From the Desk of Mike Gilbert:

It is hard to believe the Fall Semester is less than six weeks from being complete. The year is moving quickly, and our students have been very busy. Football, Volleyball and Cross Country have finished their seasons. High points included the Volleyball team in the playoffs and defeating Van in the first round. Cross Country qualified both teams for the regional meet, and a young Spring Hill Panther Football Team battled hard through a tough season with a never-say-die attitude of which I am very proud.

Spring Hill High School students are getting the hang of the A/B Block schedule. We are seeing more students taking advantage of the morning and afternoon tutorials and managing their time in a more efficient manner. One benefit of this schedule that we did not foresee is the ability to monitor student grades more closely than before this year. Each student is assigned grades at the six week grading period, and grades are checked in the third week of each grading period for a total of six times before the semester grade is determined. Previously, student grades were recorded at the end of each nine weeks with a grade check at three weeks into the grading period for a total of four times before the semester grade was assigned. I would also like to call your attention to the link on your newsletter that will connect to our Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation report. This report includes commendations and recommendations for the high school.

Mrs. Childers and Mrs. Dees are working hard to prepare our students for the future with PSAT, ASVAB, and PLAN testing. Make sure you visit the school web site for more information on these and other events that are available for your student. The year is going fast, and May will be here before we know it! Make sure to stay informed by reading this newsletter and visiting the web site at www.springhill.esc7.net.

Go Panthers!

East Carolina junior Robert Lee, a 2003 graduate of Spring Hill, was one of 20 semifinalists named to the 2005 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, which is presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Palm Beach County Sports Institute announced today.

The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award recognizes the top place-kicker in NCAA Division I-A football. Voters for the award include Division I-A head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters, conference representatives, professional kickers and previous Groza Award finalists.

The three finalists for the Lou Groza Award are announced on Monday, November 21 and are honored at the 14th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Dinner on Tuesday, December 6 at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott. The 2005 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award winner is announced on Thursday, December 8 during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Award Show in Orlando, Florida.

The award, now in its 14th year, is named for NFL Hall-of-Fame kicker Lou Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Nicknamed "The Toe," Groza was one of the first people to truly make kicking an art form, and he helped usher in to football the idea that a player could be used exclusively for kicking.

For more information on the 20 Semifinalists, including complete statistics, please visit http://www.lougrozaaward.com/Candidates/index.htm.

Daingerfield UIL Meet is a Success
submitted by Pat Gatons

Spring Hill High School students competed on Saturday, November 12, 2005, at the Daingerfield UIL meet. Winning individual trophies for Spring Hill were:

• Brittany Callas - 2nd in Accounting
  
• Michael Bass - 1st in Number Sense, 1st in Math
  
• Caleb Engelke - 3rd in Number Sense
  
• Zach Barnhart - 1st in Number Sense, 1st in Calculator, 1st in Math, 2nd in Science
  
• Jason Graham - 2nd in Math, 1st in Science
  

In addition, the math-science team placed 1st in its division composed of 1A-3A schools beating second place Daingerfield by almost 300 points. The team finished second overall among all twenty schools competing losing only to Pine Tree and placing ahead of larger schools such as Longview, Mt. Pleasant, Sulphur Springs, Marshall, and Hallsville.

The math-science team will next compete on December 3rd when Spring Hill High School will host its 29th consecutive meet.


Tutorials Bring Failure Rate Down
submitted by Ashley Herrin of The Panther's Paw

Although a high number of students received progress reports after the first three weeks of school, only twenty-one percent of students failed at least one class at the end of the first six weeks. This was a six percent increase from last year but it was understandable considering the new schedule.

Grading periods are now six weeks instead of nine with eight classes instead of five, and students are only in each class about 15 times before each report card goes out, resulting in fewer grades to average in. Enrollment is also at the highest it has ever been and having more students will obviously result in more failures. The efficiency of the new schedule will not be determined, however, until TAKS scores are received.

"I don't think we'll see a decision made about the new schedule until the TAKS results come in," Principal Mike Gilbert said. "That was why we adopted the schedule, to help the students better prepare for TAKS."

The failure rate is expected to decrease as the year progresses. Students are gradually adopting better time management skills and taking advantage of tutorials both before and after school.

"Going to tutorials gives me one on one time with the teacher to ask questions," junior Jennifer Zapata said. "It helps me understand the material better and it has really brought my grades up since the beginning of the year."

Despite the high number of progress reports sent out, few complaints were received from parents of students who were failing.

"We were expecting the phones to be ringing off the hooks after progress reports were sent out," Gilbert said. "Surprisingly we only got a few complaints and they were mostly just from parents concerned about their kids having eight classes instead of five, not really about switching between A and B days."

There are a few students who are taking concurrent classes such as both English III and IV or Spanish II and III. They were considered before the schedule change was made, but the change had to be made for the good of the majority and not just for the exceptions to the rules. A high percentage of junior and senior students are enrolled in college classes for dual credit and the school board felt that the students were strong enough academically to adapt to the schedule change.

"I think we'll see the TAKS scores come up without having to change the schedule to allow morning TAKS tutorials like last year," Gilbert said. "This way students are in core classes with qualified teachers to prepare them throughout the year."


Students Put Algebra to Use
submitted by Rusty Robinett

Over the past three weeks, students that take Algebra 2 with Coach Rusty Robinett have designed pictures and written programs on their Texas Instruments calculators for their "Graphing ART Project." Robinett commented, "This project was a great way for students to put into use what they had learned the previous six weeks." "It took a long time and it was hard but gave me a better understanding of what we learned," says junior Josh Brewer.

In the project, students took a picture graphed by hand and wrote a program on their calculator, much like a computer program, that would show their picture on the calculator.

The project took all of three weeks to complete. The students had three deadlines they had to meet, at which time their progress was checked by Robinett.

The students also had to have access to the calculators in order to complete this project. These calculators were supplied by the school to students who did not have access outside of school. "Buying the calculator was expensive, but it would have been really hard to do the project without it," Sophomore Hannah Sorenson said.


Apparel Class Donates Bags to Senior Citizens
submitted by Melissa Eades of The Panther's Paw

Dee Ann Coker's apparel class responds to the needs of senior citizens by making bags for them as a class project. The students make the bags for a grade and then the bags are donated to any senior citizen in need.

"It gives us something to do, and I like helping them," sophomore Jennifer Williams said.

The bags are designed to be easy for senior citizens to carry, and to fit easily on a walker, wheelchair, etc. The idea for these bags came from Mrs. Tomberlain, who broke both of her ankles and was trying to find a bag to keep her glasses and other belongings in, but she couldn't find anything that worked.

"Like a lot of students in this class, I forgot to bring my material," senior Blake Simmons said. "So she let us make this, and we get to help senior citizens at the same time."

Making bags for senior citizens was not the original assignment, but so many students forgot to bring the materials needed for their projects that Coker provided them with fabric to make the bags instead, for a test grade. Couch and carpet material was donated to Coker's class by Haverty's and Edelman's Furniture stores, who were happy to give away some discontinued fabric samples that were perfect for this project.

If anyone could use one of these bags or has a family member who could, contact Coker's home economics department. Bags will also be handed out to any senior citizen in need at the Thanksgiving Luncheon.

"All these available resources, a business' generosity in providing fabric, the student's time, talents and willingness to provide service to our community made this idea come together and work," Coker said.


Twirlers Excel at Competition
submitted by Mike Barnes

The High School Twirlers competed at UIL Twirling Contest on Saturday November 5, at Pine Tree. The twirlers earned 11 First Division medals. Six of the students qualified for the Texas State Twirling Contest in San Marcos. Students participating were: Katie McCrary, Ashley Barnhart, Karlee Stagner, Megan Shafer, Amber Boswell, Laney Peterson, Lacy Hyatt and Malorie Anderson.


Food Science Class Prepares Luncheon
submitted by DeeAnn Coker

Food science students were given several opportunities to put many of the skills they had learned the past 12 weeks into practical practice as they prepared and served a working lunch to 15 community parents, school board members and members of the Southern Association Accreditation team on Oct. 24. The goal of the project was to serve a delicious lunch while making the guests feel welcome and a bit pampered while on our campus.

"The meal was well-planned, and the service from the students was exceptional. The students made sure that everyone felt comfortable and at home," parent and first grade teacher Lynne Maddox said.

Menu planning, time management, table manners/ service, teamwork and food preparation were just a few of the skills that came into play. As a result of all of the behind-the-scenes practice and preparation, the project went off without a hitch.

"I was so pleased and proud of the way these students followed through and implemented the plan we had prepared to pull this working lunch off," family and consumer science teacher DeeAnn Coker said. "They were confident in their abilities and enjoyed all of the compliments they received. Not only did they learn some new food preparation skills, but they will be more self-assured in situations where they are served a formal sit-down meal. They learned the do's and don'ts of manners, table setting and service. They had fun practicing and serving one another in class."

The food science class welcomes every chance to showcase the skills learned in class. Every opportunity is taken to serve the school and community while preparing students with skills for life.


Panther Band Wins Marching Honors
submitted by Mike Barnes

For the 5th consecutive year the Spring Hill High School Band earned a 1st Division from all three judges at UIL Marching Contest. The band competed at the annual contest on Wednesday November 2 in the Mt. Pleasant Stadium. Some of the Judges comments were as follows: Ralph Zamarippa – “Great musical performance. Great execution from start to finish. A great tradition you have of Military Marching that you upheld today with great pride.” Jim Childers – “Beautiful band sound, very mature, great technique. Well taught and well performed. A real pleasure to watch and hear!” Jim Blackshire – “Tremendous ensemble sound. Very interesting and intricate drill design performed very well. This was fun!”

On Saturday, November 5 the Blue Brigade participated in the National Association of Military Marching Bands Contest at Abe Martin Stadium in Lufkin. They were one of only seven bands, from class 1A to 5A, to receive a Superior Performance Award. Some of the judges comments were as follows: Henry Schraub – “Great looking group. Very creative drill.” JR. McEntyre – “Nice sounds. Impressive French Horns. This is an impeccable drill. Very near perfect. Super impressive! Just terrific marching. Incredible accuracy and military bearing.” Gerald Fagan – “Really good ensemble sound. Great Drill. Good fundamental marching band. Good military bearing. Beautiful uniforms. Great drill…very hard!” Jerry Payne – “ A fine band sound. You exhibit much pride and dignity in your performance. Marching is well taught! Excellent uniformity of marching execution. Superb drill design and execution. An exciting drill to watch.” Nelson Nolden – “Great fanfare, very exciting, great aggressive style on marches with great technique. Very exciting ending – POWERFUL! Lots of pride on the field today. Bravo! Great variety in show design. Very high degree of difficulty but you handle it well. You are a great band with obvious PRIDE! Exemplary teaching and learning!”

The High School Band will be performing at the Veterans Ceremony on November 11th and the Longview Christmas Parade on December 1st. The Junior High Bands will have their Christmas Concert on December 8th in the LL Williamson Auditorium. The High School and 6th Grade Christmas Concert is on December 8.


Business Students Learn to Create Web Pages
submitted by Laura Jordan

From personal Web pages, to home businesses and small one-owner enterprises, Web sites are an important tool in communicating information. Students in Business Image Management and Multimedia (BIMM) have acquired a working knowledge of HTML code and are now using FrontPage 2003 to create Web pages.

During the first weeks of the school year, BIMM students learned how to create images for use on the Web using Adobe PhotoShop and ImageReady, and they will soon experiment with creating Flash files for the Internet. These skills will be used in conjunction with FrontPage, and eventually, students will learn GoLive, Adobe's Web Editor.

In an increasingly Web-centric world, the ability to create a Web page is becoming essential, and these students are acquiring the skills they need in order to "keep up" in this fast-paced technological race. Some students have even sparked an interest in making Web design a career.


YBA Service Project
submitted by Fran Scott

The week before Thanksgiving, the Young Business Associates will be providing a business service project for the Spring Hill Dairy Queen. The group has designed a Christmas scene to be painted on the windows of the DQ. The goal of the project is to promote holiday spirit and increase traffic for a local business. In the process, the students are learning a free-lance advertising skill which they will be able to use if they go into management or business ownership. They will also be able to free-lance for other businesses to enhance their income. This is a fun project but one that will leave the students with design and painting skills to use for life.


Artrageous Offers Opportunities on All Campuses
submitted by Carol Manley

Artrageous, Spring Hill’s Fine Arts Foundation would like to thank this year’s Billboard sponsors.

Our High School students, this Dec. 5th at 1:30 will see the Dallas Black Dance Company performing in our auditorium. The surrounding area High School dance teams and the Rangerettes will also benefit from the opportunity. Any additional seating for the performance will be offered to the public for $8.00.

The foundation provided new portable sound systems for the Flags, Twirlers and Choirs at the Jr. High, Senior High and the Middle school.

Our High School Art Department received a check that supplied all of their paper needs for the year and the Jr High will receive a check for their supplies as well.

The Fifth graders will experience a week long activity called “Sheep to Shawl”. They will learn to sheer sheep and turn the wool into felt. Each student will then learn to weave. This program will take place in their science classes.

The Longview Symphony will provide the cultural experience for the Intermediate campus in the Spring with a performance and personal time spent with musicians and their instruments.

Finally, the Primary Campus has two scheduled events at this time. Jim Valley, out of Seattle Washington will present his “Rockin’ Rain Forest” program. This is a unique learning experience for those children. Lastly, the Shreveport Opera has agreed to a return visit to our campus. The children loved this performance last year and we are excited to be able to provide it again.

Artrageous is a new foundation set up to provide “ARTS” related learning opportunities for Spring Hill students. If you have an interest in participating please contact the Administration office for information. You will also find brochures in each campus office

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