Gym

 

March 26:

Panthers for Pets

 

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Cheerleader Tryout Clinic

PHS Girls Gym

 

6:00 p.m.

FWISD College Experience @ Diamond Hill High School

 

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Cheerleader TCC Clinic

PHS Girls Gym 

 

March 27:

Panthers for Pets

 

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Cheerleader Tryout Clinic

PHS Girls Gym

 

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Cheerleader TCC Clinic

PHS Girls Gym

 

March 28:
Panthers for Pets
 
March 29:
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Garage Sale benefiting Senior Celebration

March 30:
11:30 a.m. 
Clay Shoot @ 
Alpine Shooting Range
 
April 4:
SAT Registration Deadline
 
11:30 a.m.
Spirit Shop Open (PHS Lobby) 
 
4:00 p.m.
Cheerleader Optional Materials Review
PHS Girls Gym

April 5:
Cheer Tryouts

8:00 a.m.
Car Wash benefiting Senior Celebration
PHS Parking Lot






PHS Orchestra News!

 

Both Non Varsity and Symphony Orchestras earned 1st divisions earning a sweepstakes award.  

This is the first time both ensembles earned sweepstakes in 3 years.

 

In February, Mariachi Panteras competed in the MASBA Area competition and earned a 2nd division.  Their composite score was the highest they had ever earned. They missed advancing to the State level competition by only 14 points out of 400.

 

Save the date...  

The Spring Serenade Recital will be April 26 at 6:30 p.m.  A wonderful evening of entertainment and sweet treats.  

Tickets will be $5.00

PHS Spirit Shop

Spirit store will be open on the first Friday of each month. Please come visit us during lunch on Friday April 4.  We have t-shirts for $15 as well as other Paschal spirit items. We also have Senior t-shirts for sale.
PTA Nominations


 
Nominations for the 
2014-15 PTA Board are now open.  
Self-Nominations are encouraged.
All nominations should be received by March 25. 
Click here for nomination form.