Dobie senior Raymond Bashinski, a student at L.P. Card, has been awarded the General Motors John Smith Memorial Scholarship. Bashinski is one of only five students in the U.S. to receive this award. 
  The John Smith Scholarship is awarded each year to the most deserving Automotive Youth Education Systems (AYES) students in the U.S. Smith, a former CEO of General Motors, was instrumental in establishing the program as an initiative to meet the demand for skilled technicians in today's industry.
  The program allows students from quality secondary automotive programs to participate in a site-based internship at a dealership and work alongside mentor technicians.
  For the last 18 months, Bashinski has worked at Monument Chevrolet. He plans to continue his education and training in San Jacinto College's automotive service program. 
  Upon completion, Bashinski will graduate with an associate degree in applied science and a full-time position at his sponsoring dealer, Monument Chevrolet.

Over 40 students from L.P. Card helped homeowner Elwin Tilley, center, get her house in top shape during the district's annual Seniors Helping Seniors Day.

 It may have only taken a few hours and a few hundred seniors to complete all the houses on Lupe Garza's list, but Pasadena definitely wasn't rebuilt in a day. 
  In fact, it started five months ago in January. 
  For L.P. Card construction teacher Lupe Garza, finally reaching the 100-home mark for this year's Seniors Helping Seniors project meant months of proper preparation both inside and outside the classroom. 
  "Before the actual day when all of the seniors from the district high schools come out and re-paint the houses, my students and I have to assess the houses," Garza said. "We use our class time and prep the homes that way they get to apply what they learned in class to actual homes."
  From replacing and leveling broken windows, to repaneling the sides of a garage the students in Garza's class are making an impact not only on their college resumes, but also in the lives of homeowners. 
  And Elwin Tilley was one of the lucky ones.
  "I have been here in this house about 40 years," Tilley said."You just don't hear about things like this anymore. It is just so nice, I can't believe it."
  Thanks to the handiwork of the L.P. Card students, Tilley would soon be the proud owner of a freshly painted house and new garden-something she plans on spending a lot of time in.
  "This is only my second year doing the project," Garza said. "But having these students and teachers come together like never before has really made it a great experience for all of us."
  Looks like the countless hours of working in the blistering sun, turned out to be a ray of sunshine in these homeowner's lives.  

L.P. Card's Angel Garcia and Jodie Williams tackle the weeds and replant a new flower bed.

Jasmine Coronado scrapes off old paint and preps it for a fresh new coat.


The L.P. yard crew stands outside the freshly renovated home. 


For Pasadena High's Nelson Comedera, the roof is no limit for a little handiwork.


Under Pasadena High's Laura Ruiz's careful eye, no spot goes unpainted. 


The all-girl Pasadena High paint crew mixes up some color for a front door makeover.


Thankfully Memorial High senior Zach Lewis is not afraid of heights as he puts the finishing touches on the home's panels.


It may be 100 degrees outdoors, but Memorial seniors Taylor Rankin and Yvette Isidori stay cool and collected as they touch up some trim.


Teammates Tyler Schoonover, Tommy Lee and Shaquille Cyril take a quick break to muscle out a few smiles.


With brushes in hand, South Houston High's Gabriel Rodriguez and Jose Jimenez get ready to refurbish a door.  


South Houston High's Francisca Morales and Joselyn Gonzalez are double duty gardeners and painters. 


These South Houston senior girls make painting a group effort. 


Jalaluddin Muhammad and Maria Pacheco, both Rayburn seniors, prove it takes two for a window redo.

Rayburn's culinary arts teacher Veronica Saldana joins in on the day's work. 


Keeping the Rayburn team motivated, David Nunez shows off the groups motto for the day: "Do Work."


Dobie paint leaders Briana Pringle and Diamond Walker don't let a few smudges get in their way of producing a flawless product.


Dobie senior Dominique Lewis touches up the last piece of trim. 


Longhorns are giddy and green as they wrap up a successful day of painting and priming.  

David Scarcella accepts his mini-grant check from Patti Bodkins of the Pasadena ISD Education Foundation.

  PASADENA ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION MINI-GRANT 
  Applicant: David Scarcella
  Mini-Grant Name: ROBOcamp
  Abstract: ROBOcamp is an innovative project being offered to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students as an extension of our first year to offer engineering as a high school course.  The goal is to spark interest in engineering for students who excel in math and science.  This is an awesome opportunity for students to explore entry level robotics while promoting skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) necessary for that particular career pathway.  Two summer camps will be available for 5 days each from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. with lunch and T-shirt provided.  Local engineers will be available to provide support.
  Amount: $4,970
  Sponsor: Lexus of Clear Lake

Scarcella celebrates with his students.

David Scarcella accepts his mini-grant check from Patti Bodkins of the Pasadena ISD Education Foundation.

  PASADENA ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION MINI-GRANT 
  Applicant: David Scarcella
  Mini-Grant Name: ROBOcamp
  Abstract: ROBOcamp is an innovative project being offered to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students as an extension of our first year to offer engineering as a high school course.  The goal is to spark interest in engineering for students who excel in math and science.  This is an awesome opportunity for students to explore entry level robotics while promoting skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) necessary for that particular career pathway.  Two summer camps will be available for 5 days each from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. with lunch and T-shirt provided.  Local engineers will be available to provide support.
  Amount: $4,970
  Sponsor: Lexus of Clear Lake

Scarcella celebrates with his students.

Officer Chris Murray, a Pasadena Police Department Bomb Technician recently visited the students at L.P Card to demonstrate one some of the equipment used by his team on a daily basis. The law enforcement students also got a quick run down of safety and procedures. Event photo follows. 

Officer Chris Murray speaks to a group of law enforcement students. 

Sam Rayburn High students spruce up a South Houston home as part of the 2011 Rebuilding Houston Together project.

  The Pasadena ISD is looking for a few good men -- and women -- to join forces for the fourth annual Seniors Helping Seniors project set for May 25.
  A day of heat, hard work and heartfelt community service are in store for hundreds of Pasadena ISD seniors who will be rolling up their sleeves for home fix-up projects across Pasadena, South Houston and the South Belt area.
  District students have completed 76 home projects over the past three years. This year organizers have committed to 24 additional dwellings - which would bring the four-year total to 100 homes.
  Homes selected belong to senior citizens who have no financial means or who lack the physical ability to paint, repair or do other types of labor.
  The Seniors Helping Seniors initiative is part of area-wide Rebuilding Houston Together project.
  "This will be the largest Rebuilding Together project ever conducted," said Jayne McFarland, the career and technical education coordinator for the district's L.P. Card Career and Technical Center.
  "Rebuilding Together Houston provides the building materials and the paint. However, however we must provide the manpower, paint brushes, scrapers, t-shirts, pizzas and other items needed to complete the project."
  The district estimates the total projected cost at $5,000.
  "We've already had parents and contacts from elementary and middle school campuses asking what their students can do to support our seniors," McFarland said.
  "It truly reaches beyond community service. Our high school seniors are giving of themselves to help senior citizens residing in the very community they grew up in. They come back changed when they realize that they have something to offer, even if it is just one day."
  Those interested in supporting this year's event can send donations to: Jayne McFarland, L.P. Card Career and Technical Center, 4320 Crenshaw, Pasadena, 77504. Check should be made payable to the Pasadena ISD.
  For additional information, call 713-740-0802.

  Three students from The Summit have entered their shoe designs in the Van's Custom Culture Contest, a national art competition for footware designs. Dobie's Bryce Mosley and two South Houston High students, Sergio Paul and Leandra Castillo, put over 50 hours of work into their designs. Their shoes represent the themes of art, music, sports and local flavor. Amber Buras, the Communities in Schools campus coordinator for The Summit, submitted their entries for the national contest, the results of which will be announced later this month.
  Below: Bryce Mosley, Leandra Castillo and Sergio Paul with their shoe designs.

  On Friday, the Pasadena Police Department made a quick trip to L.P. Card to give criminal justice students a firsthand look DWI Education Program. A program golf cart, complete with a pair of blurred-vision goggles, allowed students to simulate the  dangers of driving while intoxicated. Event photos follow. 

Recently, Officer Jerry Duggan of the Pasadena Police Department, pictured below, made a classroom visit to L.P. Card law enforcement students. Duggan demonstrated the use of the polygraph and its uses in the field of public service. Event photo follows. 

Criminal justice students finished 1-1 at a recent mock trial competition.

  Recently, the criminal justice students from L.P. Card competed in the 2012 UIL Texas High School Mock Trial Competition at the Harris County Criminal Courts Building.
  The team finished 1-1 and defeated Cy-Fair in the first round, but fell to St. Thomas in the second round.
  Two Dobie students received a perfect score from at least one judge for their performances.  Olivia Henry-Maslonka was named the MVP Advocate, and Jodie Williams was named the MVP Witness for the team.
  A list of the team members that competed at the competition follows: 

Advocates/Attorneys

Olivia Henry-Maslonka -Dobie

Reese Selman -Dobie

Jackie Gonzalez -Pasadena

Witnesses:

Jodie Williams -Dobie

Paola Escobar -Dobie

Angel Garcia -Dobie

Sharanda Bryant -Dobie

Ale Espino -Pasadena

Petra Hernandez -Memorial

  Recently, construction technology students from Mr. Guadalupe Garza's class at L.P. Card were invited to attend the annual Houston Builders Expo at Reliant Stadium.
Students participated in a scavenger hunt which allowed them to network with industry professionals.  Andrew Ortiz, a member of the Houston Works USA, has partnered with the class and provided the opportunity for students to attend this year's event.  Event photo follows. 

Students meet with business professionals at the expo.

  This past weekend, criminal justice students from the L.P. Card Career & Technical Center toured the Harris County Jail.
  The students were treated to a one-on-one question and answer period with a mounted patrol officer in downtown Houston.
  Students were also exposed to numerous career paths within the criminal justice field from from corrections officers and sheriff's deputy to mounted patrol officers, metro police and administrative positions within the jails. Pictured to the right is Pasadena senior Jackie Gonzalez.

  Recently, electrical, HVAC and construction technology students were treated to a behind the scences tour of Minute Maid Park led by Austin Malone, the company's director of ballpark operations for the Houston Astros. 
  Unlike the usual tours of the stadium, L.P. Card students had access to the roof, heating and air conditioning structures and the technology behind the famous "Homerun" train. Event photos follow.

Minute Maid's director Austin Malone gives students an inside look of how the stadium operates. 

  Pasadena High sophomore Diana Martinez took home stock show gold at a recent Southwestern Livestock Exposition in Fort Worth. Martinez and her heifer took home the Champion Junior Brahman and the Reserve Champion Overall Brahman Heifer award at the show, beating out more than 250 competitors across the state of Texas. She holds the coveted title of the first in the history of Pasadena ISD to win this award. 
  Martinez raised the heifer as a calf and competes in area competitions including the San Antonio, Houston and Austin Livestock Show and Rodeo.  
  She also took home $1,750 in cash and plans to use that money for furthering her education. Martinez plans to attend college and pursue a career as a veterinary technician.
  The FFA program, which is currently available at four of the five district high schools, incorporates student leadership, responsibility and management skills needed for agriculture professions. Event photo follows. 

Jack Bailey, president of the Board of Trustees, congratulates mini-grant winner Robert Johnson.

  PASADENA ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION MINI-GRANT 
  Applicant: Robert Johnson
  Mini-Grant Name: STARs Program
  Abstract: The STARS program is a pioneering endeavor to directly teach social skills to students during the regular education day by classroom teachers. The program will include a teaching component and the purchase of curriculum, a daily monitoring component and a reward component. Data will be compiled over the course of the program to compare to pre-program baseline to evaluate the program's effectiveness.
  Amount: $4,150 
  Sponsor: Lyondell Bassell-Houston Refining

Johnson receives congratulations from Robert DeWolfe, principal at The Summit, and colleagues Ezzard Henton, Anthony Wright, Nakeshia Dickey and John Bui.

Pre-engineering students Braden Cain, Jonathan Bae and Mario Hernandez race their rubber-band-powered cars. All three are juniors at Memorial High.

  By AL CARTER
  Pasadena ISD Communications
  The dismissal bell never rings on David Scarcella's pre-engineering class at the Pasadena ISD's L.P. Card Career and Technical Center. His wife does.
  On school days, they hang around by the dozens -- wide-eyed students immersed in an after-school maze of wood blocks, Popsicle sticks, rubber bands and soda bottles. Bells ring. Buses leave. And still they linger.
  "I have to literally kick them out," Scarcella says. "They don't want to leave."
The lights go off when the phone rings.
  "It's time for you to come home," Laurie Scarcella says on the other end. And so ends another 13-hour teaching day for husband David, a first-year faculty addition from Galena Park who has made L.P. Card's new pre-engineering course one of the district's hottest curriculum choices -- for students of all academic ranks .
  Scarcella teaches students with real designs of attending schools like Princeton, Rice and Vanderbilt. He has other students with leaning handicaps who thrive in the Rube Goldberg environment of his classroom.
  He has students who excel at building wind-up cars with CD disks for wheels. He has others who dream of designing spacecraft for travel to Mars.
  "I get excited about giving a kid a pile of stuff and saying, 'Do this!'" Scarcella says. "And then watching him while he does it."
  Watching Scarcella build a pre-engineering program from scratch has district administrators excited.
  "We were worried at first that we might not have enough kids in the program," says Sarah Wrobleski, director of the L.P. Card Center. "But David has made it contagious. Most afternoons, even on weekends, he's got a roomful of kids, all working on projects."
  Scarcella teaches students from all five district high schools in a portable building in the back of the L.P. Card. Hired away from the Galena Park ISD over the summer, he inherited the last vacant classroom.
  Scarcella says he hopes to see that change dramatically in the next few years.
  A major part of the Pasadena ISD bond proposal now on early-voting ballots calls for the construction of a Career Tech High School, a full-size campus that would expand the district's technology curriculum and combine it with core courses. Ask Scarcella about the impact of bond passage and his eyes turn as saucer-round as those of his students.
  "I have big thoughts," he says.
  "I'd be excited just for the fact that we'll be able to show core teachers just what we're about," he says. "Plus, we'll be able to get those core teachers involved in what we're doing -- all in one location. It would be huge."
Scarcella has a ready example to offer -- catapults.
  As any history teacher will attest, the Roman and Greeks built them. Soon, so will Scarcella's pre-engineering students. The plan is to start small -- small enough to fling frozen Tater Tots across the room -- and then upgrade to where small vegetables can be hurled hundreds of feet.
  Suggest watermelons and watch Scarcella smile . His enthusiasm for the project is almost kid-like.
  "We are going to build catapults," he says. "We are going to launch some food!"
  "The first week we started building rubber-band cars and that was fun," says Austin Gonzalez, a junior from Memorial High. "Now we're designing things on the computer and that's really cool."
  Earlier this month, Scarcella launched the district's first foray into robotics competition. Although he doesn't teach a robotics class -- the only one offered is at Sam Rayburn High -- Scarcella helped organize three teams of students from four district high schools.
  Two weeks ago, one of Scarcella's teams won a robotics competition in Galveston and, with the victory, a berth in world competition next April in Anaheim, Calif. The connection between pre-engineering and robotics is simple, Scarcella says.
  "We want to get engineering students hooked -- and robotics is one way to do it," he says. "It teaches you the value of working together as a team, which is an important part of being an engineer."
  Which happens to be Scarcella's project as an educator.
  "The need for engineers is huge right now," he says. "So many engineers are retiring. We're just going to have to create some more."
  Scarcella's background isn't exactly rooted in the engineering field. Before going into teaching, he worked five years as a police dispatcher. But the seeds sown by his high-school training in industrial arts -- and the influence of his career-educator parents -- blossomed into what has been a rewarding reign in the classroom.
  His father, David Scarcella Sr., was a long-time choir director at Pasadena High. His mother, Michelle, taught kindergarten at Bailey Elementary for more than 20 years. Wife Laurie teaches autistic students at Bailey.
  Son Cody, although only 12, is an advanced robotics student at Deer Park Junior High -- so advanced that he served as a coach for his dad's Pasadena ISD robotics teams.
  Scarcella taught technology courses in Friendswood before moving over to Galena Park, where he headed up "Project Lead the Way." His success with that program caught the attention of Wrobleski, who was head of technical education for Galena Park schools at the time.
  Last summer, as the Pasadena ISD was making inroads into enhancing science- and math-based programs, Wrobleski lured Scarcella to Pasadena to start a pre-engineering course -- a "spin-off," as she calls it, of the district's robotics program.
  For his students' first assignment -- to design and construct rubber-band cars -- Scarcella set a firm deadline for competition entries. The day before the contest, 16 groups of students showed up after school to apply finishing touches.
  "Two of the cars went farther than 50 feet," Scarcella says. "And one of them didn't even have wheels. It used skids."
  Scarcella says he was pleased to discover that one student showed his car to his physics teacher, who promptly turned the idea into a lesson in mechanics for other physics students.
  Based upon knowledge gained in his physics class, the student redesigned his car and doubled its previous distance capacity.
  Those are the kinds of cooperative advantages, Scarcella says, that would become commonplace in a Career Tech High School format.
  "We've done more in six weeks here than we did in 10 years at Galena Park," he says. "The reason is the amount of technical support we're getting from Sarah and from Troy [McCarley, the Pasadena ISD's Associate Superintendent for Campus Development.]"
  But Scarcella says he's eager to take the program several steps forward, and he intends to start next year. He plans to teach a robotics class and also an advanced pre-engineering course for the benefit of current students who want to stay in the program.
  "We'll be designing, testing and presenting for real engineers," he says. "We want to offer concepts that will lead to advanced studies in everything from architecture to aerospace to robotics."

Scarcella coaches two of his robotics team members -- Memorial seniors Jacob Perez and Hammad Lodhi -- on how to put a block-toting robot through its paces.

Scarcella helps Mario Hernandez assemble the "drive train" on his rubber-band car.

On to the next project: Scarcella goes over a list of items to be brought from home for the construction of a Tater Tot-tossing catapult.

Members of the winning robotics team: (bottom) Mahammed Hossain, Dobie; Hammad Lodhi, Memorial; Kathy Tran, Memorial; Nhu Tran, Memorial; Andrew Curtis, oceaneering engineering mentor; Cody Scarcella, son of instructor David Scarcella; (top)  Kada Lamas, Memorial robotics sponsor; Cody Ranier, Memorial; Jamal Lett, Dobie; Phong Luu, Dobie; Jacob Perez, Memorial; Adalberto Rodriguez, Dobie; Adrian Pruneda, Dobie; Antonio Rodriguez, South Houston; David Scarcella, L.P. Card Pre-Engineering/Robotics instructor.

  A team of robotics students from Dobie and Memorial high schools finished first in the VEX Robotics "Battle By The Beach" last Saturday (Oct. 15) in Galveston, earning the right to advance to national competition in Nebraska next spring.
  Another Pasadena ISD team finished fourth in the competition.
  The winning team combined the talents of two Pasadena ISD teams entered in the contest to come out on top. Winning team members are Kathy Tran, Nhu Tran, Jacob Perez and Hammad Lodhi, all from Memorial; and Jemal Leet, Adrian Praneda and Mohammed Hossein, all from Dobie.
  Cody Rainer, a Memorial student on the fourth-place team, won the programming award in the competition. He was assisted by Antonio Ramirez of South Houston High.
  David Scarcella, a teacher at the L.P. Card Career Center, serves as advisor for the robotics students and organizer for the four Pasadena ISD teams that competed in the event.

Students from the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (Maritime) class at L.P. Card, under the direction of teacher Cecil Gray, had the opportunity to expand their classroom to the waterways along the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay last week. Students applied their classroom lessons to a wide range of marine jobs and were able to utilize boating safety skills. Counselors from home campuses accompanied the fleet as the students toured the industry and enjoyed the sights. (Below) Jemal Lett from Dobie High and Chris Cochran from Memorial enjoy a day on the water; (bottom) Participants Angel Vera, Fernando Rodriguez, Patricio Serna, Herbey Alaniz and Julio Garza, all South Houston High students.

  South Houston High's Jessica Gutierrez (at right) attended San Jacinto College over the summer and earned her C.N.A. (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification to help her better understand the pharmacy side of nursing. This semester, Gutierrez
is a member of the Pharmacy Tech class at L.P. Card and continues to pursue her goal of one day becoming a Pharmacist. During her junior year, she joined HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) to begin her training to be a pharmacist.

Students from L.P. Card's Construction Technology class recently cut dry-erase boards to given specifications so that 1,144 would be available for student use at Red Bluff. Guadalupe Garza and his class at L.P. Card partnered with Maria Rivera, Red Bluff's peer facilitator, to make the boards the right size for student use.

Red Bluff kindergarten teacher Kathy Pavlik shows her students how to use their new dry-erase boards.

(Left) Rebecca Terry, an instructional specialist at Red Bluff, helps a student with his letters.
(Right) A Red Bluff kindergarten student tries out her new dry-erase board.

Guidance Center welcomes three new members to its team, (pictured below) Charlyn Duke, assistant principal; Jennifer Salazar, an aide; and Laura Rodriguez, a sixth-grade language arts teacher.

  Engineering and robotics students at L.P. Card left it all on the track on Friday's race-car throwdown at the school. Under the direction of engineering teacher David Scarcella, a group of 12 Memorial High students integrated their skills and creativity for a heated race to the finish line. 
  Students were given instructions to build their own race cars out of everyday items such as rubber bands, cardboard, CDs and popsicle sticks.
  Students had to use original ideas, create their own sketches and design the motorless race cars. Winners Mario Hernandez and Braden Cain (at right) propelled their cars more than 45 feet across the shop. Other event photos follow.

Preston Bishop, electrical technology and HVAC teacher at L.P. Card, spoke to students on the importance of proper safety regulations at a live demonstration on Friday. Bishop, with the help of tech student Samuel Bernal, was lifted in a full body harness off the ground. Event photos follow.