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THSC CONGRATULATIONS!

We hope that everyone is enjoying the new format for the “Congratulations!” column. After much discussion over the past few years, the editorial board made the decision to post these encouraging accounts of home school student successes on the website. It keeps us from the limited schedule of only having new information in a quarterly publication; in addition, we can update information as it becomes available rather than filing and retrieving on the schedule of the magazine. We are not limited by available pages in the magazine. After this big introduction about the positives, we will make every effort to live up to the claims.

We are pleased to share the accomplishments and appreciate the submissions!

Information on recommending a student for the Congratulations! column

Congratulations! archives

Texas Piano player Kyle Orth is a Division Winner

In the MTNA Senior Piano Competition.

Richardson, Texas (January 14, 2008) – Kyle Orth, a Texas native, will travel to Denver, Colorado, in March to compete as a National Finalist in the MTNA Senior Piano Competition.

Orth, the son of Erik and Brenda Orth, earned this opportunity after winning the South Central Division of the Senior Piano Competition. A home school junior, Orth has been studying piano for nine years and is a student of Marcy McDonald.

Orth has soloed with the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, and the Lewisville Lake Symphony. His upcoming 2008-2009 season includes performance engagements with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Irving Symphony Orchestra. A winner of top prizes in numerous state, national, and international piano competitions, Orth also enjoys reading, music composition, and English country dancing. Furthermore, he is active in the Messianic community. For more information on Orth’s achievements, you can visit his Web site at www.kyleorth.com.

The MTNA Senior Piano Competition will take place on Sunday, March 30, during the 2008 MTNA National Conference. The National Winner of this competition receives a cash prize and will perform in a Winners Concert during the conference.

The three-tiered MTNA Competitions begin at the state level. Winners of each State Competition advance to the Division Competition. Division winners then proceed to the National Competition Finals.

To receive more information about the MTNA National Competitions, please contact MTNA national headquarters at (888) 512-5278, mtnanet@mtna.org or visit the website at www.mtna.org.

Music Teachers National Association is a nonprofit organization comprised of 24,000 independent and collegiate music teachers committed to advancing the value of music study and music making to society and to supporting the professionalism of music teachers. Founded in 1876, Music Teachers National Association is the oldest professional music teachers’ association in the United States.

South Plains Home Schooler Wins  4-H Gold Star Award

Outstanding 4-H'ers from across the South Plains were honored November 19, 2007, at the 50^th Annual South Plains District 4-H Gold Star Banquet.

Dr. Norm Hopper of Texas Tech University gave the principal address for the banquet. Also, United States Representative Randy Neugebauer addressed the Gold Star recipients. Parents, government and community leaders, extension faculty, educators, electric cooperative officials, and others were on hand to watch the youth receive their awards from Jett Major, District Extension Administrator; Wendy Scott, Extension Program Specialist; Elizabeth Cox, representative for U.S. Senator John Cornyn; and Debbie Hansard, representative for State Senator Robert Duncan.

One of the recipients of the Gold Star Award, Trevor Gicklhorn, is a home schooled student from Wilson, in Lynn County. Trevor, the son of Lester and Sheri Gicklhorn, is a 16-year-old junior at South Plains Home School Academy. He has been an active Lucky Leaf 4-H Club member for eight years and has served as president, 1st and 2nd vice presidents, and district council delegate. Also active in his community, Trevor made and delivered holiday cards and gifts to Lynnwood Assisted Living residents, collected and presented 'goodie bags' to University Medical Center pediatric patients, collected and donated baby and personal items for residents of My Father's House, and currently delivers meals for the Meal on Wheels program. At club and district events, he taught programs on fire safety, emergency preparedness, and Internet safety. With this background, it is easy to see why his safety record book placed first at state competition.

When asked about 4-H and the Gold Star award, Trevor replied, "I was born into a very active 4-H family. 4-H has helped me become a responsible and community-minded person. I am grateful for the friendships I have made and to my family, agents, and other leaders who have helped guide me along the way. Receiving the Gold Star will allow me to follow in the footsteps of my three older siblings who have all been former Gold Star recipients. This award has long been my goal and it is also a tremendous blessing and honor."

Highland Dance Winners

September 2007

Brother and sister, Charis and Luke McNamara of Brownfield, each won honors at the Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Festival in Estes Park, Colorado, on September 8, 2007, for Highland Scottish dancing competition.

Each section competes in three Highland dances.  For each dance there are three places; gold, silver, and bronze.  The competitions are danced in kilts, as shown in the picture.

Charis McNamara achieved first place (gold) in two dances (Highland Fling and Seann Triubhas) and won the aggregate trophy for her section in Scottish Highland dancing.  

Luke McNamara received a silver medal for the Sword dance.

The McNamaras, whose mother, Irene, is their instructor, participate in 2-3 competitions a year.  In order to enter a competition, students should be under the instruction of a properly certified BATD (British Association of the Teachers of Dance) teacher.

National History Day Home School Siblings

September 2007

Siblings, Cody and Jessalyn Welch (8^th and 6^th grades, respectively) of College Station won 1^st place in the National History Day competition, in Washington, D.C., after placing in the state competition.  They were participants in the category, “Junior Group Exhibit” with the title “If the Berlin Wall Could Talk - Voices of Tragedy and Triumph.”  They won 2^nd place at the Texas State History Day, and advanced to win 1^st place at the Nationals.  The duo won medals at regional, state, and national levels.  The national competition also awarded $1000 to the 1^st place winner.

National History Day is a yearlong education program that culminates in an annual history fair for students in grades six through twelve. It provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their interest in, and knowledge of, history through creative and original papers, performances, documentaries, individual interpretive web sites, or three-dimensional exhibits by following criterion.  A rulebook can be downloaded from the National History Day Web site.

Contact State Representative for National History Day, and you can contact Teresa Acosta for details about participation for Texas students.

Congratulations, Speech and Debate National Champions!

June 2007

The National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) championship was held in Belton, Texas, June 11-16, on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor campus. More than 500 students, representing 35 states, participated in the competitions. Fifty-eight Texans delivered 72 speeches, four in the Lincoln-Douglas Values debate, and 21 in the Team Policy Debate.

Congratulations to these Texas orators:

Apologetics

20th - Alan Carrillo

15th - Toni Maisano

Dramatic Interpretation

16th - Jacob Aschmutat

13th - Zack Reynolds

9th - Andrew Robyler

Duo Interpretation

13th - Zack Reynolds & Stephanie Semora

6th - Jenna Keefe & John-Phillip Rosenberger, Jr.

1st - Alan Carrillo & Adam Hardy

Expository Speaking

12th - Bronte Smith

11th - Paul Hastings

3rd - Brady Clayton

1st - Katie Riley

Humorous Interpretation

14th - Andrew Robyler

12th - Michelle Carrillo

3rd - Adam Hardy

Impromptu

6th - Alan Carrillo

Open Interp

23rd - Timothy Hardy

16th - Michelle Carrillo

14th - Marshall Sherman

6th - Brady Clayton

2nd - Sarah Gervais

Original Oratory

9th - Andrew Robyler

2nd - Alan Carrillo

Thematic

11th - Timothy Hardy

 Lincoln Douglas Value Debate:

13th - Andrew Robyler

7th - Benjamin Butler

Team Policy Debate

31st - Paul Schlaudraff/Cody Stevens

15th - Alicia Chandler/Brandon Smith

14th - Ann Marie Craig/Kaila Ray

12th - Josh Renfro/Joseph Strack

5th - Alan Carrillo/Samantha Nasser

IE Sweeps

19. Brady Clayton

17. Andew Robyler

7. Adam Hardy

1. Alan Carrillo

Special congratulations go to Alan Carrillo, who competed as an Ironman,   qualifying in debate and five individual events (IE), the maximum number for any competitor.

2007-2008 Debate Resolutions have been announced.  Go to the NCFCA  site for that information, as well as to see a complete list of national winners and to learn more about speech and debate programs.

SATCH Mavericks Softball Team: State Home School Champs

Coach Oscar Zertuche, SATCH Mavericks

June 5, 2007

On Saturday, May 5^, the Sports Association of Texas for Christian Homeschoolers (SATCH) Mavericks traveled to San Antonio to play in the inauguralTexas Homeschool State softball tournament.  In pool play, the Family Educators Alliance of South Texas (FEAST) Patriots beat the Mavericks to put them in the loser’s bracket. In the end the SATCH Mavericks played FEAST Patriots for the championship. After two and a half innings of no-hit ball and very strong defense played by both teams, FEAST got their first and only hit. The rest of the game belonged to the Mavericks.

The Mavericks won the game 11-0 and are now 2007 Texas Homeschool State Softball Champions. The winning pitcher was Morgan Atkinson and the pitcher for the Patriots was Tara Hubbard. Ashley McPhail was SATCH MVP for the state tournament, and Morgan Atkinson was SATCH MVP for the season.

The Mavericks finished at 22-6 for the season. The Mavericks also participated in two TAPP 5A tournaments, winning  second place in the Northland Christian tournament, and finishing a strong  sixth in the ”gold” bracket at the Second Baptist tournament. At both tournaments all the Mavericks’ coaches heard from the opposing losing team was, “I can’t believe you’re a home school team,” and “Here’s my phone number; get with me next year to schedule games with us.”

SATCH was formed in 2002 to provide amateur competitive sports for homeschooled children, ages 8 to 18. SATCH’s mission is to compete in amateur sports at the highest level and be a witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. The SATCH softball program began in 2006 and finished with a respectable 14-6 record. At the end of the season, the Mavericks had many offers from schools to schedule games for the 2007 season. The strong showing in both 2007 tournaments has again opened many more doors, allowing SATCH to schedule stronger competition for 2008.

  The SATCH Mavericks softball team is coached by head coach Oscar Zertuche and assistants David Bloodworth, Brian Lang, and Ronnie Martin. Players’ names, in alphabetical order, are: Morgan Atkinson, Allysa Bloodworth , Ariel Clark, Tiffany Cozart, Shara Flowers, Amy Hutchinson, Priscilla Jeffreys, Jerica Lang, Hillary Martin, Ashley Mcphail, Francie McReynolds, Amy Shenk, Rachel Whitten, Amy Wojhan, and Nancy Zertuche.

Kenai Walker Awarded Top PSIA  Scholarship

by Pat Walters

May 29, 2007

Kenai Walker, eighth grade student from Walker Home School in Tyler, a member of Tyler Area Christian Home Educators (TACHE), was recently awarded the top 2007 Private Schools Interscholastic Association (PSIA) scholarship, in the amount of $1,000. In Kenai’s seven years as a participant in PSIA, he has earned 11 state gold medals in mathematics, number sense and in maps, graphs and charts. In addition, he has medaled in seven other events at the state level of competition and advanced to state competition in four other events.

Kenai excels not only in PSIA academic activities but also in a wide variety of other academic endeavors. He received the Duke University TIP Talent Search Award in both 2003 and 2006. He received state and national recognition for his ACT scores in the Duke TIP contest He was a state qualifier for the National Geographic Geography Bee in 2007. In the East Texas State Fair Academic Rodeo, he was the second place individual high scorer in 2002 and the first place individual high scorer in 2003. In 2004, Kenai won the top science fair award for Stepping Stone School, in Tyler.

Kenai not only excels academically but also in may other areas of his active life. In his AWANA Bible Memory Club, he earned the Timothy Award in 2006. In music, at the University of Texas’s Tyler Piano Skills Festival, he won the 2005 and 2006 Outstanding Musician Medals, the Whitlock Award, and the Shelly David Piano Studio Haydn Award.

His Club (Select) Soccer awards include the Arlington Premier Invitational League second place Division II award in both 2005 and 2006 and the Classic League second place Division III award in 2007.

In addition to the many activities in which Kenai has excelled, he also takes a little time to fish. He won the First Youth Record in the state of Texas in 2003. He holds the Junior Angler Record for Saltwater Gaff-topsail Catfish, Gulf Kingfish and Atlantic Cutlass fish. He holds the state record for Saltwater Atlantic Cutlass fish and for Private Water Threadfin Shad. He holds 21 youth and 12 all-age water body records for public and private waters.

Kenai works at his church as a Sunday School helper for the 3- and 4-year-old department; he helps with home school fishing events at a local nature center; and he is a volunteer for PATH, a local agency helping the poor in the community. Kenai’s honorarium PSIA scholarship may be used for any aspect of his high school needs, inclusive of tuition, fees, supplies, clothing, and/or transportation.

PSIA awards six scholarships each year to eighth-grade, Texas privately schooled students whose applications are judged by an impartial panel that considers scholarship, leadership, and service foremost in their ranking of the nominees. The organization offers 67 grade-level contests in essentially all subject areas-with the exception of foreign language- including math, science, writing, speaking, listening, language arts, social studies, art, and music memory programs, all of which are covered in these 20 grade level events. Find out more at www.psiaacademics.org.

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If you have a home schooled student whose accomplishments you would like to see spotlighted in this column, complete and email a Congratulations Form (Word doc or PDF).  We prefer to receive information and photos by email but can work with the completed form sent by U.S. mail to Congratulations @ THSC, PO Box 6747, Lubbock, TX 79493. If you want your photo back, please enclose SASE.

View Archived Congratulations Pages:

December 2006

November 2005

April 2005

January 2004

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