Katy ISD seeking 2023-24 instructional calendar input from parents, students

Katy ISD is asking parents and staff to take its 2023-24 instructional calendar survey. The district said the survey outlines proposed changes to its 2023-24 calendar, as well as start and end dates.

The survey is open until Jan. 11. Parents and students who have not received a survey are asked to email west@k12insight.com.

Cinco Ranch academic decathlon team participates in district competition

The Cinco Ranch High School academic decathlon team competed in the Katy ISD district event. Below are the medal winners.

Bella Mei came in first place overall, beating out 150 other decathletes for the top prize.

• Art: Yu Jin Cha finished first, Grace Zhang and Bella Mei finished fourth.
• Economics: Teymur Hajiyev finished first, Bella Mei finished third, Henry Ebben and Robert Marbach both finished fifth.
• Literature: Bella Mei finished second.
• Math: Teymur Hajiyev finished first, Robert Marbach second, and Younghoon Kiel and Henry Ebben finished fourth.
• Music: Bella Mei finished second.
• Science: Yu Jin Cha finished first, and Bella Mei finished fourth.
• Social Science: Bella Mei and Advait Dadi finished first, while Yu Jin Cha finished second.

Other decathletes participating included Ava Ross, Janice Zhang, Rebecca Jung, Justin Wu, Ethan Moloney and Dylan Nguyen. Team sponsors are Ashley Miller and Samiha Rahman.

Katy ISD Career and Technical Education Job Fair set for Jan. 25

Katy ISD is hosting its first career and technical education job fair, and is inviting local businesses to participate.

The job fair is Jan. 25 at the Merrell Center, 6301 S. Stadium Dr. Shifts are from 8 a.m.-12 p.m., and 5-8 p.m.

Registration deadline is Jan. 13. For more information, contact Remona Clark, college and career specialist, at 281-396-7452 or remonalclark@katyisd.org.

To register, visit the website https://bit.ly/3H1aAd7.

Cinco Ranch FFA team participates in leadership development competition

The Cinco Ranch High School FFA program took six teams to compete in Texas FFA Leadership Development Events earlier this month at Sam Houston State University.

The LDEs, as they are called, focus on creating situations for members to demonstrate their abilities in public speaking, decision making, communication and their knowledge of agriculture and the FFA organization.

Cinco Ranch teams participating included:

• Agricultural Advocacy, sixth place: Rachel Grant, Mia Moderski, Sydney Herring and Elizabeth Mahady.
• Agricultural Skills Demonstration, sixth place: Lainey McDonald, Justin Sapp and Alejandro Pereira.
• Spanish Creed Speaking, third place: Olivia Bellolio Abad.
• Agricultural Skills Demonstration, second place: Ella Mirabelli, Whitney McDonald and Madison Thomas.
• Ag Issues Forum, semifinalist: Emma Avery, Connor Reese, Rachel Grant, Lucia Ball, and Lindsey Delgado.
• Public Relations, semifinalist: Emma Avery, Adison Baker, Mia Moderski, and Lily Ragsdale.

The students finished third in Texas in sweepstakes points.

The FFA advisors are Mike Ellisor, Kaylen Gaines, David Helmcamp, Amanda Kacal, Shawn Peters and Rachel Wendt.

Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award Winner

Sydney Herring, a Cinco Ranch High School sophomore, is that school’s 2023 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award winner. She will represent Cinco Ranch at a conference this summer and will learn leadership styles, connect with leaders around the state and meet with other O’Brian award winners across the state.

Cinco Ranch quiz bowl teams compete in online tournament

Four Cinco Ranch High School quiz bowl teams competed in the Holiday Party online tournament, which featured some of the best teams in Texas and the nation.

The A Team of captain Tamim Hasan, Hayden D’Gama, Dimitris Kalafatis and Robbie Hahn finished fourth, losing in the final four bracket. Hasan finished ninth in individuals, while Kalafatis and D’Gama were 17th and 18^th, respectively.

The B Team of captain Arnav Joshi, Tony Liang, Enina Edosomwan and Grace Park made the playoff bracket before falling to Strake Jesuit. Joshi finished 12^th in individuals for his first-ever top-20 placement.

The C Team of captain Ella Hill, Ishan Paliwell, Zuhair Assaduddin and Arsen Imanbayev scored several wins. Paliwell finished 19th in individuals.

The D Team of Maria Waseem, Nicholas Zang, Bao Vu and Heather Tan scored one win.

The quiz bowl sponsor is Bob Diethrich.