risco ISD Sweeps Statewide Lone Star Challenge

Frisco ISD elementary students again swept the statewide Lone Star Challenge, with Anderson Elementary team winning first for the seventh consecutive year! Fourth- and fifth-grade students from across the District competed in the Lone Star Challenge, an academic contest patterned after Academic Decathlon. The curriculum is based on the fundamentals of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. Rounding out the top 10 were (in order) Taylor in second, McSpedden in third, then Isbell, Riddle, Borchardt, Bledsoe, Norris, Ashley and Hosp.

Anderson Elementary School - 1st Place

Team members: Rohan Bansal, Ashvik Pillai, Jiya Ganesh, Joon Lee, Aaradhya Giri, Diyanika Sathiamurthy, Reyansh Chalamalasetti, Naira Mohamed, Bhargavi Shankar, Nishaad Dhakate, Moaaz Afifi, Taylor Booth, Anika Patil, Hannah Lee and Saadhana Vasanth. Coaches: Sue Kelly and David Perry.

Taylor Elementary School - 2nd Place

Team members: Skanda Srihari, Vihaan.Kabra, Ethan Lu, Anahita Sawhney, Veeraj Katkuri, Arju Loganathan, Jinchen Lai, Vehanth Talisetty, Tanushree Nambiar, Ilan Berdichevskiy, Sophia Zhang, Aditya Thiyagarajan and Shivanshi Dash. Coaches: Alyssa Eich and Janell Wixon.

McSpedden Elementary School - 3rd Place

Team members: Jessica Abraham, Akansh Bollapragada, Anubha Burra, Alexandria Da-Zhao, Vihaan Rao Donthineni, Abhiram Jagiripu, Ananya Jauhari, Abhay Jois, Akshay Jois, Yashasri Kancharla, Vainavi Malik, Ayaan Nandu, Neelkanth Narne, Ram Suryadevara, Venkata Aarush Tellabati and Samhitha Vallabhajosyula. Coaches: Patricia Elrod and Victoria Hanson.

FCCLA Teams Advance to Nationals

Six Frisco ISD FCCLA teams are advancing to nationals after competing recently at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference! Two student teams from Centennial High School and four from Wakeland High School are moving on to the National Leadership Conference, set for July. See a full list of state results. Congrats!

Frisco High Yearbook Wins Award

The Frisco High School yearbook has been recognized for excellence and included in the Jostens Book Bundle, an annual collection of outstanding yearbooks selected for their creative themes, cool covers, beautiful designs, relevant coverage of school events, meaningful storytelling and stunning photography. The Frisco High yearbook, one of only seven high school yearbooks chosen from across the U.S. for recognition, was created by 20 students under the direction of yearbook adviser Karla Romero Paramo. Congrats!

Reedy Student Competes at State Citizen Bee

Vishnu Talada, a rising 11th grader at Centennial High School, finished seventh at the statewide Citizen Bee this spring. Vishnu qualified for the state competition after finishing first at the Region 10 event, where Frisco ISD swept first through third place. Citizen Bee tests students on their knowledge of U.S. history. Vishnu was recognized along with the statewide Junior Citizen Bee winner, Shruthi Baskar, at the May Board meeting.

FISD Educators Named FC Dallas Teachers of the Month

Talley Elementary teacher Brooklynn McKinney and Rogers Elementary teacher Caitlyn Denney were named FC Dallas Teachers of the Month this spring! McKinney teaches first grade at Talley, and Denney is a special education teacher at Rogers. As part of the honor, FC Dallas partnered with CoServ to present the teachers with goodies, tickets to an FC Dallas game and gifts for their campus.

Art Honor Gallery Compiles 2024-25 Student Work

Frisco ISD capped off its yearlong series of vertical art shows by compiling an Art Honor Gallery recognizing some of the best and most impactful work of 2024-25. Students’ works are chosen for vertical art shows by campus art teachers, and a panel of District administrators selects pieces from among that group for the Honor Gallery. Judges are asked to identify which pieces from each campus have the most impact on them — from a visual impact through color, composition or technique, to an emotional impact. View the honor gallery.

Frisco ISD Educator Named Teacher on the Rise

Congratulations to an Emerson High School teacher named a May winner of the Teachers on the Rise program! Kelly Crossman, an AP Physics teacher at Emerson, was nominated for going above and beyond for her students. Nominations are submitted by students and families wanting to recognize exceptional educators. The prize includes Market Street and American Express gift cards and a Mrs Bairds gift basket. Congratulations!

Rising Ninth Grader Wins State Recognition

Nikhil Prabhu, a former Nelson Middle School student and rising Independence ninth grader, won first place in Texas in the “World of 8 Billion” student video competition. Nikhil won for his project titled “Solar Powered UV Purification Systems: A Cleaner Future.” Videos must address one of the contest’s global topics, suggest a sustainable solution and connect how human population growth impacts that topic. Congrats, Nikhil!

Also around Frisco ISD …

Kaira Ananya Ganesh, a former Comstock Elementary student and rising Wortham Intermediate fifth grader, has been selected to play internationally in the 2025 FIDE World Cup for young chess players this summer in Batumi, Georgia.