The Murphy Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Foundation has awarded scholarships to six local students, bringing to $174,000 the amount given since the program began 20 years ago.

“We reviewed the candidates based on scholastics, work history, community involvement, need and an essay component as well,” said Luke Trahan, co-chair of the Foundation. “It is a very competitive process.”

He and co-chair Steve Dault presented the winners to the Tuesday, June 2, meeting of the Murphy City Council.

Maci Hatzenbuehler has lived in Murphy entire life, attended Wylie High School and will be going to Southeast Missouri State University, where she will be playing soccer while majoring in nursing. 

“Her favorite memory in Murphy is playing sports at the PSA or attending Murphy Maize Days with her family and her friends,” Trahan said.

Maha Rizvi, another lifelong Murphy resident, attended Plano East High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Dallas with a major in healthcare studies on a pre-med track. 

“Maha’s favorite memory in Murphy is rolling down the hill at Murphy Central Park with friends at Sounds of Sundown with the Emerald City Band,” Dault said.

Sevy Wang is a resident of Murphy for the last 11 years, a graduate of Wylie High School and will study engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

“His favorite Murphy memory is participating as a young entrepreneur twice at Murphy Maize Days to raise money for endangered animals,” Trahan said.

Suri Wang has also lived in Murphy for 11 years, graduated from Wylie High and will attend Texas A&M University to pursue a major in mechanical engineering. 

“Her favorite memories of participating as a young entrepreneur in Murphy Maize Days and volunteering at local summer camps with her friends,” Dault said.

Dyan Tecuatl has lived in Murphy for nine years and attended Plano East High School. She will attend Purdue University and hopes to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. 

“Her favorite memory of Murphy is going on morning runs with her cross-country team through Murphy Central Park and the preserve at Maxwell Creek,” Trahan said.

Roheemat Olaiya Mohammed has lived in Murphy for seven years, attended Plano East and will attend Texas A&M University to major in biology on the pre-med track. 

“Her favorite memory in Murphy is performing with the Plano East Marching Band for football games and competitions in Tom Kimbrough Stadium,” Dault said.

“Thank y’all so much for your support,” he told councilmembers. “Without it, we definitely would not have been so successful at handing out these scholarships.”

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The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Administration Building Board Room, 2700 West 15th Street in Plano.

Residents are invited to attend and participate in the discussion regarding the proposed budget and tax rate before trustees adopt the budget.

Trustees reviewed anticipated savings along with significant projected expenditures — including the increased cost of utilities and McKinney Vento Transportation — at their Tuesday, May 5, regular meeting.

However, the staff proposed increasing the district’s total budget by just 0.17% or $144,601. That would raise the 2025-26 budget amount of $86,560,867 to $86,705,468 in 2026-27.

As a result, district officials are proposing to decrease the total tax rate for property within the Plano ISD by $0.0068 or less than one penny. 

The current total tax rate for 2025-26 is $1.03955 per $100 valuation and the district will consider a proposed 2026-27 rate of $1.03275 per $100 valuation, the voter-approved rate.

The proposed rate is made up of $0.79540 for maintenance and operations and $0.23735 for debt service (interest & sinking) tied to voter-approved bonds. Under the proposed rate, the M&O of $0.80220 would decrease but I&S would remain the same.

The district’s total taxable property value is estimated at $75.22 billion for the current tax year, down slightly from approximately $74.36 billion last year. 

New taxable property value is estimated at about $665.2 million, an increase of roughly 0.89% from the previous year.

Plano ISD’s total appraised property value is listed at approximately $105.76 billion, compared with $100.83 billion during the preceding tax year.

For homeowners, the district estimates taxes on the average residence would increase slightly. Based on a mean taxable home value of $368,605, taxes are projected at $3,807 annually, an increase of $54 from the previous year.

Under Texas law, the Plano ISD’s voter-approval tax rate is $1.03275 per $100 valuation. If the district adopts a rate above that threshold, voter approval would be required through an election. The proposed rate remains at that level.

Additional information regarding property taxes and proposed tax rates is available through the state’s property tax database at Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes.

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With the toss of a cap, a chapter ended for nearly 1,300 members of the Plano East Senior High School Class of 2026.

Grinning broadly, waving to family and friends, gesturing to classmates or taking selfies, the PESH Panthers claimed their diplomas during the Thursday, May 28, commencement exercise.

In a series of video messages, the audience in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco heard from Senior Class President Kareem Hassanien, Salutatorian Vedant Sundar and Valedictorian Haosu Sam Zhu.

 “Whether you realize it or not, this place has prepared us for what’s next,” Kareem said. “I say that because to get here we had to survive some of the toughest challenges we could imagine, a snowstorm in Texas, math class, painting our senior parking spots in the dark and — worst of all — the cell phone ban.”

Vedant said the students had received a phenomenal education. “We’ve been taught to dream farther, to have ambitions that shape our first steps after tonight, beyond the Plano bubble and into the world,” he said.

Sam said the biggest lesson he learned at Plano East was to bet on himself. “We sometimes think too much about what’s probable and not enough about what’s possible,” he said. “Once in a while, maybe we should take more risks: to bet on ourselves. No on changed the world for the better by taking the path of least resistance.”

Principal David Jones, himself a PESH alumnus, said the Class of 2026 had traversed multiple challenging moments and had persevered to reach the summit. “You are now poised to be leaders and take on the challenges of our future,” Jones said. “Each of you have continued to represent our community, display East Side pride, and you have accomplished many great things.”

Jones recognized groups of students for their achievements, ending by having all members stand and provide an ovation for the family members who have guided and provided for students on their journey.

The principal added, “Winning with class should apply to each and every endeavor in your journey moving forward.

“Remember all you have accomplished with East Side Pride,”  Jones said. “Remember one of the many strengths of our community lies in our diverse student body, varying perspectives, unique cultures and our shared experiences that have enriched us with empathy and understanding.”

Seniors entered the stadium to Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1” performed by classical pianist Julia Lee. The recessional was Felix Mendelsson’s “War March of the Priests.”

The Plano East Junior ROTC presented the colors, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Addisyn Barron, Larina White, Christian Weeresinghe and Preston Le. The valedictorian led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

In a departure from tradition, an artificial intelligence voice announced the graduates’ names during the presentation of diplomas.  

The ceremony ended with remarks by Avleen Randhawa, the Student Senate president.

“As odd as it sounds, I will miss the crowded hallways during the rainy days, the smell of the pond at the beginning of the year and the construction that seems like it will never end,” she said. “They will always remind me of this school, and all the unforgettable memories I have made here with all of you. I’d like to think that 10 years from now, when we look back on our years at East, we will only remember the best of our memories. But I also realize that our moments of foolishness, the hardships and the struggles we have all experienced are what make us who we are today.”

Avleen then led the Class of 2026 in singing the Plano East Alma Mater, followed by the joyous flinging of mortarboards into the air.

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The top two students in the Plano East Senior High School Class of 2026 have both attended Plano ISD schools since kindergarten.

Valedictorian Haosu (Sam) Zhu grew up in Plano and attended Gulledge and Stinson Elementary Schools, Otto Middle School and then PESH.

Salutatorian Vedant Sundar grew up in Richardson, but his neighborhood was zoned for Plano schools.

Both students learned in 11 th grade that they were at the top of their class.

“I realized I was at the top of my class in junior year,” Sam said.

“I had first known of my rank as salutatorian in junior year,” Vedant said. “After that, Sam and I have had a pretty close push-and-pull for the top rank. I moved up to being valedictorian in the first semester of senior year and settled back to being salutatorian now in the final rankings.”

Sam plans to major in physics at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He said he has not decided on a career path but is considering opportunities in technology or academic research.

Vedant will be attending the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California.

“I will be reading physics and mathematics,” Vedant said. “After my undergrad, I plan to pursue graduate and doctoral studies and go into research, either specializing in particle physics or theoretical condensed matter physics.

Sam played junior varsity tennis in his junior year and Plano East varsity tennis his senior year.

He also made All-Region during his four years in the PESH chamber orchestra, was concertmaster his senior year and played in the TMEA All-State orchestra for three years.

Since his sophomore year, Vedant has been president of the East Math Circle, a group covering unconventional techniques and problems across areas of pure mathematics.

“Going from student to teacher, I coach MathCounts at my former middle school (Otto Middle School), where I introduce students to contest mathematics using a self-devised curriculum,” he said. “I am honored to have helped send 10 students to state in the past four years.”

Much of his remaining time in high school was taken by university level math and physics competitions. “I have enjoyed [that] thoroughly,” he said.

For nearly 10 years, Vedant has played the mridangam, an ancient South Indian double-headed percussion instrument, as well as the violin.

He also has been a research intern for a projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Sam’s favorite high school memory was his last All-State chamber orchestra trip. “Performing alongside the best musicians in the state in my senior year made all the hours of practice throughout high school worth it,” he said.

Vedant said he was not awake for his favorite school memory — but saw the video.

He and friends were participating in the week-long Power Round of the Texas A&M University’s proof-based math contest. After 24 hours, Vedant said, he lost track of time and crashed in mid-sentence at 5 a.m.

“Luckily, my team members woke me up and we were able to submit our proofs by the 8 a.m. deadline, he said. “But it was pretty surreal to see videos of my team panic, roll me over and place a finger under my nose to check if I was still breathing.”

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Six projects by Plano ISD students advanced this year to the 76th annual International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

Four projects captured category grand awards. One student placed first and three placed fourth. In addition, four projects received special awards.

Ana Spiride of Plano East Senior High School placed first in Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics and won $6,000 for her project, Handtalk: A Translation System for American Sign Language.” She also won a Third Award of $2,000 from Qorvo technology.

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Health officials said all blood types are currently needed, with particular demand for O negative and O positive donations. O negative blood is especially critical because it is the only blood type used to treat premature and unborn babies, while O positive is often used for patients experiencing severe trauma and life-threatening bleeding injuries.

Wylie residents will also have an opportunity to help locally during an upcoming blood drive hosted by Wylie ISD in partnership with Carter BloodCare. The drive is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 24, aboard the Carter BloodCare bus at Wylie ISD, 951 S. Ballard Ave. Donation appointments are planned throughout the morning and early afternoon.

According to Carter BloodCare, donations help a wide range of patients, including individuals injured in serious traffic accidents, children undergoing cancer treatment, new mothers, burn patients, organ transplant recipients and older adults facing age-related health concerns.

Individuals may begin donating blood at age 16 with parental consent, while those 17 and older can donate independently. Donors also must weigh at least 110 pounds and be feeling well at the time of their appointment.

As an added incentive, everyone who donates blood with Carter BloodCare during June will receive an official 2026 beach towel while supplies last.

For additional information or to schedule an appointment, visit Carter BloodCare’s donor scheduling website.

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A closing reception is planned from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, in the gallery. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The featured artists are students from the Spring 2026 Photography Portfolio class taught by Collin College Professor Lisa Means. The advanced studio course requires students to create a cohesive series of works while preparing for careers in commercial photography.

In addition to coursework and instructional guidance, students completed portfolio reviews with professional advisers from the Dallas-area photography industry, including creative directors, art directors, publishing editors, photographers and designers. Students also conducted mock client interviews and presented their work to potential clients.

Means assisted students in creating a personal website for their work, advised them on effective use of social media and collaborated with the Art Gallery at Collin College to curate and install the final exhibition.

Featured student artists include Josh Corley, Katherine Coronado, Lisa Dorman, Bernadette Dorzier, Macy Lucero, Brendan Murphy, Lydia Nitz, Joseline Ochoa Mazariegos, Yuridia Pedroza, Ayden Perez, Zoe Simons, Catherine Stewart, Ann Tigler, Vo Tran and Cole Webb.

The gallery is located at the Collin College Plano Campus, Room A175, 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway. More information is available at the college’s website.

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The meeting began with recognitions for the parent-teacher associations at Cox Elementary, Whitt Elementary, Watkins Elementary and Harrison Intermediate, each of which earned the Texas PTA’s Platinum Voice for Every Child Award. The Cramer Elementary PTA also earned the award but will be recognized next month after qualifying following the submission deadline.

Trustees also honored dozens of students from campuses across the district for achievements in competitions and programs, including Future Problem Solvers, the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference and multiple all-state competitions. Honored students represented campuses including Wylie High School, Wylie East High School, McMillan Junior High School, Cooper Junior High School and Davis Intermediate School.

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Both events will be held at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center, 200 E. Stacy Road, in Allen.

At 11 a.m., the ceremony will celebrate students graduating with academic certificates, Associate of Applied Science degrees or bachelor’s degrees. 

The commencement address will be delivered by Aaron Demerson, president and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation. Demerson previously served as the commissioner representing employers on the Texas Workforce Commission, where he advocated for over 660,000 employers and over 3 million small businesses.

A 4 p.m. ceremony will celebrate dual credit students or those graduating with Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees.

Plano Police Chief Ed Drain will serve as the commencement speaker. A U.S. Army veteran, Drain joined the department in 1994, later leaving to serve as Amarillo police chief before returning in 2020 to lead Plano PD.

The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College serves approximately 60,000 credit and continuing education students per year. 

The school offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management, Bachelor of Applied Science in Clinical Operations Management and a new Bachelor of Applied Technology in Software Development.

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The free camps are Monday through Friday, July 20-24 and July 27-31. Each camp runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They are open to Murphy students entering grades six to 10 in the fall.

Previous camps have included a K-9 demonstration, a bomb squad presentation and a visit from the Texas DPS helicopter. Students will learn how to recognize dangerous drugs and may even see how a Taser works.

Registration will be held in August for the Murphy Police Cadet for residents 14 to 20 years old.

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