ORCHESTRA NEWS!
On
Saturday, April 26, 2008, Dobie orchestra students participated in the
AISD Solo and Ensemble contest. We had two students play solos and eight
participated in an ensemble. They all received first division ratings,
which are the best that could be received.
Our soloists were:
Alina Sanchez and
Cheyenne Smith
Our Ensemble members were:
On violin: Jason
Cienfuegos, Hector Portillo, and Sara Garcia
On viola: Alina Sanchez
and Jessie Gutierrez Martinez
On cello: Willber
Hernandez-Ramirez
On bass: Christina
Montes
On wood block: Cheyenne
Smith
Congratulations to all of these
students. They represented Dobie so well on Saturday.
Students who made a first division
for their ensembles are:
Christina Montes, Cheyenne Smith,
Sara Garcia, Jessie Gutierrez Martinez, Jason Cienfuegos, Hector Portillo,
Alina Sanchez, Willber Hernandez-Ramirez
At
camp, Austin students conquer new-school fears
Austin American Statesman
BYLINE:
Laura
Heinauer AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
DATE: July 31, 2007
With
its high ceilings, confusing halls, and separate boys and girls locker
rooms, Lisa Marie Medina said, Pearce Middle School can be an
intimidating place.
"It's so big," the incoming sixth-grader said Monday as she looked
around the school's cafeteria for the first time. "I'm nervous because I
don't know where to go when school starts."
Fears
like hers are the reason why, for the first time, Austin school district
officials are holding free summer transition camps, which started Monday
and run through Aug. 10. School starts Aug. 27.
The
camps, which are being held at Dobie, Kealing, Pearce and Webb
middle schools, are part of an effort by the district to improve its
middle school campuses, particularly those with a history of poor
academic performance.
Separate
one-day camps for all students attending the new Garcia Middle School,
which will house some students from the old Pearce and Dobie service
areas, will begin Aug. 15.
"We want
them to be come acculturated to middle school," said Jane Ross, an
assistant principal at Pearce. "Hopefully, by the end, they'll be ready
to hit the ground running."
Students
will learn about the middle school schedule, meet teachers and learn
campus rules and procedures, Ross said. Pearce students must wear shirts
with a collar, campus lockers are off-limits, and students can use only
clear or mesh backpacks as part of an effort to cut down on gang and
drug activities.
Students
will take part in team-building and academic activities and host a
parent gala near the end of the second week of camp. The camp culminates
with a field trip to Austin's Park and Pizza.
Since
changes in social relationships are a big challenge for middle school
students, they will be encouraged to make friends with other students
from their classes and with select eighth-graders who will serve as
mentors over the next year.
On
Monday, small groups of students stood in a circle and tossed a paper
ball at each other while trying to remember the names of their peers.
After a while, more and more balls were added.
Evan
Cullens, an eighth-grader in charge of one group, related the chaos of
the exercise to what life is like in middle school.
"It's a
lot like what happens here. You got a test on Friday; you got homework
due the next day; you got a bully on your mind; a lot gets thrown at you
at once," Cullens said. "I hope that by doing this, it will be easier
for them, and they will have fun and feel like they have someone they
can talk to."
Maria
Hill, a former Pearce student herself, said she really wanted her son to
have the chance to get acclimated to the school before the first bell.
"It all
came rushing back to me as I came in," she said. "I think I'm probably
just as nervous as him."
Although
organizers had hoped to see 75 to 150 incoming sixth-graders at Pearce,
only about 50 attended.
Officials said students who weren't there Monday may still attend. Bus
transportation, breakfast and lunch are free. Parents can call their
children's campuses for information on the camps.
After
only a few hours, Lisa Marie said she already felt better about starting
school this fall.
"I'm not
as scared as I was, but I still think about it sometimes," she said.
lheinauer@statesman.com; 445-3694
