Earns STEM ranking

By KIM ESTES
Four Points News

Vandegrift High School has been ranked as a science, technology, engineering and math school in U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings, earning the 199th spot after placing as one of the top 500 public high schools in the nation.

Schools had to rank in the top 500 of 22,000 high schools nationwide to be eligible for the STEM ranking. VHS came in at #280 of the total, for which it also earned its 4th gold medal in four years and 47th place among state rankings of 589 Texas high schools. Rankings data was from the 2014-2015 school year.

Two other Leander ISD schools, Vista Ridge High School and Cedar Park High School, were awarded silver medals in the U.S. News rankings report. VRHS was ranked #754 in the nation and 89th in the state. CPHS was #814 in the nation and #99 in the state.

“On behalf of the staff and students, I want to thank you all for this community effort to make Vandegrift the best high school possible,” said Charlie Little, VHS principal.

“I think this is the first time we’ve been ranked as a STEM school; 199 is awesome,” Little said.

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Iris Wong
April 19, 1971 –
July 16, 2017

Iris Wong lost the fight with cancer on July 16, 2017 at the age of 46. She was born on April 19, 1971 in Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan, NY to Yuk Ping Wong and Kam Shu Wong.

She went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and received her bachelor’s from Binghamton University. Iris is survived by her husband Gerold Chan, and her two sons Nicholas and Eric Chan of Steiner Ranch, her mother and father, Yuk Ping Wong and Kam Shu Wong, her brother Richard Wong, her sister-in-law Evelyn Liu, and niece Claire Wong.

Iris started and ran the IQuest Learning Center in Steiner Ranch because she strongly believed in helping kids acquire exceptional skills to succeed in tomorrow’s world and give them a global outlook.

She was a devoted mentor to young scholars, and inspired them to excel in the creative arts and in STEM.

As a tireless educator, she touched the hearts and minds of children and adults, alike. She volunteered her time in school and community events, helped coach Destination Imagination teams, and mentored those who asked for her help.

Iris always had a deep appreciation for art and music. Throu­ghout middle school and high school, she performed in numerous musical scores with her chorus in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

She also had a deep love for photography and the visual art. It’s her way to preserve memories and relive them.

To honor her life and spirit, a memorial fund was established in her name, the Iris Wong Memorial Fund for the Creative Arts. The fund will give a scholarship to those who expresses similar passion and appreciation for the creative arts and looking to pursue a major in it.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, the 24th of August at Austin Baptist Church, 7016 Ribelin Ranch Dr., Austin, TX 78750.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the memorial fund at the Viper Nation Education Foundation website www.vipernationef.org.

Vandegrift students worked with students in the special education department to assemble “Boo Bags” that were sold at Cups & Cones, benefiting Lake Travis Christmas Hope. The Viper Special Education Department Booster Club created this opportunity.

By HADLEY HUDSON
Four Points News

The Viper Special Education Department Booster Club has just celebrated its first year as a nonprofit after forming to support and raise awareness for local students in special education.

“There has always been a silent support group among the parents of the students in SPED and I felt like if we organized ourselves we could be more effective in making change in the program,” SPED booster club president Lisa Dennis said.

The group wanted changes for their kids instead of complaining about things or wishing something could be done.

“We knew we had the support from the teachers here and we thought that if we organized ourselves then we could be a lot more helpful and take a proactive role and facilitate in our kids being more successful at school,” Dennis said.

The booster club has organized multiple events over the course of the year at places such as Cups & Cones. Students in special education participated in monthly work-days that began last November, and the students also sold self-made goods at the store as well.

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Kevin and Nicole Evans didn’t give up on team sports after their son, Connor, was diagnosed with a form of autism and the doctor told them their son wouldn’t be able to play sports.

By RICKY WILSON
SportsEngine

To understand the beauty of basketball, and team sports, one only has to look at the impact it had on Connor Evans — he’s entering 7th grade at Canyon Ridge MS and he is 6-foot in bare feet. Connor uses team sports to help him overcome challenges.

At two-and-a-half years old, Connor was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified or PDD-NOS. It is a form of autism which inhibits a person’s communication and motor skills development. In addition, he also suffered from Sensory Processing Disorder, which affects how the nervous system receives, processes and responds to sensory information.

His parents, Kevin and Nicole Evans, were told that he wouldn’t be able to play team sports, but they were determined to not let that happen.

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