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December is here, and the end of the first semester is at hand. Academic and athletic teams are doing a great job for Spring Hill. Our Math/Science Team continues to have success against all levels of competition, and the Boys' and Girls' Basketball teams are winning against strong opponents. I don't know anyone in school business that does not look forward to the Christmas break for the holidays. Our students, faculty and staff have worked very hard this fall, and the time off will be beneficial to all. This has been a time of change at the high school with a new schedule, different grading periods and now mid-term exams; everyone has had a great deal of new information to process. Change does not come without growing pains, but I know the students and faculty at Spring Hill High School will make the most of this opportunity to maximize each student's potential for growth. The theme of change continues as we celebrate the outstanding career of retiring Superintendent Mike Crossland. At a time when the average stay of a superintendent in the state of Texas is less than four years, Mr. Crossland has served in that position for over twenty years! After more than forty years in the teaching profession Mr. Crossland has earned the right to spend his time with family and FISHING! I know that I speak for everyone at the high school when I say that we wish the Crossland family the very best. Finally, as the theme of change continues, I want to welcome Wes Jones as the new Superintendent of Schools at Spring Hill ISD. Mr. Jones and his family are excited about moving to Spring Hill, and I know that he will be a great addition to the Spring Hill family. It is obvious that Mr. Jones will have some big shoes to fill, but he also will have the help and support of a truly outstanding faculty and staff throughout the district. Make sure you take the opportunity to welcome Wes Jones and his family when you get the chance. |
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Since his success on the big screen in the 2004 award-winning movie, Primer, David Sullivan ('96) has managed to make his way into our living rooms. David recently made an appearance on the television sitcom, Joey. Follow this link to see a humorous clip from the episode http://media.putfile.com/sullyjoey. Former Student is Personal Assistant to Longhorns' Coach What a year for the Longhorns! What a year to BE a Longhorn! What a year for Katie Baker ('04) who is a Longhorn! Katie, currently a sophomore at UT, has accomplished a lifetime goal of hers - to be a manager for the Longhorn |
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With Christmas just around the corner, many clubs and organizations are getting in the spirit and doing what they can to help out members of the community, who otherwise, would not have a happy holiday season.
Several less fortunate children were given their own Christmas party when the Leaders' Core made their annual trip to Asbury House on November 3. Mr. Tomberlain dressed up as Santa and the students handed out gifts and enjoyed refreshments with the kids. They also held a santa bingo party at Heritage Manor on Dec. 6 with gifts for the winners. Two families will have a much better Christmas this year because of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. FCA adopted two families. FCA members went door to door asking for any kind of donations. At the end of the night they ended up with $905 with more donations coming in. In a way to get the school involved the Student Council ran their second annual Change for Change contest which ended yesterday. The winning class that has put forth the most money will receive free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. The Spanish Club collected money and bought gifts for a child they picked from an Angel Tree. YBA picked out a family of 3 to buy gifts for. As a group YBA went to Walmart and shopped for their kids. Both the band and the drill team marched in the Christmas parade on Thursday, December 1. The drill team performed in front of the courthouse on Friday, December 2, and had their annual Christmas party at Shoguns on Tuesday, December 6. They also went Christmas shopping for a family they had picked out. The band and the choir both performed at the senior citizens luncheon and the band had a Christmas concert on Thursday, December 8. The choir held their concert on Monday December 5, and went to the banks and nursing homes December 9 to sing. The cheerleaders celebrated the holidays at a Christmas party on Saturday, December 10. Many of our clubs and organizations have been extremely busy both celebrating and giving others a chance to celebrate the holidays. You can do your part by helping out with or donating to one of the many fundraisers the clubs are doing and giving someone a better Christmas.
More Success for the Math-Science Team The Spring Hill Math-Science Team competed in the 29th annual Spring Hill Tournament on Saturday, December 3rd. Winning individual trophies for Spring Hill were: Michael Bass--2nd in Number Sense and 4th in Math Amanda Harper--4th in Science Jason Graham--2nd in Science Brian Bass--1st in Number Sense, 2nd in Calculator, and 3rd in Math Zach Barnhart--2nd in Number Sense, 1st in Calculator, 1st in Math, and 1st in Science In addition, the Spring Hill team finished 1st in its division for the third consecutive meet this fall. Spring Hill UIL participants will next compete at the Pine Tree all-UIL meet on January 14th. Technology Upgrade in Business Department
College Financial Aid Night Come and find out how to get your child money for college. College Financial Aid Night will be held Monday, January 23 at 6:30 in the Little Theatre at Spring Hill High School. Annette Morgan, the Financial Aid Director at Kilgore College, will conduct the workshop along with East Texas Educational Opportunity Center. Here is your chance to gain valuable information about scholarships, financial aid, FAFSA, college admissions, deadlines, etc. All senior parents need to attend. Memory Quilts Showcase Students' Interests Apparel students are putting the finishing touches on the final project of the semester. Each student completed a memory quilt that depicts the student's interests including participation in extra-curricular activities, special interests, hobbies, favorite quotes, pictures, etc. Basic construction skills were stressed, but students were introduced to specialty techniques such as using the computer and scanners to generate iron-on picture transfers and machine applique. There were required elements, but students were given freedom to make the finished project very personal and unique. Each is a genuine one-of-a-kind work of
On Saturday December ten Spring Hill Band students competed in the ATSSB All Region Tryouts in Pittsburg. The Spring Hill Band brought home a record number of High School All Region and All Area Honors. Spring Hill earned twenty chairs in the All Region Band, with seven being named to Area.
Art Students Take Top Prize at Yamboree Monday, October 24, the winners were announced for this year’s Art of Character Contest. Spring Hill students dominated the Fine Arts category this year, placing first: Mitchell Graves with a $100 prize; second: Ashley Rathfon with a $75 prize; Third: Misty McNew with a $50 prize, and honorable mentions to Nick Valenti and Sarah Veralli, who each got $25.
“A lot of students worked really hard on this contest.” high school art teacher Howard Dunn said. “I’m really proud of all the entries because the students really put a lot of thought into this.” The Art of Character contest was developed last year through Chick-fil-A’s Core Essentials Character Education program and the Adopt-a-School Partnership program of Longview. Each entry is linked to a certain character trait that the artist portrays through his interpretation of the chosen trait. This year has been a big year for the Art Department, not only in the Art of Character contest, but in this year's Yamboree art competition. Placing students were: Ashley Rathfon with 1st place for drawing, Christian Johnston- 1st for drawing in color, 2nd place for drawing, Vanessa Butler- 1st place for color surrealistic art, and 1st place for portrait art, Mary Evelyn Coles- 1st place for contour drawing, 1st place for color abstraction, 2nd for black and white abstraction, and Saylor Knox- 1st place photography, 2nd place photography, an award for most unique photography, and 3rd for collage abstraction. Annual Senior Citizens Banquet Volunteer students and faculty took time out of their schedules on December 7th to do something special for the senior citizens in the Spring Hill community. The annual Spring Hill Senior Citizens’ Christmas luncheon has been going on for more than 20 years. At 11am, the invited seniors registered at the High School and went into the library, where there was coffee and hot cider awaiting their arrival. Juniors Cami and Courtney Bennett played the piano prelude, and then the choir sang a medley of Christmas songs. Shortly afterward, the seniors were served a Christmas meal prepared by the high school’s cafeteria staff. The placemats that adorned the tables where the seniors ate were made by Angela Ricci’s 6th grade math classes. “It’s amazing to see school districts that still act like family,” High school librarian Mary Lou Berlin said. The luncheon was drawn to a close with a concert by the high school band. On their way out, seniors were given a basket of fruit and nuts by student volunteers. If you wish to be removed from this newsletter mailing list, please send an e-mail with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@springhill.esc7.net. Please make sure the FROM address is the same one we mailed so that we can find it in our database. Thank you for helping us serve you better. |
football team. However, she is not simply standing on the sideline, but she is the personal assistant to head coach Mack Brown. Recently SPORTS ILLUSTRATED did a feature on college football, and Katie Baker is in one of the photographs. To say the least, it is an exciting year for the Longhorns and Katie. She will be leaving with the team for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on December 28. Watch for her on the television sideline shots. Way to represent Spring Hill High School, Katie. Hook 'em Horns!.
The Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) volunteered to help out with the senior citizens' luncheon on Wednesday, December 7 by walking them to their tables and serving them their lunches, and also handed out fruit and nut baskets when it was over as they were leaving. The Spanish Club collected money and bought gifts for a child they picked from an Angel Tree. YBA picked out a family of 3 to buy gifts for. As a group they went to Walmart and shopped for the kids.
Both business computer labs have recently been equipped with eight-foot screens and ceiling-mounted projectors. Students now find it much easier to follow verbal instructions while watching real-time demonstrations on the large screen. One student who had been struggling in a business computer class stated, "Mrs. Jordan, I really think I can stay caught up with the class now!" Mrs. Whittington and Mrs. Jordan both feel that this technology will revolutionize their teaching methods as well as the rate of comprehension among their students.
both the hand and the heart. The kids are extremely proud of their finished quilts and took great pleasure in designing and seeing the top come together one block at a time. Exposure to apparel / construction has certainly sparked an interest for many student to persue this skill both for practical reasons or as a creative outlet. Shown is just a small sampling of the many projects completed.
Three hundred and twenty-five pieces of artwork were entered in this year’s Art of Character Contest. The participation in this contest has increased considerably since its development last year.
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Making the transition from a 1-A school of 335 students to a 3-A school that hosts over 1750 students may seem like a challenge. But for Chireno ISD superintendent Wes Jones, that transition will soon be a reality. When current superintendent Mike Crossland announced his retirement earlier in the year, the search process for his replacement began and finally Jones was named as a lone finalist. Jones recently resigned from Chireno and will take the reigns at Spring Hill starting the first day of the spring semester, January 2. “Chireno was shocked when I announced my move,” Jones said. “It is one big family there and it was hard to break the news to them. They are sad but understand the opportunities for my family.” Growing up in Nacogdoches, Jones attended Nacogdoches High School, where he graduated. After high school, Jones moved to Lufkin to attend Angelina Jr. College where he played basketball and baseball. From there he transferred to UT at Pan American where he continued playing baseball and graduated with a degree in kinesiology with a minor in health. He continued his education at SFA where he received his master’s degree, mid-management and superintendent certifications. Jones began his career in education at Freer ISD and Etoile ISD from 1989 to 1990 before moving to Central Heights ISD in 1990 where he served as a teacher and basketball coach. In 1994, he became the high school assistant principal at Central until 2000. Then before making the move to Chireno, he served as an elementary principal at Garrison ISD from 2000-2001. “I’ve been the superintendent in Chireno for the last five years,” Jones said. “Though we are small, we are held accountable for the same things as every other public school. We educate students the best we can and mold citizens for the future just like everyone else.” Jones will also add to the attendance at Spring Hill with his three sons, ages 6, 9, and 12. His wife of 15 years, Carrie will add to the teaching staff at Spring Hill as soon as the opportunity comes. Outside of school work, Jones enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, camping, fishing, hunting, golfing and sports. “The reception I received at Spring Hill the first time I came here was great,” Jones said. “Everyone has been very nice and cordial.” Serving not only as superintendent, Jones also headed the financial, transportation, curriculum, athletics, and personnel departments at Chireno. Being around every aspect of the district will assist in making the transition from a 1-A to a 3-A. “I think it is an advantage for Spring Hill that I come from a small district,” Jones said. “I’ve been directly involved in every aspect of the school district. Starting January 2nd, when I’m faced with a decision, I will know what they, being either a principal, curriculum director, transportation director, etc, are talking about because I’ve been in their place.” On January 2nd a new chapter will open in Spring Hill’s history. Jones commented that the progressive community, expectations, student achievement, and the overall great area to raise a family is what initially drew him to apply for the position of superintendent. He plans to continue on with what has been successful and improve every day. “Immediately I saw the positive, caring environment of the students, teachers, administration and community.” Jones said. “Students will continue to be successful at Spring Hill because everyone here is looking after them.”
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903-759-4404
This newsletter is an extension of the Spring Hill ISD Web Site, compiled and edited by Laura Jordan,
with regular contributions from SHHS faculty and The Panther's Paw.