Gunter ISD Tiger Times - May 2019

Tiger Times

MAY 2019 | Volume 10, Issue 10

THE

THE ONLINE NEWSLETTER FOR GUNTER ISD

Superintendent’s Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following students who were honored at the board meeting for being named the Spring Superintendent Honor Roll recipients.

GES: Makenzi Nelson and Sarah Smith GMS: Kiana Swinfen and Parker Hoel GHS: Emily Loftis and Melanie Loftis These students were chosen for their hard work, helpful attitudes, good character and leadership. They, along with all of the other Superintendent Honor Rolls recipients this year, will go on a field trip with Dr. Siler and her staff on May 3rd to celebrate this honor!

Faculty Recognition Gunter Strong! Our district is great because of the faculty who pour love into our students every single day. By choosing to do this, they are “Building Capacity” in our students. They are helping the students believe in themselves, which leads to well-rounded students. We are honored to have recognized four teachers who exemplify this trait at the school board meeting. Congratulations to Maren Pelzel (GES), Katie Beavers (GMS), (GHS/District) Carla Wade and Katy Johnson (GHS) - not pictured.

School Board Honors

We have been so blessed by the service of two of our board members. At the board meeting in April, we were able to show them just how much they mean to us. Candy Leonard and L.D. Byrd will be retiring their positions, and this was their last full board meeting. To honor them, they were awarded a garden marker engraved with the years they served GISD. Neelie Parker and Gunnar Griggs Bell from the FFA program also awarded them with a plaque denoting the fact that the garden created by the horticulture students will be named for them.

TDA Farm Fresh Challenge Award GISD is blessed to have a group of ladies that care about all of our kids. They work hard every day bringing nutritious meals to the students in this district. We were honored to present the 2018 TDA Farm Fresh Challenge plaque to them at the board meeting. This is the 6th year in a row they have been awarded this plaque! They are so deserving of this award for bringing locally grown food to our cafeterias.

School Lunch Hero Day | Friday, May 3rd

Between preparing healthy meals for America’s students, adhering to strict nutrition standards, navigating student food allergies, and offering service with a smile, school nutrition professionals are true heroes!

On Friday, May 3rd we will celebrate the 7th Annual School Lunch Hero Day. School Lunch Hero Day is a chance to showcase the difference school nutrition professionals make for every child who comes through the cafeteria.

Please join us on May 3rd by posting your favorite stories about our cafeterias on our Facebook post! Just reply to our “School Lunch Hero” post -- It is the perfect opportunity to recognize the hardworking professionals in our school cafeterias.

Gift Reception 2019

Special thanks to Scout Troop #3 for presenting the colors, the choir members who sang the national anthem, and Roy Layman for his inspirational words of encouragement and the GIFT Board for creating such an amazing event. You all made the Gift reception so special for the honorees. We would also like to thank everyone who donated money this year, including Donald & Carmen Godwin who donated $25,000 for the 3rd year. A total of $46,000 was given to the students to help make their future become a reality!

Brian Avendono Kaylee Smith

Grant McClure Austin Rue Alyssa Jarrell Braiden Clopton Elizabeth Schroeder Karissa Pelfry Kennon Magers Taylor Howard Madison Varns Chloe Walton Chandler Wade Melanie Loftis Ana Mercado Ryle Leach Halle Ward Lauren Nobles Evan Gonzales Tori Gittens Emily Loftis

Godwin Valedictorian Scholarship $5,000 Katie Green Fairchild Memorial Scholarship $1,000; Godwin Salutatorian Scholarship $3,000 Kristen Streetman Memorial Scholarship $2,000; Godwin Scholarship $2,000 Scott Smith Memorial Scholarship $2,000; Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Chuck & Laura Glass Scholarship $1,000; Godwin Scholarship $2,000 Bill & Dawn Arrington: Good & Faithful Servant $1,000; Godwin Scholarship $2,000 Kris Roberts Memorial Scholarship $1,000; GIFT Scholarship $2,000 Don Hankey Memorial Scholarship $1,000; Godwin Scholarship $2,000 Landmark Bank Scholarship $1,000; Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Frank & Liz Gravley: Strive for Excellence Scholarship $2,000 Julia Cummins Memorial Scholarship $1000; Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Rue Scholarship for Academic Excellence $1000; Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Jack & Charlynn Elliott Scholarship $2,000 Hubert & Flossie Westman Scholarship $1,000 GIFT Scholarship $1,000 Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Shellye Gressett Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Godwin Scholarship $1,000 Godwin Scholarship $1,000

Ribbon Cutting This past month we had a ribbon cutting dedication to officially recognize our new facilities that our students, faculty and community have fallen in love with this past school year. The Strength and Conditioning Center has been a blessing to many programs who have been using it for practice and workouts this year. The fieldhouse, track and field, and the Ag barn have also been truly loved by our students and faculty! Thank you to the Gunter Chamber of Commerce for planning this dedication!

Gunter Ceramics Participates in Empty Bowls Empty Bowls began in 1990 as an art class project in a Michigan high school to raise funds for a food drive. Students made ceramic bowls, served a meal of soup and bread, and invited guests to keep the bowl as a reminder of hunger in the world.

Since its inception, this simple project has evolved into a far-reaching program providing support for food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. Empty Bowls events have been held throughout the world, raising millions of dollars for use in combating hunger.

We would like to invite you to the 1st Gunter High School Empty Bowls fundraiser on May 4th. This is a come and go event (5:30-7:00 PM).

During the event, you will be served a simple meal, and then you will choose an empty bowl to keep as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in the world.

STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE What an incredible day spent visioning for our future!

Thank you to the community members, students, board members and staff who participated in the Year 1 Update for our Strategic Plan! We heard highlights of progress made in each area, prioritized areas of focus for this upcoming year and began the development of our Learner Profile. Great discussions around innovative learning, preparing future-ready students, social & emotional wellness, building capacity in our students and staff and preparing for growth. Thanks to all who participated!

For more information about Gunter ISD's Strategic Plan, visit www.gunterisd.org/strategicplan

In exchange for a meal and the bowl, each guest contributes a recommended minimum donation by purchasing a ticket. Thank you in advance for your donation! The GHS Ceramics class is selling tickets for $20 in advance. The price goes up at the door to $25. There are a limited supply of bowls, so get your ticket early!

The GHS Ceramics Class will send all donations to the Gunter Food Pantry.

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El Dia De Los Libros

Thank you Gunter Library and Museum for celebrating El Dia De Los Libros with our students!

Jackie Kruzie read Call Me Tree with our students and shared some of the exciting opportunities our library is offering! Thank you for sharing your love for reading with our students. Also, huge thanks to Treeland Nursery for helping sponsor this event!

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Texas Reads One Book

Students at Gunter Elementary School joined students across Texas in kicking off the fifth annual statewide celebration of literacy called Texas Reads One Book. They all gathered in the cafeteria to watch a video of Dallas Cowboys Head Coach, Jason Garrett, reading the first chapter of Friendship According to Humphrey. For the next three weeks, the students will participate in lessons and activities related to the book at school while reading and discussing the book at home with their families.

Digital Guest Speaker

When you can’t take the whole class to Cape Cod, you bring Cape Cod to them! The 3rd grade students Skyped with a representative from the Cape Cod National Seashore learning more about animals and their habitats

Scholastic Book Fair Success!

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful students, parents, parent volunteers and our Gunter High School National Honor Society volunteers who made our GES Spring Scholastic Book Fair a huge success! We appreciate everyone who attended Muffins with Mom. A special thank you to the volunteers who planned and organized both of these events as well as those who assisted with the fair.

Without our volunteers, the fair and our special events would not run smoothly! Sales from the book fair totaled $6,386.75 with a cash profit of $1,596.69. Again, thank you for your support.

April Birthday Book Club Celebrating an April birthday with a book from the Birthday Book Club are: Declan Riffe, Sydney Bodnyk, Miranda Fraire, Gunter Reed, Laureli Toney, Amelia Hubert, Dakota Friday and Eli Ashton.

Elementary Awards Assembly May 23rd | 8:15 AM Gunter High School Event Center (MS Awards Assembly to follow at 10:15 AM) Volume 10, Issue 10

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FULL STEAM AHEAD!

GES students and their parents were invited to spend an evening at the school “playing” together. Parents and their kids were concentrating on activities designed to challenge the brain and encourage communication. The event was a complete success! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Mrs. Harper’s first grade class has been having a lot of fun with different STEM activities thanks to our Voya STEM grant.

Turning a liquid to a solid

Caterpillars to butterflies

Jelly bean building challenge

In a small school district, everyone wears a LOT of hats! Our GES Principal, Dara Arrington, just happens to also teach a little Art! A huge thanks to parent volunteer Lisa Marks who volunteers every week to help with the program. Check out these Mixed Media projects. They combined mediums and materials and came up with these great pieces of art! Special thanks to Lisa Marks and Mrs. Arrington for keeping the arts alive at GES!

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Kindergarten had their annual Fairy Tales and Fables musical. This year they shared Goldilocks and the three bears. They followed up the musical with square dancing

Middle School Awards Assembly

May 23rd | 10:15 AM Gunter High School Event Center (GES Awards Assembly precedes at 8:15 AM)

Escape the Vape Essay Winners

Congratulations to Daniel Dominguez and Alexis Marks. Daniel and Alexis are the winners of the Escape the Vape Essay Contest. Their essays were picked from a committee of teachers at GMS. Each were well written, detailed, and very impressive! Check out the essays on the middle school webpage. We will keep them up through the summer!

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April Tiger Leaders @ GMS

Congratulations to the GMS April Tiger Leaders.

We are proud of you, Riley, Julianna, Caseyn and Kamber!

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Perot Museum

The 5th grade students and teachers would like to say thank you to Dr. Pincus and Parkhaven Dental for sponsoring their trip to the Perot Museum. They had a blast!

2019

Tournament of Books

From March 3 through April 5 Gunter Middle School had their own version of “March Madness”. The Tournament of Books began with the “Sweet 16” (the 16 most circulated books this year) and ended with a champion. Each week the student body voted for their favorite books to advance. The book Wonder, by R. J. Palacio, won it all! If you have never read Wonder, please check out this winner of a book. You’ll love it!!

ESL Visits UNT On April 23, 2019, the Secondary ESL students toured the University of North Texas. We wanted to promote college and career readiness for our ESL students. For many of these students, this was the first time to ever tour a college campus. We chose UNT because our students’ career interests are offered as majors on their campus, and their Visitor Experience Team offers bilingual tours. Our students learned about all the benefits of living on a college campus such as their amazing athletic facilities and all-you-can-eat cafeteria buffet while understanding the importance of doing well in school and being involved in extracurriculars so that college is affordable through scholarships.

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#ServeLikeSue GMS was honored to #ServeLikeSue on Thursday, April 4th. Sue Wilson Stafford was an educator for 48 years and a tireless community servant. There’s no better way to remember her birthday than by performing acts of service similar to things she might have done. GMS participates in this campaign each year, and hopes it will also encourage others to perform acts of service. By promoting their kind acts on social media using #ServeLikeSue and #4You4Sue as the hashtags, the idea can spread like wildflowers!

There are no rules, no guidelines, and no restrictions - just people finding ways to serve others or their communities in ways that are meaningful to them. Take a look at all the ways our middle schoolers served others on that day!

GMS PTO manned the concessions while the students spent the day working. Thank you, parents for your donations and thank you for your endless support.

GMS traveled down to GES to read to the students. #ServeLikeSue

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Gandhi #ServeLikeSue #4You4Sue

GMS made cards that will be sent to Cook’s Children Hospital to brighten children’s days and collected non-perishable food items for the food bank. #ServeLikeSue

5th and 6th Grade Spring Dance May 11th | 7:00 PM $10 / Person Refreshments will be provided!

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STEAM & Drones

Have you seen the GMS STEAM students out flying drones? STEAM students are currently learning how to fly drones and are learning about their uses. Students recently had the opportunity to video conference with Jeff Davidson, an instructor for Morgan Community College in Northeastern Colorado. Mr. Davidson spoke to our students about drones and precision agriculture.

Agriculture has evolved into a high-tech business that relies on computers, satellites and drones. Mr. Davidson shared with our STEAM students about the uses of drones in not only agriculture, but real estate, industry, energy, military, law enforcement and many other areas. In the weeks to come, GMS STEAM students will be designing, flying and marketing drones.

GMS Students Recognized by Land Commissioner GUNTER MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WORK TO CONSERVE HISTORIC COUNTY MAP AT THE TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE GUNTER, TX - Today, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush released the following statement, applauding Gunter Middle School 7th graders for their dedication to Saving Texas History and their work to help conserve a historic map at the Texas General Land Office.

After attending a Texas history educator’s workshop offered by the Texas General Land Office in 2017, Mrs. Jill Rodarmer, a teacher at Gunter Middle School, realized the importance and overwhelming need to conserve many of the one-of-a-kind maps housed at the GLO. Following the workshop, Mrs. Rodarmer concluded that raising funds to conserve the 1913 outline map of Grayson County would be a great way to teach her students about making a difference and saving Texas history for future generations. Under her leadership, Gunter Middle School began a project to raise funds to "save a map" and teach their students the importance of studying and protecting our shared history.

"Some donations to the Save Texas History program honor a loved one, while others are from Texans wanting to secure a permanent home for a family treasure handed down through multiple generations," said Commissioner George P. Bush. "Donations like this one from Mrs. Rodarmer’s 7th grade class at Gunter Middle School inspire younger generations to learn about our community and work together towards a common goal by conserving a piece of our past. Teachers, like Mrs. Rodarmer, are some of the most important members of our society because of their role in educating the future leaders of this great state. I commend her for taking the lead on this project, and I am inspired by the young people in her classroom for doing what they can to Save Texas History.”

Created in 2004, the Save Texas History program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of the historic maps and documents housed in the GLO Archives. *Copyright © 2019 Texas General Land Office, All rights reserved.

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Valedictorian and Salutatorian Gunter High School is proud to announce the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the Class of 2019.

Brian Avendano - Valedictorian Kaylee Smith - Salutatorian

Graduation Ceremony Prosper High School Arena May 24th | 7:00 PM

Prom Court 2019

Prince and Princess Court Tristan Cochran, Peyton Lowe, Schuyler Marshall, Seth Schroeter, Keaton Stephens, Cassidy Ahlmeyer, Zoe Carlisle, Nancy Castorena, Kara Curtis, Sydney Wright

King and Queen Court: Carlos Chavez, Evan Gonzalez, Kanon Keeler, Austin Rue, Mason Snow, Peyton Fanning, Taylor Howard, Ryle Leach, Cecilia Mercado, Chloe Walton

Prince - Keaton Stephens Princess - Cassidy Ahlmeyer

King - Mason Snow Queen - Taylor Howard

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The Elevator Goes Up and Down

Recently the Principles of Engineering class was tasked to design the control system and a prototype of an elevator that can go between three floors in any combination. The criteria was: ØØ Made from VEX equipment ØØ Have three switches to represent three floors (first, second and third floor) ØØ Code written in RobotC ØØ An LED had to light when the elevator stopped on the selected floor ØØ After six seconds, a timeout happens and the elevator returns to the first floor ØØ If within 5.9 seconds a floor button was pushed the elevator than goes to the

selected floor and timing starts over Students worked on this project for two weeks designing, coding, testing, and entering information into their Engineering Notebook. Both groups in the class used an UltraSonic sensor to determine which floor the elevator was resting on, but after that their designs were very different. One group used a winch to control the up and down movement of the elevator, while the other group used a track to move their elevator. It is interesting to see how different groups approach a challenge.

This project put into application what they have been learning over the year. When asked what they felt about the project junior, Colton Mercer said, “It was the ultimate guess and check assignment.” Building, testing, re-designing, testing again and tweeking the design and/or code until the requirements are achieved, is all part of engineering.

Getting Our VEX On! Recently, the Robotics received equipment that was ordered in September (yes, they are that back ordered). The class now has VEX kits: five class kits and two competition kits. Students were as excited about receiving the equipment as Mrs. Foster was. She could be heard saying, “I was totally nerding out going through the equipment. This is so awesome!” Schuyler Marshall (jr) said, “Getting the equipment is fantastic. It will expand the class in creativity, learning, and coding. It is fun to design a robot for a specific need or action.” Freshman Jacob Hales said, “The wait was well worth what we received.” Jacob truly is enjoying all the hands-on work. He is excited about class now and wishes he could repeat it next year.

For the current assignment, students were put into groups to build and code a testbed. This testbed helps the students to learn the thresholds of sensors and motors. This is also putting into use the Robotic C++ they learned earlier in the year. Interestingly, students are excited about coming to class and working with the equipment. All of the students are enjoying their hands-on projects. It is great to see how the students are putting their knowledge into an actual application of equipment and coding.

Once they have finished working with the testbed, each group designs and codes a robot that will have to perform specified duties, both autonomously and using a wireless controller.

As stated previously, we also have two VEX competition kits. The Robotics Club is planning on entering into VEX Robotic Competitions. The VEX competitions take place throughout the year and are only open to high school students. The Robotics Club will continue in B.E.S.T. Robotics competition as well which is open to students seventh grade and up. Most competition work is done after school hours, some will be done during Robotics Class. Being a member for two years on the High School Robotics Club and attending 80% of the after school hours sessions qualifies one for a letter jacket.

If you are interested in joining the Robotics Club, contact Mrs. Foster at cfoster@gunterisd.org.

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Instant Challenges Are Enjoyed by IED Class At times, the IED (Introduction to Engineering Design) class walks into the room to learn they are having an Instant Challenge for the day (this always makes them happy). They do not know what the challenge is until told and they must use the given materials to create and/or to achieve whatever the Instant Challenge requires. While students are brainstorming and building their designs they are also entering into their Engineering Notebooks.

When the students were asked how they felt about Instant Challenges, sophomore, Reya Dawlah said she likes the Instant Challenges because, “They inspire creativity.” While sophomore Reagan Andres said, “It is putting a majority of the engineering process into one class period. That is a challenge.” Tristan Cochran (jr) said, “Instant Challenges sound easy at first, but with the materials provided it can be a little tough if you do not know what you are doing.” And junior Schuyler Marshall said, “I’ve loved the Instant Challenges throughout the year and they’ve made me able to think and work quickly much better.”

Recently, IED class had two Instant Challenges.

Get ‘Em Up Instant Challenge Students were given the following materials: 1 12-oz Styrofoam cup

2 Sheets of Paper

3 Chenille Stems

2 Pencils

4 Rubber Bands

8 Straws

4 Coffee Stirrers

4 Large Paper Clips

1 Paper Towel Tube

2 Shipping Labels

3 popsicle sticks

1 foot of transparent tape

Students were instructed to use all or any of the given materials to create a tool or tools that would pickup items from behind a line and move them to the other side of the line. Students had to pick up: 2 8-oz Syrofoam cups

4 large pom poms

2 ¾-inch wood cubes

2 small inflated balloons 2 small plastic toys In the end, all teams were able to move the items, but none picked up the items -- they all swept the items over the line. Regan Andres (sophomore), stated , “Our design was poor but by some miracle it worked out.” And Aidan McDowell said, “It was an amazing thing, and by some miracle, our tool worked.”

Hold Up Instant Challenge If you were given five sheets of printer paper and 1½ feet of transparent tape could you make an object that would hold books eight inches from the surface? This is what the IED class was challenged with.

All the students met the challenge with completely different designs and each design held a different weight of books. The students started their own competition to determine who could hold the most weight. The final results were all over the place. The team that held the most books were in 6th period. It held more books than Mrs. Foster had ready to use for testing, so they had to quickly pull several more books to add to the pile of books and then had to weigh each individual additional book.

3rd period IED

Schulyer and Penn had a design that held 22.59 lbs.

Jacob, Dalton and William had a design that held 2.56 lbs 6th period IED

Reagan and Aidan had a design that held 8.41 lbs

Jack and Reya – 99.4 pounds

When the students were asked what they felt about this challenge, sophomore, Aidan McDowell said, “Redesigning in 5 minutes is not a good thing, but the original design was definitely not going to work.” Junior, Schuyler Marshall said, “I enjoyed this and it was probably my favorite Instant Challenge. It proved that sometimes simpler designs are more structurally stable than advanced, difficult methods.” Sophomore, Jack Locke simply said, “I think we won.”

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High School EXEMPTIONS There are circumstances where students may be “exempt” from Final Exams. Exemptions are only applicable for the Spring Semester.

Students may be exempt from their Final Exams if they have: • No more than three absences (excused (A) or unexcused (U)) in that class period for the current semester • No more than three tardies for that class period for the semester • Not served time in ISS, Out-of-School suspension, or DAEP for the school year • Do not have any fines ALL students completing and receiving credit for Advanced Placement courses along with attempting the Advanced Placement Exam are EXEMPT from Final Exams for that course.

ALL students completing Dual Credit Courses will not be subject to additional Finals criteria outside of their initial course work.

Students enrolled in a subject that takes an End of Course Exam will be EXEMPT from a “Final Exam”.

Students will not be allowed to take Semester or Final Exams early.

High School will not be allowed to charge in the cafeteria after April 26th, and all fines and fees must be paid by May 10th in order for students to exempt from finals

Thanks for helping the “DAWGS” This past winter, GHS student Zoey Brooks headed up a collection for the Denison Animal Welfare Group (DAWG) at the high school. She had several donations, and wishes to thank those who helped the animals in need.

Future in Medicine?

Mrs. Clarke’s HOSA club members had the opportunity to travel to the Perot Museum to see some amazing things!

Pictured, they are participating in a DNA experiment inside the museum.

BLOOD SPATTER STUDY

It may look like a scene out of CSI, but it’s not! It is Mrs. Clarke’s medical microbiology students doing a study on blood spatter analysis.

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FFA Alumni Dinner & Banquet

The tables were set, tables filled with auction items, FFA members dressed and ready to serve. The evening was a huge success!

While people perused the silent auction and live auction items, the commons came alive with live music and a delicious dinner. The live auction contained several projects created by the FFA members, and brought in top dollar amounts! Thank you to everyone who participated to make this evening a success.

Area 5 CDE (Judging) Contests at Tarleton: Floral Team (42 total teams) 1st in District 9th in Area Individuals in District/Area (143 total) Neelie Parker - 1st/12th Cindy Montes - 2nd/28th Zoey Singleton - 3rd/48 Natalee Hayes - 5th/54 Livestock Team (73 teams total) 8th in District 34th in Area Cassady Craddock, Gunnar Griggs Bell, Malison Fisher, Beth Martinek Horse Team: (68 teams total) State Qualified 1st in District 7th in Area Individuals in District/Area Natalie Stepan 1st/7th Cassady Craddock 4th/42nd Gunnar Griggs Bell 9th/81st

Land Team: (11 teams total) State Qualified 2nd in District 3rd in Area Individuals in District/Area Jake Osburn 2nd/3rd Grant McClure 4th/7th Colton Lankford 7th/13th Jacob Hales 8th/18th Homesite Team: (28 teams total) State Qualified 1st in District Ainslee Stovall 1st/1st Channing Clement 3rd/3rd Halle Ward 8th/10th Alyssa Jarrell 10/20th

District 3 Public Speaking Contest Gunnar Griggs Bell 1st Place Senior Prepared Ag Technology *Advancing to Area Cassady Craddock 1st Place Senior Prepared Agribusiness 2nd Place Soil Stewardship *Advancing to Area in both events Area contest will be held May 11

Junior FFA Reaps the Benefits!

Junior FFA got to visit Tru Root Farms and learn about planting seeds and making your own salsa. How fun! Thanks Tru Root Farms for hosting our kids.

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The 1st Annual Night of the Arts was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the fine arts department. We have some crazy talented students who deserved to be showcased, and they were! This is just a glimpse of the evening.

GHS Band member, Jack Locke, received a gift from his two favorite music teachers who arranged for him to have a private lesson from world renowned professor of trumpet, Caleb Hudson, who also performs with Canadian Brass. What an inspiration!

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The Gunter HS band had a great showing at their UIL Competition and brought home straight 1’s! GHS Band Director, Mr. Bremer said, “Most importantly, they have had great rehearsals and made great music.”

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Sweepstakes! UIL Region 25 Concert & Sight Reading Contest

The GHS Chamber Choir traveled to the Allen Performing Arts Theatre for the UIL High School Choir Concert & Sight Reading Contest and earned a SWEEPSTAKES rating! Pictured above, a screen capture from the bus ride home announcing their results. The happiness on their faces is awesome! Also above, the seniors proudly hold the trophy.

Spring Middle School Choir Contest

Congratulations to the GMS 5th and 6th grade choir students who received straight 1’s at the Sabine Creek Ranch Choir contest.

(Left) Kase Carlile, Asher Zuniga, and Jackson Burkholder represented Gunter Middle School at TMEA Region 25 Tenor/Bass Choir.

(Right) Jackson Burckholder was chosen for the TCDA MIDDLE SCHOOL ALL STATE CHOIR. Jackson was chosen out of 900 hundred students in the state of Texas. 200 students made the choir and will perform in San Antonio in July.

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Next Up...

Austin Rue

by Chris Dodd, GHS Principal Nobody endeavors for second place. Silver medals, red ribbons, runner up plaques.

Warriors defeat the Cavaliers four games to two in route to the Championship. At least in the record books the loser gets an honorable mention.

No one remembers or celebrates who gets third. This is even more of a reality in the academic world. The top two students in each class get the face time. They write the speech and in some ceremonies sit on the stage. The only place that third gets a little respect is in the Miss America Pageant – they call it second runnerup.

I joke with Senior Austin Rue that he is joining a very distinguished club. Three members of the faculty, that I am aware of, were third in their graduating class. Last week, Austin shared a table during strategic planning with an outstanding community leader that graduated third in his class of Gunter Tigers. A common trait I see in the members of this group of the forgotten is that all remained humble and hungry long after high school. Third place can become a member of their college hall of fame, climb the corporate ladder, win state championships as a coach, lead buildings, perform surgery, litigate, orchestrate, and delegate. A wise man told me a long time ago, “do not let numbers on a sheet of paper define you.”

really caused me to care more about others and become just a little more selfless rather than selfish.”

When did you decide on a University and why did you choose_____?

What was the deciding factor?

“I decided on Austin College sometime around August or September. I actually chose it because of its prestigious pre-med program, and the fact that it is a smaller school, which will allow me to be more involved and not be overwhelmed by some of the issues at bigger schools.”

You a Dog or Cat person?

“I am definitely a dog person. I have a shitzu named Maverick, and he is probably a little spoiled but he’s a really sweet dog, so it is hard not to spoil him.”

If you could possess one superpower what would it be?

“I would have to pick the power to teleport. That way I could save the time it takes to get from one place to another. Also, I would be able to save money by not having to buy gas.”

Your life becomes a Netflix Documentary…who performs the theme song?

“I would pick Post Malone, because he has such a variety of styles of songs,that he could make a song for anything and it would turn out great.”

Greatest influence in your life? What/who pushed you to be great?

“Probably my Mom. She has always supported whatever I have wanted to do, but in whatever I do, she always pushes me to be the best that I can, and she pushes me to always learn how I can make myself better.”

You get to be Principal for a day or week or year – what issue do you tackle/where do you want to see change?

This summer, Austin will travel on mission to Ecuador with faculty and students from Austin College. These types of ventures are a precursor to what the future holds for this young man. Austin has expressed a desire to study medicine and someday be a part of a group like Doctors Without Borders. That alone tells you enough about this student’s moral fiber. Austin will also study music at AC. He can strum the guitar, tickle the ivories, but his real gift is his voice. Austin is already performing with his collegiate choir. Kid has talent.

“There are already tons of ways for students to get involved and take leadership roles, but if I was principal, I would continue to look for opportunities that students could use to become leaders.

I would also push for those who are not as involved specifically to fill those roles.”

It has become custom for me to yield the keyboard to our graduating seniors and let them share a bit about themselves as they prepare to cross the graduation threshold into adulthood:

Greatest success to this date?

Describe your ultimate goal for high school – did you obtain it? What did you learn from the journey?

“My ultimate goal in high school was really just to better myself, and become a better person as a whole. I think I achieved this, as I sharpened my skills through my academics and I improved tremendously as a singer. Also, I think I became a better person throughout high school. The people around me were always there if I needed them, and they were always there for others, which Volume 10, Issue 10

Bucket list…what is one thing you want to do (i.e. skydive, Everest, swim with sharks, etc.)?

“I have always wanted to skydive, and now that I am 18, I am looking for an opportunity for me to go out and experience that.”

“My greatest success is probably going into the TMEA All State Choir as a 1st chair tenor. Not only did it feel great making it after all of the hard work that I had to put into that goal, it was also an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Greatest Failure? (this hurt so bad but it pushed me to new heights)

“Probably not getting into the All State Choir my sophomore or junior years. I had worked really hard both years, and I was always continued next page

Tiger Times - Page 19

close to making it but not quite good enough. After my junior year, it caused me to really focus on my technique and I became a much better singer overall. On top of that, it really taught me what it means to put in the work to achieve something that’s not an easy goal. In the future, I will remember what it took to achieve my goal, and apply it by working that hard in whatever goal I am trying to reach.”

Celebrity you most relate to…? (example: Mr. Dodd relates to Darth

Vader)

“Zac Efron, because he sings, and he stays busy, but still cares about his fitness and health.”

Last – In one paragraph….If you could do one thing over the last four years…what would it be and why?

Choir Concert May 14th MS Choirs 6:30 PM HS Choirs 7:30 PM

“If I could change one thing about the last four years, I wouldn’t care as much about popularity or worrying about what others think.

If I would have disregarded what I thought others would think of me, I would have been involved in more of what I liked to do, rather than being involved in what most people seemed to like to do. Eventually, I did have the realization that my happiness was more important than what others thought of me, but throughout my freshman and sophomore years, it was a big issue that was the deciding factor in what groups I was a part of at Gunter. Overall, I have had an amazing high school experience at Gunter, but if there is one thing I could change, that would be it.”

I told you Austin Rue was something special! And for that reason he is our Tiger Times Student of the Month for May! NEXT MONTH – Meet our Class of 2019 Val and Sal

Spring Concerts

Don’t miss them!

Band Concert May 16th | 6 PM All 3 Bands will perform!

The GHS Commons will be filled with music from our choir and band students.

Gunter High School will observe

Generation Texas College Decision Day on Friday, May 3rd to celebrate any senior that would like to make a public declaration of their college destination decision.

Please join us in the High School Commons at 9:30am on the 3rd to observe seniors signing letters of intent to attend their chosen colleges and universities.

Participation is voluntary.

Please contact Mr. Waggoner at jwaggoner@gunterisd.org if you would like your senior to participate in this event.

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 20

Principal Points

by Chris Dodd, GHS Principal When Tiger Field finally cleared out, and the visiting bus pulled away,

I was still standing out on the hill adjacent to center field. I took a few moments to reflect on how the next morning, people would not be talking about the outstanding ballgame, but rather the aftermath of a hotly contested match-up. My truck was back at the high school, and therefore, I had a good walk ahead. Half way to my destination, my mind found its way back to that infamous day on a dusty intramural field. My judgmental heart transitioned to remorse, guilt, and then empathy towards the young men in the outfield and beyond, that like me, found themselves “blowing it”.

Let me define this term for you.

“Blowing it” - being at your worst, without excuse, in full public view.

I’ve been that kid, I’ve been that player, I’ve been that young adult, I’ve been that spouse, I’ve been that coach, I’ve been that dad. You will be that guy or that person too. It is not gender specific and not limited to the physical time and space. There is a lot of daily “blowing” it on social media, especially by adults.

We ALL “blow it” and hopefully someone that’s “been there and done that” will help us grow in that moment.

It was supposed to be a flag football contest on a late spring afternoon providing respite from the upcoming finals week. I was done with college ball and thus eligible to play in an intramural tournament.

In a few months, I would travel in Europe with a college showcase team and thus still in “playing” shape. This occasion was not meant for the “physical or the mental” intensity of college football. This was meant to be friendly and fun. Get a bunch of twenty somethings on a playing field and sure enough the testosterone starts flowing. My team was stacked, and we planned on winning this tournament and receiving a bid to join other college teams in a state-wide tournament later that month. We probably underestimated our opponent of quicker and in better shape soccer players. I’m pretty sure I forced a throw in a desperation situation and found myself attempting to prevent a pick six. My teammates would later tell me they couldn’t believe I ran the other kid down considering the angle and head start he had. Unfortunately that got lost in the narrative. Instead of pulling a flag, and living to play another play, I let my frustration get the best of me and shoved my opponent out of bounds. Let me be clear - I unloaded on this guy. I probably had at least 40-50 pounds on this kid and he went flying at least ten feet off the field and into a fence. This was the very definition of a “wanna get-away” moment. The whole tournament stopped. There was this brief moment of silence like a flash bang grenade had gone off with everyone standing in disbelief unsure how to react. I had blown it. To put this in context, I was a leader on campus. I had worked very hard in a number of circles to be known as a person of character, integrity, and academic excellence. I was voted to the student-athlete advisory board. Several days earlier I attended a photo shoot with another student as we were selected as the university Mr and Miss for that school year. But in that moment, I was the guy that had embarrassed himself, his team, the tournament directors, and all those in attendance by taking this cheap shot on one of my peers.

Volume 10, Issue 10

The tournament director, one of our professors in the PE department, quietly pulled me aside and said I could stay pending an apology, but was removed from playing due to my conduct on the field. I nodded, apologized to everyone in attendance, and then watched my team quickly get eliminated from the tournament.

I spent the next week in damage control. My peers laughed it off and consistently met me with Waterboy impersonations. I submitted an editorial article the next day to the school paper apologizing for my actions. I felt nothing short of a public mea culpa would help clear the air and my reputation. I had already applied for a position with the university and graduate school. I put all that in jeopardy. How could the university trust someone demonstrating an outburst to be emotionally mature in a difficult situation?

Two weeks went by and I was summoned to the Dean of Student’s office. I was met by her, the head of the physical education department, and the director of intramurals. To say I was “sweating it” is an understatement. I feared at minimum a suspension from future intramurals and at worst to be held back to discuss my application with the Dean. Incredibly, the consensus in the room was that I had handled myself post-event with the utmost of maturity. I had owned my mistake, rectified my reputation by seeking out those I had wronged, and impressed the department head with my article. I still remember his exact words: “your op-Ed was a textbook example of the type of leadership we need. You have a position as an intern with future consideration in my department for a teaching opportunity upon graduation.”

This was over twenty years ago and I remembered it like yesterday standing on that hill.

Students today do not get much room for mistakes. Everything they do is recorded, reviewed, and magnified by social media. The grace that we of past generations enjoyed, along with the protections of adolescent anonymity, no longer exist. It’s tough to be a kid today. It’s real tough for them when they “blow it.” And they will blow it.

I believe that we should provide for students time to reflect, take ownership, and seek counsel and guidance to LEARN when transgressions occur. Mistakes are not failure. We are all human clay, molded not in the moment, but through long processes of refined weathering. When a student acknowledges their error, they demonstrate the capability to respond more appropriately in the future.

We all are a work in progress.

I wish I could say that was my last time to blow it. Nope. I nearly got removed from a game my young wife was coaching in Duncanville.

Pretty sure I got T’d up several times coaching hoops. I do recall a near miss on getting ejected one Friday night. I might have acted the fool once or twice at one of my kid’s ballgames. I’ll own every one of those moments. I chose to respond the wrong way. I’m thankful for the chance to make it right and move on. And even more thankful these were spared from social media.

Students deserve the same. Adults too. No one is perfect. To err is human...to blow it is...human as well.

And that’s this month’s Principal Point for May.

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District Junior High Track 7th Grade Boys - 4th Place Team Cade Dodson • 400M Dash 1st Place (57.91); Jackson Rue • 800M Run 2nd Place (2:30.99); Kai Altun • 800M Run 6th Place (2:43.6); Marshall Magers • 110M Hurdles 5th Place (20.98); Parker Hoel • 110M Hurdles 3rd Place (20.21) • 300M Hurdles 4th Place (53.09); Hayden Standerfer • Discus 6th Place (71-0.5); Gavin Dupler • Pole Vault 2nd Place (7-0); Jaxson Jester • Shot Put 5th Place (28-6); Carter Layton • Shot Put 6th Place (27-8)• Discus 4th Place (75-2); (Jace Martin, Cade Dodson, Jaxson Jester, Parker Hoel) 4x100M Relay - 3rd Place (51.27); (Jace Martin, Luke Dodd, Jackson Rue, Jaxson Jester) 4x200M Relay- 5th Place (1:56.2); (Jace Martin, Cade Dodson, Jackson Rue, Jaxson Jester) 4x400M Relay- 3rd Place (4:10.61) 8th Grade Boys - 2nd Place Team 100 M Dash: Ethan Sloan 1st Place 11.53; 200 M Dash: Austin Trevino 2nd Place 26.06; 400 M Dash: Trent Carr 2nd Place 59.99, Toney Fraire 4th Place 1:02.34, Logan Pierce 6th Place 1:03.10; 800 M Run: Trent Carr 1st Place 2:20:54; 110 M Hurdles: Dakota Lowry 5th Place 20.42; 300 M Hurdles: Ivy Hellman 2nd Place 46.02; 4x100 M Relay: Ethan Sloan, Ivy Hellman, Dakota Lovery, Austin Trevino 1st Place 48.02; 4x200 M Relay: Landon Waligura, Austin Trevino, Kaden Pines, Adam Reed 5th Place 1:47.69: 4x400 M Relay: Ethan Sloan, Ivy Hellman, Dakota Lowery, Trent Carr 1st Place 3:49.82; Long Jump: Ethan Sloan 2nd Place 17-4 ½, Ivy Hellman 3rd Place 17 – 3 ½; Triple Jump: Ivy Hellman 2nd Place 35-10 ¼; High Jump: Ethan Sloan 3rd Place 5-4; Pole Vault: Logan Pierce 1st Place 7-6, Roman Garcia 4th Place 7-0 7th Grade Girls - 1st Place Team Rylie Bracewell - 1st Place 200 M Dash 30.32, 2nd Place Long Jump 14-4 ¼; Abby Elmore - 1st Place High Jump 5’, 1st Place Pole Vault 8’; Keelie Sweet - 1st Place 100 M Dash 14.58, 2nd Place 200 M Dash 30.45; Brelee Mauldin - 3rd Place 100 M Dash 15.22, 5th Place 100 M Hurdles 20.80; Kinley Johnson - 4th Place 800 M Run 2:46; 3rd Place Long Jump 14-3 ½, 1st Place Triple Jump 31-5; McKenna Fady - 5th Place 800 M Dash 2:49, 4th Place High Jump 4-2; Bailey Watson - 6th Period Long Jump 13-6 ¼, Shelby Blansett - 3rd Place 1200 M 4:33.26, 3rd Place 2400 M 10:01.78; Aubrey Burchfield - 6th Place 400 M Run 1:16.90, [Relays]: 4x100 Relay Team 1st Place 56.71 (Rylie Bracewell, Abby Elmore, Brelee Mauldin, Kinley Johnson); 4x200 Relay Team 2nd Place 2:03.92 (Bailey Watson, Abby Elmore, McKenna Fady, Kinley Johnson); 4x400 Relay 1st Place 4:40.86 (Shelby Blansett, Rylie Bracewell, Abby Elmore, McKenna Fady) 8th Grade Girls - 1st Place Team Finlee Gibson -1st Place 100 M 14.45; Lindsay Esnard - 4th Place 100 M 15.11; Aubrey Walton - 4th Place 800 M 2:58; Elle Whitaker - 3rd Place Triple Jump 31-3; Cameron Roller - 1st Place 200 M 29.20, 1st Place Long Jump 14-6; Rayanna Mauldin - 1st Place 100 M Hurdles 18.98, 1st Place 300 M Hurdles 57.01; Sam Aiken 4th Place 1200 M 4:35, 4th Place 2400 M 10:38; Briley Singleton - 2nd Place High Jump 4-4; [Relays]: 4x100 M Relay 2nd Place 57.01 (Finlee Gibson, Elle Whitaker, Lindsay Esnard, Rayanna Mauldin); 4.x200 M Relay 1st Place 54.84 (Finlee Gibson, Elle Whitaker, Briley Singleton, Cameron Roller) 4x400 M Relay (Elle Whitaker, Briley Singleton, Aubrey Walton, Cameron Roller)

Melissa Special Olympics!

The Gunter Middle School Tigers participated at the Melissa Special Olympics Track Meet and placed as follows:

ÃÃ Melanie Gray was a double gold medal winner in the 50 meter dash and the Softball throw.

ÃÃ Tollie Ferguson won the silver medal in the 25 meter free for all and the gold medal in the tennis ball throw.

ÃÃ Cole Reynolds won the silver medal in the 25 meter assisted walk and the gold medal in the tennis ball throw.

The extra assistance and encouragement from Gunter High School Special Olympics Volunteer, Hallie Ward, was greatly appreciated.

Van Alstyne Special Olympics!

The Gunter Tigers participated in their first Special Olympics Track Meet of the year at The Randy Relay’s in Van Alstyne.

The athletes placed in individual events as follows: Tennis Ball Throw:

Cole Reynolds, Gold Medal Alexis Lewis, Gold Medal Tollie Ferguson, 4th place

Softball Throw:

Melanie Gray, Silver Medal

25 Meter Free For All:

Alexis Lewis, Silver Medal Tollie Ferguson, Bronze Medal

25 Meter Walk:

Cole Reynolds, Silver Medal

50 Meter Dash:

Melanie Gray, Gold Medal

Melanie, Cole, Tollie and Alexis appreciated the assistance and encouragement they received from GHS Special Olympic Volunteers Tori Gittens and Taylor Howard.

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 22

District High School Track

**Those who placed in the top 4 advanced to the Area Track Meet.

JV Boys - 2nd Place Team: 100 M Dash: 3rd Ryan Buysse 11.86, 4th Harper Culp 11.86; 200 M Dash: 1st Ryan Buysse 24.10; 800 M Run: 7th Gabe Turner 2:23.28; 3200 M Run: 5th Fady Bennet 12:16.20; 110 M Hurdles: Hudson Graham 16.44; 4x100 M Relay: 1st Martin Garcia, Josh Rogers, Grant McAfee, Hudson Graham 46.36; 4x200 M Relay: 2nd Martin Garcia, Josh Rogers, Grant McAfee, Hudson Graham 1:38.11; 4x400 M Relay: 2nd Martin Garcia, Grant McAfee, Ryan Buysse, Jake Osburn 3:42.61; Long Jump: 1st Martin Garcia 19’-3”; Shot Put: 4th Colton Mercer 35’-4.25”; Discus: 5th Lane Dophied 92’-4”; Triple Jump: 4th Kenny Burkholder 36’-9.5”; High Jump: 3rd Kenny Burkholder 5’-6”; JV Girls - 6th Place Team: 400 M Dash: 2nd Audrey Curtis 1:15.72; Shot Put: 1st Reagan Andres 32’-4”; Discus: 1st Reagan Andres 86’-9”; Varsity Boys - 4th Place Team: 200 M Dash: 1st Clayton Reed 22.72; 400 M Dash: 6th Cole Lemmons 54.97; 110 M Hurdles: 1st Tristan Meadors 15.05, 4th Gabe Wells 16.83; 300 M Hurdles: 2nd Gabe Wells 42.30, 3rd David Denton 42.38; 4x100 M Relay: 2nd Braiden Clopton, Dylan Jantz, Peyton Lowe, Clayton Reed 44.13; 4x200 M Relay: 2nd Peyton Lowe, Saul Rodriguez, Dylan Jantz, Clayton Reed 1:33.04; Long Jump: 4th Tristan MEadors 20’-10.25”; Shot Put: 6th Peyton Lowe 37’-0.5”; High Jump: 5th Tristan Meadors 5’-6”; Pole Vault: 2nd Ryan Morrison 11’-0”, 4th Mitchell Fuggett 10’-6”; Varsity Girls - 2nd Place Team: 100 M Dash: 2nd Tori Gittens 12.98, 5th Kiley Meadors 13.34; 200 M Dash: 1st Tori Gittens 27.34, 4th Kiley Meadors 28.01; 400 M Dash: 3rd Nancy Castorena 1:04.01, 4th Sarah Denton 1:04.51; 100 M Hurdles: 3rd Lauren Nobles 17.13; 4x100 M Relay: 3rd Brianna Carr, Lauren Nobles, Sarah Denton, Jacee Childers 53.73; 4x200 M Relay: Tori Gittens, Nancy Castorena, Brianna Carr, Jacee Childers 1:49.86; 4x400 M Relay: 1st Nancy Castorena, Brianna Carr, Sarah Denton, Jacee Childers 4:13.71; Shot Put: 4th Channing Clement 30’-5.75”; Discus: 4th Channing Clement 96’-1.5”; High Jump: 2nd Tori Gittens 5’-0”

Area Track Results Varsity Boys Team 7th Place • 200 M Dash Clayton Reed 4th 23.25 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • 110 M Hurdles Tristan Meadors 1st 15.14 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER), Gabe Wells 5th 16.41 • 300 M Hurdles Gabe Wells 2nd 42.68 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER), David Denton 6th 43.60 • 4x100 M Relay (Peyton Lowe, Clayton Reed, Dylan Jantz, Braiden • Clopton) 5th 44.00 • Long Jump Tristan Meadors 7th 18’-7” • Pole Vault Ryan Morrison 3rd 11’-6” (REGIONAL QUALIFIER)

Regional Final Track Results Volume 10, Issue 10

ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ

Varsity Girls Team 3rd Place • 100 M Dash Tori Gittens 3rd 13.25 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • 200 M Dash Kiley Meadors 4th 27.62 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER), Tori Gittens 8th 28.66 • 400 M Dash Sarah Denton 5th 1:05.04 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • 100 M Hurdles Lauren Nobles 5th 17.07 • 4x100 M Relay (Sarah Denton, Jacee Childers, Brianna Carr, Lauren Nobles) 6th 54.55 • 4.200 M Relay (Brianna Carr, Jacee Childers, Nancy Castorena, Tori Gittens) 1st 1:50.71 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • 4x400 M Relay (Sarah Denton, Jacee Childers, Brianna Carr, Nancy Castorena) 1st 4:11.51 (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • Shot Put Channing Clement 8th 29’-0” • Discus Channing Clement 2nd 96’-4” (REGIONAL QUALIFIER) • High Jump Tori Gittens 3rd 5’-1” (REGIONAL QUALIFIER)

Boys 110 M Hurdles 4th Tristan Meadors 14.95 Boys 200 M Dash 8th Clayton Reed 23.53 Girls 4x400 M Relay (Jacee, Bri, Sarah, Nancy) 3rd 4:07.63 Girls High Jump 4th Tori Gittens 5’ 2” Tiger Times - Page 23

Softball

District CHAMPS Bi-District Champs

25-6

April Scoreboard Varsity

April 2 vs Ponder 2-0 (Win) April 5 vs Callisburg 27-0 (Win) April 9 vs Whitesboro 14-2 (Win) April 12 vs Pilot Point 4-0 (Win) April 16 vs Pottsboro 10-2 (Win)

Honoring the Seniors!

Congratulations Abby Gilbreath, Elizabeth Schroeter, Alyssa Jarrell, Kaylee Pruiett, Shelby Parkman & Emerson Eft! We are excited to see where you go from here!

They will face Grand Saline in the Area Playoffs!

Friday 5/3 6 PM Rockwall HS

April 27 vs Van Alstyne (BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF) WIN 12-0 JV April Scoreboard Lone Star 15-1 (Loss) S & S Consolidated 15-2 (Loss) Pottsboro 11-3 (Loss)

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 24

Baseball

3rd Place - District 19-7 Varsity April Scoreboard April 2 vs Ponder 1-3 (Loss) April 5 vs Callisburg 9-0 (Win) April 9 vs Whitesboro 2-1 (Win) April 13 vs Pilot Point 4-2 (Win) April 16 vs Pottsboro 4-8 (Loss)

Junior Varsity April 5 vs Callisburg 12-0 (Win) April 9 vs Whitesboro 10-3 (Win) April 13 vs Pilot Point 6-1 (Win)

SENIOR NIGHT Congratulations to the seniors who were honored on Senior Night. We wish you the best for your future endeavors!

trict s i D i B me a G ff PlayWohitewright vs

:30 PM 7 t a 2 / day 5 t 7:30 PM Thurs 3 / 5 a Friday day (TBD) Satur a. at Ann s e m a * All g Powell Zuniga #28

Carlos Chavez #25

Shout Out!!

GHS Baseball player, Kyle Ball was runner up for Texas High School Baseball magazine D-Bat-AAA hitter of the week. He hit 3 home runs, drove in 6 runs and hit .750 for the week. Congratulations, and way to go Kyle!

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 25

Bass Fishing - STATE Qualifiers!

Congratulations to the GHS anglers who advanced to the STATE Bass Fishing competition May 10th - 12th ÄÄ Chandler Wade & Cooper Wade ÄÄ Grant McClure & Boone Self ÄÄ Caden Sansone & Bleize Parker Pictures taken from the Regional Tournament with their catch of the day!

Chandler & Cooper Wade

Congratulations to Tate Rehmet who is the

DISTRICT TENNIS CHAMPION

Caden Sansone & Bleize Parker

Grant McClure & Boone Self

Tiger Golf Team The team played hard on the course, but the District Tournament results weren't what we hoped for. Great job this season golfers!

District Scores Grace King 128 | 116 Kara Curtis 122 | 121 Abby Green 132 | 147 Steele Culp 92 | 104 Chandler Wade 101 | 99

and REGIONAL QUALIFIER seeded #4. We are proud of you!

College Signing

From a Tiger to a Roo! Congratulations to Kennon Magers for signing to play football with Austin College.

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 26

Basketball & Cross Country Girls Celebrate Their Season GHS Girls Basketball and Cross Country celebrated their season in a combined athletic banquet this past month.

Most Valuable Runner - Sarah Denton Newcomer of the Year - Blakely Esnard Fighting Heart Award - Sarah Beth Jackson Most Improved - Tori Gittens Offensive Player of the year- Tori Gittens 1st Team All-District - Sara Putnicki 2nd Team All-District - Bri Carr Honorable Mention District - Channing Clement Taylor Boddie, Blakely Esnard, Sarah Denton Academic All-District - Tori Gittens, Bri Carr, Channing Clement, Taylor Boddie, Sara Putnicki, Sara Denton, Blakely Esnard TPW Awards - Micah Nevil, Grace King, Shae Pruiett, Hayden Fox, Reagan Andres Managers of the year- Sophia Mendoza, and Jaden Jones

Alumni Shout Out!

Congratulations to Luke Osburn who will be graduating from The Military College of South Carolina better known as ‘The Citadel’ with a degree in Political Science International & Military Affairs.

He will be graduating with an impressive portfolio! We are proud to still call you a Gunter Tiger!

Rank in the Corps of Cadets: 1st Battalion Human Affairs Officer, Cadet Captain Rank Description: Serves as the Human Affairs Officer of a battalion of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets consisting of approximately 500 cadets. Responsible for the overall management of the cadet human affairs education and training program to include maximum awareness of and compliance with federal, state and college regulations on issues of equal opportunity, hazing, and all forms of harassment. Keeps the commander informed of the status of the social climate within the battalion. Promotes the various seminars, panel discussions and guest speakers scheduled during the year to educate the Corps about social issues. Responsible for the overall planning and organization of community service days and blood drives. Liaisons with The Citadel Ombudsperson and Regimental Human Affairs Officer to maintain awareness of potential human affairs problems within the battalion. Performs other duties as required.

Accomplishments: • Graduated Air Force Leadership Evaluation And Development (LEAD) Training 2017 • Contracted with United States Air Force (2017 - present) • Military Order of the Purple Heart Leadership Award 2018 • Selected for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) for the United States Air Force in 2018 • The South Carolina Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots Award 2019 • National Society United States Daughters of 1812 National Defense Committee Award 2019 • Superior Delegation in the Nuclear Planning Group representing Canada at the 34th Model NATO conference Washington D.C 2019 • 3 Semesters of Dean’s list 3.25 GPA or higher • Commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Air Force May 3, 2019 • Graduated The Citadel on May 4, 2019 Plans After College: • Entry to Active Duty (EAD) May 12th, 2019 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force • Will attend UPT at Columbus AFB, Mississippi May 12, 2019

Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 27

Gunter Independent School District Board Briefs Tuesday, April 23, 2019

GISD Regular Board Meeting 6:00pm The Regular meeting was called to order by Scott Meyerdirk, Board President. A quorum was established. The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted by Scott Meyerdirk, Board President. A student introduction was given by GHS Junior, Ashley Bruner.

ATTENDANCE: Board members included: Jeff Banks, L.D. Byrd, Dr. Gary Harris, John Jonas, Candy Leonard, Scott Meyerdirk and Steve Smith; District attendance included: Dr. Jill Siler, Mr. Kelly Teems, Mr. Chris Dodd, Kim Patterson, Dara Arrington, Heather Hale and Brittany Floyd.

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT • Student / Staff Recognition o Superintendent Honor Roll – Principals & Superintendent recognized:  Elementary School – Makenzie Nelson & Sarah Smith  Middle School – Kiana Swinfen & Parker Hoel  High School – Melanie & Emily Loftis o Staff Recognition – Principals & Superintendent recognized:  Elementary School – Maren Pelzel  Middle School – Katie Beavers  High School – Katy Johnson  District – Carla Wade o Farm Fresh Challenge – Dr. Siler recognized the entire Food & Nutrition Services Team who for the 6th year won the Farm Fresh Challenge from the Texas Department of Agriculture. This award highlights Food Services teams who source locally grown produce and food items for their students. o Board Member Recognition – Dr. Siler recognized Candy Leonard and LD Byrd for 6 and 33 years of service respectively. Mrs. Osburn’s students (Gunnar Griggs-Bell and Neelie Parker) joined this recognition portion and shared that they would be naming the garden after LD and Candy for their service to the district and because of their love of gardening. A special dedication ceremony will take place in May. •

A full Financial Report was provided

•

Communications o Enrollment Update  Elementary School 383  Middle School 287  High School 301  TOTAL 971 (this is up 35 from the beginning of the year and 65 from the start of last year)

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o Capital Projects Update o Strategic Planning Update: Dr. Siler shared that the original Strategic Planning Team gathered on April 16 to give an update on the progress made in Year 1 (see attachment at the end of these Board Briefs). o Land Acquisition Options – Dr. Siler introduced a company who focuses on school site acquisition for fast-growth districts. The Board discussed the need to be proactive in land acquisition as we grow. o Legislative Update – Dr. Siler shared a brief legislative update outlining the various bills related to school funding. Both sides have proposed an increase to school funding but some options are tied to student performance on STAAR schools; some tied to teachers working at higher poverty campuses; some explicitly for teacher raises; some that would increase teacher pay but also include funding for additional staff and student needs. These bills are in Conference for further negotiation. Regular session ends May 27th. GISD typically looks at compensation packages in June/July so we are hopeful that we will have updated school funding decisions at that time. o Upcoming Events / Meeting Dates  May 20th, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin  May 24th, Graduation, 7:00pm @ Prosper  June 17th, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin  July 15th, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin  August 15th, Budget & Tax Hearing/Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin  August 29th, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin •

Board Member Report o Announcement of School Board Training Hours: All Board members met or exceeded the required hours. o Dr. Siler shared several Board Member Training opportunities: Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, 26th Annual Finance Conference and the TASB Summer Leadership Institute

CONSENT AGENDA/ROUTINE BUSINESS: Minutes, Billing and 2018-2019 School Auditor were approved.

REGULAR BUSINESS • The Board approved Instructional Material for ELAR (K-8) for the 2018 Proclamation. The K-8 ELAR Committee selected McGraw Hill for their instructional materials.

•

The Board approved the Board Resolution extending Depository Contract with Landmark Bank through August 31, 2021.

•

The Board approved the Bid from Landrock Landscape Services for ground maintenance.

7:35pm Board went in to Closed Session Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.001 7:54pm Reconvened from Closed Session

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Tiger Times - Page 29

•

The Board approved the Real Estate Agreement for 1 school site donation for a future development and authorized the Superintendent to take all action necessary to effectuate the same.

•

The Board approved Superintendents recommendation for employment and contract status on classroom teachers, diagnosticians, speech therapists and other non-administrative personnel for the 2019-2020 school year.

•

The Board approved Superintendent’s recommendation to hire Heather Hale as the Gunter Elementary School Principal for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school year. Mrs. Hale has been with GISD for 18 years serving as a 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade teacher, Assistant Principal and District Testing Coordinator. She will transition to the Principal role this summer as Mrs. Arrington transitions to our Director of Curriculum & Instruction position.

•

Dr. Siler shared with the Board that Terry Murphey and Amy Emory resigned effective 5/24/2019.

•

The Board approved Superintendent’s recommendation to hire the following for the 20192020 school year: o Shelby Hill, GISD Sped Teacher/Asst Girls Basketball Coach o Jessica Sanders, GISD AG Teacher o Jennifer Grayard, GISD 4th grade Teacher (Jen currently works with our Early Childhood Program and will be transitioning to 4th grade) o o o o o o o o o o

Candy Baird, GCSEC Teacher Ashley Craig, GCSEC Teacher Brooke Cortez, GCSEC Teacher Beverly Bearden, GCSEC Teacher Jessica Lierly, GCSEC Speech Pathologist Nikki Patterson, GCSEC Speech Pathology Assistant Jamie Weems, GCSEC Speech Pathology Assistant Kay Treacher, GCSEC Behavior Specialist Micah Jennings, GCSEC Diagnostician Renae Heilman, GCSEC Counselor

ADJOURNMENT: Regular meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:58pm

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Find Us! Gunter ISD 213 N. 8th Street P.O. Box 109 Gunter, Texas 75058 903.433.4750 Gunter High School 1102 N. 8th Street Gunter, Texas 75058 903.433.1542 Gunter Middle School 410 Tiger Lane Gunter, Texas 75058 903.433.1545 Gunter Elementary School 200 West Elm Gunter, Texas 75058 903.433.5315

Information Several coaches/teachers/community businesses offer camp opportunities for your child during the summer. Please visit these pages often to view the offerings. The pages will be updated as we receive the information.

GISD Summer Camp Web Page - Athletics Summer Camp Opportunities - Non Athletic

www.gunterisd.org www.facebook.com/gunterisdschools facebook.com/gunterhighschool www.facebook.com/guntermiddleschool Twitter @Gunter_ISD

Volume 10, Issue 10

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Sunday

May 2019

Monday 28

Tuesday

29

Wednesday

30

Thursday

1

2 7:30p Playoff Baseball vs Whitewright @ Anna

Friday

Saturday 3

7/8th Grade Band Six Flags Trip

Superintendent Honor Roll Field Trip 6 PM Softball Playoffs at Rockwall HS

4 5:30p ART- Empty Bowls FundraiserGunter Food Pantry @ HS Commons

7:30p Playoff Baseball vs Whitewright @ Anna

5

6

7

EOC - Algebra 1

EOC- Biology

EOC- History

Grayson Dual Credit Exams

Grayson Dual Credit Exams

Grayson Dual Credit Exams

6p Academic Banquet

12

13

14

Grayson Dual Credit Exams

10

Band Six Flags Trip

10a Senior Class Mtg 6p School Board Mtg

11 7p 5th & 6th Grade Spring Dance

17

MS STAAR Testing

MS STAAR Testing

AP Calc Exam

Senior Final Exams

Senior Final Exams

Elementary Fun Day

AP Language Exam

8:15a High School Awards Assembly

Senior Final Exams

6:30p MS Spring Band Concert

21

22

HS Final Exams

HS Exemptions Finalized

9a Graduation Practice @ Prosper

8:15 ES Awards Assembly @ GHS

8th Grade to Six Flags

HS Final Exams

10:15 MS Awards Assembly @ GHS

7th Grade trip to Austin

9a Senior Class Picture 10a Senior Parade @ GES

27

16

MS STAAR Testing

20 MS Fun Day

15

STAAR Testing Grades 3-8 Reading 6:30p Spring Choir Show

19

9

AP LIT Exams

MS STAAR Testing

26

8

School Lunch Hero Day

28

18

MS Student Council Field Trip Senior Brunch

23

24

25

7p Graduation at Prosper HS Arena

10a Graduation Rehearsal in commons

5th Grade trip to Finch Park

1p EARLY RELEASE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

29

30

31

1

Enjoy your Summer BREAK! Volume 10, Issue 10

Tiger Times - Page 32