Cougar CloseUp • Jarrell ISD Spring 2024

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:

April 4: 4:00-5:00 Parenting Circle Class

April 5: 11:00-12:00 Parenting Circle Class- Spanish

April 6: 10:00-12:00 CPR Class

May 2: 4:00-5:00 Parenting Circle Class

May 3: 11:00-12:00 Parenting Circle Class- Spanish

June 1-8: Community Health Week

June 8: Community Health Fair

June 3-7: 3:00-5:30 STEMForged Video Game Development Camp

June 11-July 27: Summer Reading Program

Stay up to date with the library activities at: https://jarrellcommunitylibrary.org/programs/ DIGITAL HUB:

Library Director: Susan Gregurek

Library Front Desk: Sylvia White Mental Wellness Peer Support Specialist: Ailina Aponte Program Coordinator: Donna Oestrick

• Google Classes

• Technology for community use (TV, projector, document camera)

• Printing/Scanning/Fax Services

• Chromebooks for group activities

• SIMPLYE Digital Reading

• Space for web-based meetings

Proud to support JISD! Have a great season, Cougars!

We are a full-service veterinary practice that provides comprehensive medical, surgical, and dental care for the furry members of your family. We believe in providing thorough and caring clinical services to every animal we meet, and we are proud to enhance this care with upgraded, state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostics at our new, larger facility. We hope to serve you and your pets and help keep them healthy for years to come. Our team looks forward to welcoming you and your fur babies soon!

SUPERINTENDENT DR. TONI HICKS

Welcome to the Spring Semester! It's the tail end of the school year, where we welcome warmer temperatures and a new athletic season. There's baseball, softball, track, tennis, and soccer. These athletic events allow our students to work together, grow, build confidence, and celebrate the Cougar spirit. It builds camaraderie.

The Cougar spirit is celebrated in our classrooms and on the field. Our community's pride in the Jarrell Cougars is inspiring and passionate. That's why we partnered with Fidelis Publishing to create the Cougar CloseUp magazine. The magazine is an opportunity for the community to learn about our student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff.

For the past two years, the magazine has spotlighted our athletic programs. Last month, the Texas School Public Relations Association recognized Fidelis Publishing for their outstanding work producing the magazine.

Hard work always pays off. We saw that in the fall semester. Every athletic program made it to the playoffs, with some advancing to Regionals and State. It was a great season.

None of this is possible without our community. Your support for our students, teachers, and staff is the spirit of Jarrell ISD. Thank you to Fidelis Publishing f or producing the spring edition of Cougar CloseUp. We're fortunate to have a community that proudly wears Cougar blue.

Have a great spring semester, and Go Cougars!

Dr. Toni Hicks

Dear Cougars:

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR MARTY MURR FROM THE ADMIN

It is an honor to serve Jarrell ISD as Athletic Director. It is our goal to provide an athletic program that our athletes, parents, and community will be excited about.

As we progress in our realignment seasons we will face some new competition in district and regional play. We have a tremendous coaching staff that brings enthusiasm and is student centered. Our staff has grown with our student population growth.

We are super excited about the 2024 spring season. Our Cougars have put in a lot of work this season. We are building a positive culture that promotes teamwork and a strong work ethic. We ask three things of our players in the program. We want them to be ACCOUNTABLE, DEPENDABLE, AND COACHABLE. It has been exciting to see these teams throughout the season.

We want to thank the JISD School Board, Administration, Faculty, JMS, and Elementary campuses for all the support they show the entire athletic program. We want to thank the community of Jarrell for all the support they give the athletic department throughout the year. It takes everyone to create and maintain a great athletic department.

God Bless and Go COOGS!

Many Thanks to Our Board Members

FOR JARRELL HIGH, WE'LL ALWAYS BE IN LINE, FOR BLUE AND WHITE FOREVER WE WILL SHINE WE CHERISH EVERY WALL AND ALL THAT'S HERE, AND NE'ER FORGET TO BOOST AND CHEER!

SO LET US BOW TO DEAR OLD JARRELL HIGH, AND LET OUR SONG SWELL UP TO THE SKY, WE'LL FIGHT FOR ALL THAT STANDS FOR TRUTH AND RIGHT TRUTH AND RIGHT RAH! RAH! RAAAAHHH!

YAY BLUE, YAY WHITE, YAY JARRELL FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

FIGHT SONG

"GO YOU COUGARS, JARRELL COUGARS FIGHT UNTIL THE END

GO YOU COUGARS, JARRELL COUGARS

VICTORY AGAIN

GO YOU COUGARS, JARRELL COUGARS

SHOW YOUR PRIDE WITH MIGHT FIGHT, FIGHT FOR JARRELL HIGH THE BLUE AND WHITE

GO YOU COUGARS, JARRELL COUGARS

VICTORY AGAIN

GO YOU COUGARS, JARRELL COUGARS

SHOW YOUR PRIDE WITH MIGHT FIGHT, FIGHT FOR JARRELL HIGH THE BLUE AND WHITE"

JASMINE BENAVIDEZ BASKETBALL, SOFTBALL, TRACK

Athletics have helped me with time management and has taught me how to get things done. The person I look up to most is my mom because she has gotten me to where I am today with a smile on her face even on bad days.

In my senior year I am most looking forward to having the best time with my friends. The biggest challenge I overcame getting to the varsity level was not letting people tell me what I can and can’t do. In five years I see myself working as an ultrasound tech.

SOCCER

LANEY HAMMETT

SOCCER

My journey in varsity athletics has profoundly shaped me, instilling in me the virtues of hard work, goal setting, and resilience. I have been fortunate to have incredible role models, including my parents and Coach Murphy, who have been pivotal in molding me into the individual I am today. Their unwavering support and guidance have not only seen me through high school challenges but have also set a benchmark of success and dedication for me to aspire towards. Participating in varsity teams has honed my time management skills and pushed me beyond my perceived limits, allowing me to achieve feats I once deemed unattainable. As I navigate my senior year at Jarrell High School, I am eager to leave a lasting legacy across cross country, soccer, track, and tennis, while also soaking in the senior year festivities. Looking ahead, I envision myself as a recent Texas Tech University graduate, embarking on a career in business and interior design, holding dearly the memories and lessons from JHS. This athletic journey has not just been about sports; it's been a foundational chapter of my life, preparing me for the adventures that lie ahead.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

SEBASTIAN CHORA SANCHEZ

SOCCER

Athletics has helped me mature and see things as reality and not a joke, and made me take what I love seriously. A role model I look up to is my dad because he’s shown me the sport I love and sacrifices anything for us. For me the biggest challenge was overthinking and putting ego aside and always being a leader on and off the field. Other than leaving school I’m looking forward to experiencing what being a senior is and enjoying my friends for the last time. In five years I see myself either still playing football or being a successful graphic designer.

BRIANNA VENESS

Being in athletics and soccer has helped with my endurance. I get tired and sometimes just want to quit and be able to relax, but it’s helped me keep going and putting everything aside. I look up to my dad. He's an extremely hard worker who never gives up and he’s a motivator. He pushes me to do better and try harder for the things I want in life. I’m looking forward to graduation. It shows me that all my hard work has payed off and I’ve finally made it the next stage of my life.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started playing soccer, I just kept trying my best to get better for myself and the team and it all paid off. It’s hard to say where I see myself in five years but I hope to be pursuing the things I aspire to do in life and find my calling.

GOLF ROSTERS

JONATHAN BUNKER

SENIOR

TYLER HOWE

SENIOR

MORGAN PEACH

SENIOR

DAVID SALAS

SENIOR

ROSS VRABEL

JUNIOR

RAMON GHINELLI FRESHMAN

JAMES HINTON FRESHMAN

MADISON ROBINSON

SENIOR

AYLA CRANE

JUNIOR

CLARA HIRSCH

JUNIOR

SYDNEY PAYNE

JUNIOR

TENNIS

AARON MOLINA

SENIOR

ESTEBAN CRUZ

SENIOR

JOE REYNAGA

JUNIOR

HEAD COACH: KENNETH HAYES

HEAD COACH: MELISSA HYER

ROMAN ALLEN

JASMINE BENAVIDEZ

CELESTYNA COMBS

ESTEBAN CRUZ

BARBORA DOLANOVA

MASON DOTSON

CHRIS EDWARDS

KAYDEN EDWARDS

J.J. FITCH

JORDAN GADISON

NATHANIAL HAIRGROVE

ELLIS HARRIS

KYLIE HENDERSON

JAYSEN HOBBS

TRINITY HOWARD

DERREON JOHNSON

E.J. JONES

SEYDOU KABA

ELZIE MENDY

CAMMY MURPHY

IZABELLA RODRIGUEZ

NICO RODRIGUEZ

ANIYA TAYLOR

JON'VIEV THOMAS

ERIC VILLAFRANCO

JONATHAN BUNKER

Athletics has given me a purpose — goals to work at every day. One drive in my daily life was the desire to keep practicing to get a better score, and it has paid off. I’m closing this season shooting much better on average and with a much better score than at the start. That improvement makes me happy because golf is the sport I enjoy most.

I really look up to Coach Hays. He is well known around here and being our coach gave me the kind of inspiration you don’t find elsewhere. He’s a good man, and I would not have made such an improvement in my performance without him.

I think senior year is a culmination of the last year’s efforts all in one. The people I’ve met along the way, the experiences and the self-development have really

made me a better person. That's what I look forward to most, the self-improvement. One challenge to making a varsity team is the need for a daily push to improve technique and physical fitness. I run every day I can — several miles — and go down into the field near my house to swing my clubs and work on technique. Many of those days I didn’t want to, but I had to if I wanted to improve.

I have a pretty good idea of where I’ll be in 5 years because last summer I signed up for the Marine Corps. I’m taking a 6-year contract with the Marines because I was rated highly capable for Marine Corps Intelligence. This means I’ll be working within the intelligence field in the Marine Corps.

Athletics has helped me a lot by just letting me have fun doing what I love the most and playing a lot of sports. Role models I look up to include my parents because of all the sacrifices they have made for me and my brothers, not just for sports but for everything.

What I’m looking forward to most for my senior year is just having fun, enjoying it, and still competing on all my teams because it’s my last year. After high school, I would love to be playing sports still in college.

My experience in athletics has shown me if you want to do something you will. You can’t make excuses and still expect things to get done. A role model I look up to is my grandfather. The biggest challenge I have had to overcome is my ego/pride. You have to put it all aside and stop overthinking or worrying and just be coachable while putting 110 percent in everything you do even if it’s just watching from the sidelines. What I’m looking forward to most for senior year is stepping up to help and teach those who aren’t as mature without making them feel less than anyone. In five years I see myself being a business owner who’s going to be able to help out local athletic programs.

Athletics has helped shape my character and myself into who I am today. I have had some amazing coaches over the years and they’ve never hesitated to push me to work harder. Athletics is also a “bonus” motivation to keep grades up all the time because if you don’t pass you don’t play. My mom is the person I look up to the most. She is the strongest, most beautiful person I know and her soul is so pure. The way she loves Christ is so inspiring,

BASEBALL HAGEN SHELL

Athletics has helped me in school because when I came to Jarrell as a freshman I knew no one, and being in athletics gave me the opportunity to make friends who have the same interests I do. I look up to Coach Murr and Coach Jimenez and the biggest challenge I had to overcome to reach the varsity level is just showing up because you can’t get better if you don’t show up and try. As a senior, I am definitely very excited about the senior prank and I see myself, five years from now, as a college graduate starting my career in real estate.

Being a student-athlete has taught me to always put the student before the athlete. I have learned how to be determined, disciplined, and work as a team on and off the field, regardless of the situation. It is also taught me to face every challenge head on with a positive mindset. The person I look up to most is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What I am looking forward to most for my senior year is to have an amazing time on and off the field with friends and family and making new memories before I start my official adult life. The biggest challenge I have overcome to reach the varsity level was seizing every opportunity when it was presented to me. In five years, I see myself as a fresh college graduate ready to change the business world.