During the May meeting, the Midway ISD Board of Trustees recognized students for their outstanding accomplishments and valuable contributions to the district and community.
Recognitions include:
U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidate
Midway High School senior Esther Kim has been named a candidate for the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Each year, approximately 4,000 students nationwide are invited to apply for this honor, representing about 0.1% of the nation's high school seniors. Esther's selection as a candidate reflects her exceptional academic achievements, leadership qualities, and commitment to community service. Being named a candidate places her among the top-performing high school seniors in the country.
MHS MJROTC Bronze Patrick Henry Award
The Midway High School Marine Corps JROTC program was recognized with the Bronze Patrick Henry Award, honoring the Panther Company’s commitment to patriotic education and youth leadership. This award is sanctioned by the Military Order of the World Wars and is designed to honor young individuals who demonstrate outstanding patriotic conduct, values, and contribution and to recognize exceptional achievement by high school programs.
VASE State Artists
Eight Midway students earned Area gold medals and advanced to the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE): seniors Andrew Blair and Brycen Robinson; junior Stella Raimondo; sophomores Caleb Burch, Isaac Callahan, and Jeremiah Ocampos; and freshmen Adam Eubank and Elise Snider. Of those, four students—Blair, Robinson, Raimondo, and Callahan—earned State gold medals. Junior Stella Raimondo received a prestigious Gold Seal Award for the second time in her high school career, an honor awarded to less than 0.5% of entries statewide. Congratulations to these talented students and their teachers, Kim Abercrombie and John Storm.
VASE Jr. State Artists
Both Midway middle schools participated in the VASE Jr. art contest on April 12, with over 400 student artworks judged. VASE Jr. mirrors the goals of the high school contest but is designed as a one-day event for middle schoolers, with students earning medals based on a rating scale of 1 to 4. Students earning a Rating 4 receive a gold medal, and the top 10% are rejudged for the highest honor: a Platinum Medal.
Midway Middle School brought 14 student artists, with three 6th graders earning perfect scores and gold medals:
- Ezra Hilario
- Rasiah Douglas
- Adelynn Pankonien
Platinum Medalists:
- Kaiden Freeman
- Katie Osborne
Congratulations to these students and their teacher, Gretchen Lamborn!
River Valley Middle School had a strong showing with 35 students submitting 41 pieces, earning 36 Gold Medals and 7 Platinum Medals—the highest number of Platinum medals awarded to any participating school, according to the Jr. VASE Director.
Platinum Medalists:
- Emily Campos
- Alyssah Griffin (2)
- Emily Nguyen (2)
- Nate Vega
- Jaymie Zett
Congratulations to these outstanding students and their teacher, Adriana Crespo, on an exceptional performance!
TAFE State participants and National qualifiers
Midway High School students recently competed at the state level in the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) Teach Tomorrow Summit, earning high marks for their creativity, professionalism, and dedication to the field of education. Six students advanced to the national Educators Rising Conference in June, where they will represent Midway ISD on a national stage!
State Qualifiers
- Ava Weatherly, Jordyn Kliewer- Children's Literature
- Juliyza Denny, Claire Willis- HS Interactive Bulletin Board
- Emily Dunn, Morgan Arnold- Children's Literature
- Makayla Willis- Teacher Created Materials
National Qualifiers
- Elyse Jones- Job interview
- Ava Weatherly, Jordyn Kliewer- HS Interactive Bulletin Board
- Juliet Traylor, Clarey Oates- Elem Interactive Bulletin Board
- Bianca Phillips-Elem Interactive Bulletin Boar
Perfect ACT Score
Midway High School junior Nandini Kadakia earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT—an achievement reached by less than one percent of students nationwide. She is one of only two Midway students to earn the honor this year. The ACT is a nationally recognized college entrance exam measuring academic readiness in English, math, reading, and science. Nadini’s accomplishments reflect exceptional academic ability and personal dedication. Midway ISD congratulates her on this outstanding achievement.
State History Fair
Midway High School students Charis Collins and Avery Hubbard represented Midway ISD at the Texas History Day competition in Austin with their Senior Exhibit titled “Breaking the Bank.”Their project explored the rights and responsibilities of the federal government in protecting consumers from unethical business practices during the Gilded Age. Charis and Avery earned first place at the Heart of Texas Regional History Fair, qualifying them to advance to the state level.
FFA State Competition
Three Midway FFA Career Development Event (CDE) teams advanced to state competition after each finished 1st in their Area level events.
The Wildlife team of Greyson Haynes (7th highest individual out of 226), Hazel Davison, Ethan Blanc and Bo Biggs placed 4th in state, finishing in the top 2% of all teams in Texas. The team mastered a rigorous contest that demands knowledge of plant and animal identification, wildlife management practices, Texas hunting and fishing laws, safety protocols, and equipment recognition —from animal skulls and pelts to rods, reels, and ammunition.
The Range team of Davis Rutherford, Greyson Haynes, Hank Barkley and Ethan Blanc impressed with an 8th place state finish, showing exceptional resilience and focus. Their contest required identifying over 90 different grasses and plants at various growth stages and evaluating pasture conditions — all while standing in the rain for two hours and bubbling scantrons in soaking conditions. Their grit and dedication exemplify the spirit of FFA.
The Food Science team, made up of Ethan Peacock (2nd highest individual out of 142), Zoey Copeman, Hailey Hartline, and Natalie McCollum, finished 10th overall at state. Their contest consists of five individual portions and one group portion, including creating a food product within an hour based on a set list of ingredients then presenting their product to a panel of judges. Individually they complete math formulations, such as converting temperatures and calculating fat content in sausage, accurately identify 10 aromas from a set of 32, and identify the issues in customer inquiries.
BPA Students Qualify for Nationals
Seven Midway High School students have qualified for the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference after excelling in their respective events at the state level. These students demonstrated advanced technical and professional skills across a range of business, media, and technology disciplines. These students are taught by CTE Business teacher Dede Moore and Audio Visual Teacher Kyle Rogers.
National Qualifiers include:
- Haley Carlton – Advanced Accounting
- Miela DeLue – Digital Media Production and Virtual Multimedia and Promotion Team
- Chloe DeLue – Virtual Multimedia and Promotion Team
- Yann Labeille – Video Production Team
- Aubrey Leblanc – Video Production Team
- Avy Olson – Virtual Multimedia and Promotion Individual
- Sarah Whitaker-Delgado – Advanced Desktop Publishing
