From the Desk of the Principal:

The end of another school year is here. The 2007/2008 school year has been another great year for both academic and athletic accomplishments. We won the District Championship in UIL Academics. Our Math Team placed third in the State.  We won District Championships in Boys and Girls Cross Country, Lady Panther Basketball, Lady Panther Track, Boys and Girls Tennis, Softball, and Boys and Girls Golf. Baseball won Second Place in District and played in the Area Championship.  Our Softball Team is still playing in the State Play-offs in the Regional Finals.  What a great tribute to our kids and to our athletic department led by Coach Robert Bero. The Band simply racked up another sweepstakes year. Congratulations to Mr. Kiser and his students. There are so many other areas that have brought Spring Hill into the spotlight for positive things that I could not possibly list them all.

The state TAKS scores came back.  The 11th grade scores were good (98% in English, 92% in Math, 88% in Science, and 99% in Social Studies).  The rest of the scores show improvement from last year, and they will be announced in June. I am very proud of the students and faculty for all their hard work this year. By the way, mentioning faculty members reminds me that we are losing two members of our staff;  Beau Martin in Science and Tommy Mitchell in Spanish.
         
Our Attendance Rules for next week are as follows:

May 27th - Regular School Day for Grades 9, 10, 11
Seniors who are exempt from exams in Block 6tth, 7th, or 8th will not come to those classes. All seniors are required to come to 5th Block.

May 28th - All students Grades 9, 10, 11, &12 who are exempt 1st or 2nd  Block will not come to those classes. All students will attend 3rd & 4th Block

May 29th - All students Grades 9, 10, 11, &12 who are exempt 3rd, 4th, or 5th  Blocks will not come to those classes

May 30th - All students who are exempt 6th, 7th, or 8th will not come to those classes
Seniors will be at the Gym for Graduation Rehearsal at 1:00 PM.

                        NO SIGN IN REQUIRED FOR ANY EXEMPT BLOCK

The Senior Class of 2008 would like to invite everyone to attend the Sixty-Fifth Commencement Program Friday, May 30. Many of the accomplishments listed above are due to the leadership of the Class of 2008.  We are very proud of all of our seniors and wish them the best as they begin the next stage of their life. Congratulations to the Class of 2008!!

Thanks to all of you for a great year!!!

Bobby Watkins

Softball Team Continues Quest for State Title
submitted by Mark Comfort

These 14 Lady Panthers set a goal to win district and go deep into the play-offs. Not only did they go deeper into the play-offs than any other S.H. team, but they also set the school record for number of wins in a season. We are at the present time 29-12-1, and we have won the following Championships.

District Champions 15AAA 2008
Bi-district Champions 2008
Area Champions 2008
Regional Quarter Final Champions 2008
Regional Semi Final Champions 2008
Regional Finalists 2008

Some individual accomplishments include the following.

15AAA 2008 All-District Team
MVP - Kayla Williams (unanimous)
Newcomer of the year - Shannon Sanders

1st Team
Shortstop - Ashley Campbell

2nd Team
1st Base - Kaeli Baker
3rd Base - Sha' McDowell
Center Field - Lindsey Harding
Catcher - Allison Brown
Utility - Laura Bernaldez

Honorable Mention
Chelsea Bogue, Shannon Irby, Jessica Fudge

Check out the Lady Panther team stats and team roster!




To Read or Not to Read: There is No Question! 
submitted by Karen Yoder

At this time in the year, all students are eagerly anticipating summer vacation and escape from the classroom, homework, and sometimes teachers. However, parents and students alike should consider taking up summer reading as a form of relaxation, recreation, and even “escape” that can bring great returns when the student returns for the new school year.  Numerous research findings show the correlation between students who expand their learning through reading outside the classroom and their academic success.  New programs are even emerging to incorporate more community involvement in students’ reading development, as noted by the New York Education Advisory Committee in an article entitled, “Reading for the Future: An Intergenerational Program for Schools.” In these communities, older more experienced readers partner with students, schools, and families to share their appreciation for reading. Since the adults have great power for influencing our young people, this is a way to encourage our students to develop sharp minds, which will only enhance achieving their future goals.

As the senior English teacher at Spring Hill High School, I see many opportunities for our students to develop as readers not only in the school setting but at home as well. For our advanced placement courses in English, we require summer reading to prepare students for the rigors of college course work, and in the process they earn great dividends in expanding their understanding, acquiring discipline, and gaining knowledge about other cultures, values, and belief systems. For example, this summer my senior AP students will read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment which examines such themes as the role of conscience and the importance of true friendship. Yes, it is a challenging read but they learn a wealth of lessons and are better prepared for the challenging reading materials they will encounter in the near future. It’s simply a “win-win” situation. Since I have the privilege of working with our students, those taking advanced and regular English, as they near the end of their secondary education, I notice a great difference in those students who have developed a discipline and enjoyment of reading and those who have not and struggle with the academic demands. I would love to see a community-wide support in encouraging not only our younger students but also our older students to continue developing an appetite for reading and writing, even away from our campus, so they are prepared to compete in the workforce, develop strong ideas and character traits, and achieve their dreams. This is not to say, I think important life lessons are only found in the pages of a book, but reading and exploring these lessons in literature is a starting point in stimulating young minds to consider the important issues of life like loyalty, integrity, and the benefits of hard work. 

Aldredge and Lee Qualify for State Tennis Tournament
submitted by Holly Ford

For the second year in a row, Kacy Aldredge and Chris Lee qualified for the UIL State Tennis Tournament in Austin.  They earned the trip by placing second in the Region II AAA Tournament in Allen.  At state, the Panther duo defeated a LaFeria team 6-0;6-2 before losing in the semi-finals to the eventual champion from Abilene Wylie.

Aldredge and Lee received a bronze medal.  Their win-loss record for the year was 33-4.  Chris Lee will continue playing tennis in college at UT-Tyler.




Lady Panther Track Wins Back-to-Back District Championships
submitted by Stacy Edwards

This year the Lady Panthers took no prisoners as they scored 225 points to win the district championship by 74 points. White Oak placed second with 151 points, Gilmer 3rd 110; 4th, Gladewater, 64; 5th, Sabine, 48; and  6th, Mineola, 22.

Season Statistics:
            Spring Hill Invitational   1st place
            Tommy Atkins Relays    2nd place
            Bobby Bernard Relays    1st place
            Bill Secord Relays          1st place
            15- 3A District Meet     1st place

District Results:
           
Shot:              1st Leslie Jordan
                       3rd Skye Duncan
                       5th Jacinda Lister

Discus:          1st Leslie Jordan
                       2nd Chaney Hughes
                       3rd Megan Rutter

Pole Vault:    2nd Kendall Rice
                       4th Brittany Raysin
                       6th Meagan Cameron

High Jump:     1st Courtney Newsom
                        5th Avery Curtis

Long Jump:     4th Shelby Young
                        5th Jessica Jackson
                        6th Kayla Self

Triple Jump:   1st Hayley Sanders
                        2nd Jessica Jackson
                        6th Kayla Self

• 3200 m Run: 2nd  Amber Moore
• 4 x 100 Relay: 2nd (Young, Raysin, Jackson, Ashlie Harris alt. Morgan Rutter)
• 800: 5th  Shelby Boyd
• 100 Hurdles: 1st Shelby Young, 3rd Savannah Faulkner, 6th Jade Bogue
• 100 Dash: 3rd Ashlie Harris, 4th Jessica Jackson, 5th Brittany Raysin
• 4 x 200 Relay: 3rd (Toy Cole, Self, Harris, Jackson)
• 400 Dash: 1st Courtney Newsom, 3rd Hayley Sanders
• 300 Hurdles: 1st Kendra Miller, 2nd Brittany Raysin, 5th Shannon Manley
• 200 Dash: 4th Courtney Newsom, 5th Kayla Self
• 1600 Run: 2nd Amber Moore
• 4 x 400 Relay: 1st (Young, Self, Sanders, Newsom, alt. Boyd) 4:03.2

New School Records were set in the following events this year:
Shot Put: Leslie Jordan 43’4” / old 36’5 (1999) Julie Jordan
Discus: Leslie Jordan 137’4”  / old 127’ (2000) Julie Jordan
Pole Vault: Kendall Rice 10’6”/ old 9’6 (2007) Kendall Rice
1600: Amber Moore 5:27 / old 5:30 (1990) Leah Langford
3200: Amber Moore 11:37 / old 12:21 (1988) Leah Langford
100 Hurdles: Shelby Young 15.32 / old 15.51 (1996) Jennifer McCraven
400 m dash: Courtney Newsom 58.3 / old 59.4 (2000) Angie Carter

Kids Culinary Camp
calling all jr. chefs!
submitted by Dee Ann Coker

It's the middle of July and 105 degrees outside. "We're bored," and "it's too hot to play outside" are all too familiar phrases to parents of middle and intermediate school age kids.  The high school home economics department has a great solution.  Send them to cooking camp! Participants will be introduced to measuring, following and preparing age-appropriate recipes,  kitchen safety, sanitation, manners, and how to set the table.  Each day will be fast-paced and jam-packed!

Camp for boys and girls who have completed 3rd or 4th grades will be July 7, 8, and 9th.

Older campers (boys and girls) who have completed 5th or 6th grades are scheduled for July 14, 15 and 16th.

Cost includes personalized apron, book of recipes, breakfast, lunch, crafts and daily take-home treats.  Older campers in session II will prepare a take-home meal the last day to serve for dinner. 

Spots for camp will fill up fast since each session is limited to only 15 students.  More specific information, cost, and registration form can be found on the school website under the summer camp link. 

Find out more today. If more information is needed please contact dcoker@springhill.esc7.net or call the home economics department directly at
903-323-7861.