Author Archives: Lynette

Holocaust survivor inspires local students

Dr. Edith Eva Eger survived the Holocaust and shared her story with 8th graders at Canyon Ridge Middle School in May. Principal Susan Sullivan and the students showed their appreciation of her presentation.

“The visit that changed lives”

By QUIN COLLINS, DAVIS FISHER, MICHAEL MASTRODICASA, DEVAN PATEL

Dr. Edith Eva Eger shared with Canyon Ridge Middle School 8th graders details about the 72nd anniversary of her liberation as a Holocaust survivor.

Eger’s inspiring story was one of overcoming difficulty with positivity, she explained on May 4 to a packed room of students. She was taken to Auschwitz when she was 17-years-old, and she watched as her family was taken away from her. Later, she endured a death march and worked in a labor camp. Eger was forced to dance for Nazi leaders, and she now believes that dance saved her life. She has overcome hardships that no one can begin to imagine.

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Bond proposal has something for all LISD schools

Major projects included for VHS, FPMS, SRE

By KIM ESTES
Four Points News

Three Four Points schools would benefit from a recommended $453,860,841 bond package, which would improve safety, accommodate growth, and provide major facility maintenance throughout Leander ISD, according to Victor Villarreal, co-chairman of a bond advisory steering committee.

There are “optional items” that could add $9,856,468 to the proposed bond total.

Funds projected as necessary to meet LISD requisites amount to $172,536,655 for elementary schools, $117,525,385 for middle schools, $87,175,801 for high schools, $47,730,000 for technology and $28,893,000 for ancillary requests.

Four Points recommendations

Four Points area schools specifically mentioned in the package are Steiner Ranch Elementary, Four Points Middle School and Vandegrift High School.

SRE, as well as Giddens Elementary, are recommended for major maintenance to their HVAC systems, lighting, carpet and paint at a total estimated expense of $17,863,111. Both campuses are about 20-years-old and due for facility and equipment refurbishing and replacement, said Corey Ryan, LISD chief communications officer.

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River Place Rapids wraps season

By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

The River Place Rapids swim team wrapped its 2017 season on June 25 with the All Star Invitational Meet at Westwood Country Club with 40 swimmers.

Cannan Ginsburg won second place overall in the boys 7-8 category and won the freestyle event. Other top 3 finishers were: Nicholas Zimmerman’s first in the boys 7-8 breaststroke, Kayla Kovar’s second in the girls 9-10 breaststroke, and Lilah Schumann’s third in the girls 7-8 butterfly.

There were ten all-time Rapids records broken during the season.

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VHS expansion, agriculture barns on proposed bond project list

Dan Troxell

Bond Advisory Committee
presents to LISD Board

By DAN TROXELL
LISD Superintendent

During the June 15 board meeting, the co-chairs of the Bond Advisory Committee presented its recommendations to the Leander ISD Board of Trustees. Their presentation was the culmination of five months and many, many hours of meetings, research, facility tours, conversations and deliberation on the parts of the steering committee and subcommittees. After carefully weighing the long list of identified needs, the BAC ultimately identified $453,860,841 in new facilities, campus additions and land purchases to meet increasing student enrollment; campus safety upgrades; and maintenance upgrades to older buildings.

Co-chairs Victor Villarreal and Shaun Cranston have done an outstanding job leading the BAC through this lengthy and challenging process. Last month, the steering committee was tasked with prioritizing and narrowing the scope of the proposed project lists submitted by the five subcommittees, totaling nearly $1.2 billion. As Villarreal and Cranston reported to the board, while there were a number of worthwhile projects on the list, they agreed to prioritize items that support growth, student safety and maintenance/operations.

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