From the Desk of Mike Gilbert:

The end of the 2004/2005 school year is here. Congratulations to the Seniors of 2005. We have had a great year in all areas, and this year’s senior class is to be commended for a great deal of that success. TAKS, UIL Academics, Athletics, Band, Yearbook, Newspaper, Art, Choir and all of our service organizations have made this a memorable school year. I am excited about my first year back at Spring Hill and want to thank everyone, students, teachers and staff, for making this an outstanding year.

It is my hope that graduation is only one of many successes that the Seniors of 2005 will experience as they continue on life’s journey. I want to leave you with a thought I read in the paper this morning, "There is only one successful path to take in life, and that is to go through it.” Don’t try to avoid life by going over it or around it. Don’t try to stand still or back up into familiar territory. Just keep your eyes on what’s ahead of you, and enjoy the memories of what you have accomplished. It is best to go through life and experience all that it has to offer. Good luck and Godspeed to the Class of 2005!!

Go Panthers!

Mike Gilbert, Principal

She's dreamed of this since she was a little girl, and he has always wanted to do his best. Every school day, whether it was in elementary, junior high, or high school, she has kept her dream in mind and he has continued to work hard. At graduation, May 27, Hillary Powdrill and Matt Peloquin will represent the senior class as valedictorian and salutatorian.

They're both 13 year Panthers, and have had much inspiration from family members and friends.

"My main inspiration behind my goal would definitely be my two older brothers, Jeff and Brent," Powdrill said. "They have always been positive role models for me and I believe they have been a significant factor in my being named valedictorian."

Powdrill and Peloquin similarly described some of their views on life.

"My motivation comes from knowing that I'm not living for myself," Peloquin said. "First and foremost, I am preparing myself to have a life that God can use. I work hard for him, my family, my future family, my friends and then myself. I want to let Him lead the way, and God's not a slacker, so I know I'm going to work hard."

Powdrill has never made a B in her 13 years here, but as for Peloquin, he worked hard no matter what and accepted the grade he got, and just planned to work harder next time.

"It was never really a competition for me. Anna Veralli and I ended very close for salutatorian and we both wanted it, but it was never a stress factor," Peloquin said. "If I got a poor grade, I wouldn't get upset about it, I would go over it to make sure I understood the material and work harder on the next chapter."

Both Powdrill and Peloquin agree that their family had a lot to do with this achievement.

"My family is always very supportive and they make sure I know they are proud of me just being their son," Peloquin said.

Even though it could be tough at times, especially when they did not get the grades they wanted, neither of them felt pressure by anyone.

"My family has never pressured me to be valedictorian. They did, however, instill in me the importance of good grades, good study habits, and school involvement," Powdrill said. "The choice to go the extra mile and become valedictorian was a goal all of my own, and I had the self-motivation and self-discipline that allowed me to achieve this goal."

Powdrill will attend the University of Texas at Austin. There, she will not only pledge to a sorority, but will also double-major in Business Finance and Spanish. After receiving her undergraduate degrees, she plans to attend law school in Austin as well.

"I chose to attend UT-Austin because I have always wanted to go there," Powdrill said. "Although I was offered a lot of scholarship money at SMU, something just told me that I would not be happy there. Instead, I followed my gut instinct and chose to become a Longhorn."

Peloquin is planning to attend LeTourneau University and major in Engineering.

"I chose LeTourneau because I love the Christian atmosphere there and feel they will do a great job in helping me connect with God's calling," Peloquin said. "I chose engineering because I have always been good with math and science and I am very analytical. I think I will enjoy solving problems."

Powdrill and Peloquin's advice for underclassmen is to get involved in the school and take the hardest classes. Whether students choose to take Kilgore College dual credit courses or AP courses offered at the school, the classes can certainly be beneficial and of great help when going off to college.

"Work hard and enjoy high school. Surround yourself with good friends and be loyal to each other," Peloquin said. "Don't have any regrets."

BIMM Students Finish Year with Multiple Projects
submitted by Laura Jordan

Since January, Business Image Management & Multimedia (BIMM) students have learned and used Adobe PhotoShop, ImageReady, InDesign, GoLive, and LiveMotion, as well as Microsoft PowerPoint. Students rounded out the semester with final projects utilizing their skills in multiple software packages. Student projects included Web pages, Flash animations, newsletters, Flash greeting cards, public service announcements, and animated cartoons. Samples of many of these projects may be viewed on Mrs. Jordan's page on the district Web site. For fun, students used their design skills to create one-of-a-kind window decals, bumper stickers, and T-shirt iron-ons during the last days of class.


Journalism Class Partners with Third Grade Students
submitted by Kaila Jacobs of The Panther's Paw

Every Wednesday for the past three weeks journalism students visited Frieda Jetter's third grade class towork on activities through a journalism mentor program.

"I think the journalism pals activity is a good idea because it helps me take what I learn and apply it in a way that younger people can learn from," sophomore Melissa Eades said.

High school students worked on different kinds of activities with the elementary students from scavenger hunts with newspapers to learning about metric system to completing Venn diagrams.

"It is easier to find out the answers when you have a pal," third grader Nick Irwin said.

Journalism teaches students how to write stories, proofread, and search for facts and opinions.

"We are taking our time to teach these kids things that we learn in journalism and through the newspaper," junior Chennell McGriff said. " I enjoy working with Angela, she is a bright young girl. She gave me such a workout in remembering the metric system because I totally forgot."

Journalism pals partnered with students to accomplish projects and also had the opportunity to build friendships as well. While the older students offered assistance the third graders were anxious to impress their new friends with their knowledge.

"We use the pals program to encourage students to use the newspaper as a learning tool," journalism teacher Mitzi Neely said. "The program is a success."


"Premiere" Performances
submitted by Kathy Fisher

The SHHS 2004-2005 Theatre season concluded on May 19, 2005 with "Premiere," a collection of seven short plays. The plays were written, directed, and performed by the Theatre Production Students. The students and director, Kathy Fisher, extend their thanks to the community for supporting the Theatre department.


Economics Students Excel in M.E.S.E. Competition
submitted by Jeff Sims

Five teams from Spring Hill High School participated on Friday, May 13th, in the annual Junior Achievement M.E.S.E. Competition. M.E.S.E. is a simulation used in our high school Economics classes in which students make managerial decisions concerning their simulated businesses. Twenty-four teams from Longview, Pine Tree, Kilgore, and Spring Hill competed in the competition hosted at Kilgore College. In the first round, Spring Hill had three teams advance by placing first or second. Of the six final teams, three were from Spring Hill. Kyle Pope and Zach Aldredge placed second overall winning $200, Chris Bridges and T.J. Duvall placed 5th overall winning $50, and Geoffrey Albanese, Anna Marie Clark, Brian Alexander, and Logan Gaddis placed 6th overall winning $50. Each participant represented SH well, and helped to continue our winning tradition in this competition.


Cheerleader Mini-Camp and Golf Tourney
submitted by Brandi Rhodes

Spring Hill High School Cheerleaders will be hosting their annual Mini-Camp June 6th-10th at the Spring Hill High School Gym. There will be a final show on Friday, June 10th, at 11:00 a.m. The cost is $45. Campers will receive cheer instruction, a T-shirt and refreshments. The camp is for ages 3 through 13.

The 6th Annual Spring Hill High School Cheerleaders’ Golf Tournament will be held Friday, June 24, at Oak Forest Country Club. The tournament, with a four–man scramble format, will begin with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Lunch will be served prior to the start of the tournament. Entry fee is $75, which covers green fee, cart, two mulligan, lunch, and five chances for door prizes. There will also be prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive, and hole in one. Cash prizes will go to the first through third – place teams.

For more information contact Brandy Rhodes at 903-323-7738 or 903-738-7177.


Bridge Project Teaches Students Responsibility
submitted by Summer Dailey of The Panther's Paw

As a high schooler, Coach Keith Taylor was required to do what his teacher called the "bridge project," a project consisting of designing a bridge structure, and then using popsicle sticks to build the design. Now, as a teacher, he requires the same project from his students.

"My 10th grade geometry teacher is the one who got me started on the popsicle bridge project," Taylor said. "She assigned the same project to me, so I have the students do the same thing that I did."

The individual's grade was determined by the amount of weight the bridge could hold. In order to make a hundred, the bridge had to hold 60 pounds.

"This project was really fun to do," freshman Kendall Rice said. "It sounded really hard, but I learned that I could do a lot more things than I thought I could."

The time it took to make the bridge ranged from two to 15 hours, depending on the effort that went into it.

"It took me about 13 hours to do the bridge," sophomore Natalie Cooper said. "It took a while, but it was worth it."

Taylor believes that doing projects is a great way to prepare for your post-high school career.

"Regardless of your career, at some point in time it is likely you will be assigned a project," he said. "That is why I have my geometry students do them. I feel it is a great way to prepare them for life, because it helps them plan their time, gather supplies and plan their project."


Band Announcements
submitted by Mike Barnes

Next year's high school drum major is Katie McCrary. Assistant Drum Major is Ashley Barnhart. Flag Captain is Ashley Brown. Flag Lt. is Kelsey Krupa, and Head Twirler is Karlee Stagner.

2005-2006 Twirlers are Karlee Stagner, Ashley Barnhart, Katie McCrary, Amber Boswell, Megan Shafer, Laney Peterson, Lacey Hyatt and Malorie Anderson

2005-2006 Flags are Ashley Brown, Kelsey Krupa, Brooke Moore, Shelby Hunt, Elizabeth Zapata, Alyssa Travis, Katie Tadlock, Cody Patterson, Kayla Williams and Autumn Sloan

Summer Band Rehearsals begin August 1 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

High School Twirling Camp is July 18 -22 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

High School Flag Camp is July 25-29 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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