Announcements

Does your school club or group have a celebration you would like shared with our community?  Please complete this form so we can share your success via newsletter, social media, or special announcement.

Destination Imagination teams Advance to State: On Feb. 8, three teams from Vandegrift competed in the Regional Destination Imagination competition that was held at Danielson Middle School. All three teams did an excellent job in preparing, competing and winning 1st and 2nd place in their category. We had some that received individual awards as well as one scholarship. The team Banana Split which  consists of Hope Nielson, Sofia Malacara, Violet Ralian, Paula Martinez, and Magnolia Carroll won first place in the Fine Arts challenge, and they also won a Renaissance award for innovation. The Spontaneous Sugar Cookies team consisting of Brooke Boykin, Shreya Poladia, Mary Bahrami, Pranavi Kanyaboina received 1st place in Improvisational Challenge and got High score in Instant Challenge. Also, Shreya Poladia got the Magellan award and Brooke Boykin got a senior scholarship. The third team consisting of Dante Leffler, Shanyu Suraparaju, Sunaina Dewagan, Siri Krishna, Cian Bogue, Leyla Oksuzler,Trisha Gupta received 2nd Place - Extreme Challenge and 3rd Place - Improvisational. Congratulations to the two teams that automatically advance to State which will be help on March 28 and 29 at the University of Texas in Arlington. 

In VHS Band News:  Congratulations, Brandon Cohn, 11th grade, Tuba, on your selection to the Bands of America Tournament of Roses Parade Honor Band. Brandon will travel to Pasadena, California, along with 300 other band students from around the country, to march in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2026. We are so proud of you!

We want to give a huge shout out to Dr. Elle LeBlanc who recently published an article in Edutopia about integrating the arts into her science class.  We greatly appreciate all the work that she is doing to reach her students in varied ways and provide a meaningful, holistic learning experience!  

James Lewey was selected to present at TCEA on starting and managing a competitive FIRST Tech Challenge team. TCEA holds a week long annual conference in Austin for Texas educators and administrators with an emphasis on technology in education. The purpose of James' presentation was guidance for new schools in starting teams and programs and understanding how to help their program to be competitive in the world of FTC competition. James was able to use many different examples from the Viperbots program including robot design and building, software and sensor integration, community outreach, fostering mentor relationships, and success in the judging room. The audience was composed of educators and administrative from across Texas and Oklahoma. 

Over the weekend, Vandegrift FCCLA Star Event competitors and advisers traveled to Corpus Christi, TX to compete in the 2025 Region V FCCLA Leadership conference. 12 teams from Vandegrift competed over the weekend, and we are so proud of ALL the hard work, dedication, and commitment each team put in leading up to this moment. We’d like to recognize the following 8 teams who placed in the Top 5 of their event category and will move forward to the FCCLA State Leadership Conference in that will take place in Dallas this April:

* Aminata Barry - Chapter Service Chapter Display Level 2 - 1st Place 

* Alexis Vanegas - Career Investigation Level 2 - 4th Place 

* Audrey Merchant - Entrepreneurship Level 3 - 1st Place 

* Sydney Sims - Fashion Design Level 3 - 1st Place

* Noah Marumoto & Savannah Buchner - Interior Design Level 3 - 1st Place 

* Brooke Boykin - Interior Design Level 3 - 2nd Place 

* Tori Johnson & Lesley Jum - Professional Presentation Level 3 - 2nd Place 

* Ananya Kathalgere & Ella Hageman - Repurpose and Redesign Level 2 - 2nd Place 

Again, we are all so proud of each and every team who competed over the weekend—Gooooo Vandy FCCLA! 

CONGRATS to VHS Choir students who have earned a spot in the TMEA All State Choir!  Kate Gregory (Chair 2),  Elli Mendoza (Chair 3) and Dhruva Vishnu (Chair 4) will join all other state winners at the TMEA convention in February.    

Students- we have created a new academic feedback form.  Please use this if you would like to anonymously provide feedback about an academic concern.  

Join the VHS PTSA!

Become a VHS PTSA Viper Club member by taking a moment to join – the list of activities and support they provide year-round to the staff, student and community is too numerous to mention. Return on your investment in dues and participation in the ‘write the check’ fundraiser is high. Visit the VHS PTSA Store to complete your membership.

quick links