Austin High Hall of Honor Dedication Day

Austin High Orchestra



April 21 is Dedication Day for the Austin High School Hall of Honor. I wouldn't miss it. Not only do they honor past Hall members, but they induct new members to help us remember the rich and ongoing legacy of a school that was founded in 1881.



Student Emcee



The great thing about these ceremonies is that they are student led. Members of the Hall of Honor Leaders' Council guided students, parents, and alumni through the ceremony and answered that age-old question, "What is a Maroon?"



What It Means to Be a Maroon

More Maroon Society new inductees



Maroon Society new inductees









Distinguished alumni and honored faculty were recognized, new members of the prestigious Maroon Society were inducted, and veterans were honored. My favorite part of the ceremony was the Grand Roll Call of the Classes. It was amazing how many Maroons return year after year for this ceremony, and how many generations of Maroons were represented in that room.



Returning Alumni

The Distinguished Alumni honored at today's ceremony were the late Texas former First Lady Nellie Connally, Class of 1935, and Delano Womack, Class of 1952, founding board member of the Austin High Continuing Education Foundation. They joined Honored Faculty members Rosemary Morrow, an Austin High Social Studies teacher from 1975 to 1997, and the late Larry D. Preas, the school's Theater Director from 1982 to 1992. Both were beloved and inspiring role models for their students.


A few weeks ago I was allowed to look into the room in the Austin High library where they keep memorabilia from the school's past and the Hall of Honor ceremonies. In looking at those items, I realized I was looking at a record of generations of students who went on to become education, athletic, civic and cultural leaders of our city, our state and our nation. What an incredible tradition. I was glad I was there to share a piece of it.





AISD Student Composers Have World Premieres with Austin Symphony

Last night I was blown away by the creativity, talent and hard work of two Austin ISD students. It was my great pleasure to attend the first Texas Young Composers Concert performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Long Center for the Performing Arts produced a first in the State of Texas: The Texas Young Composers Concert. Presenting the world premiere of 12 new orchestral works composed by Texas students age 18 and under, the masterminds behind Austin Symphony’s 1st Annual Young Composers Competition (Music Director and Conductor Peter Bay and Director of Education Diana Evlen to name a couple) showcased compositions chosen from 25 entries submitted this past Fall. Four of the compositions submitted were premiered during the ASO’s High School Concerts Tour in January.

I was so amazed by the work of high school students, and I was so proud to be the superintendent of two of them:

Brennan Anderson, LASA/LBJ High School
Sam Melnick, Bowie High School
Think Project Runway meets musical prodigy except we don't see the behind-the-scenes reality television show drama - just the finished best parts of watching the artist have his work come to life for an audience, modeled by a world-class talent. In this case, the lovely Austin Symphony Orchestra strutted the artists' musical stuff.

One of the most interesting aspects about the way the premiere was structured was the video introduction to each piece, in which the students explain their music and share details about their lives and inspirations. It's the opportunity to listen to the creative mind of a young genius. 

Brennan Anderson is a senior at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy. At the age of 12, Brennan taught himself to play the piano, and he started composing music when he was 13. He studied composition under Peter Stopschinski and now composes music for games and films with composer Kyle Robertson. His piece, Surrounded, was a joy to hear.

Composer Brennan Anderson explaining piece on video before played

Sam Melnick is a senior at Bowie High School. He studied with Bill Haehnel, Bruce Dinkins and the late Diane Gorzyscki at Bailey and Bowie Middle Schools. What a testament to music education in AISD! He composes for full orchestra, concert band, string orchestra and piano. He's working on a trumpet concerto and a collection of suites based on Shakespeare's King Lear.  In high school! His composition for the evening, The Last Lullaby, was deep and moving.

Composer Sam Melnick flanked by loving parents; symphony on stage in background

 Carnegie Hall awaits these two young talents!