The Palacios High School Computer Science team won 2nd place team at the State UIL meet on Friday, May 3.  The Computer Science contest challenges students to study a broad range of areas in computer science and has both an individual and a team component. Competition consists of a 45-minute written exam for both components, along with a two-hour programming contest for teams.  Pictured with their medals and plaque are (left to right):  Jackson Engel, Noah Zamarripa, Coach Cindy Hlavaty, Kaleb Mikeska, and Daniel Castanon.
The top 10 students honored a PISD Employee with a Bell.   Daniel Castanon-Stephanie Busby, Justin Vu-James Popham, Noah Zamarripa-Terri Adams, Kayla Vu-Lucy Arnesen, Jackson Engel-Cindy Hlavaty, Katie Nguyen-Ray Hinds, Jordan Nguyen- Heidi Turner, Maria Muniz-Maria Popham, Dorothy Nguyen- Leslie Gerberman, Brooke Vandenbergh- Chris Page, Timothy Kessler- Bill Fort
Griffin White, a junior at Palacios High School, obtained his CompTIA A+ certification.  There are 2 certification tests required for the certification and Griffin passed both of them with flying colors.  One test that is required covers PC hardware and peripherals, mobile device hardware, networking and troubleshooting hardware and networking connectivity issues.  The other required test covers installing and configuring operating systems including Windows, iOS, Android, Apple OS X and Linux.  It also addresses security, the fundamentals of cloud computing and operational procedures.  They also recommend that the test taker have 9-12 months on the job experience. Griffin now holds the CompTIA A+ certification and the CompTIA Network+ certification.  Cindy Hlavaty, Griffin’s teacher, says that this is a huge accomplishment towards his IT career.
Computer Science UIL was held Monday, March 25 in Needville.  Please congratulate the following individuals for advancing to regional. Daniel Castanon – 1st place individual Jackson Engel – 2nd place individual Kaleb Mikeska – 3rd place individual Noah Zamarripa – 4th place indivual   These boys also received 1st place team and will advance to regionals individually as well as a team.  
On Thursday, October 4th, Palacios High School held its annual WIT Induction. At the induction, 19 students joined the organization, bringing total membership to 40. WIT was honored to have the director of the Nuclear Power Institute, Dr. Kenneth Peddicord, and The Honorable Judge Nate McDonald give inspiring speeches. WIT was also honored to have Dr. Valerie Segovia of NPI and Mr. Rudolph Henry of WCJC in attendance. WIT would like to thank all those who attended the ceremony and the organization's sponsors -- NPI, TEES, TAMU, and Dr. Valerie Segovia -- for their support.  This was a great start for the upcoming year, and WIT is excited for what the rest of the year will bring. Returning Members - Alyssa Acosta, Matthew Aparicio, Brooke Carpenter, Daniel Castanon, David Cruz, Jackson Engel, Javier Figirova, Hailey Fuentes, Samantha Garcia, Timothy Kessler, Jannifer Le, Brenda Mancera, Jordan Nguyen, Alondra Rubio, Jonathan Segovia, Hannah Tran, Lanae Tucker, Justin Vu, Shelby Wilson, Noah Zamarripa, Daniel Zamora New Members - Giovana Arreola, Reed Bowers, Slone Greaves, Lizbeth Guillen, Hector Hernandez. Sabrina Lopez, Van Mai, Damian Manrriquez, Kaleb Mikeska, Omar Muniz, Truc Nguyen, Xuan Pham, Kimberly Phan, Meagan Ramirez, Reagan Ramirez, Alonso Rubio, Jennifer Sifuentes, Taylor Stoecker, Griffin White
Booke Vandenbergh, Kayla Vu, Dorothy Nguyen, Maria Muniz, Sara Tran, Lauren Post, Kaitlyn Marroquin, Karla Goytia, Macy Wilson, Olivia Filip, Guadalupe Mancera, Evelyn Aparicio, Huyen Ha, Emely Pena, Ingrid Martinez, Brianna Gonzalez, Samantha Otto, Chelsea Campbell, Savannah Williams, Carmen Serrato, Katie Nguyen, Mai Nguyen, Patricia Castanon, Vivian, Nguyen, Jordan Peeples, Caitlyn Rodgers, Avery Kubecka, Anh Dang, Michelle Nguyen, Teresita Lopez, Quynh Nguyen, Cindy Lopez, Ana Velazquez, and Lizette Sustaita.
The PHS National Honor Society will hold its annual blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 13th in the PHS Fine Arts Building Parking Lot. To donate blood you must be at least 16 years old, weigh 122 pounds and be in good health. Please eat and drink plenty of fluids prior to donating and continue to do so throughout the day. Remember to bring an I.D. There is no substitute for blood. It has to come from one person in order to be given to another. A regular number of voluntary donations is required every day to meet the need for blood in the Texas Gulf Coast region.
PHS Sophomores and Juniors will have the opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT on October 10th at 8:00 am in the PHS LRC.  The skills tested on the PSAT/NMSQT are the skills students need in college.  The test is approximately 3 hours long.  The PSAT/NMSQT lets students:
  • Practice for the SAT
  • Assess their skills in verbal reasoning, mathematical reasoning, and writing
  • Compare their academic skills with those of other college-bound students
  • Enter scholarship competitions
  • Ask colleges to send them information
  • Get information about a college major of interest to them
 Students interested need to register with Mrs. Garcia, PHS Counselor, by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, September 11th. The cost is $16.00.  No late registrations will be accepted.  
Griffin White, a sophomore at Palacios High School, took and passed the CompTIA Network+ certification exam on Wednesday, May 16, 2018.  CompTIA Network+ is a performance-based certification that helps you develop a career in IT infrastructure by validating the hands-on skills needed to troubleshoot, configure, and manage both wired and wireless networks, including emerging technologies such as unified communications, mobile, cloud, and virtualization technologies.   The possession of the CompTIA Network + Certification is an advantage for network technicians.  The Network+ certification opens up even more job opportunities allowing you to work as a network administrator, network engineer, network technician, and other similar positions.  
On April 18th, members of Palacios High School’s POWER SET organization traveled to Sweeny High School to compete in the Phillips 66 Olympics with other area POWER SET groups. Teams contained members from multiple schools and their objective was to build a device that could sort different sized objects to simulate the process of separating crude oil into different products. Groups had only a certain amount of time, money, and resources to build, as well as prepare a brief presentation. After time was called, groups presented and tested their creations. Members of Palacios’ POWER SET were on all three placing teams. Also, special awards were given for different categories. Summer Brandstatt won “Most Energetic.” Tamara Perez won “Future Mechanical Engineer.” Christina Peterson won “Most Curious.” Maria Muniz won “Best Shoe” (she is currently wearing a boot for an injured foot). And finally, Bailey Grones won “Most Likely to be a Safety Specialist.” Pictured left to right, back to front: Tamara Perez, Quynh Nguyen, Lili Vu, maria Hurtado, Brooke Vandenbergh, Mai Nguyen, Karla Goytia, Maria Serrato, Erika Espinosa, Katie Nguyen, Dorothy Nguyen, Monsterrat Garcia, Kayla Vu, Kaitlyn Marroquin, Jessica Muniz, Matia Muniz, Christina Peterson, Priscilla Nguyen, Bailey Grones, Summer Brandstatt, and Sarah Tran.