Fiesta Akins will be held on Friday, May 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Akins High School courtyard, 10701 South First Street.

Fiesta Akins is a celebration recognizing and honoring the customs and traditions of the Hispanic community. The fiesta will feature a keynote address by Susana Almanza, Co-Founder of PODER, Ballet Folklorico performances from Paredes Middle School, Perez Elementary and Esquina Tango.The closing ceremonies will feature an Akins student performance in the Akins Theatre.

The Austin School District honored 111 seventh grade students recognized by Duke University in its 2011 National Talent Identification Program at a Recognition Reception on Monday, April 25.

The students' selection is based upon scores these students achieved on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT) — tests designed as rigorous college entrance examinations for high school students in eleventh and twelfth grades.

The Austin School District's Department of Advanced Academic Services will host two information sessions about the Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities for families of advanced academic students in grades 6-10.

The sessions will be held on Saturday, April 30, from 10-11 a.m., and again from 1-2 p.m., at the AISD Professional Development Center, located at 3908 Avenue B.

For the eighth straight year, the Austin School District leads the state with more National Board Certified Teachers than any other school district in Texas.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has announced that 42 Austin teachers have earned National Board Certification, bringing to 218 the total number of National Board Certified Teachers in AISD.

Two Austin middle schools have been chosen as winners of the H-E-B Fit Campus Award with a cash prize of $10,000 each.

The winning campuses were chosen for demonstrating a strong commitment toward educating their students, parents and staff on the importance of health and wellness, and implementing programs and activities that would help them to meet healthy goals.

Statewide, 10 schools earned the H-E-B Fit Campus recognition. Austin's Fit Campus winners are:

Austin ISD students in middle and high school can earn academic credit by taking an examination. Credit by Examination (CBE) for Acceleration will be administered June 14, 15, 16, at Austin High School.

Students in grades 6-12 — seeking credit for a course in which they have had no prior instruction — may take an exam with the approval of their campus counselor. Students must score 90 or above to pass and earn credit.

The Austin Independent School District Parent Support Office and Positive Behavior Support program will present a free workshop for parents, "Raising Boys to Men," from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Sheraton Austin Hotel, located at 701 E. 11th Street.

The workshop is for parents of boys ages five to 13 years of age. Parents are invited to join teachers and others in discussing the unique challenges of raising boys to be successful men.

The last African American Men and Boys Conference of the 2010-2011 school year will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at J. Frank Dobie Middle School, located at 1200 E. Rundberg Lane. The keynote speaker will be Patrick Patterson, Executive Director of the University of Texas Community Outreach Centers, and a former principal of LBJ High School. There will also be a special performance by R&B artist Ja’Quan.

The Board of Trustees of the Austin Independent School District tonight voted to move forward with the purchase of a site for the district-wide Performing Arts Center (PAC). The approved site is located in the Mueller development along Mueller Boulevard between 51st Street and Barbara Jordan Boulevard.

Districtwide Performing Arts Center

Austin School Trustees approved an expenditure of $4 million from bond construction revenue for the purchase of land for a future districtwide Performing Arts Center (PAC).  The 4.46-acre tract is located in Central Austin, on Mueller Boulevard, between 51st Street and Barbara Jordan Boulevard.

Austin voters have twice approved bond funding for the PAC — partial funding in the 2004 Bond Program, and full funding for land acquisition and construction under the 2008 Bond Program.