Maddie Coe

The goal of this press release was to present a response from the school district to the community during a high point of sociopolitical division and distrust. This piece won two awards from the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA): Gold Star and Best of Category in Writing.

At Melissa Schools, it is our responsibility to serve every student and empower them to reach their full potential, no matter their race, religion, gender, orientation, or ability. We do not condone acts of discrimination, hate, or violence against one another.

We listen to conversations that are important to our community. We recognize the prevalence of racial injustice, and the many facets of discrimination, in our nation’s history and in the present day. We also recognize that many people are hurting at this moment.

Our calling and most sincere desire at Melissa Schools is to serve our students with love and compassion, while centering our core values of honesty, humility, integrity, loyalty, and hope.

As our community navigates situations of conflict, we want our kids to feel that our schools are a safe place. Through building strong relationships, welcoming open dialogue, and education, we will nurture an atmosphere of continued growth, understanding, and unity.

If any of our students need someone to talk to about a difficult or hurtful experience, our school counselors and administrators are available to listen and offer guidance and resources.

Thank you for partnering with us. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve, support, learn from, and model for the young people of Melissa, Texas.

The goal of this press release was to showcase the growth of the audiovisual program at the high school and encourage students, parents/guardians, and members of the community to attend the program’s first student-produced short film festival.

A new tradition begins at Melissa High School later this month with the school’s first annual film festival, where student-produced live action and animated short films will be screened for students, staff, family members, and the greater community.

The Melissa High School 2022 Film Fest will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 in the auditorium at the Melissa Arts Center. Live audience voting will follow the film screenings to determine the fan-favorites in each category. The festival is free to attend and open to the public.

Note: All student films adhere to UIL One Act Play content standards. However, please be advised that two films in the horror and crime drama genres may be sensitive for younger viewers.

Nearly 60 students from grades 9-12 in the audio/video (AV) production and animation classes at Melissa High School were involved in producing the collection of short films. During the year-long production process, students learned how to develop storyboards, write screenplays, and work through the stages of pre-production, production, and post-production.

“Our students have put in a tremendous amount of time and energy in bringing their visions to the screen,” shared A/V production teacher, Randy Kramen. “Along the way they have risen to every challenge while learning the teamwork, creative, and technical skills necessary to put together a film. I am excited for our students to experience feedback from a live audience and get validation for all of their hard work.”

Animation teacher, Dustin Clark, added, “I have loved seeing the growth of these students. They have learned to problem-solve and worked hard to improve their strengths and weaknesses as they developed and improved these short stories. All are very intelligent and skilled students, but it takes lots of work to turn an idea into a reality. I am so proud of them.”

The Melissa High School Film Fest is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Melissa Arts Center.

Below are a handful of the titles that will be shown at the Melissa High School 2022 Film Fest.

Live Action:

• “109.mp4”
  “A Job Well Done”
  “Overworked”
  “A Tale of Imagination”

Animated:

• “House Across the Street”
  “Jazzy Bones”
  “A Better Life”
  “The Graveyard Sword”
  “Messy Roommate”

The goal of this press release was to provide a soft introduction to a prestigious curriculum newly adopted by the school district that would have a multiyear rollout.

As an introduction to the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) program, Melissa ISD will offer a series of informational meetings for parents and guardians. Led by the Teaching and Learning department, each presentation will last approximately 40 minutes, with a Q&A session to follow.

The development of the IB program at Melissa Schools began in February as part of the district’s Vision 2034 strategic planning initiative, which included an IB focus group made up of parents, teachers, and school administrators. Over the last nine months, initial IB training has begun for campus principals, teachers, and counselors.

The IB program will bring forth a shift in an approach to learning and enhanced education for all Melissa ISD students, with little-to-no changes to the overall existing curriculum. With the 2022-2023 school year being Melissa ISD’s “year of consideration” for the IB program, all students entering grades 6-10 next fall will be considered part of the Middle Years Programme.

The goal is for Melissa ISD to become an IB-accredited public school district. This will mean that as early as the 2024-2025 school year, instruction at Melissa Schools will include the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for grades K-5 and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 6-10. Along with the traditional Texas high school diploma and dual credit offerings, students in grades 11-12 will have the opportunity to enter the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and/or the IB Career Programme (CP).

Parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to attend one or more of the upcoming introductory meetings to learn more about the Melissa ISD IB program and the timeline for implementation. In addition, a list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding IB will be published online at www.melissaisd.org/ib.