Spring Branch ISD Featured News

 

Earning the high-level National Hispanic Recognition Program or National Commended award is a one-time event for any young person, but at two high schools this year these awards were issued to two sets of twins.

Stratford High School seniors Franco and Matias Grimoldi Calo were honored Oct. 21 during a Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees meeting. The two are among 13 seniors from three district high schools named National Hispanic Scholars this year.

This special award is given to students who are at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino by family descent, perform highly on the PSAT, and have earned a grade-point average of 3.0 or better by the end of their junior year. It is estimated that up to 5,000 students are awarded this honor across the U.S. each year.

In addition, Memorial High School’s Annette and Lauren Yang are among 37 seniors recognized this year as National Commended Scholars in announcements issued by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

High school students who score in the top 3 to 4 percent of all PSAT test results qualify for recognition as National Commended Scholars, a high-level ranking.

Franco and Matias – National Hispanic Scholars

Franco and Matias are graduates of Rummel Creek Elementary and Memorial Middle schools. They entered Rummel Creek in the fourth grade; their family history includes relatives and ancestors from Argentina, Spain, Italy and Ireland.

At Stratford High, Franco is a newspaper features editor who also hosts the podcast titled “The Table” since the end of his junior year. He plays the viola as a varsity orchestra member, and he’s also passionate about the piano. 

His devotion to orchestra led him to be elected an orchestra officer for two years in a row. He serves as historian this year, and was the orchestra librarian last year. 

Franco’s top choices for college reflect his passion for music. They include Berklee College of Music in Boston and the affiliated Boston Conservatory, and the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.

“Since I was young, music has been inspirational to me. I want to inspire other people and impact them at an emotional level,” he said. Franco views his music interest broadly. He’d love to compose for film, television or video games. 

His fraternal twin, Matias, has separate artistic interests. An Advanced Placement (AP) art student, he enjoys drawing, graphic design and illustration, and has won top grades during several annual Visual Arts Scholastic Events (VASE) competitions.

In addition, Matias volunteers with Family Point Resources where he works with third- and fourth-graders. “I always like working with kids,” Matias said. He also likes to write and plays bass guitar as a novice.

His top college choices are fine art related, too: The Art Institute of Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Maryland Institute College of Art, or MICA. Like Franco, he is open to working in a variety of areas – studio setting, entertainment company, and in the general design field.

The brothers are humbled by the fact that they both landed national-level awards – twin honors! Their tag team recognition as National Commended Scholar fits their personal family relationship.

“We get along very well with each other,” Franco said. “We have many of the same kind of interests and even like the same kind of entertainment. Although we are different, we resemble each other.”

 

 

Lauren and Annette – National Commended Students

Fraternal twins Lauren and Annette Yang have a deep appreciation for the planet we all call home: They have lived in and attended school in Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and the United States. They have been Memorial high students for the past three years.

As a sophomore, Lauren helped found Future Business Leaders of America, the student club where she serves as a vice president. Active in Academy of Finance, too, Lauren is sure that business is her future calling. She plans to pursue finance and economics as a college student.

Her business interest includes practical, on-the-job experience. She is working 30 hours a week currently as a barista at a local Starbucks, and she has summer interned at both a local law and consulting firms. As a result, she has gained new experience, while also learning how technology, business data and computer systems intersect.

Her top college picks are finance focused: the University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia and the University of Chicago. 

Her sister, Annette, has a passion for graphic design and is thinking about advertising and marketing future opportunities. She is Adobe certified is several design and photo applications through classes taken at SBISD’s The Guthrie Center.

She has tutored other students, volunteered and taught at the Full Gospel Korean Church, and even started up her own Instagram social media channel focused on the trendy fun associated with slime, called Nettystarslime. That business venture raises funds for her favorite charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

For college, Annette is packing for New York City. She’d like to attend NYU for media, culture and communications studies or attend famous Parsons School of Design.

Lauren and Annette do not view their “twin” National Commended student awards as a given and, as such, somewhat unusual. At the same time, not totally surprising.

“We’re really different,” Annette said. “I don’t compare myself to Lauren. We both have different strengths, I think, but overall I don’t find it surprising that we have ended up in the same category. We are family.”