Latest news with #AustinHighSchool
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon star dies aged 71
Valerie Mahaffey, a talented actress known for her iconic roles in Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, has sadly passed away at the age of 71. Her publicist confirmed the news, revealing that she had been battling cancer and passed away in Los Angeles on Friday. Valerie's husband, Joseph Kell, expressed his heartbreak, saying: "I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed." Throughout her illustrious career, Valerie charmed audiences with her quirky characters in notable shows such as Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives, and Young Sheldon, alongside A-list stars like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tom Hanks. The Emmy-winning actress had continued to impress with recent roles in the 2022 Apple TV+ series Echo 3 and this year's film The 8th Day. Her outstanding performance as Eve in Northern Exposure earned her a supporting comedy actress Emmy in 1992. As news of her passing spread, fans and fellow actors took to social media to pay tribute to Valerie's remarkable talent and legacy. One fan remembered her incredible range, saying: "She was in EVERYTHING! And no one did soft spoken, passive aggressive viciousness better! So Sad to hear she's passed and only 71. RIP," reports the Mirror. Another fan echoed the sentiment on X: "Oh man, Valerie Mahaffey was always one of the most underrated and fantastic character actresses around." Born in Indonesia in 1953, Valerie spent her early years there before moving to the United States. She graduated from Austin High School and later, in 1975, from the University of Texas. Her acting career took off in New York, where she graced the Broadway stage six times between 1976 and 1984 in productions such as Dracula and Play Memory, under the direction of Harold Prince. Concurrently, she began her television career with a role in the NBC soap opera The Doctors, earning her a Daytime Emmy nomination. Valerie shared the stage with other A-list actors, including playing Desdemona in Othello alongside Morgan Freeman and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with Tom Hulce. The coronavirus pandemic led Valerie to focus on becoming a more "authentic person". In a chat with Film Speak, she revealed: "It's time to divest of some things, to understand what's been terrible about yourself (which is really sad! ), but also to be kind to yourself... there used to be a bit of an act - I didn't want to offend people... but now my only job is to be authentic as a person, it kind of translates into your art and that has become pretty important to me."
News18
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Valerie Mahaffey, Young Sheldon Actress, Dies Of Cancer At 71
Last Updated: Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning actress from Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, died at 71 in Los Angeles after battling cancer. Valerie Mahaffey, the Emmy-winning actress known for her memorable performances in Desperate Housewives, Young Sheldon, and Dead to Me, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 71. Her publicist, Jillian Roscoe, confirmed that she had been battling cancer. Valerie is survived by her husband, actor Joseph Kell, and their daughter, Alice. In a heartfelt tribute, Kell shared, 'I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses." Valerie's final on-screen appearance was in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3. With a career spanning over four decades, Valerie began her journey on Broadway between 1976 and 1984. She gained early recognition through the soap The Doctors and later went on to make appearances in Tales of the Unexpected, Seinfeld, Cheers, Wings, The Mindy Project, and Big Sky. Television audiences remember her fondly as Alma Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–07), teacher Victoria MacElroy on Young Sheldon (2017–20), and Lorna Harding in Netflix's Dead to Me (2019–22). She also made guest appearances in popular shows like Grey's Anatomy, Hannah Montana, and Boston Legal. Mahaffey earned critical acclaim throughout her career. She received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980 for The Doctors and won a Primetime Emmy in 1992 for her role in Northern Exposure. Her film work included Seabiscuit, Sully, Jungle 2 Jungle, French Exit, and Jack and Jill. Her final film, GRQ the Movie, is set to release posthumously. Valerie Mahaffey was born in Sumatra, Indonesia, to a Canadian mother and a father from Texas. Her parents had met in New Brunswick, Canada. At the age of 16, Valerie and her family relocated to Austin, Texas, where she completed her schooling at Austin High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. Soon after, she began her professional acting career with a debut on Broadway in the musical Rex. First Published:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
AHS graduates poised to continue their story
May 30—There was a lot of tradition on hand Friday night during the 149th commencement ceremony at Austin High School. One of those traditions is the video of the high distinction students, taking turns as they go and exemplifying the achievements marked by the year's defining high school moment. The quotes were many and encompassing and included such examples as: "Each of us is a piece of a puzzle." "Working hard has shaped me into the person I am today." "We still have pieces to place." Each of the graduates who spoke during the video touched on moments of time lived by the graduates throughout their journey through the Austin Public Schools system, something that was marked by administration, who lauded the Class of 2025 for meeting extraordinary challenges and coming out stronger on the other side. "I just don't see students in caps and gowns," Principal Matt Schmit said. "I see stories." He noted how the graduates overcame these challenges and celebrated successes, but Schmit also took a moment to touch on fear. Not because it was defining in some way, but rather because of how the students approached and overcame the fear that can arise from so many sources. Running parallel is the courage that defines the student's poise in walking past fear to achieve their goals. "It's a sign of stepping into something bigger," Schmit said. "Don't let fear write your story." While graduation tends to be a moment in time leading into a new moment, Superintendent Dr. Joey Page spoke of celebration. He touched on how this class was instrumental in the growth of enrollment and graduates at the school and how they have set their legacy. "Tonight is about joy, pride and celebrating the Class of 2025," he said. "This moment is the culmination of years of hard work, perseverance and growth." "Success begins with being present," he later added. He finished his speech by urging students to go out and make their mark on the world, because this portion of the story telling the tale of their time at AHS has already been written. "You've already made your mark on Austin Public Schools," he said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'We fought for it:' RCC holds 84th Commencement
May 16—Over 300 students were on the stage Friday night, taking part in Riverland Community College's 84th Commencement in Knowlton Auditorium at Austin High School. The number was just over half of the 633 total students across RCC's three campuses to earn diplomas this school year, marking another turn of what President Dr. Kat Linaker termed as being transformational in her speech. "You dared yourself to come to college and clearly you are successful," Linaker said before later in her speech adding that they were center stage in their own journeys. "You've arrived standing here today as the star of your own story. As she did last year, Linaker made a point of recognizing each graduate's journey by asking them to stand after asking questions of the challenges they faced in getting there. While hoping it becomes a tradition at Riverland, Linaker used the moment to demonstrate to all in attendance the time spent forging their own educational path. "Please share your journey," she asked the graduates. "The world needs your voice. The world needs you." Two of the graduates spoke during Friday night's ceremony including Cassandra Britt of Owatonna, whose poignant journey spoke of nothing less than perseverance and resilience, both of which she shared in her speech. "This journey has been deeply personal," an emotional Britt said. "Life has a way of giving us second chances." After first applying to RCC's Cosmetology program in 2015, the mother of five didn't feel the time was right as she faced challenges that included homelessness, mental health struggles and addiction. However, she returned in 2024 and even overcame academic suspension to stand on stage. "I fought hard for a second chance," she said, calling her own graduation story a pivotal moment that demonstrated the commitment of the school's teachers. She included this milestone with her fellow graduates, recognizing what they all achieved this year. "We fought for it," she said. Michael Grabrick, a first-generation college student from Austin, used his time on stage to laud those very same students, commending them for making it to this point. He shared very little of his own story, which included an active campus life, choosing instead to direct the graduating class's achievements back on them. "You who worked your butts off and got to walk across this stage," he said. "You are who matters here today. I wish you luck and happiness."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Recent grad rates are a reason to be optimistic
May 13—It's not a surprise to anyone at this point that the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on education as it did with most things. As education shifted to an online format, it forced a change to the way we viewed education and how we delivered education. But just like there is no denying that education was affected, that reverberation echoed down the line to graduation. Graduation rates inevitably slipped as schools attempted to navigate the rigors of online schooling and remote education. Austin High School was able to maintain a steady grad rate of around 83% for both of 2020 to 2021, however, that rate dropped nearly 10% in 2022 to 75.2% and like many schools, the district has been trying to build back ever since. That's why this year's announcement that overall in the state, grad rates this were the highest ever recorded at 84.2% marks a significant moment in the continued work to increase grad rates. AHS, for all intents and purposes, stayed for the most part level with numbers revealing not even a full percentage point slip. Sometimes staying even is an optimistic step forward. In particular, AHS saw significant increases in three key areas within the district: —Special Education students, up 12.3% (from 55.8% to 68.1%) —Asian students, up 4.2% (72.5% to 76.7%) —White students, up 0.7% (84.0% to 84.7%) It's short-sighted to consider any problem like this 100% fixed and it should be accepted by all teachers and administrations that there is always room for improvement, but we also have to celebrate the wins when they come. This is especially true while standing in the face of headwinds caused by the federal government threatening to dissolve the United States Department of Education, which could send cascading waves through education. To give you an idea, numbers released by the MDE show some of the funding that's threatened: —$256 million for students with disabilities —$192 million for students from low-income backgrounds —$27 million for academic enrichment —$6 million for students in rural schools —$38 million to support children living on military bases or Native American reservations —$100 million for Career and Technical Education workforce development programs Education is one thing we should never stop striving for more of and the momentum resulting from the recent graduation numbers should be a cause to continue reevaluating the steps to come and how we can improve education. These numbers don't just represent a singular moment in time, but rather demonstrate a continued progression for years to come. It's not simply something we maintain anymore. Every year is a chance to get better. We owe that to our students.
