Carroll Dragon Coir
It's been a busy new year for Southlake and surrounding cities, ranging from featured lunches on USA today to a Colleyville entrepreneur to Carroll ISD putting in place future goals to make Dragon Nation better than it already is.
Dragons Select RegionbrHonor Bands
Carroll Independent School District recently completed abrmulti-phase audition of 22 students to determine placement and advancement tobrthe Area Audition. The nearly two dozen Dragons were selected to the Region 24brHonor Bands, which held a concert Jan. 23 and 24 at Frisco Heritage, Libertybrand Little Elm high schools. Junior Piccolo player Hannah Bronson advanced tobrthe Area Audition round competition on Jan 11. at Abilene Christian University.
10 Carroll StudentsbrSing into All-Region Choir
Almost a dozen choir students made the 2013 All-Region Choir,brincluding Sarah Carron, May Chinn, Lauren Fancher, Talia Flores, SophiabrFormella, Colton Hess, Elizabeth Hick, Megan Pierson, Kate Pruitt and Tori Tew.brThese students were chosen out of roughly 550 singers from the region tobrrepresent the top 200 in the Region XXIV Choir. They will have the opportunitybrto participate in the Region Clinic and Concert under the direction of Texas Woman'sbrUniversity's Joni Jensen.
Southlake WitnessesbrWater Increase
The Fort Worth City Council voted to approve retail waterbrrates, taking effect Jan. 1, which is important to Southlake residents andbrbusinesses because the city purchases water from Fort Worth. Various factorsbrinfluence the development of a water rate structure, such as the cost tobrpurchase raw water. The Tarrant Regional Water District increased Fort Worth'sbrcost of raw water by $9.3 million because population growth and water demandbrmake it necessary to build additional infrastructure to route water to localbrareas. Southlake residents may see a pass-through increase on the bill receivedbrin Feb., with a 12-percent increase for the first 40,000 gallons consumed and abr16-percent increase for consumption in excess of 40,000 gallons.
Lady Dragons DominatebrDistrict Opener
The Carroll Lady Dragons won the District 4-5A opener,brreigning over Keller Central 57-25 at Carroll Senior High School. Carrollbrimproved to 10-3 overall and was led in scoring by Priscilla Smeenge with 17brpoints. Anna Hurlburt assisted with 12 points and Madison Drescher scored eightbrpoints. The Lady Dragons held Keller Central to single digits in all fourbrquarters.
CarrollbrSwimming/Diving Sweeps Invitational
Lady Dragons and Dragons swimming and diving swept thebrMansfield Invitational. Carroll Green was the top scorer for the boys andbrgirls, earning 747 and 801 points, respectively. Additionally, Carroll Blackbrgirls and boys placed in the top 10, earning 171 and 156, respectively. The topbrindividual finishers for the Dragons included Casey Rose, winning first placebrfor the 50 free, and Lauren Crown also winning first in diving.
Grapevine PurchasesbrFormer Texas Ranger's Land
The Grapevine City Council set aside $29.5 million tobrpurchase property owned by former Texas Rangers player Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro'sbrproperty is located near Grapevine Mills Mall; a mixed-used development calledbrGarden of Grapevine was planned for the land but was never resurrected. Thebr185-acre property was scheduled for foreclosure, but Palmeiro filed for Chapterbr11 bankruptcy in 2011, halting the foreclosure process. The property is worthbr$43 million and will be sold for development.
Colleyville MightbrToss Out Sidewalk Map
As the city looks to increase walkability and refine anbrordinance some residents deem unfair, the map that dictates where sidewalks arebrrequired in Colleyville may be scrapped. Some property owners are unhappy withbrthe ordinance because it forces residents to either build a sidewalk or paybrinto an escrow fund. While no final decisions were made, the city staff willbrdraw up policies for the council to view in the future.
Keller ISD FilmbrFestival Entries Accepted Until March
The Keller Film Festival presents an opportunity for studentsbrto develop visual literacy by expanding educational experiences in KellerbrIndependent School District this year. Students have seven entry categories to choosebrfrom, including story, comedy and animation. Entries must be submitted forbracceptance by March 18. Films will have an opportunity to be honored at thebrFilm Festival Awards Ceremony in May.
GCISD School LunchbrFeatured in National Publication
The Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District'sbrSchool Nutrition Services department was featured in a USA Today post dedicated to national school lunches. The albumbrfeatures photos of school lunch trays from districts across the country, whichbrprovides important nutrition while being both tasty and visually appealing.brGCISD meals are planned by a registered dietitian to meet necessary guidelines.
CGISD Plans to ExpandbrCollege Options
Together with Tarrant County College Northeast, Grapevine ColleyvillebrIndependent School District filed an application with the Texas EducationbrAgency to establish an Early College High School (ECHS), which supports to thebrdistrict's plan to focus on providing opportunities for all students tobrgraduate ready for college. An ECHS campus would allow students to earn theirbrhigh school diploma and as many as 60 college credits, while having access tobrcollege facilities, services and resources. If approved, the ECHS will open inbrthe fall of 2014 to any incoming ninth graders in the district.
ExxonMobil AwardsbrGRACE for Assisting Families
Exxon chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson presented GrapevinebrRelief And Community Exchange a holiday gift of $50,000 to help relief effortsbrfor struggling families and individuals. The organization will use the gift tobrfurther assist homeless individuals during the year by providing vital servicesbrsuch as food, clothing and transitional-housing placements to more than 4,500brpersons and families annually. The gift will help to create more opportunitiesbrfor roughly 500 additional families.
Lash Lounge Owner Takesbrthe Spotlight
Founder and owner of Colleyville's own Lash Lounge, AnnabrPhillips, was featured in Entrepreneurmagazine. This power woman is the first entrepreneur listed on a slide show ofbr7 Tips for Women Who Want to Own a Franchise. This high-end beauty salonbrspecializes in semi-permanent eyelash extensions. Phillips soaked in thebrentrepreneurial and creative drive after working as a massage therapist atbrGoogle.
The Sky's the Limitbrfor Carroll ISD
Carroll Independent School District is slated to far exceedbrgoals set for the New Year. The district is coming off marquee academic successbrgiven the higher number of merit scholars Carroll has ever seen, coupled withbrincreased participation and scoring in Advanced Placement classes. The districtbrwill spend 2014 developing a strategic plan to guide Carroll with a vision tobr2020. A committee of staff and community members will lead the process.
Carroll ISD Participatesbrin Bowl Game
Nearly a handful of Carroll Independent School Districtbrinterns from the Marketing and Sports Information program worked ESPN gamedaybrduties at the Armed Forces Bowl, held at Texas Christian University's AmonbrCarter Stadium. High school interns Estelle Cottingham, Jarred Repice, Adam Kitbrand Trevor Booth had a host of duties on and off the field, including hanging posters,brstocking merchandise and working field goal nets.
Carroll Jazz BandbrPerform at State Conference
Carroll Jazz Band members are in full swing rehearsing for abrlist of upcoming high-profile performance. The biggest performance will takebrplace on Feb. 14 at the Texas Music Educators Association's annual conferencebrin San Antonio. Invitation to play at the conference goes to only one groupbrannually. A blind audition process chose Carroll, which was handled by a panelbrof judges who are college educators from around the state.
Staying Alive EventbrPremieres in Southlake
The Southlake Chamber of Commerce will host its firstbrStaying Alive in Southlake CPR Training Event on Saturday, Feb. 15. The daybrwill include a tour of the new fire station and sessions that will teachbrattendees hands-only CPR. Additionally, various activities and information onbrhow to save someone's life will be available for everyone. The event will takebrplace from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southlake Fire Department, located at 160brE. Dove Rd.