Mav Mail

The rescheduled date for the SAT School Day for all Juniors who registered is Tuesday, April 13th. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late. The deadline to register is 5:00pm on Friday, March 26th. Click HERE to register if you did not register for the rescheduled March administration. The Request for Student Early Release form is embedded in the new SAT registration form.

On Friday, our Maverick families had an opportunity to join the McNeil High School Coffee with the Principal webinar. We recorded the meeting in case families were unable to attend. The Powerpoint presentation is linked HERE. As soon as Zoom makes the webinar recording available, the link will be sent to senior families via email.

2021 Daylight Savings began today! Remember to set your clocks forward an hour if you haven’t already done so. I hope you take the opportunity to get outside and enjoy some extra time soaking up the sun. If you are traveling over the break, please stay safe. When we return, there will only be 9.5 weeks of school remaining. Let’s come back recharged and ready to finish strong!

Each year, McNeil visual art students participate in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event or V.A.S.E., the UIL event for visual arts in Texas. This year, the regional event looked a little different, with the in-person interview portion of the event cancelled for safety reasons and the entire event taking place online. McNeil students once again did exceptionally well! Here are the results below:

Scored A 3 or Excellent Rating: Emily Kilpatrick (2 pieces), Lola Neilson (1 piece)

Scored A 4 or Superior/Outstanding Rating: Ye-Un Christina Go (1 piece), Karina Gutierrez (1 piece), Siona Kalambi (1 piece), Sharon Lam (1 piece), Gillian Macina (1 piece), Kanthi Makineedi (1 piece), Evelyn Putnam (1 piece), Lola Neilson (1 piece), Neha Tatti (1 piece), Caitlynn Weaver (1 piece)

Scored a “Perfect” score with no points deducted: Irene Park (1 piece), Julie Pham (1 piece), Ye-Un Christina Go (1 piece)

Advancing to State V.A.S.E.: Sharon Lam

Also included in slideshow: Elizabeth Juarez, who was not able to upload her piece in time but it is amazing! CLICK HERE to see a slideshow of the student artwork.

McNeil thespians came away with some hardware and the students did an absolutely amazing job. We're so, so proud of them putting together a One Act Play performance during these challenging times. Please congratulation the following students when you see them:

Outstanding Technical Crew - McNeil High School

Outstanding Crew Member - Annie Kuzmanovski

Honorable Mention All Star Cast - Clara Cavazos

Honorable Mention All Star Cast - Sebastien Darland

All Star Cast - Kaia Steele

All Star Cast - Larie Rodriguez

McNeil Lady Maverick soccer team has made the playoffs for the second consecutive year! Last year, we did not get to actually play, so we are very excited for this year. If you are interested in seeing the girls play, we will be competing against Lake Travis on Thursday, March 25th at Westwood High School, time is to be determined. The time will be updated and reflected on the calendar of the McNeil HS home page as soon as we receive the information. Since the game is close, we would love to have as much support as possible.

The McNeil Varsity golf teams performed very well last week in tournaments held in Waco.

On Tuesday, the Varsity Boys team won the team title in the DCR Invitational, defeating the other 9 schools in the field. Senior Franco Melhado won the gold medal in the individual competition, finishing 1st out of 56 competitors. Senior Jason Kendzior also brought home a bronze medal, finishing in 3rd individually. Christian Garza (SR), Elijah Lozano (SO), and Camden Anderson (SO) all played well and contributed to the Mavs capturing the team title and gold medals.

The girls team finished in 3rd place out of 9 teams in the Midway Invitational, and were led by junior Jordan Davis- who finished in 7th place individually out of 46 competitors. Katie Lusby (SR), Sujae Lee (JR), Kendall Westervelt (JR), and Nicola Kallenbach all helped the Mavs earn the 3rd place bronze medals.

The McNeil Girls Golf Team had a tremendous week! Playing in very windy conditions last Tuesday, the Varsity team won the DCR Invitational, and the Mavs Navy team finished 2nd in the Anderson Invitational on Wednesday.

The Varsity team dominated the field in the DCR, winning by a huge margin of 49 shots and taking all three top individual places. The Mavs were led by senior Katie Lusby, who shot a career low round of 77, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 12th hole, to take the individual title. Junior Jordan Davis finished 2nd, junior Sujae Lee was 3rd, and junior Kendall Westervelt was 9th to help the Mavs capture the team title.

The Green team battled and ended one shot short of the team title at the Anderson Invitational to bring home the silver medals. The Mavs were led by sophomore Brooke Odom, junior Hayden Tucker, and junior Kaylee Campbell- who won the tournament's 'Longest Drive' contest by cranking out a 265 yard tee shot on the 4th hole.

Round Rock ISD shared an update regarding state testing requirements on February 26, stating, "While districts are required to give the test, students in grades 3 – 8 do not have to take the STAAR to promote to the next grade level. However, high school students must take and pass certain required courses and EOC (End of Course) assessments to graduate from a Texas public high school."

It is important to note that while a student may choose not to take the required End of Course exams during April or May of 2021, students are still required to pass each End of Course exam in order to graduate. It is highly recommended that students test while currently enrolled in the subject tested area. The state requires End of Course assessments in the following courses:

• English I - April 6th

• English II - April 8th

• U.S. History - May 4th

• Biology - May 5th

• Algebra I - May 6th

Following April/May testing, the next opportunity to test will be July 2021 and then December 2021. With graduation quickly approaching, it is particularly important for students enrolled in U.S. History to understand their opportunities for taking the End of Course exam prior to graduation in 2022. More information about test dates scheduled at your students’ campus is available from the school’s main office.