Kealing Middle School became the first middle school to win the National Quiz Bowl Championship during the recent competition in Chicago. The three Kealing Quiz Bowl teams won 1^st, 4^th and 5^th place trophies.

Commendable performances by Kealing Magnet students Julian Castaneda, John Chan, Alex Denko, Forrest Hammel, Michael Martinez, Dhruv Puri, Ethan Russo, Jonathan Sadun, Jonah Shaukat, Corin Wagen, Lily Xu, and Justin Zhang solidified Kealing's place as the best Middle School Quiz Bowl team in the nation.

A film by McCallum High School freshman Sofia Smith Hale will be featured in the Short Film Corner of the acclaimed Cannes Film Festival.

Hale, age 15, conceptualized and filmed the documentary as part of her Visual Arts Major in the school's Fine Arts Academy. This is her second film.

Hepcats'll be swinging all day on Sunday, May 15, at the Austin ISD Jazz and Pops Festival.

Students from Austin middle and high school bands and ensembles will perform from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Central Market North, located at 4001 N. Lamar. Admission is free.

Performing groups are from Austin, Bowie, Lanier, McCallum, and LBJ/LASA high schools; and Lamar and Small middle schools. The AISD All-City Jazz Band will also perform.

The event is sponsored by the Austin School District's Department of Fine Arts. 

Crockett student Leanna Gomez recently won First Place in the Austin American-Statesman Speak Out! Picture This! Scholarship Competition. Leanna won a $3000 scholarship for an editorial on the dangers of texting while driving.

This is the third year in a row that a Crockett student has taken First Place in this competition.

Also, Travis High School student Melanie Salazar placed third, earning a $1,500 scholarship for an editorial cartoon on the dangers of texting while driving.

Bowie High School Senior Alanna Blackmore from Bowie High School recently received the Outstanding High School Senior in German Award from the American Association of Teachers of German. The award was based on Alanna's commitment to the study of German language and culture through diligent academic work and varied extracurricular activities.

The AISD Afterschool Showcase will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at Kealing Middle School, located at 1607 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The event will allow AISD after-school students to showcase their talents. The vision of AISD Afterschool is to make a positive difference in the life of students through learning, thriving, connecting, serving, and leading.

The goals of AISD Afterschool are to:

Two Austin seniors were among the six Austin area students who were awarded $500 scholarships Sunday during the Austin Area Alliance of Black School Educators 29^th Annual Scholarship and Recognition Banquet.

The students are:

• Kayla Cartwright, a student at Bowie High School·
• William Ammons, a student at LBJ High School.

The Austin Area Alliance of Black School Educators is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the educational accomplishments of African American children in the Central Texas Area. 

Austin's first lady of jazz, Pamela Hart, is teaming up with the acclaimed McCallum Fine Arts Academy Orchestra for a special Mother's Day Celebration Concert. The concert will be at 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, at St. James Episcopal Church, located at 1941 Webberville Road. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the McCallum Orchestra's effort to fund scholarships for Orchestra students who will perform in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The Austin School District invites community members to get up close with how AISD is managed and operated through AISD UpClose. There are seats available in the class that will get underway in September 2011 through May 2012. The deadline to apply is May 13.

AISD UpClose develops parents and community leaders who are informed about the District's infrastructure, programs, and services, and who understand the District's challenges and opportunities.