From the Desk of Mike Gilbert:

The end of another school year is here. The 2005-2006 school year served as a stage for the Spring Hill High School Panthers to shine in many areas, including great team and individual athletic performances, another stellar year for the band, outstanding accomplishments in fine arts, and a UIL STATE CHAMPION! There are so many areas that have brought Spring Hill into the spotlight for positive things that I could not possibly list them all.

Academically, we started school with a new schedule for students and teachers. This challenge was well received, and in the end, proved to show positive results. The state TAKS scores came back, and once again it was the Panthers' time to shine. Eleventh grade scores were through the roof (96% or better in all four areas, and 100% in English), and the number of students that scored 90% or better went up at every grade level. I am very proud of the students and faculty for all their hard work this year.

The Senior Class of 2006 would like to invite everyone to attend the Sixty-Third Commencement Program Friday, May 26, at 8:00 PM in Panther Stadium. Many of the accomplishments listed above are due to the leadership of the Class of 2006. Close to 50% of the graduates are 13-year Panthers, and 48% have already been awarded scholarships for the coming year. Each senior had a very unique journey through the education system to get to graduation. Some harder than others and some with more bumps in the road than others. I want to congratulate every one for finishing the race. I wish each of you the very best as you continue to build your lives as adults and Spring Hill High School Panther Alumni. Good luck and Godspeed to the class of 2006!!

Go Panthers!

S.H. Graduate Travels U.S. as Nanny
submitted by Colleen Roberts

I graduated from Spring Hill in 1997. In January of 2001 I decided to pursue the life of being a nanny. Being a nanny meant that I would basically be the third parent. I cooked dinner, did laundry, drove the kids to doctors' appointments and after school activities, set up play-dates and ran other various errands for the family. I figured my love for children and my experiences working for summer camps (Pine Cove Christian Camps and Camp La Junta) would help me find what I was looking for. I applied to a few agencies and was accepted by one and after that, things moved rather quickly. After about two weeks of interviewing, I was placed with a family in Holland, Michigan. I was only there for three short months. (I couldn't handle the incredibly cold weather.)

So I moved back home for just a few weeks, until my agency placed me with a family on the East Coast. I packed up my things once again and headed out to Bernardsville, New Jersey, about 30 minutes west of New York City. I was loving life, taking care of three children ages 10, 15 and 17. Going to Broadway shows, shopping in New York City, and spending weekends on the Jersey Shore, I had finally adjusted to living life on the East Coast.

Then after a year and a half of living in New Jersey, I moved out to a small town right outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I took care of two girls, ages 8 and 11. My summer there was spent living with them in their summer home on Cape Cod. We were able to travel by their boat over to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. I soon realized that I was gaining experiences I could only have dreamed of.

After living in those two states, I finally decided it was time for me to go back to school. I moved to Burlington, Vermont, and went to college up there for two years. I was still being a nanny but living in my own apartment. I took a job working with 2 year old boy/girl twins. They were literally the sunshine of my life since I only saw the sun about two months out of the year. After experiencing two brutally cold winters, I woke up and realized it was time to come "home" to Texas. I packed everything I had and made the drive with my mom in 4 days from Vermont to Dallas, Texas.

I'm now living in Dallas doing administrative work for A.G. Edwards, an investment firm, and attending classes at LeTourneau University at night. I hope to finish my degree in about a year and a half year and teach kindergarten or first grade. I attend Watermark Community Church where I am involved in a Women's Bible study.

The experiences I have had from living all over America have been amazing. Never in my life did I think I would live outside of Texas, let alone four different states. But it's great to be back in the South with my friends and family.


'96 Grad Gets Recurring Role and Lead in Movie
submitted by Laura Jordan

In addition to David Sullivan's recent appearances on HBO's Big Love: Episode 2 and the television sitcom, Joey, he has tried another venue in acting, the online soap opera. David has done five episodes of Deception, a Warner Brothers production about a billionaire's family inheritance and a twisted family tree. David plays the part of Tad Dalbert.

Since his success in the movie, Primer, David has been eager for another movie role. He has been sought out for the leading role in a film that is in the same genre as The Sixth Sense and The Others. Filming is slated for June.

Roy Selected for UT-Tyler Squad
submitted by Christi Roy

Reagan Roy, SH class of 2005, was selected as a cheerleader for The University of Texas at Tyler for the 06-07 academic year. Reagan has been serving on the UCA cheer staff teaching cheerleader camps all throughout the state of Texas. The UTT cheer squad will be competing at Nationals in Las Vegas, NV this coming year. Reagan is also a member of the UT Tyler Patriots volleyball team.

Henderson to Serve in Peace Corps
submitted by Jason Henderson, class of '96

My brother, Joey Henderson, class of 2000, left this Monday to begin his service in the United States Peace Corps. He will be in the South American country of Suriname for the next 27 months. He will be serving as a health extension agent teaching health education and building facilities that make conditions more sanitary in the villages. The interview process for the Peace Corps lasted for more than one year, and there were 24 people selected from the entire United States for the Suriname project. Joey did say that his experience with the Spring Hill Leaders' Core was noted by several interviewers, as well as being community service chair with his fraternity at Baylor University. He is very excited about the opportunity.

Jones, Baker Lead Class of 2006
submitted by Megan Luttrell of The Panther's Paw

At graduation, May 26, Andrea Jones and Sarah Baker 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 parents encourage me to put my best effort into everything I do, and also my own personal goal to do my best was a motivation for me," Jones said.

Jones and Baker similarly described some of their views on life. "Whenever I take on a task, I want to do it to the best of my ability and not look back with regrets," Baker said. "Whenever this goal seemed within reach I committed to always giving my best effort so I would be satisfied however it turned out."

Even though the top five were close friends, the girls still felt a little friendly competition close to the end. "There were several of us who were close so I knew I couldn't quit trying," Jones said.

Both Jones and Baker agree that their family had a lot to do with this achievement. "Ever since I was little my parents have emphasized the importance of making good grades and doing your best in school," Baker said. "That has followed me throughout my education at Spring Hill, and they have always been so supportive in everything I've done."

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 parents wanted me to be valedictorian, but if I would not have been they still would have been happy for me because they know I have worked hard and done my best throughout high school," Jones said.

Jones will attend East Texas Baptist University where she will major in elementary education. "I want to go to ETBU because they have a good teaching program and I also visited the campus and I really enjoyed the people and the environment," Jones said.

Baker will attend Stephen F. Austin next fall to study pre-physical therapy. After that, she plans to attend Texas State to get a masters in physical therapy. "I chose SFA because it's close enough to come home when I want, but I still get the experience of going off to college," Baker said. "Texas State has one of the top Physical Therapy schools in Texas. I had to have ACL surgery in 8th grade and went through about six months of physical therapy. Through that experience I knew it was the career for me."

Jones' and Baker's advice for underclassmen is go get involved in the school. 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. Also, if you get a bad grade, do not give up and just keep trying. "Always do your best, no matter how simple the task seems and don't take any of your days in high school for granted," Baker said. "It will be over before you know it."


Boys' Golf Season Highlights
submitted by Stephen Lamore

Tim O'Farrell placed first in the district 16-3A golf tourney, with teammates Harrison Sarran and Blake Holbert placing second and third respectively. However, the boy's golf team finished the year in bittersweet fashion. In the regional golf tournament the Panther's blue team finished in a tie with Atlanta and lost the chance of competing in state by getting beaten in a playoff. The Panther white team which consisted of four 9th graders had a great 2nd round and went from 9th place to 4th, finishing just behind Lindale, Atlanta, and the Spring Hill blue team. Senior Lane Waters and freshman Jason Fiscus both earned spots in the state tournament by finishing 2nd and 4th in the regional tournament. In the state tournament held at Jimmy Clay golf course in Austin, Jason and Lane both played well, finishing 17th and 20th respectively


Girls' Golf Team Places Third at State
submitted by Chris Stuckey of The Panther's Paw

After being crowned regional champions, the Lady Panthers traveled to Austin to take on the Class 3A State Golf Tournament for the third consecutive year. The Lady Panthers are returning four players from last year's state tournament team.

The Lady Panthers took home the regional tournament title with two-day total of 688 beating Atlanta by 16 strokes. Junior Leslie Lee turned in a two-day total 154 and took first place in the overall medalist race. The team's victory earned them a spot in the state golf tournament which was held May 11-12 at Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin. . "We've been working hard all year to get [to state]," Lee said. "So it was a great feeling to achieve that."

The first round of the 36-hole tournament was held May 11. Lee led the team in the first round with an eight-over 80. Seniors Jacy Mann and Katie McCrary each turned in an opening round 86. Sophomore Lacie Holbert finished with an 89 and junior Elizabeth Zapata shot a 102. The Lady Panthers ended the first day with a team total of 341 good enough for third in the team standings 16 strokes behind Snyder. "I felt like I could have played better and the team as a whole didn't play our best either," Lee said.

The second round of the 36-hole tournament left the Lady Panthers with a chance to close the gap to first place. Lee ended the second day with an 11-over par 83. Lee's two-day total of 163 tied her for 10th in the individual medalist standings and earned her all-state honors. McCrary posted a second round score of 87. Mann added an 89 to go along with Holbert's 90 and Zapata's 108. The Lady Panthers ended the tournament with a two-day team total of 690. The team's effort gave them a third place finish in team standings. "Our team did very well overall," Holbert said. "I was a little disappointed but third is still very good.”

Snyder took the team title with a two-day total of 633. Yoakum finished second with a total of 660.


Brian Bass Wins State Title
Number Sense Team Places Second
submitted by Pat Gatons

Led by juniors Brian Bass and Zach Barnhart, the Spring Hill math-science team dominated its competition enroute to the State UIL Academic Meet held in Austin.

Following their strong showing at the District 16AAA meet, team members Brian and Michael Bass, Zach Barnhart, Jason Graham, Caleb Engelke, and Shawn Davis turned in an outstanding performance in finishing as regional champions in the number sense, calculator applications, and science contests. Additionally, the team finished second in mathematics to qualify as an alternate to the State Meet.

State qualifiers and their events from regional competition include:

Zach Barnhart: 1st in calculator, 1st in science, 2nd in number sense, 2nd in mathematics, number sense, calculator, and science teams
Brian Bass: 1st in number sense, 3rd in calculator, 6th in science, number sense, calculator, and science teams
Michael Bass: number sense and calculator teams
Jason Graham: number sense and science teams
Caleb Engelke: calculator team
Shawn Davis: science team

"I was extremely proud of the efforts these young men put forth in preparing for the regional contests," said sponsor Pat Gatons. "Having six state qualifiers in the math-science events is a tremendous reflection on the program here at Spring Hill," Gatons continued. "For the first time that I can remember in over thirty years, a student (Zach Barnhart) qualified for State in four separate contests!"

At the State UIL Academic Meet held on May 4th-6th at UT-Austin, team members Brian Bass, Zach Barnhart, Michael Bass, and Jason Graham placed second in the class AAA number sense competition. In addition, junior Brian Bass followed his third-place finish in number sense from last year with a state championship performance at this year's contest.

"It's been twenty years since Spring Hill has won any type of UIL state championship," said Gatons. "Brian is an extremely talented individual who works very hard in preparing for his UIL contests and is well deserving of the title of state champion. I'm looking forward to having him and the other members of the team back for a repeat performance next year."

With the addition of new freshmen members for this year's junior high math-science team, and the return of all the high school state qualifiers from this year, the future looks bright for continued success in the areas of mathematics and science for Spring Hill High School.


2005-2006 Art Competition Winners
submitted by Bud Dunn

Twirlers Advance to Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest
submitted by Karen Hagler

Monday, May 29th is TSSEC (Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest). Six twirlers went to U.I.L. Solo & Ensemble Twirling Contest November 5th and received a 1st Division Rating which advanced them to go on to TSSEC that is held in San Marcos. Competition events consist of three solos and one sextet ensemble. Solos are Ashley Barnhart, Amber Boswell, and Mallori Anderson. The Ensemble is Ashley Barnhart, Amber Boswell, Katie McCrary, Karlee Stagner, Mallorie Anderson, Megan Shafer. In addition, the High School Band and Choir (with about 75 students competing in Solos and Ensembles) will also be traveling to San Marcos.


Stock Market Game Leads to National Awards for Students
submitted by Melissa Eades of The Panther's Paw

Spring Hill students excelled once again in the Stock Market Game Program. The Stock Market Game is a 10-week simulation in which students receive a hypothetical $100,000 to create a portfolio of stocks and mutual funds with the goal of increasing the value of that portfolio. "In the stock market game we learned that there is no quick way to make a lot of money in the stock market," said senior Will Cooper. "It usually takes a long time."

Students work in teams to research and evaluate stocks, and make decisions based on what they have learned. This semester, each Spring Hill team competed for ranking and prizes against the 313 teams from across the Dallas region. This year Spring Hill had teams finish as high as 4th and 8th place. Their team was Courtney Stebbins, Nancy Palencia, Jonathan Pickenpaugh and Kelsey McGeehee. The top three place winners receive prizes and attend an awards banquet in Dallas. This is the second year Mr. Sims' economics students have competed in the stock market game. Last year a team placed second and each team member received a $100 savings bond.

"I am continually amazed by the student's excitement and interest in researching companies and investment strategies for the Stock Market Game." Jeff Sims said. "It is a fantastic way to make learning fun and meaningful."

Additionally, because of Spring Hill's participation in the Stock Market Game, students were eligible to compete in the National InvestWrite essay contest. This contest is only open to those who competed in the Stock Market Game during the current semester. InvestWrite is promoted by the Foundation For Investor Education and is a teacher-designed writing competition that reinforces students' critical thinking skills and bridges classroom learning in subjects such as mathematics, social studies, economics, and finance with the practical, real-world knowledge required for successful investing and saving. Students use the knowledge they have gained playing the game and apply it to real-world situations. Each teacher serves as the first-round judge when they choose the top three essays from each class to send on to the national competition. Two of the six student essays sent by Mr. Sims placed in the top 10 out of thousands nationwide. Sarah Baker placed third, Jessica Reifschneider placed ninth. Sarah, Jessica, their parents, Mr. Sims, and Mr. Gilbert attended an awards banquet in Dallas where Jessica received a $100 gift certificate and Sarah received a laptop computer, a classroom pizza party, a trophy, and a plaque. Because Sarah finished in the top 3 of the nation, Mr. Sims also received a laptop computer, and a one-year subscription to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Stock Market Game's official website, "Students who participate in the Stock Market Game program learn more than investing. As they progress, they learn core academic concepts and skills that can help them succeed in the classroom—and in life."


Spring Post-Season Athletic Events Results
submitted by Teri Burns, Athletic Secretary

Congratulations to the following students for Spring athletic events:

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