Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD Teachers of the Year (front, from left) Kiki Moore (James Becker Thomson Special Education Teacher), Caitlin Huebner (HAABE ESL Secondary), Jo Ann Fenley (HAABE ESL Elementary), Jessica Vega, Jackie Brown, Neisa Villegas, Ciara Marks, Pam Bradford, Stacia Laird, (middle, from left) Esmeralda Cantu, Adriana Cienfuegos, Brandy La Bouve, Robin Edwards, Ofelia Wells, Kristin Reyes, Janette Kelley, Amy Serrano, Anna West, Teresa Black, (back, from left) Margaret Cayton, Jennifer Martin, Tracy Gaston Gray, Amanda Majeed, Angie Johnson, Valerie Currie, Jennifer Hollis Ashworth, Lauren Hoyt, Janoy Roberson, Rachel Prettyman and Ian Sobczak. Not pictured are Lizzet Austin (HAABE Bilingual Elementary) and Rovena Moreno.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Eva Padilla, Sally Capetillo, Karen Coffey, Terry Coy, Debbie Crow, Valery Jackson, Darrell Kalbitz, Connie Piotrowski, Sharon Stults and Catherine Huntley receive plaques and clocks in honor of their retirement. Not pictured is Michelle DuBay.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Joe Grabo (left), Tesla McCawley (middle) and James Marion (right) from the Bayway auto Group – Bayshore Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Ram – arrange to present District Teachers of the Year
Angie Johnson (second from left) from Goose Creek Memorial High School and Anna West (second from right) from Victoria Walker Elementary with a car to drive from June 1 - August 31, 2019.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Kristen Curette (middle) from Community Resource Credit Union, presents iPads to Goose Creek CISD Teachers of the Year Angie Johnson (left) from Goose Creek Memorial High School and Anna West from Victoria Walker Elementary.
GCCISD Retiree and Teacher of the Year Gala
By Susan Passmore
Goose Creek CISD recognized retirees and Teachers of the Year at a recent gala at Ross S. Sterling High School. The Theme was “100 Years of Class – Through the Decades” in honor of the 100th anniversary of Goose Creek CISD. The RSS String Quartet, under the direction of Camille Gates, provided music. After the program, guests enjoyed a reception and took photos in front of the 100th Anniversary Quilt, which features a quilt square created by each campus, finished by Sandy Martin, retired GCCISD employee.
Dr. Randal O’Brien welcomed guests and presented a brief history of Goose Creek CISD. Dr. Melissa Duarte announced the retirees, and O’Brien and Pete Pape, board president, presented each one with a clock and a plaque. Retirees honored included Sally Capetillo, counselor at Travis Elementary, 30 years in education, 27 in Goose Creek; Karen Coffey, director of intervention for the district, 43 years in education, 33 in Goose Creek; Terry Coy, assistant principal at San Jacinto Elementary, 40 years in education, all in Goose Creek; Debbie Crow, art teacher at Lamar Elementary, 37 years in education, 27 in Goose Creek and Michelle DuBay, teacher at Ross S. Sterling High School, 22 years in education, four in Goose Creek.
Additional retirees honored were Catherine Huntley, educational diagnostician for Victoria Walker Elementary and Ashbel Smith Elementary, 24 years in education, 12 in Goose Creek; Valery Jackson, social studies teacher at Horace Mann Junior School, 22 years in education, five in Goose Creek; Darrell Kalbitz, business teacher at Robert E. Lee High School, 30 years in education, all in Goose Creek; Eva Padillo, custodian at Highlands Elementary, 22 years in Goose Creek; Connie Piotrowski, special education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School, 21 years in education, all in Goose Creek and Sharon Stults, secretary for the Social Studies Department and Gifted and Talented Education, 33 years with Goose Creek.
The highlight of the event was the naming of the District Teachers of the Year. Anna West from Victoria Walker Elementary, was announced as the District Elementary Teacher of the Year, and Angie Johnson from Goose Creek Memorial High School was named District Secondary Teacher of the Year. Kristen Curette from Community Resource Credit Union presented the two teachers with iPads. Joe Grabo, James Marion and Tesla McCawley, representing the Bayway Auto Group, specifically Bayshore Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Ram, presented each one with a cap and a key to a car for them to drive during the summer months.
Other elementary Campus Teachers of the Year honored were Jessica Vega, Alamo Elementary; Jackie Brown, Stephen F. Austin Elementary; Neisa Villegas, Dr. Antonio Bañuelos Elementary; Ciara Marks, James Bowie Elementary; Pam Bradford, George Washington Carver Elementary; Stacia Laird, Dr. Johnny T. Clark, Jr. Elementary; Esmeralda Cantu, David Crockett Elementary; Adriana Cienfuegos, Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary; Brandy La Bouve, Harlem Elementary; Robin Edwards, Highlands Elementary; Ofelia Wells, Bonnie P. Hopper Primary; Rovena Moreno, Mirabeau B. Lamar Elementary; Kristin Reyes, San Jacinto Elementary; Janette Kelley, Ashbel Smith Elementary and Amy Serrano, William B. Travis Elementary.
Other secondary Campus Teachers of the Year honored included Teresa Black, Baytown Junior School; Margaret Cayton, Cedar Bayou Junior School; Jennifer Martin, George H. Gentry Junior School; Tracy Gaston Gray, Highlands Junior School; Amanda Majeed Horace Mann Junior School; Valerie Currie, Peter E. Hyland Center; Jennifer Hollis Ashworth, IMPACT Early College High School; Lauren Hoyt, Robert E. Lee High School; Rachel Prettyman, POINT Alternative Center; Janoy Robertson, Ross S. Sterling High School and Ian Sobczak, Stuart Career Tech High School.
The James Becker Thomson Special Education Teacher Kendricka (Kiki) Moore from Goose Creek Memorial High School was recognized by Janna Crow, director of special education. The award was established by Dr. Richard Thomson, a retired ophthalmologist, to honor his late brother James, who benefited from special education services. Moore is the 44th recipient.
Pilar Moreno-Recio, director of bilingual education, recognized Lizzet Austin from Alamo Elementary, District Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators (HAABE) Bilingual Elementary Teacher of the Year. Austin’s award was accepted by Andrea Zepeda, Alamo principal. Moreno-Recio also recognized Jo Ann Fenley from Crockett Elementary, District HAABE ESL Elementary Teacher of the Year and Caitlin Huebner from Goose Creek Memorial High School, District HAABE ESL Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Lamar Elementary teachers (from left) Jessica Robinson, Joy Powers, Daisy Villatoro, Sunnye Hickman, Elisa Berger, Mirna Espinoza and Magaly Bajar (holding the door)
celebrate the last day of the 2018-2019 school year.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Lamar Elementary students (from left) Kristopher Soto, Kort’lynn Kindle, Janessa Torres, Elijah Valencia and Taylor Green run out of school on the last day, ready to enjoy the summer break!
Texas Assessment Website
The Spring 2019 STAAR End of Course scores for the following subjects will be in the Student Portal on May 30.
- English I
- English II
- Algebra I
- Biology
- U.S. History
The Spring 2019 STAAR Grades 3-8 scores for the following subjects will be in the Student Portal on June 12.
- Grades 3-8
- Math
Grades 3-8
- Reading
Grades 4 and 7
- Writing
Grades 5 and 8
- Science
Grade 8
- Social Studies
Photo by Brenda Clem
Richard Clem, Goose Creek CISD board member, meets William Shakespeare, portrayed by Griffin Saunders, third grade, at the recent GATE Showcase Wax Museum at Victoria Walker Elementary.
Photo by Brenda Clem
Neil Armstrong, portrayed by William Spence, third grade, poses with Richard Clem, Goose Creek CISD board member, at the Wax Museum at Victoria Walker Elementary School’s GATE Showcase.
May 23, 2019
The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority, so we want to inform you of a situation that took place yesterday. A student posted a non-credible threat to Highlands Junior School and Goose Creek Memorial High School.
The Goose Creek CISD Police is working with the Baytown Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI to investigate the situation.
Although there does not appear to be any credibility to this threat, out of an abundance of caution, we have extra police officers on the campuses, and Harris County is providing extra units to patrol the area.
Photo by Mima Trujillo
Students (front, from left) Jacob Naiser, Tarece Lensing and Canon Svegliato, all from Ross S. Sterling High School, with teachers (back, from left) John Tremmel, RSS; Katie Reyna, Robert E. Lee High School and Homebound and Mindy Merling, Stephen F. Austin Elementary are presented at the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation’s Students Choice Awards.
Photo by Mima Trujillo
Students (front, from left) Joshua Thompson; Justin Gonzales, Jr.; Brianna Herrera and Autumn Harris, all from Ross S. Sterling High School, honor their teachers (back, from left) Amy Albus, previously at Travis Elementary and now at Cedar Bayou Junior School and Mike Anzaldua, Bert Dunnington; Jennifer Henry and Brenda Fess, all from RSS, at the recent Students Choice Awards. Not pictured are students Casey McCray from RSS, Zion Shillingford from RSS and teacher Ashlee Bellard Madison from Alamo Elementary.
Photo by Mima Trujillo
Josiah Hughes (front) from IMPACT Early College High School, honors her former teacher Patricia Authement (back right) from Gentry Junior School. Megan Downs (back left) from Cedar Bayou Junior School was also honored by student Everett Crutchfield (not pictured) from IMPACT ECHS. Also pictured is Emily Patrick, English teacher, from IMPACT ECHS.
Photo by Mima Trujillo
Students (front, from left) Emily Hansen, Almarie Green, Lorenzo Salinas and Maeva Flavien, all from Goose Creek Memorial High School, honor their teachers (back, from left) Gunnery Sgt. Jason Wells from GCM; Alexsia Shankle-Smith from Highlands Junior School (Gary Guy, principal, accepted her award.); Byoung (Sean) Kang from GCM and Shari May from GCM during the Students Choice Awards at Houston Raceway Park Club.
Students Choice Awards
By Susan Passmore
Despite heavy rain and a power outage, 15 teachers, nominated by seniors as having made a difference in their lives, were honored at the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation’s Students Choice Awards Banquet. A selection committee chose the honorees from a field of 550 letters from seniors about their teachers or former teachers.
The event, sponsored by Aramark; Awards & Engraving; Beehive Florist; Comex Corporation; Houston Raceway Park Club; Hutchison, Shockey, Erley & Co. and Texas Roadhouse, took place at Houston Raceway Park Club. Entertainment was provided by the Ross. S. Sterling High School Varsity Orchestra, under the direction of Camille Gates.
Erika Foster, GCCISD Education Foundation director, kicked off the event, and Laurie Terry, president, welcomed guests. Jennifer Walsh, vice president of development, led the pledge and Jim Wadzinski, board member, gave the invocation. After dinner, Ronnie Hotchkiss, president-elect, recognized students and teachers. Teachers received a plaque, a $50 gift card and a copy of a video created by Carrie Pryor-Newman of the GCCISD Communications Department. Students also received a copy of the video and a $50 gift card. Randal O’Brien, GCCISD superintendent, gave closing remarks. To see the video, go to https://youtu.be/JESyZoEug7M.
Teachers recognized with their students were Byoung (Sean) Kang, teacher, and Lorenzo Salinas, both from Goose Creek Memorial High School (GCM); Shari May, teacher, and Maeva Flavien from GCM; Alexsia Shankle-Smith, teacher from Highlands Junior School, and Almarie Green from GCM; Jason Wells, Gunnery Sgt. (Ret.), teacher, and Emily Hansen, GCM; Patricia Authement, teacher from Gentry Junior School, and Josiah Hughes from IMPACT Early College High School; Megan Downs, teacher from Cedar Bayou Junior School, and Everett Crutchfield from IMPACT ECHS; Amy Albus, teacher from Travis Elementary, now at Cedar Bayou Jr. School, and Joshua Thompson from Ross S. Sterling High School and Mike Anzaldua, teacher/coach from RSS, and Justin Gonzales, Jr. from RSS.
Others honored were Ashlee Bellard Madison, teacher from Alamo Elementary, and Zion Shillingford from RSS; Bert Dunnington, teacher, and Brianna Herrera, both from RSS; Brenda Fess, teacher, and Casey McCray from RSS; Jennifer Henry, teacher, and Autumn Harris from RSS; Mindy Merling, teacher and now counselor, from Austin Elementary, and Canon Svegliato from RSS; Katie Reyna, teacher from Robert E. Lee High School/Homebound, and Tarece Lensing from RSS and John Tremmel, teacher/coach, and Jacob Naiser from RSS.
A special tribute to her fourth-grade teacher at Travis Elementary, Suzy McGrew Gregory, from Lizeth Mendoza, a senior at Robert E. Lee High School, was included in the program. Gregory passed away shortly after giving birth to her son in 2011 while Mendoza was in her class.
“I do remember your smile and I recognize now just how much you sacrificed for me. You believed in me and you believe that I was capable of living my best life. You knew all along that I would become a leader and have a successful life. You knew all along that I would accomplish great things in life . . .Although I know that teaching twenty-one fourth-graders was not an easy task, still you had so much patience for us . . . I am proud to announce to you that all twenty-one of your Class of 2019 students will graduate this year,” Mendoza wrote in her letter.
Over the past 10 years, 150 teachers have been honored through the Students Choice Awards as one of the GCCISD Education Foundation’s goals of recognizing staff for exemplary teaching.
For more information or to donate to the GCCISD Education Foundation, contact erika.foster at gccisd.net or call 281-707-3610 or 832-597-9106. Individuals can also follow the foundation on Facebook or Twitter or through its webpage at www.gccisd.net/page/EducationFoundation.
The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Therefore, GCCISD is closed today, May 10, 2019, due to the inclement weather. Many of our schools are without power and transportation has been impacted. Please be safe.
La seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal es nuestra principal prioridad. Por lo tanto, GCCISD está cerrado hoy, 10 de mayo del 2019, debido a las inclemencias del tiempo. Muchas de nuestras escuelas no tienen electricidad y el transporte se ha visto afectado. Por favor, tomen todas las precauciones necesarias.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Daniel Tinoco is ready to receive his Logistics certificate from Lee College May 11 through the AIM program. He is shown with his Lee College counselor K-leigh Villanueva (left) and Linda Rye, Goose Creek CISD’s vocational adjustment teacher, who have provided support and encouragement for him.
Student Receives Logistics Certificate Through AIM Program at LC
By Susan Passmore
When Daniel Tinoco walks across the stage at Lee College May 11, he will have the distinction of being the first Goose Creek CISD student to receive a certificate through the Adult Independence Through Mentoring (AIM) program. The partnership between Goose Creek CISD and Lee College allows Goose Creek CISD students to access college courses or services with special education support provided by the school district.
After taking five classes at Lee College, Tinoco will receive a Logistics I Certificate of Completion. Although he participated in the Robert E. Lee High School graduation ceremony in 2018, he did not accept his diploma so that he could still receive services through the school.
“I decided on Logistics after watching videos about it. For a while, I felt a little uncomfortable because I didn’t know which classes I’d take or where they were,” Tinoco said.
Linda Rye, GCCISD’s vocational adjustment teacher, has provided in-class support when needed and worked on other skills Tinoco needed to be successful. They walked from Lee High School to the Lee College campus until he started going off and leaving her behind. Obviously, he mastered that. They also looked at public bus routes so that he would be able to access transportation when he could no longer rely on the school bus, and Tinoco now feels comfortable about riding the city bus. After studying a map of Lee College, he was able to find his way around to his classes as well as to the Rebel Roost and the game room – important aspects of college life.
K-leigh Villanueva, his Lee College counselor, also has been involved with Tinoco’s journey to success.
“Success looks different for each student, and this is what it looks like for Daniel. He is the first student to have gotten this far, so he has been most successful,” Villanueva said. “He also has the option to return to college.”
After receiving his certificate, Tinoco hopes to find a job packing and loading at a warehouse. He has had a little work experience through a paid internship with Keith Coleman, his Lee College professor, shredding paper and helping out after class.
“Keith has been good about understanding Daniel, and he has gone above and beyond to accommodate him,” Rye said.
Tinoco will receive additional support when he’s ready to apply for jobs.
“We teach interview skills and how to advocate for themselves, and we also refer students to the Texas Workforce Solutions-Vocational Rehabilitation,” said Rye. “We have a counselor dedicated to our school district, and the agency will provide a job coach or whatever he needs.”
As the first student in the AIM program to complete the requirements for a certificate, Tinoco has set an example for other students who could qualify for services through AIM that would be individualized to fit their specific goals.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Delores Serrano, a teacher at Carver Elementary, receives a grant for $1,293.97 for “Multiplication on the Playground” from Gena Hutto, secretary of the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation, during a visit from the Grant Surprise Patrol.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Laurie Curry, a teacher at Bowie Elementary, shows off the check for her grant for $2,580.28 for “Integrating Technology with Dyslexia Instruction,” presented to her by the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation’s Grant Surprise Patrol.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Naveah Hernandez (left) & Makhai Jones from the Carver Elementary drumline parade through Austin Elementary with the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation’s Grant Surprise Patrol to give out innovative teaching grants.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Christine Hunter, a teacher at Carver Elementary, receives a grant from Erika Foster, Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation director, while Carver student Demerick Taylor reacts to seeing the check.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Baytown Junior School teacher Teresa Black (middle) is awarded a group grant in the amount of $1,866 for “Operation Motivation” by Ginger Burnside (left) and RD Burnside, Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation donors..
By: Susan Passmore
Parading through school hallways, the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation’s Grant Surprise Patrol spent two days awarding 74 innovative teaching grants, totaling $158,965.37 to deserving teachers to enrich the curriculum for their students. Joined by drum lines from Goose Creek Memorial, Robert E. Lee and Ross S. Sterling high schools and Carver Elementary as well as members of the GCM Dazzlers dance team, GCM, REL and RSS cheerleaders; Education Foundation members; GCCISD administrators; students from the Audio/Video class at Stuart Career Tech High School and Foundation donors boarded bright yellow school buses and traveled around the district to present checks to excited teachers, cheered on by their students.
Donors who committed early to sponsorship of the Education Foundation’s All-Star Gala, to be held September 14 at Minute Maid Park, chose a grant to be presented in their name. Ronnie Hotchkiss, president-elect of the Education Foundation; Daphna Hotchkiss and Sammy Hotchkiss from Hotchkiss Disposal Services presented a grant for $2,135.71 to Martha Pacheco, Erika Odhiambo, Nalleli Espinoza and Perla Garcia at Bañuelos Elementary for “Math Tools for Second Grade Mathematicians.” RD and Ginger Burnside’s grant was for $806.06 to Chanel Blackledge and Abby Davis at Lamar Elementary for “Connecting the Dots with Fraction Tiles.” A check for $851.90 for “Stoichiometry Made Fun” was awarded to Victoria Burton and Courtney McCleary from Sterling High School by Art and Candy Ochoa, board members/donors.
Other early donors who had grants presented in their names were Aesthetic Family Dentistry, $1,500 for “Science Legends” to Frances Bushnell at Cedar Bayou Junior and Community Resource Credit Union, $6,066.42 to Cynthia Adame and Jennifer Duff from Lamar Elementary for “Shared Reading With Parents.”
Special thanks to donors and supporters Laura Alvarado, Baytown City Council; Stephanie Hitchcock from Bartlett Cocke; Stacie Fulton with B. Creuder, C.P.A; Matt Bolinger, Priscila Garza and the Goose Creek Communications Department for helping with the grant presentations. Education Foundation board members Sarah Baldwin, Sandra Bell, Michelle Bitterly, Meryl Edmeade, Susan Harper, Gena Hutto, Ashley Shibley, Jim Wadzinski, and Dr. Randal O’Brien, GCCISD superintendent, also assisted.
“Over the past 10 years, the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation has given out 627 grants, including 10 mini grants and designated funds, totaling $1,188,756. When teachers have creative ideas to enhance their curriculum and funding is not available through the school district, they have the opportunity to apply for a grant through the Education Foundation,” said Erika Foster, Foundation director.
Besides generous donations from the community and businesses, the Education Foundation takes in money to help fund these grants from GCCISD faculty and staff members with payroll deductions through the “Get on the Bus” campaign.
“We are grateful to our many donors for helping us make dreams come true for our teachers by funding creative grants to allow them to further engage their students in learning,” Foster said.
For more information or to donate to the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation, contact Foundation Director Erika Foster at erika.foster@gccisd.net or 832-597-9106. Individuals can also follow the foundation on Facebook or Twitter or through its webpage at www.gccisd.net/page/EducationFoundation.
“Have you ever heard of a group of musicians who rehearsed every day from
September through June, but then took a three-month summer vacation without practicing at all?
Or of professional athletes who never exercised during the off-season?” ~Boulay and Fairchild, 2002, p. 3.
Summer Reading Goals:
- Increase exposure to culturally diverse and award-winning literature
- Develop reading skills that foster comprehension and critical thinking
- Promote independent reading, inquiry, and life-long reading habits
- Establish a foundation for Pre-AP and AP discussions
TEXT SELECTION
(Before Reading)
Each grade level offers three books that students may choose from for summer reading. Students will choose ONE book from their grade-level list.
Download text selection list. Page 2
TASKS
(During Reading)
Over the summer, students
will read their chosen book and
complete ALL of the following:
- Summarize each chapter.
- Make connections between the
text and your own life.
- Ask questions as you read.
- Why
do characters make certain
choices?
- Why does the author
include specific details?
- What is
the book saying about our world or
mankind? And so on.
ASSESSMENT
(After Reading)
During the first three weeks
of school, students will complete an
assessment directly related
to their summer reading. The type
of assessment will be determined
at the campus level, and the
assessment will count as a major
grade for the first six weeks.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Lori Roberts, an educational technology specialist for Goose Creek CISD, prepares to share her App of the Month Challenge with educators from the district’s high schools.
Roberts Named Apple Distinguished Educator
By: Susan Passmore
Learn, Grow and Share are three words that drive Lori Roberts every single day, and it is her commitment to these goals that has earned her the title of Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE). Roberts, an educational technology specialist for Goose Creek CISD, joins 549 other ADEs throughout the world who received this title after submitting videos showing their extensive work with technology. Check out her video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_E=66&v=FUQz1W6klUc.
Earlier this month, Apple made the following announcement: “Apple is pleased to welcome Lori Roberts to the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) Class of 2019. In 1994, Apple created the ADE Program to recognize K-12 and higher education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning in powerful ways. Celebrating 25 years, the program has grown into a worldwide community of over 2,800 visionary and innovative leaders in education, helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac. Learn more about the contributions of ADEs worldwide at https://www.apple.com/education/ade/.”
As an ADE, Roberts will serve as an author, advisor, ambassador and advocate for what’s possible in technology. In June, she will attend a week-long training in Bethesda, Md., that showcases the use of Apple technology in classrooms. Other ADEs from The Americas group, including those from Brazil, Mexico, Canada and the United States, will attend, and she has already connected with a teacher from Lubbock – through technology, of course – who will meet up with her at the conference.
Roberts works with students and staff at Robert E. Lee High School, an Apple Distinguished School; Goose Creek Memorial; Ross S. Sterling; IMPACT Early College and Stuart Career Tech high schools as well as Peter E. Hyland Center. She shares strategies for integrating iPads in the classroom by taking lessons that would have been pen-and-paper assignments and adapting them so that students actually create a product.
“It’s a joy for me, since I love technology and I love teaching and sharing. I like to see the students’ faces light up when they are creating something that not just the teacher will see,” Roberts said.
Roberts admits that she stepped outside her comfort level by leaving the classroom seven years ago and moving from another district into her current position, but she’s obviously quite at home with her decision as evidenced by her innovative and unique training sessions, Email Tech Tips, App of the Month Challenge and the Digital Badge Program, which rewards teachers for using technology. Through one-on-one and group training sessions, she encourages teachers to implement Apple Clips to replace written lab reports, Garageband to create podcasts instead of research papers and Book Creator to publish student work.
“Lori is the perfect combination of energy, dedication, skill and reliability. Her enthusiasm and commitment to providing the students of Goose Creek with the technology skills needed for the 21st century is an asset to our community,” said Steve Koester, director of educational technology.
Roberts’ desire to learn, grow and share often takes her outside the district, physically and virtually.
“I continue to reach beyond my district by sharing on Twitter at @EdTechLori and through multiple presentations at conferences, including Local Apple teacher events, the TCEA annual convention, Setting the Trend Librarian Conference and more,” Roberts said.
Congratulations to Lori Roberts, Goose Creek CISD’s Apple Distinguished Educator!
Goose Creek Memorial High School’s HOSA officers present a check for $2,662, raised from sales of Pink Out shirts, to teacher Lori Glaspie for GCM’s 2019 Relay for Life team. Pictured are (from left) Makayla Bradford, Glaspie, Lauren Torres and Lauren Cloud.
Cassie Smith (left), assistant band director at Robert E. Lee High School, and Taylor Kollmeier, assistant band director at Goose Creek Memorial High School, recently had the opportunity to attend Leading From the Podium, the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra Conducting Symposium. The fifteen conductors in attendance rehearsed and led the professional musicians of the symphony orchestra, working with Kayoko Dan, the CSO musical director and Dr. Craig Davis, the director of bands at the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga. Both Goose Creek CISD band directors attended several professional development sessions and brought back invaluable information to use with the students in their programs.
B. P. Hopper Primary celebrates the school’s Second Annual Science Fair. The winners are (front, from left) Dorean Sanchez, Jack Arnolds, Jayden Burguete, (back, from left) Jorge Gomez, Abraham Gonzalez and Jude Kilgore.
Robert E. Lee High School students participated in the 22-5A Regional UIL Meet in Friendswood. Pictured are (front, from left) Alicia Teran Torres, Gisselle Huerta, Nayeli Garcia, Jeylon Blake, Zachary Patterson, (back, from left) Luis Torres, Riley O’Brien, Jordan Scott, Evan Kerr and Kiyanna Lewis from IMPACT Early College High School.
Lediya Haider, Kayeline Roque and Yaretzi Trejo (not pictured is Tina Phan) from Ross S. Sterling High School won 1st place in the team Spelling and Vocabulary category at the 21-6A UIL Meet at Deer Park High School South Campus.
Goose Creek Memorial High School’s Calculator Applications Team of (from left) Bhanu Sharma, Soham Datar, Pranav Gupta and Jatin Kulkarni, coached by Sean Kang, won 1st place to advance to the Regional competition.
High School Students Advance to Regional UIL Academic Meet
Goose Creek CISD students competed in the District 21-6A and 22-5A UIL District Academic Meet recently, and numerous students and teams advanced to the upcoming Regional Meets. Individuals placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd and 1st place teams advance to Regionals.
At the 21-6A meet at Deer Park High School South, 13 students from Ross S. Sterling High School advanced to Regionals, which will be held at April 12-13 at Seven Lakes High School in Katy. Sterling won 2nd place Sweepstakes. Stacie Poland is the RSS UIL campus coordinator.
In Spelling and Vocabulary, coached by Stacie Poland, Lediya Haider placed 1st and the team of Tina Phan, Yaretzi Trejo, Kayeline Roque and Haider, won 1st place. In Literary Criticism, Madison Celestine placed 1st and the team of Yaretzi Trejo, Sarah Scott, Wendy Giang and Celestine, coached by Poland, won 1st place.
Other individuals advancing are Current Issues, Wendy Giang, 2nd place, coached by Poland; Copy Editing, Tramy Nguyen, 1st place, coached by Poland; Computer Science, Tim Cooper, 1st place, coached by Howard Gere; Editorial Writing, Tramy Nguyen, 1st place, coached by Poland; Feature Writing, Wendy Giang, 1st place, coached by Poland; Headline Writing, Tramy Nguyen, 1st place, coached by Poland; Informative Speaking, Kilee Thompson, 3rd place, coached by Barrow; Number Sense, Kevin Lin, 3rd place, coached by Shawn Sherrill; News Writing, Tramy Nguyen, 1st place, and Wendy Giang, 2nd place, coached by Poland; Poetry Interpretation, Kaylee Mahar, 3rd place, coached by Ruth Henderson and Prose Interpretation, Sara Corcoran, 2nd place, coached by Henderson.
The 22-5A meet was held at Friendswood High School. Robert E. Campus UIL coordinators are Andrea Mullican from Robert E. Lee High School and Stephanie Schrull and Angie Johnson from Goose Creek Memorial High School.
REL students advancing to the Regional UIL Meet are Current Issues and Events, Jeylon Blake, 2nd place, and Luis Torres, 3rd place, coached by Randy Sprehe; Copy Editing, Zachary Patterson, 2nd place, coached by Katie Dean; Editorial Writing, Evan Kerr, 2nd place, coached by Dean and Ready Writing, Gisselle Huerta, 3rd place, coached by Laura Henderson.
Goose Creek Memorial won 2nd place Sweepstakes, and 17 students will advance to the Regional UIL Academic Meet. GCM students advancing are Calculator Applications, Pranav Gupta, 2nd place; Bhana Sharma, 3rd place, and the team of Gupta, Sharma, Soham Datar and Jatin Kulkarni, all coached by Sean Kang, 1st place; Computer Applications, Ansh Naikele, 2nd place, coached by Kevin Fletcher; Editorial Writing, Seven Simms, 3rd place, coached by Kyle Hopper; Literary Criticism, Athena Janobas, 2nd place, coached by Caitlin Huebner; Number Sense, Soham Datar, 1st place, Pranav Gupta, 2nd place and the team of Datar, Gupta, Atharv Shinde and Puneet Singh, all coached by Kang, 1st place; Biology, Athena Janobas, 1st place, coached by Joey Longorio; Science, Soham Datar, 3rd place, coached by Longorio; Social Studies, Vanessa Mendoza, 2nd place, coached by Lori Glaspie; Spelling and Vocabulary, Atharv Shinde, 1st place, and Puneet Singh, 2nd place, with the team of Shinde, Singh, Anushka Ranjan and Mindy Perez, coached by Adolphin, 1st place.
The second weekend of the UIL competition, GCM’s Sadie Aiken placed 1st and Darbi Mullins placed 5th in Poetry, and in Prose, Fred Pena placed 1st, ShaN’ya Hughes placed 3rd and Gabriel Brock placed sixth.
The UIL Regional Academic Meet for REL and GCM will take place in Waller ISD April 12-13, 2019.
Goose Creek C.I.S.D. will begin accepting Gifted and Talented (G/T) nominations for the G/T Program on April 15, 2019. Nominations are open to grades 1-5 students who are enrolled in Goose Creek schools and were not tested during the spring 2019 school semester. Current kindergarten students who did not qualify for GT services during the 2018-19 school year may also be nominated.
If you would like to nominate your child for the Gifted & Talented Program, please ask your child’s teacher for a nomination form. Completed nomination forms are due to your child’s teacher by May 10, 2019.
Nominaciones Para El Programa Dotados Y Talentosos Para El Ano Escolar Del 2019-20
Goose Creek C.I.S.D. comenzará a aceptar nominaciones para el programa Dotados y Talentosos (G / T) el 15 de abril del 2019. Las nominaciones están abiertas para los estudiantes de los grados 1-5 que están inscritos en las escuelas de Goose Creek y que no fueron evaluados durante el semestre escolar de la primavera del 2019. Los actuales estudiantes de kindergarten que no calificaron para los servicios de GT durante el año escolar 2018-19 también pueden ser nominados.
Si desea nominar a su hijo para el Programa de Dotados y Talentosos, pídale al maestro de su hijo un formulario de nominación. Los formularios de nominación completos se deben entregar al maestro de su hijo antes del 10 de mayo del 2019.
Melissa Lindsey’s first-grade class at Travis Elementary celebrates Flashlight Friday by reading their chapter books by flashlight. Pictured are (from left) London Johnson, Audrina Mireles, Khalil Favrier and Jack Pettine.
Aden Guiles, a first-grader in Melissa Lindsey’s class at Travis Elementary, reads her chapter book by flashlight on Flashlight Friday.
Chef Kylie Sobczak (left), coach of the Goose Creek CISD Culinary Arts team from Stuart Career Tech High School, proudly holds the first-place trophy her students (from left) Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza and Destiny Whitener, won in Aramark’s 2019 Lone Star Chef state contest at Minute Maid Park. The three also won $2,500 in scholarship money.
The Goose Creek CISD Culinary Arts team of (from left) Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza and Destiny Whitener present to the judges during Aramark’s 2019 Lone Star Chef state contest at Minute Maid Park. They walked away with the first-place trophy and $2,500 in scholarship money for their creation, “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap.” Chef Kylie Sobczak from Stuart Career Tech High School coached the students.
‘It’s a Wrap!’ Goose Creek students win 2019 Lone Star Chef Contest
By: Amy S. George
Friday, March 29, was an exceptionally good day for Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza and Destiny Whitener. The Goose Creek CISD Culinary Arts team cooked their way to first place in Aramark’s 2019 Lone Star Chef state contest with their recipe for “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap.”
Fourteen Texas school districts sent teams to the Lone Star Chef finals at Minute Maid Park in Houston that day, where their challenge was to create and prepare a dish that fit this year’s theme – “Eat the Truck.”
Coached by Chef Kylie Sobczak of Stuart Career Tech High School, the students took the food truck theme seriously when they created their recipe.
“We wanted to make something that was fast and easy to eat on the go,” said Alejandro Alcantar.
Their first inspiration was to make pupusas, but then teammate Nathan Garza said the idea for “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap” came to him in a dream. Destiny Whitener’s perfect wrapping technique completed the winning dish.
Prior to the competition, all teams enjoyed a tour of Minute Maid Park provided by the Houston Astros, plus a BBQ-themed lunch prepared by the Aramark chefs who run the park’s food operations.
Once lunch was over, the real work began. The high school culinary teams had time to set up their stations and scope out the massive table of ingredients before the 30-minute cooking clock started. They also learned that they needed to include at least two of these four “mystery ingredients” into their recipes: Poblano Pepper, Grapefruit, Shitake and Portobello Mushrooms and Radishes.
“Hehejandro and the Boys” – as the Goose Creek team called themselves – remained poised and calm as they prepped their dish for the judges. They were able to incorporate three of the mystery ingredients into their pork wrap.
Their perfect execution won over the judges and “Hehejandro and the Boys” went home with a first-place trophy and $2,500 in scholarship money.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
SSgt Michelle Contreras (front), a Marine from California who has been deployed all over the Middle East, takes Ross S. Sterling High School MCJROTC cadets through some of the Daily 17, a routine of exercises recruits perform at boot camp. Pictured are (from left) Angel Alvarado, Gustavo Hernandez, Cameron Berwick, Trace Smoke, Justyn Putnam, Giovanni Deleon and Raheem Charmon.
RSS Cadets Experience Boot Camp Exercises Photo Gallery
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
SSgt Michelle Contreras (right), keeps Cadet Angel Alvarado focused as she assists local Marine recruiter SSgt Christopher Baez by taking Ross S. Sterling High School MCJROTC cadets through some of the Daily 17, a routine of exercises performed by recruits at boot camp. SSgt Contreras, originally from California, has been a Marine since 2011 and has been deployed all over the Middle East.
Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman
The Goose Creek CISD Robotics Team, 1255 Blarglefish, recently competed in the First in Texas Pasadena District Event, ranking seventh out of 32 teams and winning the Gracious Professionalism award as well as alliance captain in the quarter finals. Based on points earned from the Channelview and Pasadena competitions, the team qualified for the First in Texas District Championship in Austin April 3-6, 2019, which qualifies teams for the Houston World Championship. In Austin, they will compete with teams from Texas and New Mexico. Pictured are (front, from left) Eliza Batongmalaki, Robert E. Lee High School (holding award); Carl Bergman, REL coach; Ciera Cartwright, REL; Ixzel Amador, Ross S. Sterling High School; (middle row, from left) Jai Daniel, REL; Yacel Amador (booster/mentor); Lili Hurtado, REL; Raul Benavides, REL; (back row, from left) Andrea Bechtel, REL coach; Jacob Martinez, REL; Emily Navarro, REL; Ismael Martinez, REL; Andy Flores, REL; Javier Morfin, REL; Austin Goodman, Goose Creek Memorial High School; Gabriel Ortega, REL; Alejandro Cantu, REL, and Adulfo Amador and Jim Fox, mentors.
Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman
HEB student employees (front, from left) Brendan Henderson from Goose Creek Memorial High School and Janessa Carbon from Ross S. Sterling High School enjoy the Student Workforce Connection Employee Appreciation Luncheon with their employers (top, from left) Gary Schmalfeldt, unit director; Louis Reese, service director and Kim Kelly, community coordinator.
View more photos!
Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman
James Polvadore (right), Goose Creek CISD Warehouse foreman, and student employee Anthony Villarreal from Goose Creek Memorial High School, display the plaque Polvadore received at the recent Student Workforce Connection Employer Appreciation Luncheon.
Student Workforce Connection Partners Honored at Employer Appreciation Luncheon
By: Susan Passmore
Student Workforce Connection partners were honored at the recent 9th Annual Goose Creek CISD Student Workforce Connection Employer Appreciation Luncheon at the Baytown Community Center. The luncheon was attended by 190, including 77 representatives from 53 workforce locations. Monica Swift, Student Workforce Connection liaison, welcomed guests.
Goose Creek CISD superintendent Randal O’Brien presented opening remarks, thanking the employers in attendance for playing a part in the personal development of their student employees.
Student employees Carolina Carrillo from Robert E. Lee High School, GraceAnn Bishop and Margo Kilgore from Ross S. Sterling High School and Aleema Baigh from Goose Creek Memorial High School thanked their employers for the opportunities they provided for them.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to grow, to learn and to experience along the way,” said Aleema, a student in the Global Business Academy and a part of the Chick-fil-A Leadership program.
Matt May, store manager at the 24-Hour Walgreens, a Goose Creek CISD Student Workforce partner, expressed his appreciation for the program.
“I got involved with the Student Workforce because we had an issue with staff. At first, we worked with Sterling in launching an internship program. We then worked with Kelley Start at GCM in developing a Business Practicum, focusing on a leadership program. We’ve had great success with these programs, and we look forward to continuing them,” May said.
The meal was provided by Chef Ginger Zoidis and her Culinary Arts students from Robert E. Lee High School. Tracy Roder and the Floral Design students at REL created the table decorations. Awards were presented to employers for generously investing in Goose Creek CISD students by giving them jobs and helping them to prepare for their careers in the future.
“Here in Goose Creek, we’re really four-times blessed,” said Renea Dillon, director of Career and Technical Education. “We’re blessed to have a leadership team in the Administration Building that supports career and technical education. We’re blessed to have a lot of really great students and teachers. In CTE, we’re also blessed to have an amazing staff. When I started here, there were two of us. Finally, we are blessed to have our workforce partners. Thank you for the effort you make every day to help our students and our teachers.”
Workforce partners are A & A Auto, Abshier-Meuth Animal Hospital, Aesthetic Family Dentistry, Animal Medical Center of Baytown, Aramark, Archer Road Animal Hospital, Austin Industrial, Bay Area Rehabilitation Center (two locations), Bayshore Dodge, Baytown Animal Hospital, Baytown Christian Academy, Baytown Occupational and Family Medicine, Baytown Texas Dentistry, Beacon Federal Credit Union, Beehive Florist, Birdsongs Pharmacy, Blue Beacon Truck Wash, Blue Ribbon Pharmacy, Building Block, Chambers Health, Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, Chevron Phillips, Chick-fil-A 1, Chick-fil-A 2, Chipotle, Chuy’s Performance Discount, CMEF, Community KIA, Community Toyota, Covestro, CVS (four locations), Dairy Queen, Dennys, Dickeys BBQ, Dominoes, Dr. Challa (cardiologist), Dr. Gary Boehme-DDS, DUGOUT SPORTS, El Toro, Focused Care at Baytown, Freddy’s, Fresenius Medical Center and Fresenius Medical Center North.
Partners from Goose Creek CISD are Alamo Elementary, Ashbel Smith Elementary, Austin Elementary, Bañuelos Elementary, Baytown Junior, Bowie Elementary, Clark Elementary, Crockett Elementary, Facilities Management Complex, Gentry Junior, Goose Creek Memorial High School, Harlem Elementary, Highlands Elementary, Highlands Junior, Hopper Elementary, IMPACT Early College High School, Peter E. Hyland Childcare Center, Robert E. Lee High School, Robert E. Lee High School HSI, San Jacinto Elementary, Special Education Office, Ross S. Sterling High School, Ross S. Sterling High School Special Education Office, San Jacinto Elementary and Victoria Walker Elementary.
More partners include Golden Corral, Goose Creek Pharmacy, HEB, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Home Depot, Hooters, Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Houston Methodist Primary Care Group 1, Houston Methodist Primary Group 2, Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group, Houston Methodist Surgery Associates, Jacinto Medical Group, Jack in the Box, Johnny Carino’s, JR’s Landscapers, Karsten Commercial Construction, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kilgore Industrial, Kroger Market Place, Kroger Pharmacy (two locations), Lee College Rebel Roost, Marble Slab, McDonald’s, (two locations), Methodist Gastrointestinal Associates, Methodist Neurology, Modern Barber College, New Horizon Healthcare, NTB Tires, Old Navy, Orange Leaf and Panera Bread.
Other partners are Perfect Draft Inc., Premium Auto Spa, Rollingbrook Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Salt Grass, Samson Controls Inc., ShowBiz Cinema, Smoothie King, Sonic, Sonic Drive-In, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Texas Professional Hearing Center, Texas Roadhouse, The Choice Car Wash, Top Tea, Tri County Construction, Turner Industries, Uniseal, Walden Oak, Walgreens (five locations), Walmart (two locations), Wellness Pharmacy, Whataburger (three locations), Wing Stop (two locations and Women’s Healthcare Center of Baytown.
Career Prep and Practicum teachers include Steve Barron, John Membreno, Rex Miller, Richard Morris, Ian Sobczak, Scott Seals and Greg Thomas from Stuart Career Center; Misty Calhoun, Leslie Hemmenway, Robert Koonce, Shannon Rogers and Paula Schmidt from RSS; Patricia Cheshire, Cary Duhon, Habib El Batsh, Debbie Himsel, Angela Johnson, Samuel Laird, Kiersten Newman, Nicole Saenz and Deborah Turner from GCM as well as Vernon Gradney, Raymond Jackson and Bethany Taylor from REL. Carolyn Heads teaches at REL and RSS, and Jade Cox is at RSS and SCC. Linda Rye is the district vocational adjustment teacher.
The Goose Creek Memorial High School Technology Student Association (TSA) is headed to state competition April 25-27 in Ft. Worth. PIctured are (front, from left) Skylar Newton, Preston Vermillion, Jesse Carbajal-Rodriguez, Aaron Garces, Carlos Salcido-Magdaleno, Roberto Rodriguez, Adrian Hinojosa, Alexis Sanchez, (middle, from left) Alyssa Privitt-Garza, Shaddy Salama, Zechariah Gomez, Gilly Jawahir, Juan Castillo, David Rodriguez, Trenton Foster, Giovanni Gonzalez, (back, from left) Johan Rodriguez, John Mire III, Amber Flemming, Damian Rocha, Omar Gonzalez, Steven Toledo, Oswald Aguirre, Joshua Protain and Brendan Henderson. Not pictured are Cody Cornelius, Misael Perez, Jay Stephenson, Jaylon Thomas and Jordan Greene.
GCM TSA Headed to State
After competing in several area and regional competitions, the Goose Creek Memorial High School Technology Student Association (TSA) members are state bound to compete in Video Game Design, Board Game Design, Structural Engineering, Software Design, Engineering Design, Engineering CAD, Flight Endurance (Engineering) Systematic Control Technology, Technology Bowl, Graphic Solutions for Marketing and IT, Forensic Science, Chapter Team, Music Production, Video Production (Mockumentary) and On Demand Video Production. They also are first alternates in Dragster Design and Technology Debate.
Shonda James and Sean McGregory, GCM teachers, have coached the first-year TSA team through a strong year, culminating in the state competition to be held in Ft. Worth April 25-27.
“As a brand new team, there is a lot of trial by fire and problem solving for both coaches and students alike. We hope to attract industry and business partners interested in mentoring students in our GCM Engineering/IT departments and building a stronger team through mentoring TSA projects and establishing a local competition,” James said. “Next year, we hope to add tour competition list with VEX Robotics, Drone Racing, RC Racing (Flight and Ground), Animatronics, CAD Architecture, Architecture Design and several other speaking and team events.”
The Ross S. Sterling High School UIL One Act Play Company brought home its second consecutive District 21 - 6A championship with its performance of “Doubt: A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley. The following students were recognized: Jakob Sentes – Honorable Mention All Star Cast; Lauren Kelley – All Star Cast; Kilee Thompson, Sara Corcoran, Uzziel Hernandez, Lauren Mudd, and Brandon Broussard - Overall Best Technical Crew of the contest. The RSS One Act Play Company competes for the Bi-District Championship Tuesday, April 2, at San Jacinto College at 4 p.m. The Company is under the direction of Jeremy Barrow and Ruth Henderson. Pictured are (from left) Sharon Pacheco Perez, Lauren Mudd, Lauren Kelley, Nathalie Crain, Uzziel Hernandez, Loriann Ratliff, Kilee Thompson, Makiyla McKenzie, Brandon Broussard, Gabriel Deleon, Jakob Sentes, and Sara Corcoran.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Cecilia Bruno hugs her new doll from Dolls4All.
Photo gallery
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Emma Rush is excited about her doll from Dolls4All
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Brianna Chavez and Giselle Del Toro enjoy lemonade and cupcakes at the tea party in the Ashbel Smith Library after receiving dolls from Dolls4All.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Nyssa Cain is happy to have a new special doll friend from Dolls4All.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Evelynn Cardenas and Giselle Del Toro work on crafts at the Dolls4All tea party at Ashbel Smith Elementary.
The Cedar Bayou CranBEARies advanced to the East Area First Lego League Championships March 23, 2019, where the team competed against 93 other teams. This team was the only district team to advance to this level, and this was the first year for any of the students to compete. At the qualifier in January, the Cedar Bayou CranBEARies won an award for teamwork and hard work in the Core Values section of the event. Pictured are (front, from left) Priscilla Guerra, Anahya Cosme-Torres, (middle, from left) Elijah Hawkins, Dorothy Cayton, Blake Sistos, Carlos Lardizabal, (back, from left) Antony McLaughlin, Xavier Nolan, Bradley Henson, Katelyn Benson-Smith, Christopher Cole and Matthew Going. The team is coached by Margaret Cayton and Andrea Mooney.
By Dr. Georgeann Ward, Lee College Honors Program Coordinator
Maria Gelves, an IMPACT ECHS student and Lee College Honors Program graduate, received the prestigious Dennis Boe Award for a paper she wrote for the Lee College honors course, The Human Condition.
IMPACT Early College High School senior and Lee College Honors Program graduate Maria Gelves has won the prestigious Dennis Boe Award for a paper she wrote for the Lee College honors course, The Human Condition, taught by Jerry Hamby and Dr. Georgeann Ward. A Marxist critique of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Gelves’ paper is titled “Manifesting a ‘Biological Destiny’: Handmaids as ‘Sacred’ Instruments of Production in Gilead’s Industrial Theocracy.”
The Boe Award is determined by the Great Plains Honors Council in a highly competitive, “blind” judging of outstanding scholarly writing from collegiate honors programs in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Because Maria completed her Associate’s Degree in December, she entered the Boe competition for students who had earned 60+ hours of college credit, making her competition quite advanced. It goes without saying that we are extremely proud of Maria’s achievement.
Human Condition instructor Jerry Hamby adds, “Maria is one of those students who demonstrate ever more sophisticated levels of intellectual curiosity, pushing themselves with every new assignment. She has a natural talent for writing, but, more importantly, she knows how to work for her success. Earning the Boe Award is the payoff.”
In addition to winning a cash award and a plaque, Maria will present her paper in a special session at the Great Plains Honors Council Conference at the University of Texas—Tyler, in April.
“Students learn so much from revising their work for competition and adapting their ideas for live audiences. Academic conferences and competitions like the Boe Award ‘raise the stakes’ for student work and help them achieve clarity and a strong sense of purpose with their ideas,” Dr. Ward explained.
Joining Gelves at the Great Plains Conference, several other Honors Program students will present papers that they wrote for the Human Condition: Marleah Downes, Dinah Lemonier, Amy Waltz-Reasonover, Ryan Lara, Noe Sanchez, and Lindsey Sanford. Like Gelves, Lara, Sanchez, and Sanford are all IMPACT ECHS students.
Pre-k and Kindergarten Registration for 2019-2020 School Year
Goose Creek CISD’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration will be held April 3 - April 5, 2019, at elementary campuses.
It is highly recommended that parents complete the online student registration prior to going to register at the school their child is zoned to attend. Siblings who will attend GCCISD schools may also be registered at this time. Campuses will have help stations for individuals who need support with the online registration.
Online registration begins April 1, 2019, and online registration instructions and forms may be found on the Goose Creek CISD website at www.gccisd.net.
Parents must bring the following items when registering:
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Registration confirmation (if online registration has been completed)
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Parent identification (TDL, ID or Passport)
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Birth certificate of child
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Social Security Card (child) if applicable
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Immunization record (This must be up to date. If child is already 4 years old, he or she
must have 4-year-old shots.)
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Proof of residency (current water, gas or electric bill, or lease agreement)
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Proof of Income (must have four consecutive paychecks with the last one being March.)
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If you receive TANF or SNAP, you must have your current Notice of Eligibility Letter.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD students (from left) Swayam Gupta, Highlands Junior School, 7th; Arin Sood, HJS, 8th; Nadia Freese, HJS, 8th; Britney Romero, Cedar Bayou Junior School, 8th; Alexa Morales, Horace Mann Junior School, 7th and Emelia Logan, Gentry Junior School, 8th, won Sweepstakes trophies for winning gold medals in three categories at the recent Junior School UIL competition held at Highlands Junior.
Junior School UIL Competition Photo Gallery
GCCISD Students Compete in Junior School UIL Competition
The annual Junior School UIL Competition began with the Spelling event at Highlands Junior School and Ready Writing at the individual campuses. After the competitions for all events were completed, the awards ceremony took place in the Highlands Junior Auditorium. School principals congratulated the winners.
The 2018-2019 UIL sixth grade Spelling winners were Hanna Coker, 1st place, Gentry; Mariella Ocampo, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Arabella Davis, 3rd place, Gentry; Sebastian Kingston, 4th place, Highlands; Michaylah Gray, 5th place, Cedar Bayou; Delaney Dobbs, 6th place, Baytown Junior; Karen Gijan.
Seventh grade Spelling winners were Hanna Coker, 1st place, Cedar Bayou; Mariah Ondap, 2nd place, Gentry; Moriah Shuttlesworth, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Karina Jewell, 4th place, Highlands; Alex McGee, 5th place, Highlands; Natalia Aguilar, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Eighth grade Spelling winners were Britney Romero, 1st place, Cedar Bayou; Kyla Gijan, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Sharlita Cannegieter, 3rd place, Gentry; Persia Broussard, 4th place, Cedar Bayou; Adriana Curiel, 5th place, Cedar Bayou; Brianna Cavazos, 6th place, Gentry. The Spelling trophy was awarded to Cedar Bayou.
Sixth grade Ready Writing winners were Micah Ebow, 1st place, Highlands; Grace McClain, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Kendyl Seago, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Darrius Thomas, 4th place, Horace Mann; Raquel Chavez, 5th place, Horace Mann; Bella Benavidez, 6th place, Gentry.
Seventh grade Ready Writing winners were Aric Buchring, 1st place, Gentry; Olivia Miller, 2nd place, Highlands; Benoit Reese, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Jylyanna Bergstrom, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Violet Benjamin, 5th place, Horace Mann and Mackyeon Jolacia 6th place, Cedar Bayou.
Eighth grade Ready Writing winners were Sophia Valencia, 1st place, Gentry; Juan Hernandez, 2nd place, Gentry; Leslie Haro, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Alexia Espinoza, 4th place, Gentry; Jada Wingate, 5th place, Highlands and Sanya Smith, 6th place, Highlands. The Ready Writing trophy went to Gentry.
Sixth grade Art Memory winners were Emily Wilson, 1st, place, Gentry; Karen Gijan, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Kevin Puente; Horace Mann, 3rd place; Alyssa Garza, 4th place, Horace Mann; Kaleb Wheeler, 5th place, Baytown Junior and Emma Jaramillo, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Seventh grade Art Memory winners were Caris Gray, 1st place, Gentry; Lavren Hogan, 2nd place, Horace Mann; Mia Garcia, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Ava Bessard, 4th place, Highlands Junior; Annabelen Gonzalez, 5th place, Highlands Junior and Levay Duncan, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Eighth grade Art Memory winner were, Allison Trejo, 1st place, Gentry; Abdul Samad, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou Junior; Madelyn Garza, 3rd place, Highlands Junior School; Britney Ngo, 4th place, Horace Mann and Brooke Schrull, 5th place, Highlands Junior School, Mariana Negrete, 6th place, Highlands Junior. The trophy went to Horace Mann.
Sixth grade Poetry Gold Medal winners were Grace McClain, Arabella Davis and Callie Carsey, Cedar Bayou; Kelis Perez, Gentry. Silver Medal winners were Xavier McClain, Baytown Junior; Caeden Joseph, Gentry; Kylie Edwards, Horace Mann. Bronze Medal winner were Fallyr Hedricks and Alarie Hazel, from Baytown Junior. Bryce Cooper from Gentry.
Seventh grade Poetry Gold Medal winners were Brianna McGee, Abigail Manila and Rebecca Currie, Cedar Bayou; Hailee Levinson, Gentry; Paris Almaraz and Alexa Morales, Horace Mann. Silver Medals Lilyanna Garcia, Highlands; Joanna Abarca, Gentry, Camila Chavarria-Gudino, Horace Mann. Bronze Medal winners were Taylynne Powell and Valaria Montemayor, Baytown Junior; Capri Anderson, Gentry.
Eighth grade Poetry Gold Medal winners were Jorge Placensia, Baytown Junior; Adriana Curiel and Britney Romero, Cedar Bayou; Emelia Logan and Ashton Rohus, Gentry; Nadia Freese and Dayana Carrasco, Highlands Junior; Henry Aguilar, Horace Mann. Silver Medal winners are Zane Holland, Fernanda Hurtado and Avery Kerr, Baytown Junior; Tori Fisher, Cedar Bayou; Kerston Gooch, Gentry; Jennifer Quintero, Horace Mann. Poetry trophy went to Cedar Bayou.
Sixth grade Prose Gold Medal winners were Arely Avila and Arabella Davis, Cedar Bayou; Amanda Woods, Gentry; Cody Helm and Quiara Comier, Highlands; Christina Mitchell, Horace Mann. Silver Medal winners were Raniah Rowley, Baytown Junior; Macie Warton, Gentry, Jaelyn Sherman, Horace Mann. Bronze Medal winner were Fallyn Hedrick and Chelsea Owens, Baytown Junior; Wesley Birmingham, Gentry.
Seventh grade Prose Gold Medal winners were Priscilla Guerra and Lilith McGillory, Cedar Bayou; Capri Anderson, Gentry; Viridiana Nunez, Highlands Junior; Erika Valladares, Horace Mann. Silver Medal winners were Diana Mercado and Azaria Nevils, Baytown Junior; Zoe Quiroga, Gentry; Samantha Phan, Highlands. Bronze Medal winner was Christopher Elliott, Baytown Junior; JoAnna Abarca, Gentry; Paris Almaraz, Horace Mann.
Eighth grade Prose Gold Medal winners were Avery Kerry and Olivia Miller, Baytown Junior; Adrianna Morales, Emelia Logan, and Litzy Arroyo, Gentry; Jewel Husky, Highlands Junior; Jennifer Quintero, Zane Holland and Henry Aguilar, Horace Mann. Trophy went to Gentry.
Sixth grade Impromptu Gold Medals went to John Smith and Jovani Arellane, Cedar Bayou; Daniela Avila and Lily Warner, Gentry; Alyssa Foster and Callen Tittel, Highlands Junior; Hilllcrest Richards-Charles and Kylie Edwards, Horace Mann. Silver Medal winners were Harley Evink, Kennedy Filyaw and Yadira Chavez, Baytown Jr; Zacharia Rigshy, Cedar Bayou; Abigail Johns, Gentry; Kaloeb Schuelzky, Highlands. Bronze Medal winner went to Giovani Lopez, Horace Mann.
Seventh grade Impromptu Gold Medal winners were Barbara Morfin, Gentry; Sofia Ramirez, Highlands; Camila Chavarria-Gudino and Alexa Morales, Horace Mann. Silver Medal winners were Hannah Matthews, Hailey Matthews and Shanaya Brown, Baytown Junior; Rebecca Curie, Cedar Bayou; Noah Munigua and Mariah Ondap, Gentry; Lilyanna Garcia and Julissa Contreras, Highlands. Bronze Medal winner was Jakeem Rene, Horace Mann.
Eighth grade Impromptu Gold Medal winners were Marisa James, Baytown Junior; Britney Romero, Cedar Bayou; Caleb Villalobos and Xitaly Ruiz, Gentry; John Estoquia, Daphne Bailey and Nadia Freese, Highlands Junior; Silver Medal winners were Trisstian Johnson, Baytown Junior; Abrial Leger, Gentry. The Bronze Medal winners were Diego Sanchez, Baytown Junior; Karen DelReal, Cedar Bayou. The Impromptu trophy went to Highlands Junior School.
Sixth grade Music Memory winners were Mariella Ocampo, 1st place, Gentry; Sebastian Kingston, 2nd place, Gentry; Caleb Lewis, 3rd place, Gentry; Sara Cedillo, 4th place, Cedar Bayou; Abigail Gonzalez, 5th place, Horace Mann; Oscar Vasquez, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Seventh grade Music Memory winners were Hannah Cokee, 1st place, Cedar Bayou; Reese Benoit, 2nd, Cedar Bayou; Samiha Rashid, 3rd place and Paci Kwe, 4th place, Gentry; Diego Moreno, 5th place, Baytown Junior; Eh’Rhys Roach, 6th place, Horace Mann.
Eight Grade Music Memory winners were Corrina Levy, 1st place, Gentry; Allison Helm, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Cash Hill, 3rd place, Highlands Junior; Brittany Braud, 4th place, Horace Mann; Mishah Jalandoni, 5th place, Highlands Junior; Carylon Wyant, 6th place, Horace Mann.
Sixth grade Maps, Graphs and Charts winners were Shandon Conley, 1st place, Horace Mann; Alex McFarland, 2nd place, Horace Mann; Angel Carter, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Tara Archibald, 4th place, Horace Mann; Jessica Pantoja and Jaylee tied for 5th place, Gentry.
Seventh grade Maps, Graphs and Charts winners were Simran Singh, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Jeremyh Brown, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Mariam Malhi, 3rd place, Gentry; Ashlynn McMalan, 4th place, Gentry; Angel Garcia, 5th place, Baytown Junior; Alexa Torres, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Eighth grade Maps, Graphs and Charts winners were John “Jace” Greer, 1st place, Gentry; Evan Butler, 2nd place, Gentry; Hudson Chapman, 3rd place, Gentry; Amy Chen, 4th place, Highlands Junior; Hannah Adams, 5th place, Horace Mann; Nick Abshire, 6th place, Baytown Junior. The trophy went to Gentry Junior.
Seventh grade Science I winners were Christian Cruz, 1st place, Horace Mann; Brandon Hak, 2nd place; Gentry; Simran Singh, 3rd place, Highlands Junior; Jazmin Manrique, 3rd, Horace Mann; Angel Garcia, 5th place, Horace Mann and Angelique Leed, 6th place, Horace Mann.
Eighth grade Science II winners were Hudson Chapman, 1st place, Gentry; Canon Cockrell; 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Laisa Castro, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Jonathan Orozco,4th, Gentry; Alonso Molino, 5th place, Highlands Junior; Priscilla Cerino, 6th place, Highlands Junior. The trophy went to Gentry.
Sixth grade Listening Skills winners were Makenzie Morehead, 1st place, Gentry; Shandon Conley, 2nd, Horace Mann; Tara Archibald, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Raul Torres, 4th place, Cedar Bayou; Charles Hillcrest-Richards, 5th place, Horace Mann; Emily Wilson, 6th place, Gentry.
Seventh grade Listening Skills winners were Brianna Munguia, 1st place, Cedar Bayou; Caris Gray, 2nd place, Gentry; Luis Ruiz, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Delyla Mayfield, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Christian Cruz, 5th place, Horace Mann; Elizabeth Garza, 6th place, Gentry.
Eighth grade Listening Skills winners were Xitlaly Ruiz, 1st place, Gentry; Canon Cockrell, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Ariana Salinas, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Fernanda Llamas, 4th place, Gentry; Andy Aguilar, 5th place, Baytown Junior; Nina Villa, 6th place, Horace Mann. Horace Mann and Gentry tied for the trophy.
Sixth grade Number Sense winners were Matthew Cosep, 1st place, Gentry; Oswaldo Garcia, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Elizabeth Sandoval, 3rd place, Gentry; Aurturo Farias, 4th place, Cedar Bayou; Valentin Higareda, 5th place, Baytown Junior; Jenie Benavides, 6th place, Gentry.
Seventh grade Number Sense winners were Swayam Gupta, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Topaz Dickey, 2nd place, Gentry; Brandon Hak, 3rd place, Gentry; Emory Wood, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Zoe Quiroga, 5th place, Gentry; Omar Rendon, 6th place, Gentry.
Eighth grade Number Sense winners were Arin Sood, 1st place, Highlands; Harsh Agrawal, 2nd place, Highlands Junior; Emoryion Moore, 3rd place, Gentry; Juan Benavides, 4th place, Gentry; Caleb Villalobos, 5th place, Gentry; Isaac Macias, 6th place, Cedar Bayou. The trophy went to Gentry.
Sixth grade Dictionary Skills winners were Karen Gijan, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Karina Sedtal, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Melanie Mendoza, 3rd place, Horace Mann; Mackenzie Morehead, 4th place, Gentry; Gahelle Toscano, 5th place, Baytown Junior; J’Lynn Valladaves, 6th place, Horace Mann.
Seventh grade Dictionary Skills winners were Simran Singh, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Jaeli Hernandez, 2nd place, Baytown Junior; Natalia Aguilar, Kailee Houseman, Baytown Junior, Hailee Levinson, Gentry, tied for 3rd place; Jazmin Manrique, 6th place, Horace Mann.
Eighth grade Dictionary Skills winners were Nina Villa, Horace Mann and Kyla Gijan, Baytown Junior, tied for 1st place; Juan Hernandez, 3rd place, Gentry; Skylar Briggs, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Sneha Maisuriya, 5th place, Horace Mann; Lesli Haro, 6th place, Horace Mann. The trophy went to Baytown Junior.
Sixth grade General Math winners were Matthew Cosep, 1st place, Gentry;Elizabeth Sandoval, 2nd place, Gentry, Tasmiyah Hussain, 3rd place, Gentry; Oswaldo Garcia, 4th place, Cedar Bayou; Allen Chen, 5th place, Highlands Junior and Ashton Butler, 6th place, Baytown Jr.
Seventh grade General Math winners were Gupta Swayam, 1st place, Highlands Jr; Hanna Coker, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Reese Benoit, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Diana Mercado, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Moriah Shuttlesworth, 5th place, Cedar Bayou; Omar Rendon, 6th place, Gentry.
Eighth grade General Math winners were Arin Sood, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Harsh Agrawal, 2nd place, Highlands Junior; Emoryion Moore, 3rd place, Baytown Junior; Juan Benavides, 4th place, Gentry; Lisette Martinez, 5th place, Baytown Junior and Brooke Schrull, 6th place, Highlands Junior. Trophy went to Highlands Junior.
Sixth grade Calculator Skills winners were Archana Sunilkumar, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Matthew Cosep, 2nd place, Gentry; Michaylah Gray, 3rd place, Cedar Bayou; Allen Chen, 4th place, Highlands Junior; Elizabeth Sandaval, 5th place, Gentry and Yaslyn Gonzales, 6th place, Baytown Junior.
Seventh grade Calculator Skills Swayam Gupta, 1st place, Highlands; Emily Jozwiak, 2nd place, Cedar Bayou; Koushik Gurugubelli, 3rd place, Highlands Junior; Santinka Riebel, 4th place, Baytown Junior; Delyla Mayfields, 5th place, Baytown Junior.
Eighth grade Calculator Skills winners were Arin Sood, 1st place, Highlands Junior; Sneha Maisuriya, 2nd place, Horace Mann; Brooke Schrull, 3rd place and Harsh Agrawal, 4th place, Highlands Junior; Tori Fisher, 5th place, Cedar Bayou; Evelyn Arellano, 6th place, Cedar Bayou. The trophy went to Highlands Junior. Students who won three gold medals in UIL events received a Sweepstakes trophy.
The 2017-2018 UIL sixth grade Group Improvisation Gold Medal winners were Ricarri Blow, Chelsea Owens and Valeria Rivera. Silver Medal winners were Fallyn Hedricks and Alondra Romero.
The Gold Medal winners from Cedar Bayou were Rayne Blow, Carlyn Svegliato, Ari’El Roberson, Danielle Bennett, Katherine Barrientes, Addison English, John Smith, Ava Casarez and Marcus Hatfield.
Gentry Junior Gold Medal winners were Wesley Birmingham, Bryce Cooper, Lily Warner, Daniela Avila, Makenzie Morehead and Abigail Johns. Silver Medal winners were Macie Warton, Alyssa Roston and Amanda Woods.
Highlands Junior Gold Medal winners were Quiara Cormier, Dasani Green, Kaloeb Schulzky, Alyssa Foster and Callen Tittel. Silver Medal winners were Kara Kennepohl, Abigail Lovell and Lexi York.
Horace Mann Gold Medal winners were Christina Mitchell and Kylie Edwards. Silver Medal winners were Hillcrest Richards-Charles and Dylan Edwards. Bronze Medal winners were Jaelyn Sherman Giovanni Lopez.
The 2017-2018 UIL seventh grade Group Improvisation Silver Medal winners were Hailey Matthews and Juan Huerta. Bronze Medal winners were Melissa Alexander, Shanaya Brown, Haley Rombs and Hannah Matthews.
Cedar Bayou Gold medal winners were Trinity Lee, Priscilla Guerra and Tiare Sagastume. Silver Medal winners were Sofia Aguinga and Xochitl Morfin.
Gentry Junior Gold Medal winners were Noah Munigue, Dylan Davis and Barbara Morfin. Silver Medal winners were Hailee Levinson, Hayden Bogel, Mariah Ondap, Jasani Anderson, Briley Blanchard and Betel Sanchez.
Highlands Junior Gold Medal winners were Amira Lewis, Julissa Contreras and Jamie Finney. Silver Medal winners were Hunter Teel, Omar Moreno, Viridiana Nunez, Lilyanna Garcia and Sofia Ramirez.
Horace Mann Gold Medal winners were Erika Valladares, Roslyn Eaton, Bella Lee, Alexa Morales and Camila Chavarria-Gudino. Bronze Medal winners were Paris Almaraz, Jackeem Rene and Analiza Coleman.
The 2017-2018 eighth grade Group Improvisation Gold Medal winners from Baytown Junior were Mercilla Molina, Jose Cervantes and Dayanara Sanchez. Silver Medal winners were Ferndnada Hurtado and Karol Lopez.
Gentry Junior Gold Medal winners were Summer Valdez, Sarah Kaminski, Cassandra Gurrola, Adrianna Morales, Emilia Logan and Rohus Ashton. Silver Medal winners were Jacob Vaughan, Kearston Gooch and Litzy Arroyo.
Highlands Junior Gold Medal winners were Sariah Lawrence, Nadia Freese, Daphne Bailey John Estoquia. Silver Medal winners were Alistair Manliguez and Patrick Green. Horace Mann Silver Medal winners were Henry Aguilar and Zane Holland. The Group Improv trophy was a tie between Gentry and Highlands.
Goose Creek CISD has remained in contact with multiple emergency management agencies throughout the weekend to monitor the Deer Park Fire and subsequent risk. Based on current health-related data from multiple sources, there continues to be a low health risk for the community.?The focus of operations at the site has shifted toward clean up, although investigations and monitoring by our city, county and state Emergency Management & Safety partners will continue. At this time ,air monitoring reports remain unchanged and below thresholds and levels requiring protective measures in the Baytown and Highlands area.
All schools in GCCISD will resume regular operations on Monday, March 25th. We would like to thank our families and business partners for your patience and understanding as we have worked diligently to make the very best decisions for the students and staff of GCCISD.
We would also like to make you aware that there have been several erroneous reports that our district has canceled school through next Wednesday. This is not accurate: We will have full operations at all campuses beginning tomorrow, Monday, the 25th. In the event that school is ever canceled for any reason, parents and guardians will receive a call out from the district. Further, it will be announced on our district website, on our district social media platforms, and reported via the local news stations. Only the district may announce school closings.
Once again, thank you for your patience and we look forward to finishing another fantastic school year in GCCISD.
UPDATE, March 21, 2019, 10:00 PM
GCCISD has been in contact with Harris County as well as city and state officials. Our top priorities are the safety and security of our students and staff. At this point, out of an abundance of caution, we are canceling classes for Friday, March 22. All extracurricular activities are also canceled. Please continue to follow the directions of our local emergency agencies.
GCCISD ha estado en contacto con el Condado de Harris, con funcionarios de la ciudad y del estado. Nuestras principales prioridades son la seguridad y protección de nuestros estudiantes y personal. En este momento, como medida de precaución, las las clases para el viernes 22 de marzo están canceladas. Todas las actividades extracurriculares también se han cancelado. Por favor, siga las instrucciones de las agencias de emergencia locales.
UPDATE, March 21, 11:30 a.m.
11 a.m.Harris County Office of Emergency management has provided Houston-area superintendents with an update regarding the situation in Deer Park.
In summary:
- Winds are out of the North/Northeast, which is moving the plume South/Southwest of the site – away from the Baytown area.
- Reports that winds are shifting are NOT accurate.
- Continuous mobile air monitoring in the entire Houston area has shown no elevated levels of benzene East of Beltway 8.
- A light “sea breeze” front is expected later this afternoon, which shift winds to the South/Southeast. All indications, at this point, are that the plume will have time to disperse more throughout the day due to winds and clean up efforts at the site of the fire. But please continue to follow the advice of local officials as this situation remains dynamic and is subject to change.
We remain in contact with Harris County and will share updates as they are received.
You can also receive updates at readyharris.org.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek Memorial High School is presented with the Attendance Award for having the highest high school attendance rate, 93.71 percent, for the fourth six weeks. Pictured are (from left) teacher Kristen Cannatella; Dr. Randall O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Jacob Kingsmill; Pete Pape, GCCISD board president and Susan Jackson, GCM principal.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Victoria Walker Elementary receives an Attendance Award for having the third highest attendance rate, 95.85 percent, for GCCISD elementary schools for the fourth six weeks. Dr. Randal O’Brien (back left), GCCISD superintendent, and Pete Pape (back right), GCCISD board president, present the award to (front, from left) Olivia Reid, Kylie Jimmerson, Osmanny Perez, Alisson Perez, (middle, from left) teacher Elizabeth Eagle and Student Support Administrator Tailis Oniwon at a recent meeting of the GCCISD board of trustees.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Bart Cobb (second from left), principal of George Washington Carver Elementary and Elementary Principal of the Year for Goose Creek CISD, receives an iPad from Macie Schubert (second from right), business development manager for Community Resource Credit Union, at a recent meeting of the GCCISD board of trustees. Congratulating Cobb are Dr. Randal O’Brien (left), GCCISD superintendent, and Pete Pape (right), president of the GCCISD board of trustees.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Michael Curl (second from left), principal of Cedar Bayou Junior School and Secondary Principal of the Year for Goose Creek CISD, accepts an iPad from Macie Schubert (second from right), business development manager for Community Resource Credit Union, at a recent meeting of the GCCISD board of trustees. Dr. Randal O’Brien (left), GCCISD superintendent, and Pete Pape (right), president of the GCCISD board of trustees, congratulate Curl.
REL Key Clubbers To Spend Spring Break in Guatemala
By Beth Dombrowa
For many, Spring Break is a time to relax and recharge. But five Ross S. Sterling High School Key Club students will be traveling with a purpose instead of a vacation as they head to Guatemala to do volunteer work. Over Spring Break, the students will be building hand washing stations and teaching elementary school students about the spread of germs in an impoverished area of Guatemala.
Priscila Garcia, senior and president of the RSS Key Club, discovered the partnership between Squads Abroad and Key Club International as she was researching ideas for her local club. Squads Abroad provides opportunities for Key Club members around the world to travel to under-resourced parts of the globe to make a meaningful impact.
“I knew I wanted to do something different during my presidency and it looked like a great fit,” Garcia said. “I just started talking to people and talking it up.”
The trip costs about $1,500 per student, but the group fundraised to earn as much money as possible to curtail expenses. They’ve had meetings with Squads Abroad representatives to learn more about the Guatemalan culture and that to expect during their stay.
The students will stay in a Squads Abroad home base in Guatemala, traveling about 20 minutes each day to work at the elementary school.
It won’t be all work and no play for the five Key Clubbers going on the trip, who, in addition o Garcia, include Hayden Bernard, Elizabeth Bagwell, Andrea Prieto and Jace West. The students will get to visit a local village where they will sample local cuisine, shop for pottery and learn more about the Guatemalan ways of life. They will also visit Mayan Ruins, as well as a strawberry and coffee plantation.
The group plans to update the school district on its progress during the week. Updates will be posted to the Goose Creek CISD Facebook page.
Nancy Vega bonds with students at a school in Costa Rica.
Nancy Vega, a 2016 graduate of IMPACT Early College High School, is a student teacher in Angelica Cuevas’ fifth-grade class at Harlem Elementary. She attends the University of Houston-Clear Lake and is part of the Baytown Area Education Recruitment and Retention program (BAER2) as well as UHCL’s Success Through Education Program (STEP). To add to her experiences before she embarks on a career as a fulltime teacher, Vega visited a school in Costa Rica in February through a program coordinated by Lee College and UHCL.
“I had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and visit a village school, Escuela Emilio Castro Gomez, located in San Isidro. This was a rural school where six grade levels were taught in one classroom with only one teacher. I was able to put in practice my knowledge and skills that I have learned from UHCL and from completing my Clinical Student Teaching Internship at Harlem Elementary. This experience has inspired me to continue learning and has made me a stronger teacher,” Vega said.
A product of Goose Creek CISD schools, Vega attended San Jacinto Elementary and Baytown Junior School before going to IMPACT ECHS. She hopes to teach in Goose Creek CISD after graduating in May.
Read more about Nancy Vega in this blog shared by UHCL.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Brooke Miller (second from right) shows off the two luxury suite tickets for George Strait’s sold out show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo she won in the recent Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation raffle. More than $10,000 was raised to benefit the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation. Also pictured are Education Foundation board members (from left) Sandra Bell; Erika Foster, director and Mike Wilson. The show is Sunday, March 17, featuring George Strait, Lyle Lovett and special guest Robert Earl.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Dj Lombrana, a senior at Goose Creek Memorial High School and a student in the Automotive Practicum at Stuart Career Center, works as a service technician at Community KIA and is anxious to be a fulltime employee after graduation.
Goose Creek Memorial High School senior and Stuart Career Center Automotive Practicum student Dj Lombrana enjoys learning new things while working on cars and talking to customers. She plans to work fulltime after graduating from high school.
Student Serves as an Asset to Community KIA
By: Susan Passmore
Dj Lombrana, a senior at Goose Creek Memorial High School, has discovered her dream job in a field typically dominated by males. Through her Automotive Practicum class at Stuart Career Center, she works close to 20 hours a week as a service technician at Community KIA. She changes oil and filters, rotates and balances tires as well as makes minor mechanical repairs. Serious about her job, Dj is learning more every day from her teacher Steve Barron, her co-workers, her supervisors and through online KIA training.
“Dj came to us from Pasadena last year,” Barron said. “She’s a hands-on person, and when she does something one time, she knows it. I knew that the best thing I could do for her was to get her involved in the industry.”
Dj, which stands for Darrien Joy, has earned her student certification in Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Maintenance and Light Repair and is working on ASE certification for brakes. She recently won 2nd place in the Regional SkillsUSA Maintenance and Light Repair competition at San Jacinto College Central, qualifying for the state competition.
“If you asked me what she does wrong, I wouldn’t have an answer,” said Sammy Campos, service manager and her supervisor at KIA. “She stays busy even when she’s not busy. If she doesn’t know, she asks. She’s good with customers. We’ll be happy to have her fulltime when she graduates.”
With maturity beyond her 18 years, Dj sees her job as a challenge and tackles problems like a pro.
“I want to make this my career. You’ll never know everything about a vehicle, and I like learning new things and problem solving. I don’t mind trying and failing and then doing it again,” Dj said.
Her inspiration for a career in the automotive industry came from watching movies, such as “Transformers” and “Fast and Furious,” in which females worked with cars.
“I was about 8-years-old and I was looking up how to fix cars on YouTube,” she said.
While Dj is not the only young lady who has worked for Community Toyota, Honda or Kia, business partners with Goose Creek CISD, but she is certainly one of the best.
“She has a strong work ethic and a good personality,” said Doug Shipley, parts and service director. “As for her ability and knowledge, she’s way beyond the curve.”
This program is now a part of the Advanced Automotive Academy at Stuart Career Tech High School. Eighth-graders interested in a career as an automotive, diesel or collision repair technician can apply via the website. Four years in the Advanced Automotive Academy will lead students to a Business & Industry Endorsement, a college associate degree or certificate, along with Performance Acknowledgements for earning Automotive ASE and ICAR certifications. Seniors may participate in internships, and scholarships are available to graduates.
Dr. Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent, reads to Ms. Jordan’s class at Bañuelos Elementary for Read Across America Day and in celebration of the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
Robert E. Lee High School students Hannah Christensen (left) and Victor Cruz (right) talk with world renowned composer Ivan Trevino at a recent Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.
Lee Students Perform at TMEA
Robert E. Lee High School students Hannah Christensen, a senior, and Victor Cruz, a junior, accompanied Dr. Stefan Ice, Lee’s associate band director and percussion coordinator, to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention in San Antonio February 14. They performed solos at the state level convention at a session entitled “Percussion Prescribed Music List: Discover the New Gems.” Both students performed brand new solo literature for percussion for a large audience of music educators.
Also in attendance was world renowned composer Ivan Trevino, whose music was performed by Cruz. Trevino was complimentary of both students’ performances and gave them encouragement and advice.
“Needless to say, the students were star-struck,” Dr. Ice said. “I could not be more pleased with our students’ performances. I am thrilled to be able to provide opportunities like these for our students.”
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Candidates for the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees draw for their positions on the ballot. Pictured are (from left) Amparo Martinez, District 7; Jimmy Smith, District 6; Shae Cottar, District 7; Jeff Hawkins, District 6; Peter Adams, District 3 and Jessica Woods, District 3. Not pictured is Tiffany Guy, District 6. The election will be held May 4, 2019, with early voting at several locations from April 22-30, 2019.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
View Spring Palooza and Car Show Flyer here.
By: Susan Passmore
Show your support for Stuart Career Tech High School at the annual Spring Palooza and Car Show, scheduled for March 2, 2019, at the school at 302 YMCA Drive, Baytown, TX 77521. It is free to spectators.
This event provides an opportunity for the public to tour Stuart Career Tech High School, which opened fall 2017. Other activities will include a car show and a gaming competition (9 a.m.). BBQ plates, including two meats and two sides for $10, will be served from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. BBQ tickets may be purchased from the campus or from any SCTHS student, and they will be available the day of the event.
At the Car Show, Best of Show awards will be presented in the following categories: Pre-50s Classics; Classics from 50s, 60s and 70s; Muscle Cars up to 1990; Muscle Cars after 1990; Rat Rods; Low Riders; Custom Trucks; Open Class, Imports; Lifted Trucks; Under 21; Motorcycles and ATVs as well as Best Interior. Registration is $25 per category. Early registration, postmarked by February 28, 2018, is $20. Car registration the day of the event will be from 8 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. Judging is from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and awards are at 1 p.m.
Come out and enjoy the food, fun and activities! For more information, please call 281-420-4550, ext. 88300. The rain out date is March 23, 2019.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
The Goose Creek Memorial High School Technology Student Association (TSA) is headed to state competition April 25-27 in Ft. Worth. PIctured are (front, from left) Skylar Newton, Preston Vermillion, Jesse Carbajal-Rodriguez, Aaron Garces, Carlos Salcido-Magdaleno, Roberto Rodriguez, Adrian Hinojosa, Alexis Sanchez, (middle, from left) Alyssa Privitt-Garza, Shaddy Salama, Zechariah Gomez, Gilly Jawahir, Juan Castillo, David Rodriguez, Trenton Foster, Giovanni Gonzalez, (back, from left) Johan Rodriguez, John Mire III, Amber Flemming, Damian Rocha, Omar Gonzalez, Steven Toledo, Oswald Aguirre, Joshua Protain and Brendan Henderson. Not pictured are Cody Cornelius, Misael Perez, Jay Stephenson, Jaylon Thomas and Jordan Greene.
GCM TSA Headed to State
After competing in several area and regional competitions, the Goose Creek Memorial High School Technology Student Association (TSA) members are state bound to compete in Video Game Design, Board Game Design, Structural Engineering, Software Design, Engineering Design, Engineering CAD, Flight Endurance (Engineering) Systematic Control Technology, Technology Bowl, Graphic Solutions for Marketing and IT, Forensic Science, Chapter Team, Music Production, Video Production (Mockumentry) and On Demand Video Production. They also are first alternates in Dragster Design and Technology Debate.
Shonda James and Sean McGregory, GCM teachers, have coached the first-year TSA team through a strong year, culminating in the state competition to be held in Ft. Worth April 25-17.
“As a brand new team, there is a lot of trial by fire and problem solving for both coaches and students alike. We hope to attract industry and business partners interested in mentoring students in our GCM Engineering/IT departments and building a stronger team through mentoring TSA projects and establishing a local competition,” James said. “Next year, we hope to add tour competition list with VEX Robotics, Drone Racing, RC Racing (Flight and Ground), Animatronics, CAD Architecture, Architecture Design and several other speaking and team events.”
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Alamo Elementary kindergarten students (from left) Allison Gomez, Isabella Garcia, Abriana Lucatero, Aaliyah Edwards and Mariah DeHart in their Go Texan Day attire hold chickens belonging to Coach Tim Bailey.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Lucas Vavra, first-grader, enjoys Go Texan Day at Alamo Elementary.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Stacy Fernandez of the Goose Creek CISD Communications Department prepares to hide platinum “goose eggs” as one of the events of the Goose Creek CISD 100th Anniversary Celebration. Community members will have the opportunity to hunt for eggs from February 22-28 and receive $100 or a $100 gift card if there is a sponsor’s name on the egg.
One of several activities highlighting Goose Creek CISD’s 100th anniversary, which will culminate in the Goose Creek CISD 100th Anniversary Celebration at Bicentennial Park April 13, is a “goose egg” hunt in the Baytown/Highlands area. Word has it that “geese,” also known as “The Geese That Laid the Platinum Eggs,” have gone wild laying 100 platinum eggs around the Baytown/Highlands area. If you find one, it might just bring you good luck or at least serve as a souvenir. However, if you find one that has a sponsor’s name on it, you will win $100 or a gift card worth $100!
The eggs will be hidden and ready for finding Friday, February 22, 2019. If you find one that has a sponsor’s name and number on it, call the sponsor by February 28th to arrange a time to take the egg to the sponsor to pick up your prize. You’ll have your picture taken with the sponsor and the egg, and the photo will be sent to us. Some of these photos will be posted on the Goose Creek CISD website and on social media, and we’ll send some to the local newspapers. Sponsors for the event include Chicken Express, El Toro Mexican Restaurant, Key Truck Sales, Patients ER and Rainforest Dental.
If you need a hint, check out parks and local attractions to find the eggs. They will not be hidden on school campuses. While you’re out there egg hunting, take a gander at the many historical sites our area has to offer. If you have any questions, please call the Goose Creek CISD Communications Department at 281-707-3629.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Hanna Coker (top), seventh-grader at Cedar Bayou Junior School, won the Goose Creek CISD District Spelling Bee after 19 rounds by spelling the word psalm correctly. Laila Cardona (left) , fifth-grader at Bowie Elementary, and Mariah Ondap, seventh-grader at Gentry Junior School, both missed a word in the same round, so they tied for 2nd place. Twenty spellers competed spelling bee, held at Cedar Bayou Junior School.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD third-grade UIL Storytelling winners are (from left) Abigail Garibay, Lamar, 1st place; Brooke Gaston, Highlands, 2nd place; Stella Barrow, Crockett, 3rd place: Chloe Ganze, Austin, 4th place; Taryn Langston, Austin, 5th place; Clara Symmons, Crockett, 6th place; Riley Sprang, Highlands, 7th place and Gabriella Russell, Alamo, 8th place.
Elementary UIL Photo Gallery
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Winners of the Goose Creek CISD second-grade UIL Creative Writing awards are (from left) Kaelyn Nesselrode, Crockett, 1st place; Kaylee Brown, Crockett, 2nd place; Rocket Salazar, Harlem, 3rd place; Devon Hancock, Austin, 4th place; Avery Nieto, Ashbel Smith, 5th place and June Reed, Highlands, 6th place.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD fifth-grade UIL Spelling winners are (from left) Khyati Singh, Walker, 1st place; Luke Murray, Clark, 2nd place; Gabrielle Francisco, Crockett, 3rd place; Laila Cardona, Bowie, 4th place; Riley Bloom, Walker, and Jody Go Hiong, Bañuelos, 5th place tie.
Photo by Carrie Pryor
The 1st place team in the UIL fifth-grade Art Memory category is the Alamo Elementary team of (from left) Jeikobs Mercado, Josue Cuevas (perfect score), Wendy Leija (perfect score), Chloe Jason (perfect score) and Alexa Prieto (perfect score).
Goose Creek’s annual Elementary UIL Academic Tournament was held February 1 at Sterling High School with 705 2nd-5th grade students competing in twenty-one events. Students from all elementary schools with 2nd-5th graders competed.
Sterling High School Auditorium was also the event location for the UIL Awards Ceremony held on February 8. Individual medals were awarded in creative writing, dictionary skills, listening skills, number sense, oral reading, ready writing, spelling, storytelling, and maps, graphs and charts. Team medals were awarded for art memory and music memory. Schools also received trophies for first through third place in each event. Certificates for perfect individual scores were awarded to 24 students.
The event was a district wide competition coordinated by the Goose Creek Advanced Academics department with individual campus coordinators and event coaches as well as event directors, judges, graders, time-keepers and monitors. Winning students and teams were announced by Dr. Melissa Duarte, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
Winners in 2nd Grade Creative Writing were Kaelyn Nesselrode, Crockett, 1st; Kaylee Brown, Crockett, 2nd; Rocket Salazar, Harlem, 3rd; Devon Hancock, Austin, 4th; Avery Nieto, Ashbel Smith, 5th and June Reed, Highlands, 6th. Second Grade Spelling winners were Anay Gupta, Walker; Maliyani Mireles, Lamar, Tatiana Ramirez, Austin, and Abigail Rodriguez, Bañuelos, tied for 2nd place; Mia Manila, Crokett, 5th and Christopher Boykin, Austin, received 6th. Second Grade Storytelling winners were Edythe Truncale, Clark, 1st; Ryan McRee, Austin, 2nd; Myles Ebow, Harlem, 3rd; Reagan Benoit, Austin, 4th; Ivana Romero, Bowie, 5th; Ja’Kayla Griffith, Alamo, 6th; Chelsy Knox, Highlands, 7th, and Jacob Mejia, San Jacinto, 8th.
Third Grade Ready Writing winners were Sienna Turner, Harlem, 1st; Giselle Aguilar, San Jacinto, 2nd; Evan Harlow, Clark, 3rd; Anthony Asencio, Travis, 4th; Arianna Tello, Clark, 5th and Aliyah Itzep, Travis, 6th. Spelling winners from third grade were Sadvi Koora, Walker and Miley Ondap, Bañuelos, both tied for 1st; Troy Gnagy-Martinez, Bowie and Advita Shinde, Walker, both tied for 2nd; Juan Arteaga, Ashbel Smith, 5th and Malaika Vigier, Bowie, 6th. Winners in 3rd Grade Storytelling were Abigail Garibay, Lamar, 1st; Brooke Gaston, Highlands, 2nd; Stella Barrow, Crockett, 3rd; Chloe Ganze, Austin, 4th; Taryn Langston, Austin, 5th; Clara Symmons, Crockett, 6th; Riley Sprang, Highlands, 7th and Gabriella Russell, Alamo, 8th.
Fourth grade winners in Number Sense were Nikita Gupta, Walker, 1st; Andy Zamudio-Hernandez, Alamo, 2nd; Audel Herrera, Crokett, 3rd; Mia Cavanough, Alamo, 4th; Esteban Flores, Highlands, 5th and Justin Alvarenga-Sanchez, Clark, 6th. Fourth grade Oral Reading winners were Deborah Marquez, Clark, 1st; Kamari Thompson, Crockett, 2nd; Elena Foster, Crockett, 3rd; Leah Clifford, Clark, 4th; Rachel Currie, Austin, 5th; Makayla Banks, Lamar, 6th; London Merling, Austin, 7th and Marlyn Rodriguez, Lamar, 8th. Ready Writing winners from 4th grade were Natalie Hernandez, DeZavala, 1st; Mallory Garcia, Alamo, 2nd; Sloane Berklund, Clark, 3rd; Jedidiah Chapa, Crockett, 4th; Silas Salyer, Clark, 5th and Maya Martin, Bañuelos, 6th. Fourth grade Spelling winners were Joseph Vallagomesa, Crockett, 1st; Carolyne Torres, Crockett, 2nd; Celine Khan, Walker, 3rd; Vivian Martinez, Harlem, 4th; Santana Alfaro, Lamar, 5th and Chrisklein Baslot, Austin, 6th.
Fifth grade category winners were Ever Perez, Harlem, 1st; Layla Bryson, Austin, 2nd; Olivia Galvan, Bañuelos, 3rd; Arayia Polimis, Walker, 4th; Trae Clark, clark, 5th and Kealey Gunn, Crockett, 6th, in Dictionary Skills. In 5th Grade Listening Skills, winners were Rett Gaedchens, Crockett, 1st; Drew Collins, Walker, 2nd; Krystal Murillo, Bañuelos, 3rd; Kash McDaniel, Clark, 4th; Alia Rocha, Ashbel, Smith, 5th and Isabella Cook, Austin, 6th; Fifth grade winners in the Maps, Graphs and Charts category were Yaletzy Pulido, Walker, 1st; Mia Patel, Clark, 2nd; Marissa Gonzalez, Walker, 3rd; Stephanie Austin, DeZavala, 4th; Oscar Aguillon, Austin, 5th and Kailynn Orosco, Austin, 6th. In the 5th Grade Number Sense category, winners were Anushka Shukla, Clark, 1st; Michael Coker, Austin, 2nd; Ly Nguyen, Alamo, 3rd; Aayush Koora, Walker, 4th; Edgar Cervantes, Lamar, 5th and Juan Suarez, Austin, 6th.
Fifth Grade Oral Reading winners were Leilah Henry, Bañuelos, 1st; Maritza Vasquez, Highlands, 2nd; Jaclyn Verdin, Highlands, 3rd; Karol Reyes, Crockett, 4th; Evan Garnica, Austin, 5th; Annabelle Symmons, Crockett, 6th; Alana Bloice, Carver, 7th and Max Gerza, Clark, 8th. Ready Writing Winners in 5th grade were Cade Rector, Bañuelos, 1st; Sydni Godfrey, Bañuelos, 2nd; Ana Valerio, Lamar, 3rd; Alexa Banda, Harlem, 4th; Porsche Harrington, DeZavala, 5th and Zoe Romeo, Lamar, 6th. Fifth Grade Spelling Winners were Khyati Singh, Walker, 1st; Luke Murray, Clark, 2nd; Gabrielle Francisco, Crockett, 3rd; Laila Cardona, Bowie, 4th; Riley Bloom, Walker, and Jody Go Hiong, Bañuelos, both 5th.
In the 4th Grade Art Memory category, the team of Kylie Nesselrode (perfect score), Journie Farnsworth, Kyla Lawson (perfect score), Raegan Nichols from Crockett placed 1st; Kamdyn Neal and Zayleigh Sayer, Abbie Waltman (perfect score), Aubrie Waltman (perfect score), Breanna Deleon (perfect score) from Alamo placed 2nd. Highlands’ team of Kylie Kraemer, Samantha Page, Halima Sedtal, all with perfect scores, placed 3rd. Bowie’s team of Taylor Fisher, Ronnie Kimble, Airam Pacheco, Dayanara Sanchez and Yarianys Oquendo, both with perfect scores, placed 4th. Emma Parker, Moses Perales, Lia Vega from Clark placed 5th. Travis’ team of Lucio Rojas, Marley Ward, Farrah Torres and Emani Davis placed 6th.
Fourth Grade Music Memory winners were Kaylee Yepez, Andrew Meismer, Dalilah Perez and Brenda Herrera from Lamar, 1st place. Second place winners from Walker were Rachel Lara, Ava Martinez, Traci Hawkins and Adison Escobedo. Highlands’ team of Aiden Barajas and Mia Ramirez placed 3rd. Kaylynn Fuqua, Evelyn Munguia and Ava Wygal, from Carver placed 4th. San Jacinto’s team of Sean Bailey, Christina Cerino, Jorge Cuellar, Makayla Gonzalez and Priscilla Herrera placed 5th. Bowie’s team of Ruby Castillo, Christopher Chapa, Trinitee Frederick and Luis Lozano placed 6th.
Fifth Grade Music Memory winners were Highlands’ team of Dulcinea Ajiatas and Kendall Megress, along with Marcus Krajewski (perfect score), 1st, and Lamar’s team of Sophia Fernandez, Eli Ortiz (perfect score), Trinton Hines, Isabell Espinoza placed 2nd. Bowie’s team of Alexa Lozano, Carys Richards (perfect score), Lissitte Sierra, placed 3rd. From Austin, Xahilyn Amador, Hailey Moore, Axel Ojeda, Leyton Moon, placed 4th. Walker’s team of Pamela Toledo, Adamaris Alcantar, Jaliyah Riddick-Grant and Kalyn Acosta placed 5th, and Clark team of Rylen Barrientos, Edmaida Diaz, Ella Bright and Josue Manzo, placed 6th.
Fifth Grade Art Memory winners were Jeikobs Mercado, Josue Cuevas (perfect score), Wendy Leija (perfect score), Chloe Jason (perfect score) and Alexa Prieto (perfect score) from Alamo, 1st, and Bowie’s team of Christian Velasco, Joselyn Oliva, Ydalie Curiel (perfect score) and Karly Esquivel (perfect score), 2nd. Crockett team of Mea Lawson and Lizette Sifuentes, both with perfect scores, Katelyn Brasfield and Jasmine Brown placed 3rd. The team of Mia Acuna, Madison Clark (perfect score), Cooper Moore and Brandon Wittbold from Bañuelos placed 4th. Carver’s team of Natalia Valverde, Wendy Padilla and Luis Martinez received 5th, and Clarks team of Cassandra Anderson (perfect score), Trini Richard and Ciara Keene placed 6th. In addition, Angel Vasquez from San Jacinto also had a perfect score.
School trophies for 2nd Grade Creative Writing went to Crockett, 1st; Harlem, 2nd and Austin, 3rd. Second Grade Spelling trophies were awarded to Austin, 1st; Walker, 2nd and Bañuelos and Lamar tied for 3rd. Second grade Storytelling trophies went to Austin, 1st; Clark, 2nd and Harlem, 3rd.
For 3rd Grade Ready Writing, trophies went to Clark, 1st; Harlem, 2nd and San Jacinto, 3rd. Third Grade Spelling trophies were received by Walker, 1st; Bañuelos, 2nd and Bowie, 3rd. For 3rd Grade Storytelling, Lamar took 1st; Austin and Crockett tied for 2nd and Highlands took 3rd.
Trophies for 4th Grade Art went to Crockett, 1st; Alamo, 2nd and Highlands, 3rd. For Spelling, trophies went to Crockett, 1st; Walker, 2nd and Harlem, 3rd. Fourth Grade Ready Writing trophies went to Clark, 1st; DeZavala, 2nd and Alamo, 3rd. Music Memory trophies went to Lamar, 1st; Walker, 2nd and Highlands, 3rd. Oral Reading trophies were awarded to Clark, 1st, and Crockett and Austin, tied for 2nd. Number Sense trophies went to Alamo, 1st; Walker, 2nd and Crockett, 3rd.
Fifth Grade Spelling trophies went to Walker, 1st; Clark, 2nd and Crockett, 3rd. Ready Writing trophies went to Bañuelos, 1st; Lamar, 2nd and Harlem, 3rd. Fifth Grade Oral Reading trophies were awarded to Highlands, 1st; Bañuelos, 2nd and Crockett, 3rd. Dictionary Skills trophies went to Harlem, 1st; Austin, 2nd and Bañuelos, 3rd. Art trophies went to Alamo, 1st; Bowie, 2nd and Crockett, 3rd. Listening Skills trophies went to Crockett, 1st; Walker, 2nd and Bañuelos, 3rd. Maps, Graphs and Charts trophies went to Walker, 1st; Clark, 2nd and Austin, 3rd. Music Memory trophies went to Highlands, 1st; Lamar, 2nd and Bowie, 3rd. Number Sense trophies were awarded to Austin, 1st; Clark, 2nd and Alamo, 3rd.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Mike Riojas (right), assistant principal at Stuart Career Tech High School, presents a SCTHS t-shirt and hat to Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo, who spoke to students about the City of Baytown.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Stuart Career Tech High School students Rick Reyes, 10th-grade, and Sierra McBride, ninth-grade, greet Mayor of Baytown Brandon Capetillo, who spoke to students about the City of Baytown and about the advantages of SCTHS in this area.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Gentry Junior School participated in the recent Battle of the Books, a reading competition among all five Goose Creek CISD junior schools. Gentry’s seventh-grade team placed third, and the eighth-grade team won second place.
Pictured are seventh-graders (front, from left) Nathan Johnson, Gurveen Wahla, Dylan Davis and Trinity Pollard, and eighth-graders (back, from left) Leah Grimaldo, Sergio Cisneros, Alejandro Ojeda, Jonathan Reid and Evelinn Gutierrez. The teams were sponsored by Beth Ferguson, Gentry librarian.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Kaelob Schuelzky, a sixth-grader at Highlands Junior School, concentrates on the title of a book during the Battle of the Books held at Horace Mann Junior School. All five junior schools participated in the event.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Highlands Junior School’s eighth-grade Battle of the Books team placed first at the district competition. Pictured are (from left) Cody Beck, Harsh Agrawal, Arin Sood, Amy Chen, Brook Schrull and Nicole Lemus. The seventh-grade team also placed first. The teams were sponsored by Joann Massony, substitute librarian.
By: Susan Passmore
All five Goose Creek CISD junior schools competed in the recent Battle of the Books, a reading-incentive program aimed at introducing new genres, series and authors to students. Led by campus librarians, the competition requires teams to answer questions about the books from their assigned reading lists. Following a school meet, the winning team in each grade level advances to the district meet.
In the district Battle of the Books, sixth-grade teams took home the following awards: Baytown Junior School (BJS), first place; Horace Mann Junior School (HMJ), second place; Highlands Junior School (HJS), third place; Gentry Junior School (GJS), fourth place and Cedar Bayou Junior School (CBJ), fifth place.
In the seventh-grade competition, awards were given to HJS, first place; CBJ second place; GJS, third place; BJS, fourth place and HMJ, fifth place. In the eighth-grade competition, winners were HJS, first place; GJS, second place; CBJ, third place; HMJ, fourth place and BJS, fifth place.
“Every team that made the district meet had to beat out other teams at their school, so it was an honor to participate in Battle of the Books,” said Janie West, Baytown Junior librarian. “There were 15 books on the reading list for each grade, so each team split them up. It took quite a bit of preparation, and we’re proud of everyone for representing their schools in this competition.”
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Nicolas Llanes (left), a fifth-grader from Ashbel Smith Elementary, tells Katherine Cruz, principal, and Luis Munoz, assistant principal, about his recipe for Apache Pizzas, which was a winning recipe in the Franchesca’s Friend: Farm Fresh Texas Produce Recipe Contest. Students were required to use at least one fresh Texas produce item from a list provided for them. Chef Franchesca Bland with the Goose Creek CISD Nutrition Services challenged students to create healthy recipes.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Brooklynn Garrett, a fourth-grader at Highlands Elementary, shows off her Broccoli and Cheese Nuggets (Ketos), a recipe that was a winner in the Franchesca’s Friends: Farm Fresh Texas Produce Recipe Contest. The competition was a challenge from Chef Franchesca Bland of the Goose Creek CISD Nutrition Services Department for fourth and fifth-grade students to create healthy recipes using Texas produce. Students shared their creations before a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Jaliyah Riddick-Grant, a fifth-grader from Victoria Walker Elementary, tells how she made her award-winning Beet Pickled Devilish Eggs for Franchesca’s Friends: Farm Fresh Texas Produce Recipe Contest. The students shared their creations before the recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees. The competition was organized by Chef Franchesca Bland from the Goose Creek CISD Nutrition Services Department.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Gentry Junior School is recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees as the junior school with the top attendance rate, 95.96 percent, for the third six weeks. Pictured are (from left) Dr. Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Kathy Holland, Gentry principal; Godwin Benny, sixth-grader; Shelli Edwards, attendance clerk and Pete Pape, president of the Goose Creek CISD board.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Harlem Elementary receives an award for being in the top three elementary schools with an attendance rate of 96.21 percent for the third six weeks. Pictured are (front, from left) Amere Stevenson; Fernando Magallon; Mikenzie Legault; Camila Magallon; Nagwa Abdelghany; Luis Magallon; (back, from left) Dr. Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Michael Garza, campus student success specialist; Nawase’ Sherman, assistant principal; Betty Baca, principal and Pete Pape, president of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Victoria Walker Elementary is recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees as the elementary school with the top attendance rate, 96.74 percent, for the third six weeks. Pictured are (front, from left) Hazel Canizares; Jaliyah Riddrick-Grant; Brayden Lewis; Lynndon Lewis; Eden Moreno; Tailis Oniwon, student support administrator; (back, from left) Dr. Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Monica Juarez, Walker principal and Pete Pape, Goose Creek CISD board president.
Photo by Ruth Perez
Lamar Elementary students took paper hearts home bearing the message “I Love My Child Because . . .” for parents to complete and send back. Teachers signed the large heart with reasons they love their students. Enjoying the Valentine’s Day Wall are kindergarten students (from left) Sophia Atrian, Quincy Jones, Sara Konczal, Lia Luna and Kali Brooks.
Photo by Amy George
Three teams prepare to compete in Aramark’s annual Lone Star Chef Competition. Students are (front, from left) Alejandro Alcantar and Nathan Garza from Stuart Career Tech High School (SCTHS); Favyon Russell from Robert E. Lee High School (REL); (back, from left) Destiny Whitener from SCTHS; Angel Palos from REL; Jason Buruca and Joseph Coy from Ross S. Sterling High School and Kaitlyn Ruiz from REL.
Photo by Amy George
Two of the judges for the Aramark All Star Chef Competition are Dr. Anthony Price (left), Goose Creek CISD’s deputy superintendent, and Chef Cheyenne Peer of H-E-B’s Cooking Connection.
Photo by Amy George
Chef Kylie Sobczak (left) from Stuart Career Tech High School, congratulates her winning team (from left) Destiny Whitener, Nathan Garza and Alejandro Alcantar. The SCTHS team won the district Lone Star Chef Competition with “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap” and will represent Goose Creek CISD at the state competition in March.
Photo by Amy George
Robert E. Lee High School students (from left) Favyon Russell, Kaitlyn Ruiz and Angel Palos work out some details during the recent Lone Star Chef Competition before preparing “Trash Can Nachos.” The team was coached by Chef Ginger Zoidis.
By: Amy George
Culinary Arts teams representing Lee, Sterling and Stuart Career Tech High Schools competed in Aramark’s annual Lone Star Chef Competition February 7 for the right to represent Goose Creek CISD at the state competition in March.
The theme of this year’s contest is “Eat the Truck.” Students are challenged to create a recipe that has food truck appeal, while still meeting the nutritional requirements of the TDA School Lunch Program.
Lee’s team, coached by Chef Ginger Zoidis, created “Trash Can Nachos” and Sterling’s team, coached by Chef Alesha Tate, concocted “Freestyle Tostadas.” But in the end, the dish that won the judges taste buds was “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap,” prepared by the team representing Stuart Career Tech High School, coached by Chef Kylie Sobczak.
The competition was judged by Dr. Anthony Price, Deputy Superintendent for Goose Creek CISD; Chef Cheyenne Peer of H-E-B’s Cooking Connection; and Rex Miller, Stuart Meat Processing instructor at Stuart Career Tech HS.
The Stuart Career Tech team, calling themselves “Hehejandro and The Boys,” includes Destiny Whitener, Nathan Garza and Alejandro Alcantar. They will now face off against 14 other school districts at the Aramark Lone Star state competition at Minute Maid Park in Houston on March 29.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek Memorial High School theatre arts students (from left) Sydney Deavers, Dillan Hawkins, Chris Lewis, Rubysella Erickson and Jonathan Amezcua perform a scene from their UIL One Act Play “an Enemy of the People, written by Henry Ibsen and adapted by Arthur Miller, during opening exercised of the February 4, 2019, meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees. They are under the direction of Nina Saunders and Alicia Green.
Jim Ornelas (left), Stuart Career Tech High School diesel/auto tech instructor, congratulates two Barbers Hill High School students (from left) Austin Grothe and Cameron Cramer, who are in the SCTHS automotive program after school, on winning $10,000 scholarships to Universal Technical Institute in the recent Top Tech Challenge. SCTHS was presented with a trophy and a tool box.
Stuart Career Tech High School students (from left) Octavio Mendez, Kaleb McDonald, Austin Grothe, Epi Sanchez, Alvaro Chavez, Jon’Rylan Bohannon, Joshua Eastman, Cameron Cramer and Juan Hinojosa proudly display their trophy after competing at the Universal Technical Institute Top Tech Challenge. Grothe and Cramer attend Barbers Hill High School and are in the automotive program after school.
Darrin Brust (left), Universal Technical Institute – Houston president, congratulates Stuart Career Tech High School students Alvaro Chavez (middle) and Juan Hinojosa on winning $1,000 scholarships to UTI at the recent Top Tech Challenge.
By: Susan Passmore
Four two-man teams from Stuart Career Tech High School (SCTHS) competed in the recent Universal Technical Institute (UTI) – Houston Campus Top Tech Challenge for local high schools. The teams competed in hands-on and written automotive testing on vehicle parts, brakes, diagnostics and electrical systems.
Under the supervision of Jim Ornelas, SCTHS diesel/auto tech instructor, and Steve Barron, auto tech instructor, two of the four teams, composed of juniors and seniors, placed in the top 10. Austin Grothe and Cameron Cramer, Barbers Hill High School students in the automotive program at SCTHS after school, each won a $10,000 scholarship to UTI, and SCTHS students Juan Hinojosa and Alvaro Chavez each won a $1,000 scholarship. The team of Octavio Mendez and Epi Sanchez, sophomores, placed 13th out of the 58 teams scored. Other competitors were Jon’Rylan Bohannon and Joshua Eastman. SCTHS received a trophy and a tool box.
“As instructors, Steve and I are very proud of them all, and we are already looking forward to next year’s competition because the sophomores will be juniors next year. This experience will give them a positive advantage for next year,” said Ornelas.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Jannel Cruz (front), third grade, shows off the certificate for four Pirates Bay Tickets she received in a drawing at Bowie Elementary for reading 10 or more books for the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge through the Renaissance myON Reader program. The individualized reading program was made possible through a grant from Covestro, the school’s Partner In Education. Pictured are (from left) Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo; Claudia Ovalle, third-grade teacher; Donna Mohlman, community engagement specialist for Lee College; Councilman Charles Johnson and Dr. Regina Sims, Bowie principal.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Top readers in the competition that kicked off the Renaissance myON Reader program, an online individualized literacy program made possible through a $10,000 grant from Covestro, at Bowie Elementary. Covestro is Bowie’s Partner In Education through the Baytown Chamber of Commerce. Councilman Charles Johnson challenged students to read at least 10 books to be entered into a drawing for four tickets to Pirate’s Bay, donated by the City of Baytown as part of the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge. Johnson further encouraged students to read during the holidays by offering a $25 gift card to the top six readers, one from each grade level. Pictured are (front row, from left) Anthony Hurtado, kindergarten: Layla Hernandez, first grade; Jannel Cruz, third grade, winner of the Pirates Bay Tickets drawing; (middle row, from left) Jazharia White, second grade; Mayor Brandon Capetillo; Pamela Santos, fourth grade; (back row, from left) Christian Velasco, fifth grade; Saul Velasco, third grade and Johnson.
Photo by Susan Passmore
August Benoit (second from right), a fourth-grade teacher at Bowie Elementary, receives a Target gift card from Donna Mohlman (right), community engagement specialist for Lee College. Since fourth-grade students read the most books through the Renaissance myON Reader program of any grade level during the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge, their teachers’ names were entered in a drawing. Also surprising Benoit and her students in her classroom are Councilman Charles Johnson (left) and Mayor Brandon Capetillo.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Top readers in the competition that kicked off the Renaissance myON Reader program, an online individualized literacy program made possible through a $10,000 grant from Covestro, at Bowie Elementary. Covestro is Bowie’s Partner In Education through the Baytown Chamber of Commerce. Councilman Charles Johnson challenged students to read at least 10 books to be entered into a drawing for four tickets to Pirate’s Bay, donated by the City of Baytown as part of the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge. Johnson further encouraged students to read during the holidays by offering a $25 gift card to the top six readers, one from each grade level. Pictured are (front row, from left) Anthony Hurtado, kindergarten: Layla Hernandez, first grade; Jannel Cruz, third grade, winner of the Pirates Bay Tickets drawing; (middle row, from left) Jazharia White, second grade; Mayor Brandon Capetillo; Pamela Santos, fourth grade; (back row, from left) Christian Velasco, fifth grade; Saul Velasco, third grade and Johnson.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Jannel Cruz (front), third grade, shows off the certificate for four Pirates Bay Tickets she received in a drawing at Bowie Elementary for reading 10 or more books for the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge through the Renaissance myON Reader program. The individualized reading program was made possible through a grant from Covestro, the school’s Partner In Education. Pictured are (from left) Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo; Claudia Ovalle, third-grade teacher; Donna Mohlman, community engagement specialist for Lee College; Councilman Charles Johnson and Dr. Regina Sims, Bowie principal.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
August Benoit (second from right), a fourth-grade teacher at Bowie Elementary, receives a Target gift card from Donna Mohlman (right), community engagement specialist for Lee College. Since fourth-grade students read the most books through the Renaissance myON Reader program of any grade level during the Mayor’s Winter Break Challenge, their teachers’ names were entered in a drawing. Also surprising Benoit and her students in her classroom are Councilman Charles Johnson (left) and Mayor Brandon Capetillo.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Ja’Vaughn Gillum (right), a senior at Goose Creek Memorial High School, and his mother Dawn Chavis talk to Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent, about post-secondary options at Goose Creek CISD’s recent 7th Annual Career Night at Robert E. Lee High School.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Eric Farquhar (middle), a senior at Robert E. Lee High School, tries out virtual welding with Gerald Miller (left) of Coastal Welding Supply and Jason Hartman of Miller Welding at their booth at the 7th Annual Career Night for Goose Creek CISD students
Photo by Susan Passmore
Ian DeTorre, a seventh-grader at Baytown Junior School, tries out a riot shield and baton while discussing career options with representatives (from left) Stacey LeBlanc, senior warden; Officer Robyn Lacy and Captain Bruce Katchmark from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at Goose Creek CISD’s 7th Annual Career Night at Robert E. Lee High School.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Bailey Freeman (left), a junior at Robert E. Lee High School, talks with Chef Kylie Sobczak from Stuart Career Tech High School and Chef Ginger Zoidis from Robert E. Lee High School about the Culinary Arts program while attending the recent 7th Annual Career Night for all GCCISD students.
GCCISD 7th Annual Career Night a Success
By Susan Passmore
Goose Creek CISD’s recent 7th Annual Career Night, hosted by the GCCISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department and held at Robert E. Lee High School, provided an opportunity for students and parents to meet business and industry professionals as well as representatives from high school and post-secondary programs and technical schools all in one location.
High School Option Information Sessions were available with presentations on the career academies – STEM at Robert E. Lee High School, Global Business at Goose Creek Memorial High School and Health Science at Ross S. Sterling High School – and IMPACT Early College High School, Stuart Career Center, Stuart Career Tech High School and the Cosmetology program. College and Career Readiness counselors assisted with FAFSA applications.
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“We had more than 200 students in attendance,” said Monica Swift, Student Workforce Connection liaison. “Thirty companies were represented as well as 12 post-secondary institutions or programs. This was the perfect place for students and parents to learn about the many different careers and pathways available to them. The GCCISD CTE Department wishes to thank the 126 representatives and volunteers, including 31 cluster teachers, for their assistance in making this a successful event.”
The 2018-2019 Education Foundation Grant application process is now open!
Please click here for the Grant Application. Be sure to look at the guidelines to determine eligibility.
The grants are due no later than February 15, 2019.
Please contact Erika Foster (erika.foster@gccisd.net) if you have any questions.
Elisa Berger’s first-grade students at Lamar Elementary surpassed their Accelerated Reader (AR) goal of 60 points for the third six weeks with 99.6 points. Six students met or exceeded their personal AR goals. Students received one balloon for making their goal and two for making it to 80 points. Each balloon had a treat inside!
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Members of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees receive camping bucket lights at a recent board meeting in honor of School Board Recognition Month. The theme for 2019 is “Planting Seeds of Success,” and all schools sent a poster thanking board members for donating their time and effort in support of the students, staff and schools of Goose Creek CISD. Pictured are (from left) Al Richard; Jessica Woods, secretary; Ricky Clem; Pete Pape, president; Howard Sampson, assistant secretary and Ben Pape. Not pictured is Agustin Loredo III, vice president.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Mayor Brandon Capetillo (middle) presents a proclamation for School Board Appreciation Month to Goose Creek CISD board members (from left) Pete Pape, president; Ricky Clem; Ben Pape; Jessica Woods, secretary; Howard Sampson, assistant secretary and Al Richard. Not pictured is Agustin Loredo II, vice president.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Crockett Elementary is recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees as one of the top three elementary schools with a high attendance rate, 96.74 percent, for the second six weeks. Pictured are
(front, from left) Michael Roth, 3rd; Jacob Cantin, 4th; Annabelle Symmons, 5th; Bryan Farias, 2nd; (back, from left) JoAnn Fenley, a teacher with perfect attendance; Randall O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Michelle James, principal and Pete Pape, president of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Nicole Stalkfleet (left) and her class at Ashbel Smith Elementary test the Squeebie Mixing Bowl, featured on “Shark Tank,” with Tiffany Craig (right), consumer reporter for KHOU Channel 11. Pictured are (from left) Stalkfleet; Jeremiah Mouton, 3rd grade; Lovell George, 2nd grade; Emaliel Santiago Martinez, 2nd grade, and Tiffany Craig, KHOU Channel 11 consumer reporter. The segment aired on “Worth It?” last week. Here is the link to view it.
https://youtu.be/2-Cx5e3X1ek
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Nicole Stalkfleet (back) and her students at Ashbel Smith Elementary decide if the Squeebie Mixing Bowl, featured on “Shark Tank,” is worth the money. Tiffany Craig (left), consumer reporter for KHOU Channel 11, brought the bowl with her, asking students (from left) Emaliel Santiago Martinez, 2nd grade; Lovell George, 2nd grade; Jeremiah Mouton, 3rd grade; Alex Perez, 4th grade, and Angel Canales, 4th grade, could test it out on Fun Food Friday to see if it really works. View the segment that aired on Channel 11:
https://youtu.be/2-Cx5e3X1ek
By: Susan Passmore
After testing out the Squeebie Mixing Bowl with her class and Tiffany Craig, KHOU Channel 11 consumer reporter, Nicole Stalkfleet, Life Skills teacher at Ashbel Smith Elementary, was ready to purchase one. The bowl was featured on Shark Tank, and since Stalkfleet’s students cook every Friday and deliver their treats to the faculty and staff, this was as good a place as any to decide if the bowl was “Worth It?” as Craig’s segment is called.
Craig ordered the Squeebie Mixing Bowl by Lori Greiner from QVC for $20, bringing it with her to Stalkfleet’s class to use for mixing Hot Cocoa Dip. The students measured and mixed the ingredients, and their teacher demonstrated the “squeegee” attached to the bowl, which helps scrape out the ingredients. The bowl also transforms into a colander.
“I tried that later after rinsing raspberries, and it works, too,” Craig said.
The second- through fifth-grade television stars weren’t shy in front of the camera, and they had their own opinions about the Hot Cocoa Dip, the process and the bowl.
“Ninety calories!” volunteered one student.
Another emphatically shook his head, not certain that the bowl was any better than a regular mixing bowl, but Stalkfleet was sold.
“Look how not super-messy the bowl is. I think I really want one of these now,” said Stalkfleet.
Once the dip was placed in small cups and animal crackers were added, the students set out to deliver the snack to the faculty. Every Fun Food Friday, the students talk about what they made and how they made it as they pass out the treats, helping them with social and communication skills. Stalkfleet started this with her class a year ago after purchasing a bundle of simple recipes by Stephanie Delussey on “Teachers Pay Teachers.” Now, the kids get off the bus on Fridays excited about cooking day, but they were even more excited to be television stars!
Check out the segment “Worth It?” at https://youtu.be/2-Cx5e3X1ek and decide for yourself about the Squeebie!
Goose Creek CISD eighth-graders have more options than ever before when considering their high school plans, but the deadline to make their selections, February 3, is drawing near. Students must apply during the month of February during their eighth-grade year to be able to attend any of these programs. Goose Creek CISD offers something for everyone in preparation for college and careers, including seven career academies and two early college high school options.
Bus transportation is available for all students attending any of the career academies or early college high schools. Applications for these options for high school must be completed online by February 3, 2019. Students and parents needing assistance in completing the application can attend a special help session January 29 at Stuart Career Tech High School.
Goose Creek CISD has developed seven career academies through feedback from GCCISD’s business and industry partners to target some of the high-wage, high-demand jobs.
“Students in these academies will receive hands-on, project-based instruction in their area of interest that is focused on the goal of earning certifications and college credit toward their degree or employment immediately following high school graduation,” said Renea Dillon, director of CTE.
Each career academy focuses on one of the following career pathways: Agriculture Science, Automotive Technology and Collision Repair, Biomedical Science, Business Administration, Culinary Arts, Engineering, and Manufacturing & Industrial Maintenance.
Next year’s freshmen have the option to apply to one of the three academies offered at the three traditional high schools in GCCISD. The Global Business Academy is housed at Goose Creek Memorial (GCM) High School. Students in this academy complete a four-year pathway in a rigorous High School of Business curriculum, which can be supplemented with dual credit courses and other electives to learn the skills involved in the type of business they are interested in developing. Students can graduate from GCM prepared for a rigorous college business administration major with college credit and business certifications.
The Health Science Academy is located at Ross S. Sterling High School. Students in this career academy begin with a focus on biomedical science. Students are engaged by the rigorous Project Lead the Way curriculum, which provides weighted grade points toward their GPA, much like the other pre-AP classes they take. Students are provided many opportunities to explore the fast-growing number of medical occupations and even develop innovative ideas to improve areas in the various health-related occupations.
The third career academy that is on a traditional campus is the STEM-Engineering Academy at Robert E. Lee High School, which helps students learn the many different facets of engineering and engineering technology, especially as it relates to the petrochemical, aerospace and environmental industries on the Gulf Coast. This academy also uses a rigorous Project Lead the Way curriculum that can result in college credit. Mentors from local industry assist students in learning which type of engineering they want to pursue before they begin applying for college.
Four career academy options are available to students who apply to Stuart Career Tech High School (SCTHS), which is also an early college high school. SCTHS is focused on earning college degrees in Career and Technical Education (CTE) fields including Culinary Arts, Manufacturing and Industrial Maintenance, Agriculture Sciences (including Environmental Studies and Veterinary Tech certifications), and Automotive and Collision Repair.
IMPACT Early College High School provides one more option for prospective freshmen. At this nationally-recognized school, students focus on academics with the goal of graduating with a high school diploma as well as an associate degree from Lee College or at least some college hours to apply to a degree.
Students may apply for up to three of these high school options in a single application that is available on the district’s web page between now and February 3. Students will be notified February 15 which High School Option they were selected to attend.
Altogether, Goose Creek CISD eighth graders are able to choose among 41 programs of study in all five endorsement areas. Very few districts offer these diverse and specialized educational opportunities, so Goose Creek CISD eighth grade students should carefully consider their options as they create their graduation plans and begin their high school experience. Applications to the academies, Stuart Career Tech High School and IMPACT Early College High School are available on the Goose Creek CISD website at http://www.gccisd.net.
IMPACT ECHS Student Council members, with the guidance of their sponsor Keith Brown, collected toys to donate to needy children as they have for the past few years. This Christmas, though, they didn’t want to just drop off the toys to a church or other location. They wanted to actually hand out the toys to the children. They had the idea of hosting an event here on the IMPACT campus, and inviting children and their families to enjoy cookies and hot cocoa, and maybe even have a Santa give them the toys. Their idea started growing when they thought of what other clubs might be able to contribute to the event: the Dance Club could entertain with a performance, the Book Club could read Christmas stories, the Art Club could provide face painting, other clubs and general volunteers could play other games, greet families, and serve the cookies and cocoa, and so on. Since we partner with San Jacinto Elementary for our Big Brothers Big Sisters program, they provided a list of approximately 100 students and their siblings and helped us pass out invitations. On the day of the event, children who attended were given their photo with Santa to take home with them, had cookies and cocoa, participated in crafts, had their faces painted, played games, had a reading corner, and lots of other fun activities in addition to receiving gifts that were donated by our Spartans, our Baytown Chamber of Commerce Partner in Education Pure Salt, and one family took home a toy-filled stocking donated by Fischer’s Hardware. As excited as the children were to receive gifts, the time families spent together was a gift in itself, and they hope to make this an annual event.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek Memorial High School’s HOSA and girls basketball programs team up in the competition gym to encourage everyone to wear red Friday, February 1, 2019, to promote the American Heart Association’s initiative, Go Red for Women. This initiative is to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women globally. Make a commitment to heart health!
Photo by Susan Passmore
Wayne Hanson (left), a member of the Baytown Crime Stoppers Board for 14 years, is presented with the Lavon F. Heintschel Award by John Mabry, chair of the History/Records/Recognitions Committee, at the recent Baytown Crime Stoppers Sponsor Appreciation Banquet. Hanson is the second recipient of the award.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Campus Crime Stoppers sponsors receive gift cards at the recent Sponsor Appreciation Banquet for their work in the schools. Pictured are (from left) Dr. Randal O Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent; Enrique DeLeon, Robert E. Lee High School; Sarah Capestani, Gentry Junior; Peggy Cayton, Cedar Bayou Junior; Officer Randell Morris; Diztorsha JeffersonLavon, Goose Creek Memorial High School; Leanne Leslie, Gentry Junior; Sam Laird, GCM; M.J. Nolan, Horace Mann Junior; Chief Keith Dougherty; Shonda James, GCM; Melanie Eastman, Horace Mann Junior; Jody Roberts and Steven Denton, Ross S. Sterling High School; and Randy Casey, BCS Board chair.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Five of the original 21 Baytown Crime Stoppers Board members from 1981 are honored at the recent Crime Stoppers Sponsor Appreciation Banquet at the Baytown Community Center. Pictured are (from left) Glen Walker, Geraldine Vara, Jim Ferris, Jay Eshbach and Dottie Tickner.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo (right) presents a proclamation to Randy Casey, Baytown Crime Stoppers Board chair, designating January 2019 as Baytown Crime Stoppers Month in Baytown.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Five of the original 21 Baytown Crime Stoppers Board members from 1981 are honored at the recent Crime Stoppers Sponsor Appreciation Banquet at the Baytown Community Center. Pictured are (from left) Glen Walker, Geraldine Vara, Jim Ferris, Jay Eshbach and Dottie Tickner.
Photo by Susan Passmore
Janet Sibley (left), a Baytown Crime Stoppers Board member for 29 years, is presented with a certificate recognizing her as the first Lavon F. Heintschel Award winner in 2012, by John Mabry, chair of the History/Records/Recognition Committee.
By: Susan Passmore
With a 1980s theme, the recent Baytown Crime Stoppers Sponsor Appreciation Banquet honored the Baytown Crime Stoppers original board members from March 1981 along with the Lavon Heintschel Award winner and the Goose Creek CISD campus sponsors.
Special guests were original Baytown Crime Stoppers Board members Jay Eshbach (treasurer), Jim Ferris, Dottie Tickner, Geraldine Vara and Glen Walker, who were presented with a crystal award for their role in starting the successful program. Mayor Brandon Capetillo, who presented a proclamation to Casey designating January 2019 as Baytown Crime Stoppers Month in Baytown, and Goose Creek CISD Superintendent Randal O’Brien also were recognized as special guests.
Other members of the original board were Leon Brown, R.K. Carter, Towson Ellis, Bob Gillette, Wayne Gray (vice chairman), Clyde Messiah, Dr. Nofal Musfy, Jess Navarre, Don Northrup, Joy Ralls (secretary), Peggy Rutherford, Ron Smith, Jack Strickler, Lanell Stuart, Charles Tillery (chairman), and Hugh Wood.
All 21 original members are listed on a plaque that will hang on the Wall of Honor in the Baytown Crime Stoppers meeting room.
Randy Casey, Crime Stoppers board chair, welcomed guests, and original board member Walker, who traveled from Durango, Colorado, gave the invocation.
After dinner, catered by Rooster’s, Randy Strong, board member, presented the history of Crime Stoppers. The program was organized in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which had the highest crime rate per capita of any city in the United States at that time, and it was so successful that Crime Stoppers groups have been established all over the country and in several foreign countries. In Baytown, Police Chief Bo Turner discussed the program with Jean Shepherd, chair of the Chamber Legislative Affairs Committee, and she set up a study group, headed by Towson Ellis. After a unanimous vote, the Baytown Crime Stoppers program was incorporated in March 1981.
“The first call with a tip was received on March 28, 1981. The first arrest from a Baytown Crime Stopper tip was made on April 22, 1981, by Detective Gene Sutton. The report describing the offense read, ‘Henry Silas Killian III was charged with felony theft in connection with the Saturday night theft of 38 rabbits from Leola Greer’s yard,’” Strong said.
The year 1981 ended with 85 tips, 16 arrests $15,000 recovered narcotics/property/cash and $1,950 in rewards paid. At the end of December 2018, since the inception of the program, Baytown Crime Stoppers has received 12,068 tips, made 2,058 arrests, recovered $3,585,762 in narcotics/property/cash and paid $574,327 in rewards.
Wayne Hanson, Baytown Crime Stoppers Board member since 2005, having served as chair for four years and vice chair for five years, received the Lavon F. Heintschel Award, named for the long-time board member who passed away in 2011. Hanson was a member of the Campus Crime Stoppers Committee from 2006-2013, chairing it from 2011-2013, and he initiated the Sponsor Appreciation Dinner in 2007, chairing it for eight consecutive years. He was presented with a framed certificate, and his name has been added to the perpetual plaque on the Wall of Honor with that of Janet Sibley, the first and the only other recipient of the Lavon F. Heintschel Award. Sibley, a member of the Baytown Crime Stoppers Board for 29 years and current secretary, also received a framed certificate.
“Generally, this award is intended for board members, police officers or citizens, who through their exceptional support, efforts, enthusiasm, contributions, participation and dedication have assisted the Baytown Crime Stoppers Program and the community in reducing crime and promoting public safety in Baytown and the surrounding area, thereby setting an example for the rest of us,” said John Mabry, chair of the Health/Records/Recognition committee.
Officer Randell Morris presented information about the Campus Crime Stoppers program, the cafeteria table wraps in several schools with Crime Stoppers Information and the new P3 apps the community and schools use for anonymously submitting tips. From the eight participating GCCISD schools in 2018, 193 tips, 21 disciplinary actions, 11 arrests, 32 cases cleared, $250 worth of narcotics recovered, $400 worth of property recovered and $3,590 total rewards paid are a result of the work of the Campus Crime Stoppers Boards and sponsors.
Sponsors in attendance received a gift card in appreciation of their work in the schools. Campus sponsors include Amy Kaminski, Baytown Junior; Roxie Brown, Stephenie Stults; Peggy Cayton and Michele George, Cedar Bayou Junior; Leanne Leslie, Sarah Capestani and Olivia Payne, Gentry Junior; Lauren Fox and Brenda Ayers, Highlands Junior; M.J. Nolan, David Garza, Melanie Eastman and Michael Knight, Horace Mann Junior; Shonda James, Diztorsha JeffersonLavon and Sam Laird, Goose Creek Memorial High Schooll; Enrique DeLeon, Robert E. Lee High School; and Steve Denton and Jody Roberts, Ross S. Sterling High School.
Keith Dougherty, Baytown Police Chief, expressed his appreciation of Baytown Crime Stoppers and campus programs for helping to keep the community and schools safe, and Casey concluded the program, thanking guests for attending.
Four amazing Bonnie P. Hopper Primary artists are representing Goose Creek CISD at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Area judges chose the artwork of kindergarten students Maurisia Lockhart (not pictured) and Aneah Cuevas (middle) along with first grade students Delilah Espinosa (left) and Brayden Brymer for the top pieces to compete at NRG with other area districts. These four pieces, judged on originality, creativity, skill and excellence in drawing, went to NRG Center to represent GCCISD. Maurisia Lockhart earned the Gold Medal distinction with her adorable striped chicken.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD’s 2019 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Best of Show Art Award winners are (front) Elementary: Christopher Vega, third-grader at Carver Elementary, with “Long Day, Res,” Harry Barber, art teacher; Junior School: Tiffany Hernandez, eighth-grader at Gentry Junior School, with “Bronceado,” Jennifer Martin, art teacher and High School: Skylar Newton, 11th-grader at Goose Creek Memorial, with “Deep in the Heart,” Johnna Morris, art teacher.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Emily Sistos, a third-grader from James Bowie Elementary, shows off her Rodeo Art to Dr. Randal O’Brien, superintendent of schools.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
The Superintendent’s Choice Awards from Goose Creek CISD’s Rodeo Art are (from left) Elementary: Andrew Zamora, fifth-grader at Clark Elementary, with “The Old Tractor;” Molly Barr, art teacher; Junior School: Allison Trejo, eight-grader at Gentry Junior, with “What’s for Dinner?” Jennifer Martin, art teacher and High School: Vianey Trejo, 10th-grader at Goose Creek Memorial, with “Praying on a Summer Day,” Johanna Morris, art teacher. They are pictured with Dr. Randal O’Brien, GCCISD superintendent.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Megan Winemiller’s fourth-grade students at Travis Elementary (from left) Jovan Banks, Natalie Marquez and Trevor Hogan
rehearse for a play they will perform Tuesday, January 22, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Edward Rios, a fourth-grader in Megan Winemiller’s class at Travis Elementary, works on his lines for the play his class will perform in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Highlands Junior School principal Gary Guy and daughters Katie and Allie pose for a photo near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
By Beth Dombrowa
While many of us spent Christmas night admiring gifts or cleaning up after a family meal, Highlands Junior School principal Gary Guy and his two older daughters boarded a flight to Africa to embark on a unique and challenging adventure. Gary, Allie and Katie spent most of the remaining break climbing 19,340 feet to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
A view of Mount Kilimanjaro during the Guy’s adventure.
The trip was actually Gary’s second time to climb the highest point on the African continent. He went solo about five years ago and after hearing stories about his trip for years, the trio ultimately decided to do it together to close out 2018.
“I was initially hesitant,” Katie, a 2017 graduate of Ross S. Sterling and sophomore at The University of Texas studying public relations, said. “But about six months ago, I decided I really wanted to do it.”
To train, Katie said she took “Kili walks” around Austin, wearing her hiking boots. Older sister Allie, a 2015 graduate of Sterling and current student at Texas Christian University studying youth advocacy, is training for a marathon and started taking longer runs. Gary admitted that the majority of his training consisted of walking his dog in Jenkins Park.
“About an hour into just the first day, I was wondering what I had gotten into,” Katie said. “It was raining and muddy. But your body adjusts.”
Only about 35,000 people around the world attempt to climb Kilimanjaro every year, and the exact number who do so successfully is unknown. Katie said she was motivated by stories of different climbers, including an accomplished marathon runner who didn’t make It to the summit and a man who had lost a leg who did.
Regardless of personal circumstances, scaling Kilimanjaro takes physical and mental strength. Trekkers go through five different climates on their ascent, so they may begin by wearing shorts and t-shirts, but they will also get snowed on.
Porters went ahead of the Guys and fellow climbers with tents and food supplies. They helped pitch camp, so after climbing uphill five to seven miles per day at varying altitudes and in rapidly changing weather conditions, the crew was ready to rest. Food was fairly simple – fruits, vegetables, rice – and a lot of porridge. It wasn’t terrible, Gary said, because it was difficult to maintain much of an appetite anyway. There were no showers available during their seven-day trip and sometimes melted snow was the only drinking water available.
“We had all of our meals together in a little tent,” Katie said. “It was fun being in there together.”
Reaching the summit is the pinnacle of the trip. About 30 minutes from the top, Katie said she started getting excited when she saw signs that they were near, even though her eyelashes and hair were frozen solid.
Climbers don’t spend much time at the summit, just enough to get a few photos, before beginning their descent.
“It’s not as easy as you might think,” Gary said. “You use different muscles on the way down.” And, of course, there are the same number of significant climbing changes.
The jury is out as to whether Allie and Katie will make a second trip like their dad.
“It would take a lot of memory loss, but maybe someday” Katie said.
Gary made it clear that despite the impressive feat of scaling the mountain twice, his Kilimanjaro days are behind him.
“I gave my hiking boots to our guide,” he said,. “I told him, ‘I will not be needing these boots again.’”
Photo by Rebecca Estrada
Cedar Bayou Junior School’s 8A boys basketball team won first place at the recent Baytown Junior Basketball Tournament. Pictured are (front, from left) Synsear Tryon, Iccas Solorio, (back, from left) Andrew Estrada, Te Givens, Hunter Bundage, Caleb Smith, Eathann Vargos Aguilar, Markavion Morgan, Ethan Purcell, Carson Garrett and Coach Woodard.
PUBLIC HEARING FOR DISCUSSION OF THE ANNUAL TEXAS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE REPORT (TEXAS EDUCATION CODE 51.403(e) on Monday, February 4, 2019, 6:30 p.m. – Administration Building Board Room, 4544 Interstate 10 East, Baytown, Texas 77521. Parents, community members, and school personnel are invited to attend this public hearing to participate in the discussion of the Goose Creek CISD Texas Academic Performance Report for 2017-2018.
AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA LA DISCUSIÓN DEL INFORME ANUAL SOBRE EL RENDIMIENTO ACADÉMICO DE TEXAS (EDUCACIÓN DE TEXAS CÓDIGO 51.403 (e)
El lunes, 4 de febrero del 2019, 6:30 p.m. – Sala de juntas de la Mesa Directiva en el edificio
de la Administración, con domicilio en el 4544 Interstate 10 East, Baytown, Texas 77521.
Se invitan a los padres, maestros, y personal de la escuela a asistir a esta audiencia pública para expresar su opinión respecto al Informe del Rendimiento Académico de Texas de Goose Creek CISD del 2017-18.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Victoria Walker Elementary first-graders Amaya Richards-Wynn (left) and Emmett Cleveland work on poetry on their first day back to school after the Christmas holidays.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Ginger Mendisabol’s morning pre-kindergarten students from Victoria Walker Elementary show off the hats they made to celebrate 2019 and the first day of the second semester of school.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Aiden Herrera from Ginger Mendisabol’s morning pre-kindergarten class at Victoria Walker Elementary is happy to start the new year with a coloring assignment.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Exemplary Migrant Scholars, nominated by Goose Creek CISD and selected by the State of Texas, are recognized at a recent meeting of the board of trustees. Pictured are (from left) Carolina Mendoza, Andres Perez, Jonathan Ibarra, Cesar Sanchez, Jr. and Esteban Garcia. Not pictured are Francisco Barajas and Jonathan Mendoza.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Students receiving the AP Scholar with Honor award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams are recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees.
Pictured are (from left) from Ross S. Sterling High School Karis Stockwell, Tramy Nguyen, Zhi Lin and Priscila Garcia; from Robert E. Lee High School Hannah Christensen and Paci Cantu; and from Goose Creek Memorial High School Austin Goodman.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
AP Scholars, selected for completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher, are recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees. Students from Robert E. Lee High School are (from left) Kassandra Tovar, Lizeth Mendoza, Brianna Lopez, Kamila Gonzalez-Traverzo and Eliza Batongmalaki.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
AP Scholars, qualifying by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher, from Ross S. Sterling High School are recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board are (from left) Wendy Ciang, Lauren Kelley, Erika Zapata, James Epperson, Emily Thomas, Jason Drude, Aarushi Shukla, Isabel De La Rosa, Paris Landry, Hayden Bernard, Amer Malhi, Bryn Benoit, Samantha Glaize, William Almaraz, Gauge Herrera and Vanessa Martin.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Students who received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams are recognized at a recent meeting of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees.
Pictured are (from left) Jia Lin, Ashlyn Bernshausen, Kavish Pipalia, Ayush Agrawal and Brandon Ratliff from Ross S. Sterling High School and Shaily Yadav, Soham Datar, Athena Janobas and Kayla Baham from Goose Creek Memorial High School.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Ayush Agrawal (middle) from Ross S. Sterling High School is congratulated by Dr. Randal O’Brien, Goose Creek CISD superintendent (left) and Pete Pape, GCCISD board president for being named an AP National Scholar, having earned an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. Agrawal also was named AP Scholar with Distinction.
After nine meetings and more than 1,100 hours of volunteer service, the Citizens Bond Advisory Committee, a group of diverse community members, presented their proposed bond package to the GCCISD Board of Trustees at the Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, board meeting. As a next step, the Board will vote on calling for a May 2019 bond election at the February 4, 2019 board meeting.
Click the link below, to view the presentation members of the CBPC presented to the Board.
May 2019 Bond Recommendation
To watch a video of their presentation, go to the district’s YouTube channel.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Goose Creek CISD employees (from left) Misty Stephens, Myleka King and Regina Aguilar from Carver Elementary and J. Carlos Alvarez from Cedar Bayou Junior School register for the Goose Creek CISD 2nd Annual Employee Wellness Fair at Ross S. Sterling High School with Letty Arredondo (back right) and Maria Andrade from Human Resources.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Joseph Landris (right) from Goose Creek CISD Operations discusses what causes joint pain with Jordan Montoya (left) and Brittany Pittman from The Joint Chiropractic at the recent Goose Creek CISD 2nd Annual Employee Wellness Fair.
Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Stacy Fernandez (right) from the Goose Creek CISD Communications Department samples a salad from Salata served by employees Daniela Gualito (left) and Sebastian Benavides at the recent Goose Creek CISD 2nd Annual Employee Wellness Fair held at Ross S. Sterling High School.
GCCISD Holds Second Annual Employee Wellness Fair
By Susan Passmore
More than 430 Goose Creek CISD employees and 58 vendors participated in the 2nd Annual Goose Creek CISD Employee Wellness Fair, “Step Into Wellness,” at Ross S. Sterling High School. The event was held January 7, 2019, which was the first day back to school for school employees after the Christmas holidays.
Sponsored by the Goose Creek CISD Benefits and Human Resources departments, the Wellness Fair provided valuable information and resources for employees, including health care, financial information, educational opportunities and food and nutrition.
“This is the second year we have offered the Employee Wellness Fair, and we were pleased with the increased participation this year,” Stephanie Myers, benefits coordinator, said. “We hope that employees enjoyed the variety of information available in one location, and we look forward to hosting it again next year.”
Participants included AFLAC, Allstate Benefits, AMBA, Ameritas Vision, Aramark, Area Agency on Aging, AXA, Bayshore, Baytown YMCA, Berkeley Eye Center, Camp Gladiator, Care Patrol, Celebrate Recovery, Center for Success and Independence, Chambers Health, Chick-fil-A, Community Resource Credit Union, DeVry University, Eagle Pointe, First Financial, Goose Creek CISD Benefits, Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation, Goose Creek CISD Healthy Community School Coordinator, Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union, H & R Block, Harris County Public Health, Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Humana Dental, Joint Chiropractic, Kelsey Seybold, Lamar University, Learner Dynamics, Lee College, Lee College Wellness, MetLife and MD Anderson.
Also participating were Next Level Clinic, Partners Resource Network, Patients ER, Rightway Imaging, Salata, Sam’s Club, San Jacinto College, Schlitterbaun Resorts, Smoothie King, Summit Dental Center, Sun Life, TCG Services, Texas Workforce Solutions, The Children Assessment Center, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, The Rose, Total Care, 24 Hour Fitness, United Way, UT Arlington Online, Walgreen’s and Weight Watchers.
Blue Cherokee
2018 Goose Creek CISD Best of Show
D.J. Bush
Goose Creek Memorial High School
You are invited to a reception honoring the
Artists and Faculty
Thursday, January 17, 2019
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Recognition at 5:45 p.m.
Public Viewing January 9-11 & 14-17, 2019
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
GCCISD Administration Building
4544 I-10
Baytown, Texas