News

The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools State Academic & Speech Competition is always a highlight of the spring semester, and this year was no exception. Seventeen students from PCA North traveled to Waco to compete among some of the best private school students in Texas, and they represented our school with excellence, determination, and poise.

Over the course of three days, our students competed in a wide range of challenging academic and speech events, including TAPPS Math, Advanced Math, Calculator Applications, Number Sense, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Ready Writing, Literary Criticism, Solo Acting, Duet Acting, Prose Interpretation, and Poetry Interpretation. Each event required not only skill and preparation, but also the confidence to perform and think critically under pressure.

We are especially proud of the students who placed at the state level.

Pierce Holt, a Senior, and Henry Mitchell, a Sophomore, earned first place in Duet Acting, delivering a performance that stood out for its precision, chemistry, and emotional depth. Their achievement reflects countless hours of rehearsal and a commitment to excellence.

Conner Esty, a Senior, captured third place in Poetry Interpretation, demonstrating a powerful ability to bring written words to life with clarity and expression.

Tofunmi Kare-Opaneye, a Junior, earned seventh place in Solo Acting, showcasing strong stage presence and character development in a highly competitive field.

Izzy Peters, a Senior, had an outstanding showing across multiple academic events, placing sixth in Ready Writing and sixth in Literary Criticism, a testament to both creativity and analytical skill.

While we celebrate these individual accomplishments, we also recognize the dedication of every student who competed. Representing PCA North at the state level requires discipline, courage, and a willingness to grow, and each of our 17 competitors exemplified those qualities.

Competitions like TAPPS provide students with opportunities to sharpen their God-given talents, think deeply, communicate effectively, and pursue excellence in all areas. We are grateful for the hard work of our students and the guidance of our teachers who invest so faithfully in their success.

Congratulations to our entire Academic and Speech team on a remarkable showing at state. We are proud of you!

 

PCA North is proud to announce that our Art Team has won the TAPPS Art State Championship for the third consecutive year! The competition featured 22 categories spanning visual art, photography, digital media, physical art, multimedia, and art history. Awards were given to the top eight entries in each category, with first place earning 10 points, second place earning eight points, and third through eighth place receiving 6-1 points respectively.

This year, PCA North earned an impressive 216 points across 21 events with a total of 75 entries. Represented by 32 talented student artists, the Lions, under the direction of Mrs. Judy Seay, delivered an outstanding showing, with 35 entries placing in the top eight. An additional seven students received Honorable Mention recognition for their work.

The Lions secured the state title with first place finishes in 10 categories and second place finishes in six categories, clinching their third consecutive championship.

Individually, several students delivered exceptional performances, each earning more than 30 points at the state competition:

• Individual High Point Champion (TAPPS 2A): Addie Millsaps, 37 points
• 2nd Individual High Point Champion (TAPPS 2A): Daphne Peters, 36 points

"Winning  three consecutive TAPPS Art State Championships is a remarkable feat that should never be taken for granted," Upper School Principal Greg Wright said. "This sustained success is a combination of our North Upper School students using their God-given talents and being coached by the very best art teacher, Mrs. Judy Seay. Mrs. Seay goes above and beyond, spending countless hours to ensure that our art students are successful. I am very proud of our PCA North Art Program and we give All Glory to God!"

A complete list of the Lions who contributed points toward the State Championship team finish can be found below:

Individual State Champions | 10 points

Daphne Peters: 2D Mixed Media

Daphne Peters: Relief

Daphne Peters: Art History

Addie Millsaps: Painting

Addie Milsaps: Color Drawing

Gracie Kachuriak: Sculpture

Hannah Luder: Applied/Industrial Design

Matias Gonzalez Hernandez: Communication Design

Noah Pettett: Pottery, Ceramics & Plastic Arts

Wyatt Pointer: Senior Portfolio

 

2nd Place Winners | 8 points

Addie Millsaps: 2d Mixed Media

Cain Geiser: Senior Portfolio

Ethan Elliott: Relief

Gracie Weeks: Art History

Noah Pettett Short: Film-Animation

Wyatt Pointer: Printmaking

 

3rd Place Winners | 6 points

Gracie Kachuriak: Pottery, Ceramics & Plastic Arts

Hannah Luder: Fashion Design, Textile Arts & Jewelry Design

Keira Vanderlaan: Art History

Wyatt Pointer: Printmaking

 

4th Place Winners | 5 points

Daphne Peters: Communication Design

Gracie Kachuriak: Applied/Industrial Design

Addie Millsaps: Senior Portfolio

 

5th Place Winners | 4 points

Addie Millsaps: Color Drawing

Braelyn Stewart: Art History

 

6th Place Winners | 3 points

Ethan Elliott: Senior Portfolio

Sadie Obholz: Art History

 

7th Place Winners | 2 points

Hannah Luder: Computer Rendered Art

Gracie Kachuriak: Relief

Layla Matthews: Senior Portfolio

 

8th Place Winners | 1 point

Daphne Peters: Drawing – Black & White

Briley Rich: Color Drawing

Gem Floyd: Photography – Black & White

Keira Vanderlaan: Photography – Color

Layla Matthews: Art History

 

Honorable Mention

Hannah Luder: Computer Rendered Art

Hannah Luder: Applied/Industrial Design

Hannah Luder: Senior Portfolio

Gracelyn Shirley: Fashion Design, Textile Arts & Jewelry Design

Layla Matthews: Fashion Design, Textile Arts & Jewelry Design

Julianna Holifield: Painting

Max McAdams: Pottery, Ceramics & Plastic Arts

We are excited to share incredible news! Team 3160X has officially qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship!

Hosted by VEX Robotics, this prestigious global event will take place in St. Louis from April 21–24 and brings together the top robotics teams from around the world. Earning a place at this level of competition is a significant accomplishment and a testament to an exceptional season.

Team 3160X—Audrey Blaine, Jeffery Hu, Mark Ma, Abel Matthew, Timothy Mei, Colton Mills, and Jason Tian—has demonstrated remarkable consistency, innovation, and teamwork throughout the year. They advanced to the finals in all three invitational tournaments they competed in, showcasing not only technical excellence but also strong collaboration and composure under pressure.

Their success extended beyond tournament play. At the University of Texas at Tyler, the team was named Robot Skills Champion, highlighting their precision in programming and driver control. They qualified for the State competition through Skills and, through continued outstanding performance, ultimately earned their spot at the World Championship based on their Skills ranking.

This achievement reflects countless hours of dedication, problem-solving, and perseverance. Competing on the world stage is an incredible honor, and Team 3160X has proven they are more than ready for the challenge.

Please join us in congratulating Team 3160X and wishing them the very best as they represent our school on a global stage.

We are honored to announce that Renato Casusol has been recognized as a National Merit Finalist—one of the most prestigious academic distinctions awarded to high school Seniors nationwide.

Each year, roughly 1.3 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). From this group, 16,000 high scorers are named semifinalists, representing the highest-performing students in each state. Of those, approximately 15,000 advance to finalist standing after undergoing a comprehensive review of their academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular involvement, leadership experience, and personal character.

Earning a place among this elite group highlights Renato’s remarkable dedication to excellence both inside and outside the classroom. His achievement demonstrates the strength of our school community and the intentional preparation our students receive at PCA, spiritually, academically, and in all areas of personal growth.

Finalists are now eligible to compete for approximately 7,500 National Merit Scholarships, which will be awarded later this spring. We are proud of Renato’s hard work and excited to see the opportunities ahead as he continues to pursue his academic and personal goals.

 

Prestonwood Christian Academy North 5th Grade students recently welcomed Captain Brad McBride, a Southwest Airlines pilot, as part of the airline's Adopt-A-Pilot Program — an initiative that connects professional pilots with classrooms across the United States to inspire students through aviation-themed learning and mentorship.

Since launching more than 25 years ago, Southwest's Adopt-A-Pilot Program has impacted more than half a million students nationwide. The program blends STEM education with character development and real-world career exploration while introducing students to Southwest's F.L.I.G.H.T. values.

During his visits to PCA North, Captain McBride gave students an inside look at life as a commercial airline pilot. He shared details about daily flight operations, scheduling, reserve pilots, and the teamwork required to keep flights running safely and on time. Students learned about airport security procedures, cockpit instruments, flight speeds, and how pilots navigate between cities across multiple time zones.

Captain McBride also walked students through his own flight routes, showing photos from cities he visited and explaining how pilots manage long travel days, overnight stays, and healthy routines while on the road. His real-world examples helped bring geography and math concepts to life as students calculated flight times, compared distances, and identified the longest and shortest legs of his trips.

A highlight of the experience was the hands-on science instruction, where students learned how airplanes fly through interactive experiments. Captain McBride introduced key aviation concepts such as lift, thrust, drag, and weight, and demonstrated Bernoulli's principle using everyday materials. Students practiced forming hypotheses, observing results, and drawing conclusions as they tested airflow with paper strips, balloons, cups, and a ping-pong ball.

Captain McBride encouraged students to stay curious, ask questions, and engage fully in the learning process. By connecting classroom lessons to real-world aviation applications, his visits helped students better understand how science, math, and engineering work together in practical and exciting ways.

Through the Adopt-A-Pilot Program, students not only gained a deeper understanding of aviation and STEM concepts, but also experienced firsthand how classroom learning connects to future careers and the world beyond school.