Waller ISD will provide free and reduced-price meals for students served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2010-2011 school year. Applications will be distributed to students on the first day of school with a letter informing all households of the availability of free and reduced-priced meals for students. Applications are also available in the Food Service Office located at 2214 Waller Street, Waller, Texas.

When visiting I.T. Holleman Elementary, it is very common to see a radiant smile greeting everyone in the hallway. That joyful smile belongs to Merilyn Godwin. Mrs. Godwin, I.T. Holleman Elementary Principal for 18 years, announced her retirement from Waller ISD this school year after being employed for 42 years with the school district.

Andy McGrew, Fields Store Elementary’s Gifted and Talented student, presented his love of sports display to fellow students. Andy, along with several gifted and talented students, each presented their collectable items project that they started at the beginning of the school year.

The project surfaced from the theme “Night at the Museum.” Students watched the movie and took an online virtual tour of the Smithsonian Museum. The tour exposed students to numerous collectable object displays. Students learned how to start a collection and to use their creative thinking to make it appealing to others using the same method as museum displays appeal to visitor’s interest. The Fields Store Elementary students were then given a project to start their own collection of items that they thought would be appealing to their classmates. A variety of unique displays were formed, such as a stamp collection, old and unique coins collected around the world, a collection of key chains, a Beany Babies collection, a collection of over 300 dinosaurs, a rock collection, and a display of photographed hands.

Andy’s display showcased a collection of baseball cards, which included new and antique hand-painted cards. Also, Andy’s display had a Houston Rockets basketball autographed by player Yao Ming. Other Houston Rockets memorabilia was autographed by former Rockets player, Matt Bullard, and his little sister’s baby shoes autographed by Clyde Drexler. Andy’s collection includes 47 sports action figures, 13 sports trophies, and 5 different professional athlete autographs.

The Waller ISD held the first annual UIL (University Interscholastic League) Elementary Academic Meet on Monday, May 24. Two elementary schools, Fields Store Elementary and Evelyn Turlington Elementary, competed in various academic events which ended with an award ceremony after the results were compiled.

By Marianne Kosik

Waller ISD Campus Teachers and Rookies of the Year were presented by Joy Kanyo, Waller ISD Curriculum Director, and Maryann McDaniel, Waller ISD Mathematics Coordinator, to the Waller ISD Board of Trustees during the Regular Called Board Meeting on May 10. Selected by peers at their respective campuses, the Teacher of the Year honorees were: Mel Daigle (Waller High School), Tiffany Johnston (Waller Junior High), Lauren Crites (Schultz Junior High), Heather Burleson (Roberts Road Elementary), Kathy Eckermann (Fields Store Elementary), Linda Munger (Holleman Elementary), Jeannie Mosley (Jones Elementary) and Kellynn Geigley (Turlington Elementary). Waller ISD selected Rookies of the Year, for the second year in Waller ISD’s history. Rookie of the Years are first or second year teachers that were selected by their peers. Waller ISD Rookies of the Year are Charla Arendt (Waller High School), Brad Compton (Waller Junior High), Traci Twardowski (Schultz Junior High), Arturo Flores (Roberts Road Elementary), Cortnie Zak (Fields Store Elementary), Jessica Derkowski (Holleman Elementary), Rosa Banuelos (Jones Elementary), and Paula Mueller (Turlington Elementary).

Waller ISD Hosting the Mexican Consulate. The Mexican Consulate will be at Waller ISD Tuesday. June 22, through Friday. June 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 26, by appointment. Students and families with Mexican roots can get their Mexican ID’s “Matricula Consular” to use it as identification and/or passports to travel to Mexico during this summer season. Spread the word throughout Waller County and share this benefit to every member of our community. For more information you can contact Jorge Alvarado, Bilingual Director @ (936) 372-4043.

By Marianne Kosik

On May 14th, Holleman Elementary held a chess tournament that included nearly 90 students. Each player was scheduled in a single-elimination bracket, given only 30 minutes per game, and players had to carefully strategize their chess moves while seconds ticked away. Andrew Ogg, a third grader at Holleman Elementary, won the overall grand chess champion trophy for the Holleman tournament. The winners of each grade received trophies, runners-up received medals, and participants were given a certificate of congratulations.

The Waller High School 2010 Texas Scholars were honored at a banquet held at Waller High School on May 7. The Texas Scholars is a program which recognizes graduating seniors completing the recommended or distinguished program and by earning semester grades above 70 and yearly averages above 75 in all of their classes from ninth grade through the first semester of their senior year.