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Front Row L to R - Cailey Ginn, Lauren Jenkins, Molly Crisp, Haley Thomas, Shelby Brand, Brianna Trixler Back Row - Anna Howley, Maddy Greenberg, Annabelle Bragalone, Caroline Roberts, Kendall Moore

Shelton School's Chargerettes drill team took honors at the recent American Dance and Drill Team (ADTS) national dance competition at the Univeristy of North Texas in Denton.  The team earned national champion status for their novelty and officer lyrical routines.  High school and college teams, some from as far away as China, performed in the weekend event.

The Chargerettes took the trophy for 2nd Runner Up Team in their division of 7 teams.

Says Shelton PE instructor Debbie Brooke, Shelton Spirit Organization Head Sponsor, "For this to be only the Chargerettes' second season to participate in competitions, to achieve this ADTS ranking at a national competition is quite an accomplishment."

Christina Rosen is the group's sponsor. 

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Shelton NHS inductees

Congratulations to the following Shelton School students, who were inducted into Shelton's chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) on March 2.  Not just an honor roll, NHS recognizes students for scholarship, leadership, service and character.  Shelton has had a chapter of NHS since 2012.

Seniors:  Aidan Brockie, Rylie Collins, Jack Madden, Sidney Thorn
Sophomores: Collin Albert, Noah Allen,  Lauren Caldwell, Brinson Ellard, Hannah Field, Sam Giese, Bryce Henderson,  Lauren Isett, Jake Johnson, Isabel Kennedy, Will Kresl, Harper McKenzie, Kendall Moore, Rachel Nelson, Andrew Redd, Jonathan Rodrigue, Julia Rosenblatt, Alex Trepagnier, Jennifer Turner

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Jack Madden presents Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison with memento from symposium

Shelton School hosted its Fifteenth Annual Ethics Symposium February 6.  Sophomores and juniors from seven schools attended the day-long event. Activities included guided discussions, small group exercises, and panel discussions with guest presenters.  Keynote speakers and panelists engaged students with lessons learned from experiences within their respective professions.  Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison gave the charge for the day.  Also on the speaker lineup were:  Ethics and Law / Politics – Sandy Greyson, (Dallas City Council, District 12), Lenny Vitullo (Fee, Smith, Sharp & Vitullo), Keith Williams (Lawyers Title Company and Commonwealth Title of Dallas); Ethics and the Media – Emily Trube (CBS Radio), Anne Thomas (Shelton School); and Ethics and Religion – Pastor Hal Habecker (Dallas Bible Church), The Rev. Brent Barry (NorthPark Presbyterian Church), Khalil Meek (Muslim Legal Fund of America). Zac Ladd, Dean of Shelton Upper School, facilitated student activities, along with Shelton student leaders.

Says Shelton Executive Director Suzanne Stell, “This remains one of my favorite events at Shelton.  We all learn so much together.  We all have the choice to ‘do the right thing, even when no one is looking.’ “ Said City Councilwoman Sandy Greyson, "It was rewarding to discuss ethical decision-making in everyday, real life situations with such thoughtful and engaged students."

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Just in time for Valentine celebrations, Shelton Upper School’s Theatre Arts Department presents the enduring and popular Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! in four upcoming performances.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s play, The Matchmaker, this popular Tony award-winning musical features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.  In Shelton’s production, senior Alyse Rosenblatt plays matchmaker Dolly Levi, who pursues her own match in the half-a-millionnaire Horace Vandergelder, performed by junior Jacob Bulmer.

Under the direction of Anné Hughes, Director of Fine Arts at Shelton, the cast and crew comprise more than 60 high school students.   Blair King is music director / conductor.   Jerry Bishop and Ken Utz direct a band ensemble of 16 student musicians.

Performances are February 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on February 15.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students (through grade 12). Reservations may be made with Debbie McCabe (dmccabe@shelton.org, 972.774-1772, Ext. 2272) or online http://www.shelton.org/hellodolly.  Performances take place in The Commons on Shelton’s campus, 15720 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, TX 75248. 

Says Head of School Linda Kneese, “Audience members will also be delighted during intermission with baked treats, including decadent Hello, Dolly cookies.  They’ll add a crowning touch to an event packed with talent and pure entertainment.”

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(L to R) Jennifer Sands, Cullen Kampine, Dr. Alex Schilpp, Marc Shepherd, Joseph Wales, Christian Cole at Veterans Day recognition

Shelton Chargers for Change Promote Attitude of Gratitude

Shelton School’s Chargers for Change (CfC) has been active with numerous recent projects that demonstrate their mission to make a difference in the world.  The Upper School organization, comprising 40 students, meets monthly to study the needs of local and global communities.  The group also focuses on how to identify and best support the work, financially and otherwise, of various organizations whose missions address these needs.  Working with the Dallas Foundation, students identify best practices of philanthropic support and target their activities accordingly.  Students research and select organizations to fund annually.

On Veterans Day, CfC held an assembly and expressed their thanks to staff and faculty veterans, who spoke to students about their respective tours of service.  Students also created a photo bulletin board of family veterans, living or deceased.  Cullen Kampine did an iMove compilng all the photos.

CfC also sponsored Gratitude Week through several Thanksgiving activities, including a Gratitude Graffiti Board on which students and teachers could post notes of gratitude.  Several members of CfC also visited with third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students during lunch and engaged them in conversation about the spirit of Thanksgiving.

CfC students collected new and gently used coats and blankets and delivered them to Dallas ISD’s Cabell Elementary School on November 25, for distribution to students in need of warm clothing.  Shelton partners with Cabell through the local non-profit Commit organization. 

CfC Officers for 2014-15 include:  Caroline Keehn (President), Christian Cole (Vice President), Grace Verges (Secretary) and Marilyn Cracken (Historian).  Board members include Cullen Kampine, Jennifer Sands, Esther Verges and Joseph Wales.  Judy Browne serves as faculty sponsor.

John and Carol Levy, parents of Shelton graduate Allen Levy, funded the Chargers for Change project through a grant to the Dallas Foundation.  The idea for the organization was sparked by Shelton graduate Barrett Cole, whose brother Christian is now a CfC officer.

Says Judy Browne, “Our next project, Feeling Stressed and What Will I Do, will be done during semester final exams.”  Students will post personal photos and positive strategies for coping with stress.

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Senior Jacob Freudenthal is featured Shelton speaker

Shelton School hosted its annual Grandparents’ Day on November 21.  Always a popular event for students and staff, the day is scheduled prior to the long Thanksgiving holiday, when many visiting grandparents from out of town can share in the festivities.  Some 1,200 guests were in attendance this year. 

Shelton Ambassadors greeted grandparents upon arrival.  The Thundering Herd band performed as guests enjoyed a Continental breakfast.  The morning entertainment featured The Vocal Charge Upper School show choir, all Shelton spirit organizations, Lower School musicians and Shelton’s drumline. All veterans were recognized for their service and presented with certificates to redeem in Shelton’s school store.

Senior Jacob Freudenthal was featured speaker.  He shared his educational pathway, experiences as a dyslexic, and his resilience and successes as a student.

Grandparents next attended a mini-school, met teachers and learned firsthand about the studies and activities of their grandchildren.

Shelton’s Parents’ Association coordinated the special day.  Co-chairs were Margaret Walsh and Brandy Stafford

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Romano & Stu .jpg (L to R) Dean of students Zac Ladd, Albert Perry, Paige Warren, Phil Romano

Phil Romano was the featured speaker at Shelton’s annual senior luncheon on November 12.  Romano, a Dallas restaurateur, entrepreneur. investor and artist, engaged students and their parents on the topic of success. 

Romano told students, “My goal is to be MAD (making a difference) everyday, and I want you to be mad, too.” He challenged students to make a difference in their own lives first, and then in the lives of others.  Romano shared other personal tips for success --  “Take responsibility for your choices; have integrity; communicate effectively with everyone; and repeat whatever formula has brought you success thusfar.”  Romano’s cardinal rules?  “Have a good idea – that’s the first thing.  And figure out the things that are constitutional … those constants that you’re unwilling to change.”

On behalf of their class, senior class president Paige Warren and vice president Albert Perry presented Mr. Romano with a $500 donation to Hunger Busters, a not-for-profit organization founded by Romano and his wife.  Said Perry, “Thank you for sharing your experience with us.  We believe we are a group of highly creative students who have the potential to become successful like you.  Expect big things from us!”

The luncheon was sponsored by Shelton parents. 

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Shelton Speech / Language / Hearing Clinic presents Pam Crooke in a workshop – Implementing Social Thinking™ Concepts and Vocabulary into the School and Home Day – November 8, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The workshop takes place at 15720 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, TX 75248.

Topics and activities include defining Social Thinking™ concepts; applying Social Thinking Vocabulary; abstracting and inferencing information; sharing imagination; creating lesson plans for different settings; and helping students take ideas from the treatment session into daily life.

Crooke is Director of Research and Clinical Operations and senior therapist with the Social Thinking Center in San Jose, CA and the co-author of Social Thinking™.

The workshop targets teachers, speech-language pathologists, therapists, social workers, autism specialists, school counselors, nurses and other professionals.  The information is also relevant for parents and other family members and caregivers of students with social and communicative challenges. 

For more information about the workshop or for registration, call 972.774.1772 Ext. 2410 or visit www.shelton.org/speechconference.    CEUs are available through ASHA and ALTA.

Shelton’s Speech / Language / Hearing Clinic has been providing professional evaluation and therapy to children, youth and adults since 1986. 

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Kyle McCulloch as Nicholas Nickleby

Shelton Upper School’s Theatre Arts Department presents Nicholas Nickleby, its fall production, in three upcoming performances.

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, this adaptation by Tim Kelly takes the audience on a journey through Victorian London with a cast of colorful characters. 

Under the direction of Anné Hughes, Director of Fine Arts at Shelton, the cast comprises 42 high school students and a technical crew of 15.  

Performances are October 23, 24 and 15, 7:30 p.m.   Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students (through grade 12). Reservations may be made with Debbie McCabe (dmccabe@shelton.org, 972.774-1772, Ext. 2272) or online at http://www.shelton.org/nicholasnickleby.  The performance takes place in The Commons on Shelton’s campus, 15720 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, TX 75248. 

For more information about Shelton, please check the school’s website, www.shelton.org.  Many Shelton graduates extend their theatrical interests and talents in both college and career. 

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Paxton & Hilbert.jpg Zach Paxton and Lena Hilbert

Shelton Alumni Come Full Circle as Teachers

When the doors opened for back-to-school at Shelton on August 26, former Shelton graduates Lena Hilbert and Zach Paxton were there to greet students, excited about their new roles at the school so familiar to them.

Lena Hilbert will be teaching students in a combined third / fourth-grade classroom.  Says Hilbert in her job application to Shelton, “Attending Shelton was the best gift my parents have given me.  The teachers I had at Shelton shaped me into the woman I am today, and I strive to become a teacher like them.”  She’s doing just that.  “I can really relate to our intelligent students with learning differences. Shelton taught me perseverance and a love of learning, and I want to pay it forward in a place that did so much for me.”  Hilbert graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education and a B.A. in Applied Psychology and Human Development from Boston College.  She then did her student teaching in Ireland and in Boston, before teaching in a charter school in New Jersey for one year.  Saaid her clinical supervisor Cathy Ronan, “Lena is a breath of fresh air as a person – happy and positive as a person and serious and professional about her students and profession.”

Zach Paxton will be teaching world history and ethics in the Upper School division.  Paxton, a 2009 Shelton graduate, first subbed at Shelton after receiving his B.A. in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.  Says Zac Ladd, Dean of Students for Shelton’s high school, “I was Zach’s student council sponsor, and his enthusiasm and motivation were outstanding from an early age.”  “Zach wanted to be a teacher for as long as I’ve known him,” says Shelton instructor Mary Bashara, who used Paxton as a teacher’s aide in summer school.  “I watched him tutor bright students who, like him, struggled with their learning differences.”  One of Paxton’s experiences was to read exams to students with dyslexia.

Both Hilbert and Paxton are planning on acquiring a master’s degree and immersing themselves in the many training opportunities afforded at Shelton.  Says Executive Director Suzanne Stell, “It doesn’t get much better than this – seeing your former students eager to help others with an understanding unmatched by others.  It really makes us proud to have them enter the teaching profession with us.”