Thomas Jefferson quarterback Roberto Soto runs a sweep. (Staff photo: Chris McGathey)

Thomas Jefferson head football coach David Haynes was recently selected as one of 20 national winners of the Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coaching Award.

Haynes helped the Patriots snap a 36-game losing streak last season with a 19-16 win over Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis.

Haynes was one of four Texas coaches among the winners.

All TJ alumni, guests, and friends are welcome to attend the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Awards, Friday at 3 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

The recipients include: Dr. James Cole, Class of 1963, dean at Baylor College of Dentistry; Jan Edgar Langbein, Class of 1967, executive director at Genesis Women’s Shelter; and Pam Woods Meyercord, Class of 1967, a community volunteer. Dr. Edwina Brown, a noted Texas educator, will be presented with the Distinguished Service Award.

To RSVP or for further information, contact George Seay 214-242-8308 or gseayjr@gmail.com

The Jesuit Rangerettes were one of several local drill teams to perform during halftime at Super Bowl XLV.

When the Super Bowl came to Cowboys Stadium, Jerry Jones wasn’t the only Preston Hollow resident to benefit. The Jesuit Rangerettes, comprised of 40 Ursuline Academy students, along with the W.T. White Caballeras and the drill team at Thomas Jefferson, performed with the Black Eyed Peas during halftime at Super Bowl XLV.

According to Rangerettes spokeswoman Lori Karol, the girls practiced with other drill teams from North Texas at “secret locations” leading up to the Super Bowl and at Cowboys Stadium two days before the big game. As an added bonus, they were able to meet the Black Eyed Peas during a dress rehearsal. Security was tight throughout the process, and no pictures were allowed on the field. For more photos outside the stadium, jump with me. Read More…

All three of Preston Hollow’s public high schools are part of DISD’s re-design that will bring specialized career programs to 18 campuses next year. Students who will enter ninth grade in the 2011-2012 school year are eligible to apply and will be selected in a lottery system. The application window ends Feb. 18. To find out more about the academies and pathways, attend the High School Redesign Showcase on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at W.H. Adamson High School. Go to the jump to see a breakdown of what is offered where. Read More…

Thomas Jefferson High School student Jose Balderas is interviewed by local television affiliates as he stands next to a poster with his photo on it for the new AT&T Yellow Pages. (Staff photo by Chris McGathey)

High school students are often told that hard work now will pay off later. Of course, that sentiment generally refers to a diploma and acceptance into college. For six students at Thomas Jefferson High School, it meant their picture was delivered to 2.5 million Dallas homes.

As a reward for being exceptional members of the United Way program “Destination Graduation,” Angel Galvan, Kimberly Zepeda, Jose Balderas, Heber Medrano, Stephanie Cervantes, and Cynthia Jimenez were featured on the cover of the 2011 AT&T Yellow Pages and White Pages with principal Edward Conger. The covers were ceremoniously unveiled on Thursday at Thomas Jefferson High School.

“This shows students what they can accomplish when they set goals and achieve them,” said Gary Godsey, CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Read More…

Hillcrest High School ranked 9th out of 56 Dallas County schools in successful Advanced Placement examinations. In 2009-2010, Hillcrest’s passing rate was 47 percent, with 31 percent of students taking an exam. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the School of Science and Engineering Magnet came in a notch ahead of Hillcrest, each with 48 percent of students passing.

Other traditional high schools in DISD didn’t fair as well. Thomas Jefferson High School and W.T. White had passing rates of 21 and 20 percent, respectively. On the other side of Northwest Highway, Highland Park High School had a 52 percent passing rate, with 88 percent of students tested.

Props to Hillcrest parent extraordinaire David Look for directing my attention to these stats.

We already told you that Hillcrest and Thomas Jefferson took home awards from Saturday’s Academic Decathlon competition. But Hillcrest has proof.

Pictured front row left to right: Coach Amanda Ashmead, Sarah Fife, Stephen Ashworth, Nicholas Osborn, Darian Connor. Back row: Coach Merri Lynn Alexander, Jazmin Jasso, Stephanie Gore, Alejandro Hernåndez, Surata Kloss, Lilly Muhlenbruch, and Emmanual Oyedapo.

As the holidays draw nearer, most students are already dreaming of sugar plums and iPads under the tree. But teams from two local schools were hard at work this weekend at the Academic Decathlon, securing spots for 2011.

Hillcrest High School won first place in its division at the district competition on Saturday, and Thomas Jefferson High School took home second place honors. Both schools will advance to the regional contest in January at J.J. Pearce High School. In all, seven DISD schools won awards.