The Lake Higlands Wildcat Wranglers dance team was invited by Gov. Ann Richards to represent Texas at the National Tourism Convention in Atlantic City last month.
The 25 dancers selected for the trip performed an opening act for the convention and were part of the finale, says Katha Black, a dance teacher at Lake Highlands High School.
Black and Mark Pace, a football coach at Lake Highlands High School and Junior High, sponsor and teach the country-western dance group.
The City will host the convention next year, and the Wranglers will also perform then. This year’s group was one of two performance groups selected to represent Texas in Atlantic City.
“It’s like a tease,” Black says. “Y’all come down to Texas, this is what you get next year.”
The trip was sponsored by the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Texas Department of Commerce Tourism Division and Delta Airlines.
Pace says the students did a good job.
“I think it went over successfully,” Pace says. “They always tend to be crowd pleasers.”
The Wranglers only formed last year, but their country-western exhibition dancing and acrobatics earned the group a spot on the God Bless Texas video, which is aired nationally on TNT, and as an opening act for George Strait.
After the performances, Black says conventioneers stopped the students to congratulate them.
“I was just beaming,” Black says. “They did a tremendous job.”
Exchange Club Honors Youths of the Month
The Lake Highlands Exchange Club honors two outstanding Lake Highlands High School students each month during the school year.
For September, seniors Julie Gillis and Fouad Bashour were honored. And in October, seniors Jenny Blaydes and Jim Harmon were chosen.
Gillis is president of the Student Council and a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta (Math fraternity). She received the Hugh O’Brien Award, an international student leadership award. She also is head cheerleader, and is a member of Young Life and Students Against Drunk Driving.
Bashour is ranked first in his class of 528 with a 101.21 GPA. He is co-president of the National Honor Society, a National Merit Semifinalist, an assistant drum major in the Wildcat band and a two-year member of the Academic Decathlon Team. Bashour also is a member of Asian American Baptist Church, where he works with children and is a Sunday school assistant.
Blaydes is a three-year member of the Girls Service League and is manager of the girls basketball, soccer and volleyball teams. She is a member of the student council and chairs the SMILE committee, a drug and alcohol awareness program. She will attend Blinn Junior College in Brenham next fall.
Harmon is head drum major of the Wildcat Band and is ranked third in a class of 528. He is president of the Math Club and a member of the National Honor Society. He has served two years on the academic decathlon team and is a National Merit Semifinalist.
The students were selected by the school’s faculty and received a certificate of accomplishment, a framed portrait and a $100 savings bond.
News & Notes
SALES WRAP: A recent Lake Highlands Elementary PTA fund-raiser raised $17,427. The school’s students sold wrapping paper and gift items. Pre-K student Keanna Reed was the best-seller with more than $500 in sales.
FUNDING ALL STUDENTS: Moss Haven Elementary has a Friends of Moss Haven fund that is used to purchase school supplies, tickets for field trips and other items for individual students. The fund ensures all students can participate in school activities. To contribute, call 503-2430.
RECYCLE FOR A BETTER SCHOOL: Merriman Park Elementary collects recycled aluminum cans. Empty, rinsed cans can be left in the igloo on the north side of the school, 7101 Winedale, or at the front entrance. Proceeds pay for instructional material and new playground equipment.
READING FOR PRIZES: White Rock Elementary recently began a school-wide reading incentive program to promote out-of-school reading. Parents and teachers compiled a list of age-appropriate books for students, who keep track of the time they read or are read to. For every five hours of reading, the student receives a prize. The program kicked-off with a pep rally earlier this fall. The Lake Highlands mascot and cheerleaders participated in the kick-off ceremony, joining the school’s choir and teachers. By the end of October, 40 percent of the students were participating and had recorded about 1,800 hours.
BIG WIN: The Lake Highlands/White Rock YMCA Cowboy flag football team won the League Championship in the second and third grade division. Team players were from Merriman Park, White Rock, Hexter and Alex Sanger Elementary Schools.
