SLANT Spotlight On: Otis Brown 2nd Grade

Team:  2nd Grade, Otis Brown Elementary, Irving ISD
City:  Irving
Participants:  130

Otis Brown Elementary second grade students researched the need for food for kids at their school and found out about the North Texas Food Bank fire that occurred this summer.  Students were very concerned and decided to do something about it.  They wrote scripts, directed and filmed commercials for the school to promote the Cans for Kids food drive.  The children organized the drive, making fliers and posters to promote the drive.  They also counted and collected the cans and graphed the results, reporting the results to the school on the school television channel.

The children challenged the whole school to bring in cans and finally collected more than 1,000 cans for the North Texas Food Bank.  “The kids loved it and learned a lot about persuasion, graphing and service,” said teacher Michelle West.

Congrats to the Hill Middle School Law & Government Club!

On Saturday, December 10th, the Law & Government Club attended the YMCA 2011 District 5 Youth In Government Conference at The Jack Singley Academy in Irving.  Nine students represented Robert T. Hill Middle School as ambassadors.

We are proud to announce that one student, Nicholas, received an award for participating in a debate on new legislation needed to instigate laws toward punishment offenses.  Over all they each did a wonderful job representing Hill, Student Government Club & Thriving Minds After School!  We are looking forward to a wonderful trip to Austin in the spring for the state conference.  

We're "Gaga" Over This Year's Barneys New York Holiday Windows!

For the past few years, Barneys New York has invited students in the Thriving Minds After School program to create art for inclusion in their holiday window display.  This year Barneys teamed up with Lady Gaga to create a holiday initiative called GAGA'S WORKSHOP.

Students from Hill Middle School produced these creative Lady Gaga portraits currently on display at Barneys New York at NorthPark Center.  Be sure to stop by and check them out next time you're there!