Not much changed for Hillcrest, Jesuit, Thomas Jefferson, and W.T. White with the release of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment and reclassification of districts on Thursday morning.

In fact, those schools will have only one new team each in their districts for the next two school years. Jesuit and W.T. White will remain in the current District 9-5A with Skyline, Sunset, Richardson, Berkner, and Lake Highlands. The district will lose Samuell and pick up Pearce, which should make things a whole lot easier for Richardson ISD athletic officials. Pearce moved up from Class 4A.

Meanwhile, Samuell moves over to the current District 12-4A to make it an eight-team league. The Spartans will join Hillcrest, Thomas Jefferson, Bryan Adams, Conrad, Lincoln, Spruce, and Woodrow Wilson.

On Saturday, Hillcrest High School will compete in the final round of the DISD Mock Trial competition. The Panthers are one of only four teams to advance to the city championship and will face defending champs Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Skyline High School, and Judge Barefoot Sanders School of Law.

The winning team will advance to the state championship in March.

DISD has announced that five of its teachers earned the highest professional credential in the field of teaching, National Board Certification, in 2011, and two of those five teach in the Hollow: Theresa Oriabure of Hillcrest High and Georgianna Wood of Preston Hollow Elementary.

The National Board Certification is a voluntary process established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The certification process involves a rigorous performance-based assessment that can take up to three years. Through the assessment process, teachers document knowledge of their subject matter; provide evidence that they know how to teach the content to students most effectively; and demonstrate an ability to manage and measure student learning.

Hillcrest High School graduate Greg Pak has a new comic book in stores today. Click here for a preview of Dead Man’s Run #1.

While professional ball players like Albert Pujols can pull down a cool $250 millon contract, high school players are still scraping by.

You can help send the Hillcrest baseball team to a training camp in Tampa by hiring players to do odd jobs. Duties include, but are not limited to, window washing, errand running, dog walking, and Christmas light hanging. Email your needs to panpaws@gmail.com or call Esther at 214-394-7907

Former Hillcrest football and lacrosse standout Rob Look, a senior linebacker at Washington and Lee, recently earned a spot on the first team of the All-Old Dominion Conference team.

Look earned the conference’s sportsmanship award last season. He was a second-team all-conference pick as a sophomore.

The 2008 Hillcrest graduate completed his senior campaign tied for second in the conference with 95 total tackles. He was Conference Defensive Player of the Week twice this year. A starter in all 10 games, Look added eight tackles for loss (-27 yards), two sacks (-15 yards), and one interception. He completed his career with 254 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions.

Hillcrest and W.T. White are among six DISD high schools that received College Readiness Awards from the Texas ACT Council. The campuses were honored for increasing the number of students taking the ACT exams over the past five years. The other high schools that received the award were the School for the Talented and Gifted, the School of Business and Management, the Rosie M. Collins Sorrells School of Education and Social Services, and Samuell High School.

The Lady Panthers (20-4) will take on Frisco Centennial (30-12) in an area-round match at 6 p.m. today at Loos Fieldhouse. Hillcrest swept Seagoville in the bi-district round, 25-14, 25-16, 25-15, while Centennial defeated Rockwall, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21. The winner of tonight’s match will face either Molina or Rockwall-Heath, who are also playing this evening.

This house in Oak Cliff has spared no expense trying to scare trick-or-treaters. Staff Photo: Chris McGathey

If the thought of sending your child out into the streets to ask strangers for candy sends shivers up your spine, then consider the following alternative. Hillcrest High School is holding an indoor trick-or-treating experience Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. And the event is titled “Safe Trick-or-Treating,” so you know it’ll be on the up and up.