Category Archives: Volente

ViperBots win UIL 5A/6A State Championships

Three Vandegrift ViperBots robotics teams won the state championships in the FIRST Tech Challenge division:7161 Hydra, 6299 QuadX and 4545 Ouroboros.

“We won state for the FTC Division,” said Rad Allen, VHS ViperBots advisor and computer science teacher.

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New secondary road to Vandegrift, FPMS passes by Austin City Council

By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News

Six or so years after Leander ISD Board of Trustees President Pam Waggoner advocated the idea as a safety measure for students and faculty landlocked with a single access point, a secondary road to Vandegrift High School received unanimous approval from Austin City Council today, Thursday, April 11.

This secondary access road is to be built without traversing Balcones Canyonland Preserve.

An amendment to the city of Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan and advocated by District 6 Council Member Jimmy Flannigan (pictured) will allow a secondary access from Vandegrift High School that does not traverse protected preserve land. Both the amendment and plan passed unanimously today. LESLEE BASSMAN
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Two local families share their stories of living with autism

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

April is National Autism Awareness Month and two local families living with autism share what their lives look like, how their children might behave differently from other children, and how lack of awareness about autism affects them every day.

Mindy Minto lives in Steiner Ranch with her husband Sean and their two kids, 15-year-old Delia and 12-year-old Charlie. While Delia is a typically developing child, Charlie was diagnosed at age four with autism.

Mindy, Delia, Charlie and Sean Minto of Steiner Ranch in one of their favorite family photos from a few years ago. Now the children are 15 and 12. Mindy wants to help people understand more about autism. Charlie was diagnosed with autism at age 4. “I can’t stand when people stare at him,” she said. “When he starts flapping (his hands) or is loud… I wish those stares would stop. He sees it. He understands everything that is going on around him. I feel like eventually — maybe not now but eventually — it will hurt his feelings.” Lauren Lesley Photography

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Vandegrift has strong showing in playoff loss to Cy Ranch

The Vandegrift lines up against an indirect freekick inside the penalty box, but the Vipers lost to Mustangs 2-1 in the bi-district round of the playoffs on
Friday night.

By ZACH SMITH, Hill Country News Sports

Saying a team gave it everything they had but came up short is a cliché used far too much in sports. But, simply put, there is no other way to describe the Vandegrift boys’ soccer team on March 29.

The Vipers were presented a difficult task in the first round of the playoffs, state-ranked No. 11 and District 14-6A champions Cy Ranch. Vandegrift scored the opening goal in the first half but battled the wind and few other factors in the second half to fall 2-1 to the Mustangs.

“I think that was the best game we played all season,” Vandegrift head coach Cody Brown said. “We battled all the way through and had chances to win the game. It kind of got stolen from us in my opinion. I’m a coach and I want to win games, but to lose games like that, I can live with because these guys played with so much heart.”

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