Coppell ISD - you matter

Coppell ISD has been selected as one of only 15 employers nationwide — and the only school district — to receive the 2025 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest U.S. government recognition for employers supporting members of the National Guard and Reserve. The honor comes after Lieutenant Colonel Esther Gomez Splawn, a Coppell High School special education teacher and Marine Corps Reservist, nominated the district for its strong commitment to employees who serve.

Read more here: https://www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/article/2369404

Irma Lazos-Kennedy, the teacher adviser of the KCBY-TV student TV news station at CHS, was featured in a back to school story by NBC 5 reporter Alicia Barrera. Barrera is a CHS and KCBY alumna, who was Kennedy's student while at CHS. The segment aired on Aug. 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7sw9fB8RCM

Coppell High School junior Sahasra Kalakonda achieved a remarkable academic milestone this summer with the acceptance of her research paper on Theory of Mind in AI to the NAACL Student Research Workshop. The North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (NAACL) is one of the most respected organizations in the field of computational linguistics and natural language processing. The student workshop is highly competitive, selecting only a small number of papers from across North America. Kalakonda presented her work to leading scholars and researchers from across the United States, sharing insights from her study, DIG-DIS: Transformer-Based Models vs. State Space Models on Complex Theory of Mind Reasoning Tasks. Her accomplishment reflects exceptional dedication and expertise, and she hopes it will inspire other students interested in STEM and research.

The Coppell Middle School North Honor Winds Band really blew away the competition, earning 2nd place in the Texas Music Educators Association CCC Middle School Honor Band competition. From start to finish, these talented student musicians hit all the right notes. Congratulations to CMS North Band Director Jeremy Lindquist, Associate Band Director Allie Guinn, and our outstanding student performers on this incredible achievement.

📚✏️ Last week, Brinks Security made a special delivery to our Administration building—over 1,500 school supplies for learners in need!

Items Donated -

-Sturdy Refillable Water Bottles
-Lunch Boxes for PK-5th grade age range (4 years old to10 year old)
-Lunch Bag (reusable) for 6th-8th grade age range (11 years old to 14 years old)
-Wired Earbuds
-Play Dough
-Colored Pencils
-Markers
-Dry Erase Markers
-Crayons
-Lined Composition Books/Lined Spirals/Sketch Books
-Backpacks (PK-5th grade size wise 4years old to 10 year old)
-Clorox Wipes

A huge thank you to Brinks for this generous donation and for supporting our students’ success. #TheresNoPlaceLikeCISD

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. Stay connected each week as we celebrate why there's no place like CISD. This week's edition spotlights the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

https://youtu.be/eE_9Su9ZPA4

✨ Last night, our elementary campuses came alive for Meet the Teacher Night! ✨ Smiles, laughter, and pure excitement filled the halls as students reconnected with friends and met their new teachers. Here’s to an amazing 2025-26 school year ahead! 📚💙
#theresnoplacelikeCISD

On Aug. 4, the team at Richard J. Lee Elementary hit the road for one of their favorite back-to-school traditions — the annual Lee Bus Tour!. Each year, teachers and staff board a bus and roll through the neighborhoods to greet students and families, delivering hugs, high-fives and a healthy dose of first-day of school excitement.



This year’s tour was full of smiles, signs and special moments as the Lee crew reconnected with their beloved FamiLEE. From hugs, signs and joyful reunions, it was the perfect way to fuel anticipation for the new school year.

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. Stay connected each week as we celebrate why there's no place like CISD. This week's edition spotlights CISD's back-to-school preparations including the CISD New Hire Breakfast and Expo in partnership with the Coppell Chamber of Commerce, schedule pick up at CMS East and Austin Elementary's pep rally to welcome teachers back to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MvPTSelGm8

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. This week's edition spotlights 2023 Bond projects at CHS and Valley Ranch, Denton Creek and Town Center Elementaries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ajFuxX90Q

The Coppell High School Technology Student Association (TSA) continued its tradition of excellence at the 2025 TSA National Conference, held June 27–July 1 in Nashville. A total of 58 CHS students qualified to attend and compete in 28 events, bringing home numerous Top 10 national honors. Among the standout results:

TEAMS Mathematical Modeling Contest:

3rd Place (Team C): Rachel Chio, Greeshma Marathu, Ujesha Pachare and Chloe Tan

Top 10 Finalist (Team D): Ajay Anandan, Anmol Deepak, Ashwin Mohan and Aryaman Singh

TEAMS Build / Design Contest Top 10 Finalist (Team D): Ajay Anandan, Anmol Deepak, Ashwin Mohan and Aryaman Singh

High School Biotechnology Design 5th Place: Prajwal Amara, Shawroj Khan, Satvik Kolathaya, Sameeksh Komatreddy, Vinayak and Vipinachanran Subha

High School Chapter Team – 5th Place: Ajay Anandan, Anmol Deepak, Ameya Kella, Sameeksh Komatreddy, Aryaman Singh and Alanna Sun

High School Drone Challenge (UAV) – 8th Place: Sai Sashank Cherukuri, Sai Amol Kuttuva Gokul Babu, Sharvesh Ramakrishnan, Sharan Sathish, Vignesh Somasundaram and Parjanya Vedula

High School Software Development – 4th Place: Prajwal Amara, Ameya Kella and Sameeksh Komatreddy

High School System Control Technology – 9th Place: Neerav Puppala, Sharvesh Ramakrishnan and Vignesh Somasundaram

High School Virtual Reality Simulation – 7th Place: Sai Sashank Cherukuri, Aryan Kumar and Neerav Puppala

High School Webmaster – 9th Place:Amay Babel, David Chae, Samanyu Hebbar and Kunal Katiyar



The success of the Coppell TSA chapter is possible thanks to the dedicated advisers and chaperones Grant Garner (Lead TSA Advisor), Nicholas Brown (TSA Advisor), Kathryn Womochel (HOSA Advisor) and Kay Walder (Engineering Teacher).

Congratulations to Nathalie Petit from Coppell High School and Eesha Jogdand from CHS9 for representing Coppell ISD at the 2025 National Educators Rising Conference, held June 26–29 in Orlando. The event, themed "Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders," brought together aspiring educators from across the country to showcase their skills and passion for teaching.


Petit placed 2nd in the Varsity Interactive Bulletin Board category, and Jogdand earned 3rd place in the Junior Varsity Interactive Bulletin Board competition. Both students are part of CISD’s chapter of the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) led by teacher adviser Raneta Ansley.

New Tech Senior Andy Coffey has been selected to serve on the 2025-2026 Hope Squad National Council. She is one of 45 student leaders chosen from 33 schools across the country to serve a one-year term on the prestigious national council. The Hope Squad National Council plays a vital role in shaping mental health advocacy efforts across the nation. As a member, Coffey will continue to be a part of New Tech’s Hope Squad while also working closely with Hope Squad’s national leadership by providing student insights to inform programming, participating in webinars and research opportunities and serving as a mental health advocate at the national level. This recognition highlights Coffey’s dedication to supporting her peers and promoting mental wellness both on campus and beyond.

CHS Class of 2025 graduates Caroline Ufret and Sohana Singh have been awarded National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarships, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on July 14. Ufret will use her scholarship to study surgical medicine at Emory University, and Singh will use her scholarship to study electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. These students are among the additional 800 scholarship recipients nationwide who were selected by officials from sponsoring colleges and universities in addition to those students announced in June. The awards, which range from $500 to $2,000 annually, are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institutions providing the scholarships. CISD has a total of 11 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners from the Class of 2025 — ten from CHS and one from New Tech High @ Coppell.

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. Stay connected each week as we celebrate why there's no place like CISD. This week's edition spotlights the CISD Summer Internship program for rising juniors and seniors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj14u3kiMSI

Coppell Middle School East eighth grader/rising ninth grader Tyler Kim recently competed at the prestigious New Balance Outdoor National Track and Field Meet, held at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Franklin Field. Kim qualified for the national event after a record-breaking season in which he became the District and Zone Champion in the 800-meter run and set a school record time of 2:10.54. Representing Coppell among 141 of the nation’s top middle school runners, Kim was cheered on by his coach, Austin Yaeger, as he raced against some of the fastest young athletes in the country.

Rising Coppell High School senior Shreeya Gedda has been awarded the prestigious Congressional Award Gold Medal — the highest honor a youth civilian can earn from the United States Congress. Gedda was recognized during a special three-day ceremony held June 11–13, 2025, in Washington, D.C., where she participated in exclusive events on Capitol Hill and engaged with members of Congress and industry leaders. The award, established in 1979, celebrates American youth who demonstrate initiative, service and personal achievement across four areas: public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition or exploration. To earn this distinguished recognition, Gedda dedicated over three years and more than 800 hours to fulfilling program goals, including 400 hours of volunteer work, 200 hours of personal development, and 200 hours of physical fitness, along with multiple multi-day expeditions, including a memorable trip to Arctic Alaska. Her service work ranged from supporting local food pantries and city events to global efforts like literacy support for Ukrainian youth. Gedda’s name is now part of the official Congressional Record following a statement by Rep. Bryan Steil (WI-01), permanently cementing her achievement in U.S. history.

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. Stay connected each week as we celebrate why there's no place like CISD. This week's edition features recent activities at the ESL/Bilingual Summer School program held at Mockingbird Elementary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM0qGRElB0Q

Eight Class of 2025 seniors from Coppell High School have been awarded National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarships, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced June 4. These students are among more than 2,900 recipients nationwide who were selected by officials from sponsoring colleges and universities. The awards, which range from $500 to $2,000 annually, are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institutions providing the scholarships. An additional group of recipients will be announced in July, bringing the total number of 2025 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners to more than 3,600. The CHS recipients, along with their intended majors and sponsoring universities, are: Rithvik Sai Alasakani, Health Care – University of Texas at Dallas Raj Pradyun Reddy Gaddam, Computer Science – Purdue University Dwij Mehta, Computer Science – Texas A&M University Justin Murdock, Applied Mathematics – Texas A&M University Annie Reeder, Archaeology – University of Oklahoma Julia Savova, Biomedical Engineering – Texas A&M University Stayton Slaughter, Medicine – University of Missouri – Columbia Yunqi Zhang, Software Engineering – Texas A&M University This year, 146 higher education institutions in 42 states and the District of Columbia are sponsoring awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. The college-sponsored scholarships are one of three types of awards given by the program, which will ultimately recognize more than 6,930 students in 2025 with scholarships totaling nearly $26 million.

The Coppell ISD Weekly Round-Up is your snapshot of the latest district happenings — from engaged learning in our classrooms to achievements, events, happenings and more. Stay connected each week as we celebrate why there's no place like CISD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvywIR5pLEs