Three Lamar CISD Students Selected as National Merit Scholar Finalists

April 01 2023

Out of approximately 7,250 Finalists nationwide, Foster HS seniors Andrew Kunz, Corrine Wang, and Benjamin Wu have advanced to Finalist status in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

All winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. These scholars made the cut by demonstrating a thorough, distinguished performance and a high potential for future academic accomplishment.

		Andrew Kunz has served as the president of DECA for the last three years. He is also a member of the National Honor Society. During high school, he played football, baseball, and golf. He also recently won 2nd place for the Scholar-Athlete Award from the Touchdown Club of Houston. Kunz plans to pursue a degree in business.

		Corrine Wang serves as the first lieutenant of the school dance team, the Foster Flairs. She has shared that being in a position of leadership has allowed her to hone her teamwork and planning skills after helping plan the line camp and team building events. Dance has always been a big part of her life. Wang transferred to Lamar CISD during the pandemic and used dance to help her cope with changing her academic and social settings. Since transferring to a new state and new school, she has overcome many obstacles with grace and grit, demonstrating her determination and ability to adapt.

		Benjamin Wu is currently a section leader and a four-year member of the Foster Drumline. He leads the Code Wars and JAVA UIL computer science teams, in addition to being a member of National Honor Society and Workforce in Training. Wu earned his service cord with over 126 volunteer hours - including gulf coast beach clean-ups, Lunches of Love, and VBS at Faith UMC. He is an AP Scholar with Distinction, College Board Rural and Small-Town Scholar, Lamar CISD PSAT Scholar, PAP Computer Science Student of the Year, and 2021-2022 Best Percussionist. He is a 4-time All-Region Band/Orchestra and 2-time All-State Solo & Ensemble musician. Wu plans to study Computer Science in college.

Looking Ahead

Important Dates & Tips for Testing

As we enter testing season, please remind your students to plan ahead, get a good night's rest, and eat a healthy breakfast. We've provided upcoming assessment dates below:

March 20-April 21: 3rd-12th Grade STAAR
March 27-April 6: 10-12th Grade TSIA2
April 3-6: Credit by Exams (Voluntary)
April 10-14: 10-12th Grade TSIA2
April 12: 11th Grade SAT School Day Makeup

Additional information will be provided by campuses.

Save the Date for 2023 Graduation

Every year, we look forward to this momentous occasion and we invite you to join the Class of 2023 for a night of celebration. We will host five distinct ceremonies for each high school at the Guy K. Traylor Stadium. Stay tuned for additional information as we get closer to the commencement ceremonies.

Foster HS

Friday, May 19 at 8:00 PM

Instructional Calendars Available for Next Two School Years

At the March Board meeting, our Board of Trustees approved the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 Instructional Calendars.*

Some important dates for next school year are included below:

First Day of School		Monday, August 14
Winter Break		Monday, December 18 - Monday, January 1
Spring Break		Week of March 11-15
Last Day for Students		Thursday, May 23