From the Desk of the Principal:

SPRING IS HERE!! Daylight Saving Time is already in place.  It came earlier this year as you know. Spring sports are in full swing. UIL Academic competition, One Act Play, and Choir will all be involved with several activities this spring as well. The Band is working hard for the UIL playing contest.  We finished step one of TAKS testing in February and the rest will come the last week of April. Students will be taking ACT, SAT, and AP exams later this spring. We definitely do not have a shortage of tests.  

Teachers are doing their very best in spite of all the activities to keep our students on task and working hard to finish strong.  Seniors need to realize they are coming to the end of a very long road and are at the beginning of a new road. A lot of what happens on the new road depends on what and how the old road is finished!!  Mrs. Lindsey is working diligently to keep the seniors on track (a tough task at best).  Parents you are encouraged to check with her to make sure all is well with your student.

I want to let you know that PTA recently approved the funding for us to send five teachers to be trained in “Capturing Kid’s Hearts.” Our administrators and counselors were trained last summer. It is a great program to help us better serve our students. We really appreciate their generosity. It will be a very valuable asset for our high school.  Thank you PTA!!!

There is not enough I can say about how great the staff is and also what good kids are here.  It makes working at Spring Hill fun and rewarding.

Bobby Watkins

Spring Hill Tennis
submitted by Holly Ford


The Spring Hill tennis team qualified for the AAA State Team Tennis Tournament (March 7-8) by placing third in the Regional Team Tennis Tournament (Feb. 29-Mar 1).  In the Regional Tournament, which was held in Longview, the Panthers defeated Gladewater 12-4.  They were then edged by Wills Point 8-11 in the semi-final round.  Spring Hill came back strong in the third place match defeating Kaufman 11-6. 

At state, the netters faced a very strong #5-seeded Wharton first round.  The score was 17-2.  In the next round which was more competitive, Spring Hill was defeated by #4 seed LaFeria 12-4.  Saturday proved to be a very successful day for the Spring Hill team.  They defeated Wills Point 11-3 and Van 10-5.  Both of these teams finished ahead of them in the regional tournament the previous weekend.

Kacy Aldredge and Chris Lee went undefeated in mixed doubles throughout both regional and state which is quite an accomplishment.

Team members are:

Coach Holly Ford:  “I was extremely proud of the way these players competed.  They really raised their level of play which was nice to see.”



David Buckner to Receive National Award
submitted by Kayla Lindsey

David Buckner was born with tuberous sclerosis, a disease that causes him to have seizures.  His parents were told he would probably never walk. However, David has triumphed over the disease, becoming a winning cross country runner. Because of his achievements David will receive the Yes I Can! Award, from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), in April.

Each year, CEC honors 28 students who have excelled despite disabilities and is proud to honor David with this award. Awards are given in nine categories; academics, arts, athletics, community service, employment, extracurricular activities, independent living skills, self advocacy, and technology.

“The Yes I Can! Awards were developed to honor students who achieve despite their disabilities,” says Lynda Van Kuren, CEC’s Senior Director of Communications. “With David’s outstanding accomplishments, perseverance, and hard work, he exemplifies the spirit of the Yes I Can! Awards.”

David has come a long way to become a talented runner. His mother remembers him ricocheting from wall to wall when walking down hallways, and he would often trip and fall to the ground due to poor spatial perception.

However, David overcame his disease and ran for the Spring Hill High School cross country team in Longview. He is a senior in his fourth year on varsity. Since he began running, David has won more than 30 medals and 10 trophies.  “It was at the moment I saw him compete for the first time that I realized David had a gift,” Stacy Edwards, David’s cross country coach said. “David not only functions, but trains like a professional athlete.”

David usually runs between 50 and 60 miles per week. He is a disciplined runner and wakes up in the early morning to run before school.



Employment Opportunities Available
submitted by Fran Scott

Co-op employment opportunities are available with local industries such as Eastman, Neiman Marcus, Borg Warner, Alcatel, LeTourneau Inc., and other LEDCO supporting companies. These opportunities are for 18-year-old seniors in the work program who plan on pursuing a career and college degree that support the job area. A requirement for all companies is a record of excellent attendance. Some companies also require specific math and science courses completed prior to employment. College scholarships and opportunities for full time employment following graduation are offered by some of the companies. Students interested in employment with one of Longview's major industries need to contact Mrs. Scott. Jobs in the co-op program are not limited to industries.

DCP Work program requirements include:
* 16 years of age
* junior or senior
* application form
* work a minimum of 15 hours/week for 3 credits
* teacher references
* low absences and discipline referrals
* passing grades
* interview with co-op teacher

Applications will be on the counter in the high school office during March and are due back with choice sheets. They can be turned in to the counselor or Mrs. Scott. DCP students will be released to go to work after taking DCP and the courses needed for graduation. The number of courses taken by a student will depend upon their graduation requirements.



DCP Students Participate in Job Shadowing
submitted by Fran Scott

Diversified Career Preparation students participated in job shadowing this month through cooperation with Junior Achievement for the National Groundhog Job Shadow Day program. Students were placed on-the-job with mentors in their chosen career fields they plan on pursuing after graduation. They shadowed their mentors from 8 - 12 or for a full shift of work at the work site. Shadowing provided the opportunity to experience the job first hand and to ask questions regarding educational training, employment outlook for the future, salary, and job responsibilities. It allowed the students to experience the actual work environment and learn about working conditions and to make contact with professionals in the fields they can call upon in the future. According to Fran Scott, program coordinator, "Shadowing provides an excellent opportunity to test career choices before graduation and investing in a major for which they may not actually enjoy the work environment or the job responsibilities."

Some of the fields students shadowed in were art graphics, computer programming, pediatric nursing, trauma nursing, radiology technology,  processing technologist, industrial and electrical maintenance,  interior design/entrepreneurship, social work with children, marriage and family counseling, restaurant ownership, and biomedical engineering. 

Work program requirements include:
* 16 years of age
* junior or senior
* application form
* work a minimum of 15 hours/week for 3 credits
* teacher references
* low absences and discipline referrals
* passing grades
* interview with co-op teacher

Jobs are available for co-op at a wide variety of types of businesses. Students work in retail, offices, medical, food marketing, restaurants, industry, and child care.



Child Development
submitted by Jeired Whitehorn and Corey Lewis

In Child Development, we had the privilege of visiting the Primary Campus to read to the kindergarten and first grade classes. The students then, in turn, read to us.

Our teacher, Mrs. Jones, guides and encourages us to be role models for children. Reading to younger children has inspired us to be more outgoing. There are so many wonderful benefits that we as teenagers can gain by interacting with younger children. We found that we learned qualities such as patience, thoughtfulness, and respect for anyone that we might meet.

Doing for others gives one a sense of self-respect. We didn't realize that reading to the younger children at the Primary would carry over to other parts of our lives. We're so glad that Mrs. Jones was able to give us this opportunity.



Choir Notes
submitted by Laura Langham

February 22 - Two students have qualified for state solo and ensemble: Ryan Lamore, Amber Thompson. Good Luck in May!

February 25 Juli Wood workshop - Ms Wood visited choir students and brought two of her students to perform. Ms Wood is a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. During the workshop she gave students an idea of what a voice lesson on the university level would be like. The students had a lesson individually with Ms. Wood. Her students performed (they were awesome)and then described how their life had changed since they started college. Spring Hill students were then allowed to ask questions. Thank you Ms.Wood!

March 6 - The Kilgore College Chorale and Camerata choirs performed for choir members. The choirs were on their way to Arkansas on tour. The KC choir has been to many places through the years including Washington D.C., New York and to other countries. The Spring Hill students heard many different types of choral music from a Spanish Mass to the Can Can. The Spring Hill students were then given an opportunity to talk with the college students and ask them questions about choir and Kilgore College Ryan Kelly is the director of both choirs.

March 7 U.T. Tyler Invitational Workshop- Selected junior and senior choir members traveled to Tyler for the workshop. The workshop is in its first year and Dr. John Petzet is the choral director. The students spent the day learning two pieces of music on the college level, and had a master class. Spring Hill students volunteered in the master class and were treated to another voice lesson on the college level. They then went to lunch with the college choir members. The event ended with a student recital in which Spring Hill students and college students sang the two pieces they had learned. Oh, it also snowed! The students who participated were:

Amber Thompson, Ryan Lamore, Stacie Goodman, Michelle Evans, Theresa Eisenring, Caleb Cavaliere

POP CONCERT: April 17- Auditorium 7:00
Spring Concert  May 6- auditiorium 7:00

9th  Math
10th Science
11th Science