By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor
Hays Consolidated Independent School District strives to “nurture students to become extraordinary citizens through unique, personal educational experiences through an innovative community of learners while celebrating our diversity and legacy.”
Hays CISD is home to two four-year high schools, six middle schools (6-8 grade), fourteen elementary schools, an alternative high school of choice and disciplinary center.
Here is a quick look at what Hays CISD students and staff were up to the week of December 14 thru December 19.
On Friday, December 14, Science Hall Elementary School offered a program where their parents could go and shop for the holidays without their children.
Some of the Marine Corps JROTC cadets from Hays High School volunteered their time to provide childcare while the parents were out.
Buda Elementary School 5th-Graders Ceybre Alaquinez and Jack Reedman finished 1-2 in the Bulldogs’ dramatic 2018 Spelling Bee.
The 24-class champion competition stretched 23 rounds before Ceybre, the daughter of Crystal Alaquinez, emerged as this year’s camps champ over Jack, the son of Kerry and Drew Reedman.
Bee Director Karen Sullivent and her judges, HCISD School Board President Merideth Keller and Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright, officiated before a enthusiastic crowd of parents and supporters.
Ceybre’s next step, as it will be for every HCISD campus champ, is an online qualifying test to advance to the regional fair in Austin.
In addition to Ceybre and Jack, that full roster included the following: Gavin Linn, Coco Al-Saad, Tyler Wagner, Lorenzo Gonzales, Jayden Castillo, Chloe Wormly, Andrea Cruz-Guillen, Emma Britt, Ava Anderson, Emma Quiroz, Katarina Strugar, Keziah Larson, Gavin Montana, Seth Templeton, Westin Winburn, Ainsley Kuecker Mariana Almador-Reyes, Salecia Robinson, Blake Willingham, Drea West, Jamie Kroll, and Parker George.
Among the great fall semester-ending activities the district found at Hays High School this past week was the first day of a special two-day project by students in teacher Kelly Zarate’s senior Economics class.
“International Market Day” was the focus, with Zarate skillfully guiding her students through the overall plan–and its first steps of concept and initial marketing strategies.
It was all headed toward a second day when student teams would present and market their planned services to one another.
There’s holiday cheer spreading all over Hays CISD these days but nowhere more uniquely than at Tom Green Elementary School, where the Hornets just completed their 3rd Annual Elf Run.
It was a blast, everyone had fun, and the whole crowd filed inside the TGES Gym for apples and awards for the top five girls finishers, the top five boys finishers, and the top costume picks.
Elm Grove Elementary School’s Foundational Learning classes enjoyed one of the thrills of the season this week with a visit from Santa.
Hays High School Foundational Learning teacher Julie McCann brought Santa, aka William Ammann, the district’s “completely unofficial, but hugely popular representative for Old Saint Nick,” as we’ve previously described him, to the rooms of Jackie Hooks and Renee Kelso.
The visit completed a four-campus tour for Santa that rang in cheer everywhere he went.
Members of the Barton Middle School Choir paid a visit to the Buda Elementary School (upper campus) cafeteria Friday, bringing Christmas songs and award-winning smiles to an enthusiastic audience of lunching Bulldogs!
The holiday spirit is everywhere at Hays CISD, another example being the Wallace Middle School Choir’s tour of several sites in the district last Friday.
Director Kelly Reyes and her Rangers performed at a Blanco Vista Elementary School during lunch period. Those Wildcats lucky enough to catch the show had a blast right along with the performers, as the latter closed their visit with a high-fiving run through the cafeteria aisles, laughingly touching base with every hand offered.
One of Hays CISD’s long-treasured secretaries, Blanco Vista Elementary School’s Connie Cox, was covered in expressions of love and gratitude this past week as she took her last steps toward retirement.
Surrounded by a throng of her deeply loving family members and eternally grateful co-workers and friends, Connie was celebrated with a truly heartfelt and memorable retirement party in the Wildcats’ library.
Recently recognized by the district for her 20 years of service, Connie did long, faithful stints at Barton and Central Office before coming to Blanco Vista, all of those chapters of her professional life acknowledged in personal anecdotes and expressions of love by her co-workers.
A framed sign on her gift table summed things up perfectly, noting, “A truly great secretary is hard to find, difficult to part with and impossible to forget.”
The Hays High School Marine Corps JROTC Rebel Marksmanship Teams once again dominated in their performances at the Texas State JROTC Marksmanship Championships this past weekend.
The Rebel Red team, 2nd picture, is the 2018-2019 Texas State All Service Champion. The Rebel Blue team, 3rd picture, finished 2nd in the State just behind their team mates on the Red Team.
For the 2nd year in a row the number one Sporter Division individual shooter in the state of Texas is team Captain, Andrew Larson. Coming in second in the state was Rebel Shooter, Lyandra Martinez. The 3rd best shooter in the state is Rebel, Jason Champagne, to complete the podium sweep.
Next Stop for the Rebel shooters is the 2019 USMC National Championships held February 6-10 in Phoenix, AZ.
Tonight the Hays CISD Board of Trustees saluted the state-advancing UIL Robotics Team, the Coast Busters, from Hays High School.
“We are incredibly proud of our students on the Hays High School UIL Robotics Team. They worked at least 10 hours a week during the fall semester preparing for competition.”
After placing 4th overall in the Austin regionals, the Coast Busters earned a spot at the state competition in Frisco. There, they made it to the leader board and were ranked 15th overall out of the 72 teams in Texas that advanced to state. In the category for “Team Spirit and Sportsmanship,” our students placed 3rd.
On December 17, UIL State Robotics is an interdisciplinary competition, relying on skills from almost all of the other UIL Academic events. In addition to building a robot, the team also had to create a mock corporation around their robot, including marketing, public relations, and engineering components.
Team members are:
The next honorees for the Board of Trustees is our state-advancing CTE Future Educators Team from Lehman High School.
These five students will be representing our district in state competition at the end of next February and contending for a chance to advance to nationals.
They will be competing in the “Lesson Planning and Delivery” and the “Inside Our Schools” events. These events require the students to plan and teach lessons. Cherokee’s is in CTE. Hannah’s in the Arts, and, Alexis’s is in AP English. Faith and Jessica researched and created a video on blended learning.
The team honorees are:
For the final recognition of December’s trustee meeting, the school board recognized two of their students that are the stars of a national Microsoft Xbox commercial. The district helped promote the commercial that was first shown during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It has continued to be shown regularly on TV since that time, and we even posted the commercial to our page last week.
At the board of trustee’s meeting, staff replayed the original commercial and showed a special behind the scenes video. The stars of this commercial are current 4th-grade Blanco Vista Elementary School students, Owen Sirmons and Gunnar Franchione. The school board also recognized their mothers, Erica Sirmons and Rebecca Franchione.
The district is so proud of Owen and Gunnar for landing starring roles in a commercial that has gone viral since its debut during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The commercial also earned a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the top 20 holiday commercials of the year!
Their success reflects positively on the district because Hays CISD gets to claim bragging rights that they are two of the district’s students, but more than the fact that they are stars in a commercial.
“We are most proud that their beautiful friendship has been shared with the world.”
Gunnar and Owen are not just actors playing best friends in the commercial. They are real-life best friends and have been so since kindergarten. These two are an example for all of us this holiday season, and we are excited to help celebrate their success.
And finally, on December 19, Hays High School Rebel outfielder Chase Ruston signed his Collegiate Letter of Intent to play ball for Wharton County JC next year, committing himself to the college ranks in a combined signing ceremony with teammate Seth Stephenson and Lady Reb Volleyball standout Kayla Tello.
Chase, the son of James and Gloria Ruston, is a three-year letterman who grabbed 1st Team All-District outfielder honors last spring for Coach James Howard’s Rebs, while compiling a .338 average with three homeruns, 20 RBIs, and 33 runs scored.
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