Coppell ISD

Congratulations to Piper Carrell, a junior at CHS, who had a top 10 finish at the recent State Wrestling Meet by placing 8th in her weight class. #CISDMissionPossible

Reminder: Tomorrow is an Early Release day for all schools in CISD

Swimming her way to the medal stand — CHS Senior Katy Jost took 3rd place in the 500 freestyle at the State Swim Meet held at UT Austin on Feb. 24. Jost also beat her school record time at the meet.

Join Coppell ISD Director of Career and Technical Education Josh Howard for a Lunch Bites Facebook Live overview of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Coppell ISD. Tune in live at www.facebook.com/coppellisd on Wednesday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m. to gain a better understanding of what CTE is, how it benefits students, CISD CTE programs of study and more. Can’t make it? You can also view the event at any time after the live presentation on Facebook or YouTube.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt shares stories from our district. This week, you can catch Dr. Hunt talking with CHS Mandarin Chinese Teacher Andrea Voelker and her students, as they brought a Lunar New Year celebration and explorations of traditions to Cottonwood Creek Elementary on Feb. 23. Joining them in this video are Cottonwood Creek 5th Grader Wyatt Synowicki and CHS students Laura Liao, Kaelyn Liu and Alex Zhang. https://youtu.be/cENc85ViqAw

Embarking on a creative journey, members of Coppell High School’s digital art classes paint color back into Coppell Nature Park’s identity. The Friends of Coppell Nature is an environmental conservation organization promoting the preservation of the Coppell Nature Park. Collaborating with CHS digital art students, Friends of Coppell board members selected sophomore Arshia Joshi’s design. “We have oceans of incredible talent in CISD and it was manifested through a variety of different logos,” Friends of Coppell Nature Park board member Teri Keith said. Keith reached out to CHS art teacher Bennan Fruge, asking if students would be interested in designing a logo to increase marketing efforts. “I was excited, and I thought it was a great opportunity to have our students create art that could help the community,” Fruge said.

On Saturday, Feb. 10, Valley Ranch Elementary Principal Cynthia Arterbery and Coppell High School Special Education Teacher and Department Chair Laura Hynson were recognized for their above-and-beyond service to students and families by the Baha'is of Coppell during its second annual Service to CommUNITY Luncheon. This event celebrates individuals and organizations for their dedication and service to the wider Coppell Community. The Baha'is of Coppell is a faith-based, service-focused organization whose purpose is to "promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men."

CISD is proud to celebrate the eight Coppell High School students who recently achieved the highest possible composite score on a single SAT or ACT exam. Each year, millions of students take the SAT and ACT, and less than 1% achieve the top scores. Congratulations to: CHS Seniors: Prerith Arunkumar (SAT) Ryan Booker (ACT) Sua Cho (ACT) Aromi Han (ACT) Dhroov Pathare (ACT) (SAT) Varun Ravilla (SAT) CHS Juniors: Raj Pradyun Reddy Gaddam (ACT) Andrew Shi (SAT) These well-rounded CHS students also participate in programs such as the fine arts, athletics, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, as well as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and Dual Credit courses.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt shares stories from our district. This week, you can catch Dr. Hunt at the Fairy Tale Parade at Richard J. Lee Elementary with Principal Chantel Kastrounis and first graders Ryan Nazeri, Alisha Rajput, Jairice Palmer and Oliver McConnell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9IsyFtd1iQ

The Region 31 UIL Solo contest was held at Coppell High School on Feb. 3 with 169 CISD singers competing. A total of 161 singers received the rating of I (highest possible) and 53 singers were selected for state. We "aria" so proud of these amazing singers.

Leadership and Life Skills at VRE Inspire Young Students to Become Future-Ready Leaders with the Leader in Me Model Valley Ranch Elementary was notified on Feb. 1 that the school has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education — a distinction that only 700 schools in the world, 62 schools in Texas and eight schools in North Texas have achieved. “We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School,” said Valley Ranch Principal Cynthia Arterbery. “We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school, as our students are stepping up as leaders in the classroom and beyond.” CISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt said, “I am immensely proud of Mrs. Arterbery and Valley Ranch Elementary for achieving this incredible recognition, which is evidence that the school has produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes, and because of the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents and the greater community.”

Saturday, Feb. 10, is School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day. CISD would like to thank our school crossing guards, who work each day, rain or shine, to ensure our students can walk and bike safely to school. Thank you to CISD crossing guards: Kathy Banks, Deborah Miles and Elsa Rojas at Austin; City of Irving Lieutenant Chris Summers at Canyon Ranch; Nancy Leahy and Consuelo Stevens at Cottonwood Creek; Krystal Mayes at Denton Creek; Linda Allgood, Judy Darnell and Jocelyn McKenzie at Lakeside; Gloria Alonzo, Jeanne Estes and Maria Sandoval at Mockingbird and East; Sandy Edwards, Laurie Johnson and Brenda Layton at Town Center; Rosa Quinonez at Wilson; Marita Angulo at North; and Dona Head, Raymond Jones and Mary Moore as floaters.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt shares stories from our district. This week, you can catch Dr. Hunt at Austin Elementary, where he speaks with Austin students 4th grader Natalie Brassfield and 5th grader Jack Hsiao, who introduced the school’s character trait of kindness with CHS Junior Aiden Song, who is the Junior Student Council Representative. Austin Elementary Counselor Joanna McFarling and CHS English teacher and Student Council Sponsor Ben Stroud are also featured in this video. https://youtu.be/dO0HKEGG0Pc

A total of 70 CISD students in the Health Occupations Students of America or HOSA qualified for state after competing in the district competition in Frisco on Jan. 19-20. HOSA chapters at CHS9 and CHS are student health Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) that students can choose to participate in as part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Health Sciences Program of Study. Click here for a complete list of HOSA students who qualified for state. HOSA Advisers are: CHS: Bill Borowski and Rachel Chesney CHS9: Amber Fragosa Deck

Fifteen CISD student-athletes participated in Signing Day on Feb. 7, signing letters of intent to participate in their sports at the collegiate level. These young men and women have devoted countless hours to training and perfecting their craft to be among only seven percent of high school athletes in the country who advance to athletics at the college level. The CISD student-athletes who participated in Signing Day on Feb. 7 are: Mo Abbasher, who signed to play football at Angelo State University; Jaden Adkins, who signed to play football at UT Rio Grande Valley; David Baker, who signed to play football at UT Permian Basin; Braden Beene, who signed to play baseball at Dodge City Community College; Zach Cody, who signed to play football at Coastal Carolina University; Jake Garcia, who signed to play baseball at Concordia University Texas; Samuel Young-Hyun Jun, who signed to play soccer at the University of Gloucestershire; Arhan Lapsiwala, who signed to play basketball at the University of Chicago; Varun Ravilla, who signed to play football at MIT; Michael Russell, who signed to play baseball at Wichita State University; Jon Rawles Thompson, who signed to play football at Austin College; Baron Tipton, who signed to play football at the University of North Texas; Ben Welch, who signed to play baseball at Chattanooga State Community College; Ella Spiller, who signed to play soccer at Lubbock Christian University; and Madison Sadler who signed to play softball at the University of the Ozarks.

The CHS Academic Decathlon Team recently placed 4th in the Region IX competition held in Irving and qualified for the State Championships to be held Feb. 23-25 in San Antonio. The Academic Decathlon Coaches are Head Coach Tim Dixon and Coaches Susan Sheppard and Kathleen Kamphaus. Among the highlights are the “Overall” placers, which includes all 10 Events: Honors 2nd Place: Team Captain Ishaan Kashyap Honors 5th Place: Vasudev Mitra Varsity 5th Place: Raihaan Girish Individual subject awards are: Essay Honors 2nd Place tied: Vasudev Mitra and Ishaan Kashyap Honors 3rd Place: Sai Kasiraman Speech Honors 3rd Place: Sai Kasiraman Interview Varsity 3rd Place: Raihaan Girish Literature Varsity 2nd Place: Raihaan Girish Varsity 3rd Place: Shashank Mallissery Art Honors 1st Place: Ishaan Kashyap Math Honors 1st Place with a perfect score of 1000: Ishaan Kashyap Music Honors 2nd Place: Ishaan Kashyap Economics Honors 1st Place: Ishaan Kashyap Honors 3rd Place: Vasudev Mitra Social Studies Honors 1st Place: Ishaan Kashyap

This year, National School Counseling Week (#NCSW24) is celebrated Feb. 5-9. Presented by the American School Counselors Association, NCSW highlights school counselors' tremendous impact in helping students achieve school success and plan for the future. Thank you to CISD school counselors: Coordinator for Counseling and Social Emotional Learning Anne Lehew, Support Counselors Tanya Berent, Amanda Espinosa and Kelly Spears; Elementary School Counselors Joanna McFarling at Austin, Kim Stegall at Canyon Ranch, Sarah Christian at Cottonwood Creek, Jennifer Bordelon at Denton Creek, Lauren Morgan at Lakeside, Angela Garvin at Lee, Megan Hay at Mockingbird, Kathy Kirkley at Pinkerton, Kelly Matlock at Town Center, Janet Nelson at Valley Ranch, Kaylyn Hickey at Wilson, and Jessica Lightfoot supporting Canyon Ranch and Lee; Middle School Counselors Pam Erickson and Mindy Lindquist at CMS East, Kinsey McConnell and Jennifer Parker at CMS North, and Jaime Duncan and Stephanie Julian at CMS West; and High School Counselors Amy Blasingame and Katie Walker at CHS9, Cheryl Abreu, Ann Cinelli, Heather Crumpton, Michael Kennington, Laura McMillin, Lindsey Oh and Keith Tremethick at Coppell High School, Mimi Robb at New Tech High @ Coppell, and LaQueena Garcia at Victory Place.

Felicidades to CISD’s Spanish Spelling Bee winners. In addition to the 4th-5th grade Spanish Spelling Bee, this year for the first time, CISD also hosted a 3rd grade Spanish Spelling Bee and a Middle School Spelling Bee at CMS North. Congratulations to the following winners: 3rd Grade Winner: Elizabeth Castillo Pérez (Wilson Elementary) Runner-up: Allison Lemus (Denton Creek Elementary) The 3rd grade Spanish Spelling Bee went eight rounds with the winning word being "naranja." 4th-5th Grade Winner: Micaela Ramos-Cho (Wilson) Runner-Up: Caleb Lawson (Wilson) The 4th-5th grade Spanish Spelling Bee went four rounds with the winning word being "incapacitación.” CMS North Winner: Karis Wilkins (6th Grade) Runner-Up: Alexa Renata Romero Tapia (8th Grade) The CMS North Spanish Spelling Bee went 12 rounds and winning word was "titán." All Spanish Spelling Bee winners will advance to the Regional Finals at the Region 10 Educational Support Center on March 20. The winner of that competition advances to the National Spanish Spelling Bee this summer. The CISD Spanish Spelling Bee was held on Jan. 30 at the CISD Administration Building. Judges were: Michael Egan (CHS Spanish/French teacher) Reina Conger (CHS9 Spanish teacher) Dr. Anita De la Isla (CISD Director of Literacy) Jennifer Granadillo (Director, Spanish Schoolhouse Coppell) The Pronouncer was Bilingual/DLI Instructional Coach Ana Vizcaya -Vazquez.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt shares stories from our district. This week, you can catch up with Dr. Hunt and the CISD Board of Trustees for Board Appreciation Month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGxcpNKXU38

Thank you CISD families for prioritizing a commitment to student attendance.Regular attendance allows for students to be involved in lessons, develop relationships with their peers, and make the most of their education. It also gives teachers the opportunity to assess each student and to effectively plan ahead.