Highland Park High School students honored as U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates

Five Highland Park High School students have been named candidates for the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholar Program, the most in 14 years. Candidates are graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated accomplishments in many areas - academic and artistic success, leadership, and involvement in school and the community.

The candidates from HPHS are:

• Matthew Emerson
• Xiaohan Gao
• Daniel Huang
• Francisco Lopez
• Nga Vu

The Presidential Scholar Program was established by executive order in 1964 to honor and recognize the nation's top high school seniors. Each year, more than 4,000 students are identified as candidates for the program based on their exceptional performance on the SAT or ACT, and further consideration is based on student essays and leadership and service activities. Approximately 800 candidates will be named semifinalists, and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will then select up to 161 students for the top honor in April.

The five HPHS students honored is the highest number of candidates chosen from the campus since at least 2002. HPHS Principal Walter Kelly lauded these students for their successes in and out of the classroom.

"I am exceptionally proud of these young adults for being named candidates for one of the top academic honors in the nation," Kelly said. "This recognition not only honors students for a high score on a test, but for their ability to serve as leaders in the community. Helping our students achieve success once they leave high school is of the utmost priority for educators in Highland Park."

Students who are selected as scholars will be invited to Washington, D.C. for an all-expenses paid trip to meet with government officials and educators, and will be honored at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. 

Highland Park ISD 

Decisions made by HPISD Board of Trustees are paying off for taxpayers

By Kelly Walker

HPISD Finance Officer

With the passage of the 2015 bond election and an opportunity to refinance remaining bonds from the 2008 bond program, these are busy but productive times for both the Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees and the Board's Finance Committee, which advises the board on financial matters. I am thrilled to report that our combined efforts during the last few months have saved taxpayers millions of dollars with the potential to save even more.

In December, following months of discussion to determine just the right time to maximize savings, the district refinanced $53 million of bonds remaining from the 2008 election. The refinancing will result in a net savings to taxpayers of more than $7.2 million over the life of the bonds - millions more than what was initially projected.

The timing of the refinancing was critical since interest rates were raised two days later. The end result is that the district will save $600,000 in interest each year for 13 years, equating to about half a cent on HPISD's tax rate.

Even better news is that we're not finished saving taxpayer dollars yet. In an effort to take advantage of 50-year lows in the bond market and the district's strong bond rating, the board has authorized the district to sell $225 million in bonds in February. This will allow work to begin in earnest on construction projects approved by voters during the November 2015 election. While the sale has yet to occur, we are confident that taxpayers will pay less than what was initially projected during the fall to fund the new schools and renovations.

I would like to thank my fellow trustees for their work in both fulfilling our commitment to improve district facilities and for looking out for the interests of taxpayers. Moreover, I sincerely appreciate the considerable expertise from members of the Finance Committee in advising the board on the best course of action. In addition to HPISD trustees, this committee includes eight volunteers from the community, all of whom have extensive experience in the financial sector. Their time and input has already proven extremely valuable and I look forward to continuing to update you on even more progress.

Highland Park ISD

No. 12 SMU Wins Big At USF, 92-58

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Shake Milton scored 22 points and Nic Moore added 17 as No. 12 SMU rebounded from its second loss of the season with a 92-58 rout of struggling South Florida on Sunday.

The Mustangs (20-2, 9-2 American Athletic Conference) shrugged off a three-point road loss to Houston by matching their season high with 14 3-pointers and shooting 60 percent overall. They never trailed, scoring the game's first 11 points. SMU hit its last six shots before halftime and then opened the second half with an 8-0 run to build their lead to 30 points.

Jahmal McMurray led South Florida (5-20, 2-10) with 18 points.

SMU, which had lost two straight on the road, has matched the best 22-game start in school history. The Mustangs won 26 of their first 28 games before finishing 26-4 in 1955-56.

The conference leaders have topped 20 wins in three of four seasons under Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown.

Milton made 8 of 12 shots, including 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc. Five of Moore's six field goals were 3-pointers, and the senior guard finished with eight assists.

Jordan Tolbert made all five of his shots on the way 15 points and Markus Kennedy came off the bench to contribute 10 points and grab a team-high nine rebounds for SMU.

South Florida clinched its second 20-loss season in three years under coach Orlando Antigua. Jaleel Cousins scored 13 points and Angel Nunez had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who trailed by as many as 36 points in the second half.

The Mustangs improved to 20-2 following a school-best 18-0 start, stopping a two-game road skid included a nine-point setback at Temple and the three-point loss at Houston. SMU has won 27 games each of the past two seasons and its 74 wins since the start of 2013-14 are the most during a three-season span in program history.

The Mustangs are back in action Wednesday, Feb. 10 when they host Tulsa at Moody Coliseum. Tipoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on CBSSN. A limited amount of tickets remain and can be purchased online at smumustangs.com/tickets or by calling 214-768-4263

HPHS students honored as All-State musicians

After months of competitions, rehearsals and lessons, two HPHS students have earned the highest musical honor a student can receive in the State of Texas. Peter Davies has been named to the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Band, and Cailin Jordan was named to the TMEA All-State Choir.

Davies is a freshman and plays the oboe in the Highlander Band.

"It is incredibly rare for a student to earn All-State status at any point, and unbelievably rare at the freshman level," HPHS Director of Instrumental Music Reagan Brumley said. "Peter is an exemplary young musician and the HPHS Band is fortunate to count him among its ranks."

HPHS Choir Director Natalie Walker praised Jordan, a sophomore, for her accomplishment.

"Cailin Jordan is a joy," Walker said. "She is a smart vocalist who pursues her goals with passion. Cailin was ranked as Third Chair in the Soprano One section of the Texas All-State Mixed Choir, an almost unheard of accomplishment for a sophomore."

The students will participate in three days of rehearsals and concerts directed by nationally recognized conductors during the annual state TMEA Clinic/Convention, 

Feb. 10-13 in San Antonio. They will conclude the convention by performing in concert before an audience of thousands.

Highland Park ISD

University Park KC Club Collected Coats & Art Supplies for Children in Juarez, Mexico

The University Park Kindness & Compassion Club collected 30 gently used and new coats from January 4 – 8 for boys and girls of Juarez, Mexico. In addition to the coats, a box full of coloring books and another box full of art supplies were donated from the families of University Park Elementary to the children of Juarez. The items were delivered over the weekend by UP Elementary Spanish teacher, Señora Lawton, who was on a mission trip with Greenland Hills United Methodist Church of Dallas working with Proyecto Abrigo of Juarez, Mexico.

Park Cities BubbleLife

Highland Park Lacrosse 'Meet the Scots' and Blue/White Scrimmage

Lacrosse fans, come ‘Meet the Scots’ at the annual Varsity Blue & White scrimmage on Saturday, February 20th at 1:00 pm at Highlander Stadium.  DI will scrimmage DII for an early look at players and teams this season.  This is free and open to the public.  Players will sign autographs and take pictures with kids on the field after the game.  Free give aways for young lacrosse players who attend!  

The 2016 Scots are the defending state champions for both DI and DII Varsity. Highland Park lacrosse has won 10 state championships in the past 12 years and with 12 returning DI players, are setting their sights on another trophy.

The two varsity squads have 10 verbally committed players to DI lacrosse programs throughout the country. Colby Kneese (Penn State), Chris Buell (Air Force), Luke Petty (Bellarmine), Jack Kozmetsky (UNC), Parker Alexander (UNC), Owen Seebold (Syracuse), Chris Walker (Georgetown), Cade Saustad (UVA), Paxton Alexander (Michigan), Gabe Galbraith (Ohio State).

Come out and support the Scots!  For more information, contact Megan Saustad at megansaustad@sbcglobal.net.

Park Cities BubbleLife

Highland Park to move to District 15-5A

Highland Park High School will rekindle old rivalries with several area high schools as part of a realignment announced today by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). The Scots will compete in District 15-5A beginning in the 2016-17 school year.  

HPHS was reclassified by the UIL as a 5A school for the next two years based upon enrollment. While HPHS's enrollment had risen to 2,116, the criteria for being classified as a 6A school had risen even further to 2,150, which means that the school's academic, athletic teams and fine arts programs will compete at the 5A level for the 2016-18 school years.

The UIL realigns districts to balance the number of teams and to minimize travel. The following teams will compete with HPHS in District 15-5A:

• Forney
• Lucas Lovejoy 
• Mesquite Poteet 
• North Forney 
• Royse City 
• West Mesquite 
• Wylie East

Go Scots! 

Highland Park ISD