Business Professionals of America (BPA)

Plano ISD's BPA students showcased their skills at the State Competition in Fort Worth, with many advancing to the National Competition in Chicago, IL. The following students were recognized:

Jasper High School

• Kevin Zheng - Fundamental Accounting

Plano East Senior High School

• Anirudh Narayanan - Fundamentals of Web Design
• Sanjeev Gedela - Human Resource Management (1st Place STATE)

Plano Senior High School

• Vidyuth Ganesh - Advanced Spreadsheet Applications
• Catherine Wang - Advanced Accounting
• Lisa Varghese - Computer Modeling (1st Place STATE)

Plano West Senior High School

• Oliver Ong - Computer Network Technology
• Ashi Sharma - SQL Database Fundamentals
• Isha Swaminathan - Database Applications
• Nickhil Pattikonda - Server Administration Using Microsoft®
• Thomas Wells - Device Configuration and Troubleshooting
• William Xie - Personal Financial Management
• Aaruush Kulkarni - Advanced Spreadsheet Applications (1st Place STATE)
• Joya Trivedi - Intermediate Word Processing (2nd out of 60 NATIONALS)
• Teagan Gao - Java Programming (1st Place STATE, 1st out of 52 NATIONALS)

A special thank you to BPA program advisors Deepa Ganguly, Malia Hudson, Mina Mintcheva and Bridgett Wolstencroft for their hard work and support of our students! 

Plano ISD's DECA students excelled at the State Competition in Houston, with several advancing to the National Competition in Anaheim, CA. The following students were celebrated for their achievements:

Plano East Senior High School

• Akshaya Vankayalapati - Restaurant and Food Service Management
• Dhruv Manoj - Financial Services Team Decision-Making
• Ekansh Ahuja - Sports and Entertainment Team Decision-Making
• Kapil Taspa - Start-Up Business Plan
• Marium Modi - Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision-Making
• Meena Ramaswamy - Sports and Entertainment Team Decision-Making
• Nathan Nalla - Sports and Entertainment Team Decision-Making
• Neela Raman - Sports and Entertainment Team Decision-Making
• Noah Ryu - Financial Services Team Decision-Making
• Reyah Makkar - Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision-Making
• Roshan Vajinapalli - Start-Up Business Plan
• Sama Ahmed - Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision-Making
• Sanjana Arulkumaran - Quick Serve Restaurant Management
• Santosh Gedela - Entrepreneurship- Start-Up Business Plan
• Swathi Parameshwar - Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision-Making

Plano Senior High School

• Catherine Wang - Accounting Applications (National Finalist)

Plano West Senior High School

• Aaruush Kulkarni - Financial Services Team Decision-Making
• Alice Cai - Ignite Academy
• Arshun Sharma - Integrated Marketing Series - Event
• Bhavini Nair - Principles of Marketing
• Ethan Alexander - Integrated Marketing Series - Event
• Ryan Morehead - Accounting Applications
• Saivikas Nadam - Integrated Marketing Series - Event
• Sanjana Kumar - Financial Services Team Decision-Making

Thank you to our DECA advisors Jill Dorsinville, Trey O'bar and Alison Potter for their dedication to ensuring student success!

Plano ISD Board Vice President Dr. Lauren Tyra, Plano Senior High School Orchestra Director April Kondrat and Director of Fine Arts Dr. Phillip Morgan

The evening began with a distinguished honor for Plano Senior High School's orchestra director, Mrs. April Kondrat. At the Texas Music Educators Association State Conference, Mrs. Kondrat was awarded the Marjorie Keller Outstanding Young Music Educator Award by the Texas chapter of the American Strings Teachers Association. This award recognizes her outstanding promise and dedication to string education. Mrs. Kondrat's leadership has consistently driven her students to success. The Plano ISD community is immensely proud of her achievements.

In the world of high school science, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) stands as the pinnacle of achievement. This prestigious competition, part of the Society for Science, attracts the brightest young minds from across the globe, offering them a platform to showcase their research and innovations. This year's event was held in Los Angeles, California, featuring approximately 1,700 young scientists representing 67 countries, regions, and territories worldwide.

Among these exceptional participants were nine students from Plano ISD, each demonstrating their ingenuity on a global stage.

Jasper High School

• Ryan Xu - 4th place in Embedded Systems

Plano East Senior High School

• Keshav Anand
• Prisha Bhat - 3rd place in Plant Systems, Long Island University Presidential Scholarship & University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship recipient 
• Vaani Chellamuthu 
• Manya Gummaraju - 4th place in Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship recipient
• Arya Gurumukhi - 4th place in Energy: Sustainable Materials & Design
• Chloe Lee - 3rd place in Chemistry, American Chemical Society Second Award recipient, University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship recipient, YM American Academy Third Award recipient

Plano West Senior High School

• Zehra Jaffery - 2nd place in Cellular & Molecular Biology
• Katherine Lee

Dallas Delegation for the 2024 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair

Plano West Senior High School’s Audio Video Production students, under the guidance of advisor Sarah Mateo, achieved remarkable success at the SkillsUSA Texas State Leadership and Skills Conference held in Corpus Christi in April. Demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication, the students brought home numerous accolades across various categories.

Joshua Birenbaum, FIrst Place in Pin Design

Joshua Birenbaum stood out by securing the State Champion title in Pin Design. His creative design will be produced and distributed to all Texas participants at the national competition, showcasing his artistic skills on a larger stage. Additionally, Birenbaum, along with teammate Marcelo Szperling, claimed the State Champion title in Digital Cinema Production, further cementing his prowess in the field.

Joshua Birenbaum and Marcelo Szperling, State Champions in Digital Cinema Production

Hudson Lankford, First Place in Customer Service

Hudson Lankford shone brightly in Customer Service, earning the State Champion title for his outstanding performance. The Audio Video Quiz Bowl team, consisting of Audrey Barth, Anika Raste, Darren Ely, Robyn Burke, Mikayla Webb, Sienna Knapic, and Baylee Frye, also emerged victorious as State Champions, demonstrating their comprehensive knowledge and teamwork.

AV Quiz Bowl State Championship Team

In the technical categories, Zachary To secured the Silver medal in the Television Camera Operator Technical Test. The Bronze medal in the same category was awarded to Hudson Lankford, Marcelo Szperling, Anika Raste, Audrey Barth, Darren Ely, and Robyn Burke, highlighting the depth of talent within the team.

Zachary To, Silver Medalist in Television Camera Operator Technical Test

As State Champions, Joshua Birenbaum, Hudson Lankford, Marcelo Szperling, and Sienna Knapic will advance to represent Texas at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, this June. Their success at the state level sets high expectations for their performance on the national stage.

Plano ISD students showcased their exceptional research skills and scientific knowledge at the Texas Junior Academy of Science (TJAS) competition, earning numerous accolades across various categories. This annual event brings together high school students from across Texas to present their research through both spoken and written word.

Students from Clark High School, Jasper High School, Vines High School, Williams High School, Plano East Senior High, and Plano West Senior High earned second and third place awards in their respective categories, highlighting the district's strong emphasis on scientific inquiry and academic excellence.

Clark High School:

• Nishka Kerkar secured 3rd place in the category of Physics, Math, Earth, and Space Sciences.
• Shivi Shrivastava earned 3rd place in Botany and Zoology.

Jasper High School:

• Trisha Desai won 2nd place in Engineering I.
• Andrew Lee achieved 2nd place in Environmental Science.
• Arnuv Modh took 2nd place in Biochemistry and Microbiology.
• Aditi Srivastava placed 3rd in Environmental Sciences.
• Nayan Vemireddy earned 3rd place in Chemistry.
• Ryan Xu secured 2nd place in Engineering I.
• Amanda Yi achieved 3rd place in Engineering I.
• Jessica Zhang took 2nd place in Botany and Zoology.

Vines High School:

• Aika Saadiq earned 3rd place in Physics, Math, Earth, and Space Sciences.

Williams High School:

• Arnav Bhute secured 3rd place in Computer Science.

Plano East Senior High:

• Harish Chandran earned 2nd place in Biochemistry and Microbiology.
• Vaani Chellamuthu placed 3rd in Biochemistry and Microbiology.
• Sanabhi Gauraw secured 2nd place in Engineering II.
• Hrishikesh Harish achieved 2nd place in Engineering II.
• Chloe Lee earned 2nd place in Biochemistry and Microbiology.
• Amitha Mandava took 2nd place in Chemistry.
• Siri Peddinti placed 2nd in Medicine, Health, Behavioral, & Social Sciences I.
• Shruti Sunkara secured 3rd place in Botany and Zoology.
• Diya Shah earned 2nd place in Medicine, Health, Behavioral, & Social Sciences II.
• Ana Spiride took 2nd place in Engineering II.
• Varun Sridhar placed 3rd in Computer Science.
• Krishn Virani earned 2nd place in Environmental Science.

Plano West Senior High:

• Piyush Budagavi secured 2nd place in Engineering II.
• Evelyn Ding achieved 2nd place in Computer Science.
• Shreya Halbe earned 2nd place in Environmental Science.
• Albert Jiang took 2nd place in Physics, Math, Earth, and Space Sciences.
• Adithya Karthik placed 3rd in Computer Science.
• Jaikiran Kumaravel Sukanya Devi earned 3rd place in Engineering II.
• Alanna Polyak achieved 2nd place in Medicine, Health, Behavioral, & Social Sciences II.
• Andy Qin secured 3rd place in Medicine, Health, Behavioral, & Social Sciences II.
• William Xie earned 3rd place in Medicine, Health, Behavioral, & Social Sciences II.
• Jason Zhou took 3rd place in Engineering II.

All first place category winners were invited to present their research at the prestigious American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) convention. Despite scheduling conflicts with the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Plano ISD students Arya Gurumukhi, Elgin Tawiah, and Prisha Bhat qualified for this national scientific conference.

Plano East Senior High:

• Arya Gurumukhi earned 1st place in Engineering II.
• Elgin Tawiah achieved 1st place in Biochemistry & Microbiology.
• Prisha Bhat secured 1st place in Botany & Zoology, along with the 3rd grand prize in Natural Sciences.

These accolades underscore the district's commitment to fostering a strong foundation in science education. Congratulations to all the students for their outstanding achievements and dedication to scientific excellence.

Plano ISD students demonstrated their remarkable research capabilities and academic excellence at the Texas Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (TJSHS), a prestigious state-level competition that invites high school students from grades 9-12 to present their research through spoken and written presentations. This year, eighteen students from six Plano ISD campuses were accepted to present their work at the 2024 TJSHS competition.

The event saw two Plano ISD students earning top honors and advancing to the 62nd National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (NJSHS) held from May 1-4, 2024, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

TJSHS State-Level Results:

Plano West Senior High

• Alanna Polyak earned 3rd Place in Life Sciences

Plano East Senior High

• Prisha Bhat secured 1st Place in Environmental Sciences.

NJSHS National-Level Results:

Plano East Senior High:

• Prisha Bhat achieved 3rd Place in Environmental Sciences at the national competition.

Plano ISD students showcased their scientific prowess at the Texas Science and Engineering Fair (TXSEF), held from March 22-24 in College Station, Texas. This prestigious annual competition features top young scientists from across the state, with students qualifying by excelling at their district and regional fairs.

Middle School Achievements

Otto Middle School

• Nidhi Ajmera - 3rd Place in Earth and Environmental Science

Rice Middle School

• Akansh Karthik - 1st Place in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Daniel Rutnam - Texas Master Naturalist Special Award in Animal Sciences

Robinson Middle School

• Hiruni Wansapura - 2nd Place in Environmental Engineering and Engineers of Tomorrow Special Award

Schimelpfenig Middle School

• Shruti Paul - 2nd Place in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

High School Achievements

Jasper High School

• Aarini Sen - $2500 Special Award from SpaceX in Physics and Astronomy

Plano East Senior High

• Prisha Bhat - 1st Place in Plant Sciences and Best in State Life Science
• Vaani Chellamuthu - 3rd Place in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Manya Gummaraju - 1st Place in Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Arya Gurumukhi - 2nd Place in Energy: Sustainable Materials & Design
• Anirudh Narayanan - 3rd Place in Robotics and Intelligent Machines
• Elgin Tawiah - 3rd Place in Microbiology
• Krishn Virani - 3rd Place in Energy: Sustainable Materials & Design

Plano Senior High School

• Meryl Zhang - 3rd Place in Mathematics

Plano West Senior High

• Evelyn Ding - 3rd Place in Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Zehra Jaffery - 2nd Place in Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Alanna Polyak - 2nd Place in Translational Medical Science and Deere Family Scholarship
• Andy Qin - $1000 Special Award from Samsung in Systems Software