"Genes in Space™ is a free national contest where teachers and students participate in an authentic research experience with real-world outcomes. Students are asked to design pioneering DNA experiments that address the challenges and opportunities of spaceflight and space exploration. The winning experiment will be conducted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station."

Congratulations to Kaia, Georgios, and Mary!

AWTY RAMS LEAD THE CHARGE

Congratulations to all of our Awty athletes for a great year on the field, around the track, on the course, in the pool, and on the court! Listed below are the awards and accolades our student-athletes and teams received this year.

END-OF-YEAR TOP AWARDS:

FALL SPORTS ACCOLADES:

Cross Country
Team Recognition: TAPPS 6A State - Boys 11th Place; Girls 10th Place
State Recognition:

• Alexander Gadin - 8th Place
• Elisabeth Canjar - 32nd Place

Boys Volleyball
Team Recognition: First year fielding both Varsity and JV teams

Girls Volleyball
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 3rd Place
Individual Recognition:

• Aida Khedr - 1st Team All-District, Academic All-State, All-State Honorable Mention
• Megan Dunkin - 2nd Team All-District, Academic All-State
• Yasemin Dundar - All-District Honorable Mention
• Zeynep Dundar - All-District Honorable Mention

WINTER SPORTS ACCOLADES:

Boys Basketball
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 7th Place

Girls Basketball
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 9th Place
Individual Recognition:

• Emma Greenwood - All-District Honorable Mention
• Dalya Malawi - All-District Honorable Mention
• Katia Petrosky - All-District Honorable Mention

Boys Soccer
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 2nd Place
Individual Recognition:

• Millad Moradi - 1st Team All-District, 2nd Team All-State
• Mofe Ariyo - 1st Team All-District, All-State Honorable Mention
• Paul Germain - 2nd Team All-District
• Holden Stus - All-District Honorable Mention
• Aidan Fulton - All-District Honorable Mention

Girls Soccer
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 3rd Place
Individual Recognition:

• Sarah Mekha - 1st Team All-District, All-State Honorable Mention, Academic All-State
• Misha Salahshoor - All-District Honorable Mention

Swimming
Team Recognition: TAPPS 6A State - Boys 4th Place; Girls 10th Place
State Recognition:

• Brandon Mahan - 500 Free (1st), 200 Free (2nd), Academic All-State
• Connor Mi - 50 Free (8th), 100 Free (9th), Academic All-State
• Will Ward - 100 Back (4th), 200 Free (7th), Academic All-State
• Ethnan Pedro - 100 Butterfly (7th), 200 Free (16th)
• Lawrence Young - 100 Breaststroke (13th), Academic All-State
• Colette Chen - 50 Free (10th), 100 Free (5th)
• Isabella Chamma - 100 Butterfly (8th)
• Alexia George - Academic All-State
• Cloe Tamboise - Academic All-State

New School Swimming Records:

• Boys 200 Medley Relay (Will Ward, Lawrence Young, Brandon Mahan, Conner Mi) - 1:42.90 
• Boys 400 Free Relay (Brandon Mahan, Will Ward, Miles Lewis, Conner Mi) - 3:25.35
• Will Ward - 100 Back 56.40

SPRING SPORTS ACCOLADES:

Golf
Team Recognition: TAPPS District 4-6A - 2nd Place
Individual Recognition:

• Alice Linsig - TAPPS District 4-6A Champion, TAPPS 6A South Region 3rd Place, TAPPS State 6A 8th Place, Academic All-State
• Yasmin Linsig - TAPPS 6A South Region 13th Place, State 6A Top 20 Finish

Boys Lacrosse
Team Recognition: Texas High School Lacrosse League Division III South - 7th Place

Girls Lacrosse
Team Recognition: Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League South District Division II - 6th Place, first playoff appearance as a varsity team
Individual Recognition:

• Lauren Howe - All-District

Tennis
Team Recognition:

• TAPPS 6A State - Boys 2nd Place; 
• TAPPS District 4-6A - Boys - Champion;, Girls 2nd Place

Individual Recognition:

• Sherwin Rasekh & Vivek Saran - TAPPS State 6A Doubles 2nd Place, Academic All-State, TAPPS District 4-6A Doubles Champion
• Romain Roussel - 4-6A Singles District Champion, TAPPS 6A Singles 3rd Place
• Elisabeth Canjar - 4-6A Singles District Champion
• Margot Vernon - Academic All-State
• Riya Sahni - Academic All-State
• Nico Feder - Academic All-State

Track & Field
TAPPS 6A State Recognition:

• Sebastien Chenin - Pole Vault (5th Place), Academic All-State
• Sebastian Peralta - 100M (7th Place), Academic All-State

TAPPS 6A South Region Recognition:

• Alexander Gadin - 3200M (5th Place), 1600M (8th Place)
• Sebastian Peralta - 100M (3rd Place), High Jump (5th Place)
• Sebastien Chenin - Pole Vault (4th Place)

TAPPS 4-6A District Recognition:

• Sebastian Peralta - 100M (3rd Place), 400M (5th Place), High Jump (3rd Place)
• Erkan Bozkurt - 800M (5th Place)
• Alexander Gadin - 3200M (1st Place), 1600M (4th Place)
• Will Ward - 1600M (6th Place)
• Sebastien Chenin - Pole Vault (3rd Place)
• Aidan Fulton - Triple Jump (5th Place)
• Catalina Vasquez '20 - 400M (6th Place)
• Marina Carlos '22 - 3200M (6th Place)

New School Track & Field Records:

• Sebastien Chenin - Pole Vault 12’6"

AWTY TEAM WINS BEST VISUAL AWARD AT 2019 OTC Energy challenge

Awty Upper School students Tyler Nokleby (11th grade), Markus Isaacson (11th), Jaden Wu (10th), and Lisa Meng (11th) participated in the Global Offshore Technology Conference on May 7, where they won the Best Visual Award. The team was led by STEAM Coordinator Robert Sload and supported by British Petroleum. The Awty team was one of 18 local high schools (private and public) that competed in 2019 OTC Energy Challenge.

Awty girl scout troop receives bronze award

Awty students Adela Nicolae (5th grade), Blair Strachan (4th), Caroline Cole (5th), Faith Grahmann (5th), Isabela Setiawan (5th), Leah Areather Mann (5th), Scotia Linn (5th), and Sydney Goddard (4th) were confirmed Bronze Award recipients on April 9. They were pinned after their Bronze Award Ceremony at St. Francis Episcopal Church on May 5. The Bronze Award is the highest award you can earn as a Junior Girl Scout. It is also the 3rd highest award in the Girl Scout of USA organization.

The Unicorn Unity for Houston Homeless Pets Take Action Project by the Junior Girl Scouts Troop #125071 in the Tall Pines Hill Chapter was a girl decided, girl-led initiative to bring about awareness in their academic, local, and social communities about the state of homeless pets in Houston, spotlighting the Houston SPCA as a local champion for animal welfare. The girls set out to bring about awareness through their own scripted PSAs, which they shared with friends and family, essays on why they feel passionately about animal rights and the work of the Houston SPCA, and an organized walk-a-thon in tandem with a digital awareness drive for the Houston SPCA. Thanks to their initiative and hard work, the Junior Girls Scout Troop #125071 Unicorns raised $1,600 in donations for the Houston SPCA.

five awty students participate in 2019 BP ms 150

Representing Awty, Thomas Capderou (12th grade), Mathis Claux (1ère), Paul Germain (1ère), Adrien Gorieu (1ère), and Mathéo Hayek (1ère) participated in the 2019 BP MS 150, bike riding from Houston to Austin and raising awareness and funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. The students had such a wonderful experience, they are already planning to participate again next year.

KATRINA SAWYER DOING GOOD

Congratulations to 11th grade student Katrina Sawyer! She, along with several other young Houston musicians, was selected for the prestigious Music Doing Good Scholarship Award. The scholarships were awarded on April 13 at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA).

Music Doing Good, a Houston-based group led by well-known philanthropist Marie Bosarge, is dedicated to helping “grow” Houston’s young talented artists. To select the finalists for the scholarship awards, a panel of experts judged the submitted audition recordings and made their decisions based on the quality of the music. They also took into consideration the applicant’s needs and their ideas about “doing good” in the community with their music.

“I felt really privileged to be recognized by Music Doing Good, because it’s not only the award itself, but also getting to meet famous and talented musicians from this organization and having a chance to perform with them,” stated Katrina.

Katrina Sawyer is Awty's Tri-Music Honor Society president and an aspiring student of both the alto and tenor saxophone, as well as the clarinet. She is studying music under the tutelage of Jason Peguero and Aaron Montes. She is a leader of the Polka Dots community service project, which organizes musical performances for local hospitals and retirement homes.

She is planning to use the award money to finance her musical studies and to learn to become a better performer.

Awty earns top ratings at tapps contest

Awty Band and Orchestra students greatly succeeded in their musical achievements and accolades for both individual performance and group performance, earning top ratings at the TAPPS State Solo and Ensemble Contest.

The following students earned either the top rating (1st Superior) or second rating (2nd Excellent) for their performance of a solo on their main instrument:

• Nicole Dunkel – Timpani – 1st Superior
• Rick Huang – Clarinet – 1st Superior
• Matthew Jason – Timpani – 1st Superior
• Rajiv Premkumar – Cello – 2nd Excellent
• Maham Sewani – Violin – 2nd Excellent
• Jean-Luc Shimizu – Trumpet – 1st Superior
• Meera Vashisht – Flute – 1st Superior
• Emily Yao – Violin – 1st Superior

The 9th grade drumline elective class competed as a percussion ensemble at the TAPPS State Solo and Ensemble Contest, earning the top rating (1st Superior) for their performance. The members of the class included Gloria Bertrand (Timpani), Sam Harris (tenor drums), Sami Hashmi (cymbals and wood block), and Matthew Karazincir (snare drum).

The 9th grade band elective class, 10th grade band elective class, and the Jazz Ensemble participated in the TAPPS State Instrumental Music Contest. For the tenth year in a row, the Jazz Band earned the top rating (1st Superior) for their performance of songs C-Jam Blues and Sax in the City spotlighting Megan Dunkin as the featured soloist.

The 10th grade band elective class earned the second rating (2nd Excellent) for their performance of their five contest songs for concert band. They also received the second rating (2nd Excellent) for their performance for their sight reading component of the contest.

Our 9th Grade band elective class also earned the second rating (2nd Excellent) for their performance of their three contest pieces. The 9th graders performed the sight reading selection almost perfectly, earning them the top rating (1st Superior) for the sight reading portion of the contest.

Congratulations to all of these students, as well as their teachers Jason Peguero and Brent Ward!

Thank you to all who made it possible for these students to attend the competitions and further enrich their music education.

CONCOURS DU PLUMIER D’OR

Congratulations to Lena Baniol, 4ème! She was one of 60 laureates out of over 18,000 candidates named in the Concours du Plumier d’Or (Golden Pen) competition.

Established in 1997 by the Defense of the French Language (Défense de la langue française), the Concours du Plumier d’Or is a French language contest for 4ème students in public or private schools located in France and abroad.

Sara long, scholastic national medalist

eat. sleep. math.

Eighth grader Jennifer Green won the Calculation Challenge, a mental calculation competition organized by the Secondary Math Department for students in 6th grade/6ème to 12th grade/Tle. Congratulations Jennifer! The Math Department would like to acknowledge the IT and Facilities Departments for their support, as well as a special thanks to MS teacher Philippe Carré.

Checkmate: Awty’s State Chess Champions

awty girlup benefit concert

The Awty GirlUp Club hosted a benefit concert on International Women’s Day to fundraise for Ugandan women and a GirlUp Leadership Summit. The hour and a half event featured singing, dancing, instrumentals, a fashion show, and closing remarks from GirlUp Co-founders Lisa Chee Meng (11th grade), Wendy Jiang (11th grade), and Vivian Wu (10th grade). Click here to see some of the performances.

Lisa Chee Meng meets mayor of sugar land

After being named the Miss Texas Junior Teen at the Miss American Coed (MAC) Pageant in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lisa Chee Meng, 11th grade, met Mr. Joe R. Zimmerman, Mayor of Sugar Land, Texas. Through the MAC pageants, Lisa is preparing herself to become the very best person she can be by helping others along the way.

go, carrie, go!

Awty Alumnae Breaks Emory’s Season Record

Awty Alumnae Carrie McIntyre, Class of 2017, broke a season record at Emory University track and field KMS Indoor Invitational at the Crossplex in Birmingham, AL on January 27.

Carrie timed a 5:12:17 mile run as a sophomore. She has had a fine cross-country and track career and we wish her more record-breaking success during her college career.

2018-2019 Band winners

Announcing Awty’s results from the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) and Texas Private School Music Educators Association (TPSMEA) music competitions.

Students auditioned against several private and public schools for spots in the region band, area band, and all-state band/orchestra. To participate in any of these ensembles was a testament to their dedication to practicing fundamentals, following the instruction of their private instructors, and devoting hours upon hours to learning their music.

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements in various region, area, and state ensembles:

EMILY ZOOROB MAKES ALL-STATE CHOIR

Seven Awty singers traveled to Waco on January 12 to audition for the All-State Choir. Twenty-four singers from three regions auditioned for one of five places in each voice part. The geographic region spans from the Oklahoma border near the panhandle to Pasadena.

Clockwise from bottom left: Aiden Devins, Chris Wolff, Aidan Fulton, Marcella Stones,
Clara Haymon, Emily Zoorob, and Adrianna Morales

Most of Awty's singers ranked in the top half (12 and higher). Only one singer from Awty, Emily Zoorob, earned membership in the All-State Choir. This was the third consecutive year she attended the state music convention. She was one of only four singers from the Houston region to place in the top five of any voice part. Actually, she was the top ranked singer in her room.

Senior Adrianna Morales also gave an excellent effort to make it into the All-State choir. She ranked sixth, missing it by only one place.

actIVISM club benefit for search homeless services

Before the holiday break, Awty's Activism Club held a "CandyGram fundraiser" for SEARCH Homeless Services, a nonprofit agency that provides job training, housing, and other services necessary to help the homeless get back on their feet. By selling candy at Awty, the Activism Club raised more than $1,300 for SEARCH.  Awty juniors Olivia Onyejekwe and Sabrina Rangwani were able to personally deliver the check to SEARCH executives on behalf of Awty and the Activism Club.

awty wins good neighbor award

The Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) nominated The Awty International School for the Class of 2018 Good Neighbor Award for the school's support of SBISD.

The Good Neighbor program started in 2007 to recognize SBISD partners who:

• believe in the success of the SBISD schools in the community,
• commit to accomplishing activities to support the district and those in it,
• receive recognition of the Good Neighbor status, and
• reapply their commitment annually to the program and community.

Awty is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SBISD, helping to make a difference in the lives of the students and families in our community.