From the Desk of the Principal:

The end of another school year is here. The 2008-2009 school year has been another great year for both academic and athletic accomplishments. We won the District Championship in UIL Academics and have several students advancing to State. Our Baseball won the District Championship, and they are still playing in the State Playoffs. Our Softball Team is also playing in the State Play-offs.  We won the total sports championship for our district by accumulating the most points in all sports. 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 (99% in English, 93% in Math, 96% in Science, and 100% 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 one member of our staff; Coach Dennis Hedrick in Science and coaching. We will really miss Coach Hedrick and Lance.

Our Attendance Rules for next week are as follows:

May 27th - All students Grades 9, 10, 11, & 12 who are exempt 1st , 2nd or 3rd periods will not come to those classes. School will dismiss at 12:30 pm

May 28th - All students Grades 9, 10, 11, & 12 who are exempt 4th, 5th, or 6th period will not come to those classes School will dismiss at 12:30 pm

May 29th - All students who are exempt 7th, or 8th will not come to those classes          School will dismiss at 10:55. 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 2009 would like to invite everyone to attend the Sixty-sixth Commencement Program Friday, May 29th at the Belcher Center on the LeTourneau University campus. Many of the accomplishments listed above are due to the leadership of the Class of 2009.  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 2009, and good luck!!

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

Bobby Watkins

2009 Top Grads Announced
submitted by Paige Childers

SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN
MICHAEL WILLIAM BASS
Michael, son of Jim and Debby Bass, has been active the last four years in numerous school organizations including band, National Honor Society, chess club, athletics, and UIL academics.  He is an all-region and all-area percussionist and has been the drum line captain the past two years.  Michael has won numerous UIL awards at the district, regional and state level.  He is the TMSCA state Number Sense Champion for 2009 and a member of the 2007 State UIL Academic Championship team.  Michael is an Eagle Scout and an active member of the Greggton United Methodist Church where he play in the youth praise bands.  Next year, Michael will attend Texas A&M University where he will double major in electrical engineering and computer engineering.

SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL SALUTATORIAN
REBECCA CHRISTINE KENNEDY
Rebecca, daughter of Steve and Beth Kennedy, has participated in a variety of organizations throughout high school including Drill Team, Choir, and National Honor Society.  She has been a four year member of the Pacesetter drill team, serving as 1st lieutenant her junior year, and Captain her senior year.  In National Honor Society, Rebecca served as Treasurer her senior year.  She participated in UIL Solo and Ensemble for three years, advancing to State competition her sophomore and junior year.  In addition, she is an active member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, participating in the youth ministry and choir.  Rebecca was awarded the Elks Lodge Student of the Month and is a member of the Texas Bank and Trust Student Board of Directors.  Next year, Rebecca will be attending Baylor University majoring in Biology.

Leaders' Sprayground a Reality after Years of Work
submitted by Holly Whittington

The SHHS Leaders’ Core held a dedication ceremony on May 20th to officially open the new sprayground at Spring Hill Park.  The ceremony began with an introduction from sponsor Holly Whittington, followed by an invocation given by Mrs. Jean Conaway of Mobberly Baptist Church.  Next, Longview City Councilman, John Bolster spoke briefly followed by Leaders’ Core members past and present including:  Slade Williams, Class of 2006; Cole Tomberlain, Class of 2007; Sarah Veralli, Class of 2008, Ashley Alm and Kayli Cowan both Class of 2009; Garrett Watkins and Shelby Young, Class of 2010; and Kealey Womack and Alex Voelzke, Class of 2011.  Park benefactors Crystal and  Patrick Bowles cut the blue ribbon while balloons were released, and the sprayground was officially launched.   A formal reception followed at the high school library, hosted by Mrs. DeeAnn Coker’s classes.  The new state of the art Spring Hill Sprayground is a meaningful achievement for both the Leaders’ Core and Spring Hill community. Built with the help of several years of Leaders’ Core members, this achievement enhances an already new and beautiful City of Longview park that includes four baseball fields as well as the Neil McCoy’s playground with plans for expansion in the near future.

The Leaders’ Core would like to express our gratitude to:

* Special contributor, Crystal and Patrick Bowles
* Our gold, silver, bronze, and numerous other donors
* Our families for their love and support
* Anyone who has sponsored a PowderPuff game or the Home Run Derby in the past
* Those who have helped with any Leaders’ Core fund-raiser
* Our community partners who have donated products or services
* The Spring Hill ISD community
* The City of Longview Parks Department

It truly takes a village, and the Spring Hill Community should be proud for its accomplishment.




Tara Alexander Memorial Scholarship Winners Selected
submitted by Nancy Green

Congratulations to Michael Bass and Rebecca Kennedy as recipients of the Tara Alexander Memorial Scholarship.  Each student was awarded $750.  Applicants were evaluated based upon an essay explaining the impact their English classes will have on their future career plans, recommendation letters, financial need, and class rank.

Mrs. Alexander graduated salutatorian of the class of 1998   at Spring Hill High School and was the sophomore English teacher at the high school when she passed away in September 2008.  The district’s faculty, various fundraisers, and private donations have made the awarding of this scholarship possible.  It is a privilege to be able to commemorate such a beloved and devoted educator in this way.

A scholarship will be awarded again next year, and if you are interested in making a donation, please contact Nancy K. Green at Spring Hill High School.




Lady Panthers Win District Track Meet... Again!
submitted by Stacy Edwards

The Lady Panthers won the district 17 – 3A Track Meet April 15-16th for the 3rd year in a row. Spring Hill placed first with 185 points, Tatum 105, Chapel Hill 77, Gilmer 72, Bullard 60, Gladewater 51.

In the field events, Meagan Cameron came away with the gold in the pole vault clearing a personal best of 10’6. Jessica Jackson also nabbed two golds, in the triple jump she placed first with a jump of 36’3” and in the long jump 16’3”. Shelby Young placed 2nd in the long jump with a 16’2”. Shannon Manley placed third in the long and triple with a long jump of 15’3” and a triple of 32’10”. Chaney Hughes placed 4th in the discus with her personal best mark of 104’. Avery Curtis tied for third in the high jump clearing 4’9, T’Asia black placed 5th.

In the running events, Amber Moore did her usual thing, beating everyone by almost half of a lap. In the 3200, she placed first with an 11:51 and in the 1600 a 5:15.5 earning her third trip to the regional meet. Shelby Young also came away with two gold medals, in the 100 meter hurdles placing first with a 15.7 and in the 300 hurdles a 48.2. Shelby ran injured in both races and coasted to first both. Kayla Self upset the district by entering the 800 meter dash the week before the meet and placed first overall with a 2:28 just beating 2nd place by a second. Ashley Campbell finished 2nd in the 100 meter dash with a 13.01. The 800 meter relay of Jackson, Black, Aliyah Davis and Kayla Williams walked away with a victory with a 1:47.1. Shannon Manley also placed 4th in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 52.1. Aliyah Davis won the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.4, Williams placed 4th and Campbell 6th respectively. Kelsi Cowan ran a personal best time of 6:05 to place 5th in the 1600 meter run. Sommer Baker, Self, Jackson, and Black placed 2nd in the 1600 meter relay with a 4:22, a season best. The Lady Panthers will compete in Humble the 15th and 16th of May exactly one month after the district meet. It has been a trying time for these young ladies due to the original UIL ruling of only the top 4 qualifiers in each region advancing to the meet. The UIL later reversed the decision, moved the meet back two more weeks so that everyone could participate. This now allows our girls to compete for a chance to run at the state meet in Austin June 5th.




Academic UIL Honored at Banquet
submitted by Laura Jordan


A large number of Spring Hill students (pictured above) have qualified to compete in the State Academic UIL Meet on May 25-26, at the University of Texas at Austin. These students have sacrificed, practiced, and studied to make it to this level of competition, and they have qualified in the following events: Number Sense, Calculator, Mathematics, Accounting, and Literary Criticism. The 2009 State Qualifiers in alphabetical order are Lisa Bass, Michael Bass, Anna Brown, Ariel Chipman, Gary Duncan, Skye Duncan, Caryn Esch, Connie Esch, Jeremy Hall, Tyler Nichols, Adrian Parr, Jessica Sorey, Michelle Thompson.

On May 12, a banquet was held to honor these students and all other Academic UIL participants for the current year. School board members and Wes Jones, our superintendent, served the tasty meal prepared by Mrs. Coker's foods classes. Our local PTA decorated the student center to set the stage for the special occasion, and academic coaches honored their individual teams during the dinner. Academic coordinator, Jennifer White, organized the event to recognize the hard work and dedication of students and teachers involved in Academic UIL.




Student Council News
submitted by Carrie Jones

Student Council has had a fantastic year. For the last couple of months, they've wrapped it up helping with activities such as Relay for Life, Rainforest Day, Beach Day, Texas Day, Arbor Day, and Earth Day. Student Council gave away two trees on Arbor Day-one to an Intermediate student and one to a Primary student as prizes for an Earth Day recycling contest. Another tree was also donated to the Primary to plant on Rainforest Day.

Relay for Life was not ruined by the rain; it was brought inside the Junior High gym. The walk around the gym was made several times in remembrance of loved ones who have either passed away or survived from cancer. Spring Hill High School Student Council and Leaders Core formed a team and raised $2300.00 and sold luminaries for the American Cancer Society. They also won a prize for the best costume in the Patriotic Lap.

Texas Day was great for the second graders. The student council helped paint faces and set up for the event. For the second graders' Rainforest Day and the kindergartener's Beach Day, StuCo helped take care of the precious children of our helpful parents.

Stu Co held its final meeting of the year with a breakfast welcoming new members and celebrating graduating seniors. The student council has had so much fun this year, and wishes "Good Luck!" to the members who are graduating.




State Tennis
submitted by Holly Ford

For the fourth year in a row, Spring Hill tennis players competed in the state tournament in Austin.  This year, Elliott Deese and Luke Wallis claimed third place honors receiving a bronze medal.  They defeated Eric Barnes and Lance Cacy of La Vernia 6-0; 6-1 before being edged in the semi-finals by Daniel Kil and Justin Prater of Alvarado 6-4;7-5.  Deese and Wallis ended the year with a 26-8 win-loss record.  They were also named as the team's most valuable male players for 2009.

Meagan Cameron and Mitch Alm also qualified for state. At state, they lost to Abilene Wylie's Leslie Ingram and Colin Bumann 6-4;6-1.  Cameron and Alm accumulated a 26-5 win-loss record for the year.  Cameron was named the Most Valuable Female Player for 2009.

Coach Ford says, "These players have worked very hard.  I am so happy that their efforts have been rewarded.  Playing in the state tennis tournament is a thrill of a lifetime!  They will always remember it."