Latest news with #OdessaHighSchool
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OHS junior places 3rd in UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest
May 22—Shijay Sivakumar, the middle school spelling whiz who made the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is now at Odessa High School and placed third in the state UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest earlier this week in Austin. Javier Ruiz, who teaches English 4 (seniors) and coaches Academic Decathlon and UIL Spelling at OHS, said Sivakumar is an amazing young man. "He handles his rigorous school load plus devotes time to band and UIL. He is very talented! I hope we get to work together again next year!" Ruiz said. This was Sivakumar's first time making state in the contest and he said his spelling bee preparation in middle school helped him get there. "It was just something for me to ... exercise my interest with spelling," said Sivakumar, now 17. He added that he didn't know about the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest previously. "But through high school, I just found out about it, and I started competing," Sivakumar said. According to the UIL website, each year, the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary Contest is based on a different vocabulary list provided by UIL and consists of a three-part test. Part I: A fifteen-minute section of 30 multiple-choice items focused on vocabulary and proofreading. Part II and III: The hand-written spelling of 70 words pronounced aloud to contestants, as well as a tiebreaker section of 20 additional pronounced words, the site detailed. Sivakumar, who will be a senior next year, added that he is pleased with how he did. He added that Ruiz helped him and set everything up. "He told me that he hadn't gone to state in 20 years doing this, and no one ever from the school has made state. So I told myself, okay, I'm going to be the first. And I told myself, I was going to put OHS on the map and do it for him, try and make state, and I did that, so I'm glad, and I also medaled at state, so I'm pretty satisfied," Sivakumar said. Sivakumar is in the International Baccalaureate program at OHS. "I love the IB program. Actually, my friends, we've all gotten super close through the IB program, all of us having the same classes together. ... I couldn't do it without ... my friends and teachers. They've been my biggest supporters throughout everything this year," he added. He said preparing for these contests teaches you a lot of discipline and work ethic. He could try the contest again next year, but he's not sure if he'll have the time with all his IB exams. "I'm going to ponder it (and) see if I have the time to do it before making a decision on that," Sivakumar said. The competition was held at UT Austin and he had a really good time touring the campus so he hopes to go there, Harvard or Brown in no particular order. His sister Shreeya, an eighth grader at the Young Women's Leadership Academy, will be competing in the Scripps bee next week in Washington, D.C. The competition starts May 27. Sivakumar wanted to make a shout-out to her, sending his support and hoping she does "the best she can." He also thanked Ruiz. "He's been ... a big help with all the travel and logistics. I'm glad I was able to make state for him, and I wanted to shout out the IB program. They've helped me so much. My friends and teachers, honestly, I couldn't do any of this without them. (I'm) just so blessed to have all of them in my life," Sivakumar said.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bond 2023 update -- surveillance cameras
Mar. 10—As the weeks go by, more and more Bond 2023 projects are underway. New surveillance cameras at Odessa High School have been installed and Permian High School is near completion. New Tech Odessa will follow. The project should take about six more months to finish and when it is done more than 2,000 new surveillance cameras will be in place around the district. Visit for news, financial updates, pictures and videos.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
ECISD appoints naming committee members
Feb. 19—The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees named committee members to consider renaming a portion of Odessa High School and Permian High School. A portion of OHS would be named for Medal of Honor winner Pvt. First Class Alfred M. Wilson and a portion of PHS for Medal of Honor winner Staff Sgt. Marvin R. Young. The committee will make recommendations and the board will make the decision. Trustees approved Art Leal and Gordon Albright to a Naming Committee for Odessa High School. The Military Order of the Purple Heart has asked the district to consider naming an area at OHS campus after Alfred M. Wilson, a Medal of Honor recipient who graduated from the high school. ECISD policy requires the board to put together a committee of community members to consider these types of requests. Trustees approved Fabian Aguirre and Johnny Carrasco to a Naming Committee for Permian High School. The Military Order of the Purple Heart has made the same request for Permian High School; to consider naming an area of the school for Marvin Rex Young, a PHS graduate who also received the Medal of Honor. There is no request to nor any consideration to renaming either high school, the board recap said. All the board members were present. In public comment, Betsy Rhodes expressed an issue with the idea of naming an area of Odessa High School after one veteran when many others through the years have served their country. She thanked all veterans for serving, wondered if a mural could be done with many former students represented, and offered to be on the committee, too, the board recap said. District officials have now received 75% of the construction documents for the new Career & Technical Education center. A page-turn activity (a review of the blueprints and design documents done page by page) was done with PBK Architects, Teinert Construction, and Gallagher Construction, the board recap said. Site clearing for the new middle schools is ongoing and foundation work has started. Research is being done for the Permian High School auditorium project to determine if electrical upgrades are necessary. The renovation should begin at the end of the school year. Prospective contractors walked the site of the new JROTC facility at PHS to better inform their bids. The project is out for bid now and a recommendation for the contractor will be brought to the school board in March. The Transition Learning Center is in the design development phase and architects recently met with staff and leadership to show potential design options. The new Agriculture Farm project is also in design development. A local committee has selected colors for the new middle school: Shamrock Green, African Gray, and Incredible White. These colors will be prominent throughout the campus. The PA/Bells/Alarms/Clocks project is now complete at Burleson (closed at the end of last school year; it will reopen as an early education center this August). Cabling for these technology project has been completed at 13 campuses with Alamo, Cameron, and Jordan scheduled next, the recap said. The installation of new surveillance cameras is now complete at Odessa High School and is 75% complete at Permian High School. ECISD Fine Arts has ordered 1,054 new instruments (179 for elementary schools), and has received 792 of them. New choir risers have been delivered to Bonham Middle School, Wilson & Young Middle School and will arrive at Ector Middle School after Spring Break. In regard to finances, about 5% of bond funds have been spent with 31% ($131.5 million) has been encumbered through purchase orders for specific expenses. Priority 1 and Priority 2 maintenance/renovation projects are starting to move along. In March, the school board will receive an update from the Bond Oversight Committee. Following the update, trustees voted 7-0 to approve purchases over $50,000 related to the bond. The single item on list this month is $360,000 to Gallagher Construction Company to perform oversight responsibilities for the Transition Learning Center (TLC) project. Trustees voted 7-0 to approve purchases over $50,000. Items on this list this month are $1.3 million to CDW-G for network infrastructure equipment to provide connectivity to three new facilities to be built as part of Bond 2023; $473,600 to Air Tutors to cover students moving to Air Tutor from a different company; and $54,000 to The Sewell Family of Companies for a new van for School Nutrition. The board also approved the academic calendar for 2025-26. Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Lilia Nanez said three options were sent out for community and staff members. Some 312 responses came from staff more than 1,100 from the community. It includes 187 teacher days and 175 student days. School will start Aug. 11 for prekindergarten through sixth grade and ninth grade. Grades seven and eight and 10-12 will return Aug. 12. Sept. 1, Labor Day, is a holiday. Oct. 13 will be a teacher holiday and there will be a professional development day Oct. 14. The calendar also includes a week for Thanksgiving and two full weeks for Christmas. Jan. 5 will be a professional development day and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will be Jan. 19. A bad weather makeup day is Feb. 16. There will be an early release day March 6 which will allow PE teachers to help with the 81st running of the West Texas Relays. Superintendent designate Keeley Boyer said Pease Elementary has been officially accepted as an International Baccalaureate candidate school. The board also approved the 2025-26 campus principal and administrator contracts. Trustees also approved $360,000 for Gallagher Construction to perform the oversight for the Transition Learning Center. The district is purchasing a van for School Nutrition from The Sewell Family of Companies for $54,090. Chief Financial Officer Deborah Ottmers said the conversion of Burleson Elementary to a prekindergarten center is costing an additional $860,000 that will be coming from the general fund/fund balance. Ottmers said they didn't get the estimate until recently.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
OC student to speak at Achieving the Dream convening
Feb. 13—Odessa High School teacher and Odessa College student Sonny Alaniz is headed to the Achieving the Dream convening in Philadelphia next week. Achieving the Dream is a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility. ATD recently announced that eight students who attend ATD Network community colleges, including Alaniz, were chosen as 2025 DREAM Scholars. Alaniz is studying mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics and business administration. He plans to transfer to Texas A&M University to go for degrees in nuclear engineering and astrophysics. Odessa College chose three students to start the ATD application process, followed by an interview and waiting for feedback on whether they got accepted or not. The weeklong conference starts Feb. 17 and ends Feb. 21. DREAM Scholars have to be there on Feb. 17, but the conference starts Feb. 18. Alaniz will be speaking Feb. 20 and he'll close out the speeches for all eight students. He will talk about future aspirations since he's the last one. There's only one other student who was selected from Texas. The rest are from other parts of the United States or are international. This is Alaniz's last semester at Odessa College, but it's also his last semester teaching. The Odessa native and Odessa High School graduate will be uprooting his life and moving to College Station. Alaniz, who teaches robotics and engineering, said he wants to pass knowledge and wisdom on to his students and give them something long lasting. "I want to make sure that even though I'm gone, at least they could take away from my journey what to do, and even if it's nothing related to STEM, at least they'll have the knowledge to be ambitious, to keep striving ... and keep pushing themselves beyond what they think they can do and to be more than what people tell them they are," Alaniz said. He said he will miss the college and the familiarity of Odessa. "It's going to be a new adventure for me, one that I'm excited for," but also nervous, Alaniz said. "It's just going to be a whole new environment and I've just got to make sure I can adapt," he added. Alaniz has visited Texas A&M and he's going back one more time on his spring break. He starts in the fall. He wants to get into research and development as an engineer and eventually work his way into retiring as a university professor. Director of Learning Framework and Special Projects at Odessa College Reagan Saffle said they are very proud of Alaniz. She first met Alaniz when he applied for an Education Foundation grant and her first impression was he was all for students and "has a huge heart for education." Alaniz, 27, also is a Positively OC Scholar. He was president of the student government association and Students in Philanthropy. Once he finished his term, he wanted to strive for more so Positively OC was his next step. The OC website says, the Positively OC Presidential Scholarship covers two years of tuition and fees at Odessa College, for those awarded. "Positively OC Scholars serve as student leaders of the college, through their presence online, around campus, and in the classroom. Positively OC Scholarship recipients are afforded unique opportunities during their time at OC, including access to leadership workshops, public speaking opportunities, a community within the program, mentorship opportunities with OC staff, and more," the site says. Saffle said when he interviewed to be a Positively OC Scholar, she automatically realized he was not only for students but for the community and the campus. "We're just so appreciative and proud of him for all that he's accomplished and all that he's willing to do," Saffle said. Whenever she needs something, Alaniz always asks what he can do, when he can do it and what she needs. "That means so much for us as a campus that he's so willing to give back when we've invested in him, especially for the scholarship," Saffle said. "I do believe that Sonny is the perfect example of a Positively OC Scholar and we're really excited that his accomplishments and his dreams and aspirations will be highlighted at Achieving the Dream." They have applied to have students be DREAM Scholars before, but this is the first time OC has had one chosen, she added. "This was a huge accomplishment for our program specifically because we do always try to encourage Positively OC Scholars to apply, but especially as a campus, it's a good way to highlight all the good we're doing here," Saffle said. "We were selfishly very excited that a Positively OC Scholar got chosen just because that was one of our goals for our program was to highlight the amazing students that are here," she added. The 2025 DREAM Student Scholars are: — Sonny Alaniz — Odessa College (Texas) — Destinee Britto — Tallahassee State College (Florida) — Heidi Counelis — Gateway to College Program at Mott Community College (Michigan) — Bradley Gawie — Central University of Technology (Bloemfontein, South Africa) — Diego Perez Lopez — San Jacinto College (Texas) — Warren Miller — College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin) — Isaac Njoroge — Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland) — Rashiadah Weaver — Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio) During DREAM, the scholars will meet with community college leaders and attend sessions focused on improving student success. Their experience includes individual presentations through which they will share what they have learned during the week, while providing additional insight about how their ATD Network institution works to improve student success and completion and to drive social and economic mobility. Additionally, each 2025 DREAM Scholar will receive a scholarship to support their educational or personal journey.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
OHS Mariachi students heading for state
Feb. 11—About 17 Odessa High School students hope to be playing their way to victory at the UIL Mariachi Competition in Seguin Feb. 20-22. The OHS group will perform at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 21. Isaias Pena, a 17-year-old senior, has been in Mariachi since eighth grade. He said he feels it is the most interesting genre of music. Pena added that it feels "very wonderful" to be advancing to state. He plays the Guitarrón, which he said is like a bass. "It's my first and last year heading to the UIL State Mariachi Competition. It's still surreal; everyone working their hardest just so we can make state and possibly get a Division I. It's a very nice feeling going to state," Pena said. He added that being part of the UIL competition has helped him push himself more. It also helps him in his academic classes. In terms of his future, Pena said Mariachi has taught him that with enough practice and work ethic, you can achieve anything. "It's helped me a lot and I usually doubt myself," but now he has confidence, Pena said. The group has bonded big time. "Before, I rarely talk to the others, and now (it's) like, one whole big family. ... It really has helped us a lot," Pena said. He added that the competition has solidified the group and helped them improve their relationships with one another and it shows in their music. "We all trust one another. We trust each other and ... we all rely on each other. That's what I love most about this music. We all rely on one another. No one's left out," Pena said. He added that he's planning to go to Houston Community College. His dream would be to study economics and business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Or if he decides on biology, he may go to University of Houston and try to join the Mariachi program there. "I want to continue playing the instrument I play," Pena said. Adaleigh Cruz, a 16-year-old junior, who plays the violin has been in Mariachis since she was a freshman. Like Pena, she has never been to the state Mariachi competition before. "I feel excited. I have confidence that we're going to do good and we're going get state champions, because we've been working really hard these past couple weeks," Cruz said. Both of her sisters were in Mariachi, so she decided to join. "It's a lot of fun because you get to meet new people. Ever since I joined the varsity class, I've made new friends and I've made very close connections with the people in my class," Cruz said. She added that since they have been going to after-school practice every day it's helped improve their sound. "I think that's how we got a 1 at region, and we're working to improve and hopefully get all in 1's when we go to state," Cruz said. The group involves teamwork which is very useful for group projects and will help her in the future. "Teamwork is a very important thing that is part of life. We have to be prepared for anything," Cruz said. She added that she has been practicing at home and doing her best to work with everyone to make sure that they are "connecting our sound." "State is a good experience because it helps grow bonds and it helps strengthen teamwork skills. I've noticed that we've been working a lot more as a team these past couple weeks," Cruz said. Reuben Pina, a 17-year-old senior, has been in Mariachi since sixth grade. He plays the vihuela. It is physically similar to the Guitarrón but on a smaller scale, the West Music site said. "For me, it's crazy because I've never been to state," Pina said. But he feels confident about it. Pina said all the work has been worth the effort because it's helped him learn how to work with others and blend musical parts. He's changing his style to make it sound better. If he wins at state, Pina said he thinks it will open more doors for him in the Mariachi world. Pina said he's thinking about going to University of Texas Permian Basin or Odessa College and study architecture or welding. He will keep playing in a band called Estilo Deluxx that he's been in for two or three years. "It helps you to learn how to memorize songs and learn new chords," Pina said. Moises Acedo, a 17-year-old senior, plays the guitar and has been in Mariachi for four years. "It's been part of my culture to be in Mariachi and I decided to do it because it's something new I (wanted) to try," Acedo said. Acedo, also a track athlete, said he feels going to state is a great opportunity to build a higher standard for his future. "I believe I'm going to keep playing," he added. He added that being in Mariachi has helped him stay on top of his grades and keep up with his classes so he can compete. Acedo said he listens to Mariachi music outside of school. "That's what I hear every day," he added. He plans to attend Odessa College to be a diesel technician. Jerimie Hernandez, OHS Mariachi instructor, said the last time the group went to state was 2023. This will be the eighth time OHS has advanced to state. He estimated that 17 students will be traveling to Seguin. There are about 25 on the varsity Mariachis. Hernandez said this group of students is really good. A lot of them are seniors and it makes him happy that they have told him they wished they had joined sooner. "They're really really good kids. They really inspired me this year. I've really enjoyed seeing their camaraderie, the relationships that they've built with each other. It's through that camaraderie and the relationships that they've built with each other that they've been able to push each other to higher levels in their skill," he added. The group has come together because they faced some setbacks in getting to the region UIL and had to make some adjustments. "They had to make some adjustments to their song selections and then many of them realized that even though they've been in Mariachi for a long time that they really had to pick up the skill level here. They came to know and understand what skills they didn't have for UIL expectations. They really did step it up," Hernandez said. "They began asking a lot more questions. They came in for extra support after school, asking how they can make improvements in their playing. They've done a really good job with it. I'm really proud of them." Having heard improvement every day, Hernandez said he's feeling good about their chances at state. "I'm hearing improvement every day, improvement in their techniques, in their corrections. Winning is always great, but what I'll be really happy with is just that they will have had the opportunity to go and perform at high levels and showcase their talent that we have in our community," he added. OHS will be competing against about 97 schools. In the past, Hernandez said there were about 70 schools that participated. "There's been exponential growth in Mariachi programs throughout the state," he added. "But I know that a lot of school districts are jumping on to having Mariachi programs for their schools. ... It's really nice seeing, at the contest, the cultural diversity, even in the groups, because it's not limited to just Hispanics. You're seeing people from different cultures participating in Mariachi. That's really awesome." Hernandez said he's really proud of the students because they have sacrificed a lot to get where they are. "They have to balance their academic classes (and) other extracurricular programs. Some of them have really rigorous academics. They balance those things really well to do this that they love so much," he added. He noted that they are really thankful for the support from the administration, school district and community. "I'm really proud of the kids in the way that they're learning things that are going to help them with skills beyond this competition; skills that are invaluable in any field. They've learned a lot about time management. We've learned a lot about building their confidence and their leadership abilities, especially. That's going to serve them well in both college and their future careers," Hernandez said.
