We are SO proud of our 5th and 6th grade Cougars for their hard work and determination on the Atlas Winter Interim! 🎉
Today we celebrated students who earned awards for:
✅ Big growth from the beginning of the year
✅ Top scores that show strong mastery
✅ Consistency and effort that never quit
These results didn’t happen by accident—our Cougars have been putting in the work day after day: practicing skills, learning from feedback, setting goals, and pushing themselves even when it’s tough. That’s what growth looks like.
Families—thank you for supporting your students and cheering them on. Cougars, keep chasing progress. We’re proud of you! 🖤
Awards:
3rd Place Growth - Esther Pratt; Kay Stephens; Jagger Roberts; Grant Raines; Gracyn Phillips; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
2nd Place Growth - William Flynn; Kay Stephens; Aron Murphy; Alyssa Cohn; Samaria Jefferson; Hunter Lawson; Bryson Riggs; Arlo Hatman (not pictured).
1st Place Growth - Aron Murphy; Dakota Stone; Kaylynn Hill; Owen Walker; Hunter Woods; Devin Raith.
Highest Overall Score - Gwendola Kafton; Braxton Toth; William Flynn; Devin Raith; Grant Raines; Avery Treat; Katana Boles; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
We’ve got a change to the Junior High Softball schedule for this week!
At this time, the games have not been rescheduled, but they could be made up at a later date. As If/when we have updated information, we’ll be sure to share it.
Stay tuned, and thank you for your flexibility and support! 🥎
Students gathered fresh greenery from around campus and then let their creativity fly as they designed and assembled their own evergreen wreaths. From selecting the right materials to shaping and securing their designs, each step gave them valuable experience in floral arrangement and design principles.
This is what real-world, hands-on learning looks like — applying classroom knowledge in a practical way, building job-ready skills, and creating something meaningful they can proudly take home. 🌿✨
We love seeing learning come to life!
We are excited to share that Izard County STEM Preschool has been selected as the recipient of the TJ Maxx Rural Child Care Network Grant! This $3,000 quality enhancement grant will be used to purchase instructional materials and supplies for the infant and toddler rooms.
TJ Maxx began partnering with Save the Children in 1984 and has been a long-time supporter of literacy efforts in the U.S. They are proud to support programs that help children and their caregivers in rural America.
Congratulations to IC preschool director Samantha Johnson for receiving this grant, and to all of the teachers who will be able to use these resources to continue serving every child, every day, whatever it takes!
Reading truly is one of the biggest keys to success. The more students read, the stronger their vocabulary becomes. Stronger vocabulary leads to better writing. Better writing leads to clearer thinking. And clearer thinking leads to confidence in the classroom and beyond.
Reading builds critical thinking skills, strengthens focus, improves comprehension across all subjects, and even increases empathy as students step into different perspectives and experiences. It’s not just an English skill — it’s a life skill.
We are proud of these freshmen for diving in and putting in the work this 9 weeks! 📖💪
Stay tuned to see what they’re reading and the creative projects they’ll be using to wrap up the quarter… you won’t want to miss it! 👀✨
The trip will include 15 days of travel across five countries. During this time, students will experience diverse cultures while also performing several concerts in historic and meaningful venues. Performance locations include St. Matthew’s Church in Bayswater, London; L’Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris, France; L’Orangerie in Switzerland; the Franziskanerkirche in Germany; and a final performance at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
We are extremely proud of Michelle’s hard work and dedication, and we wish her a safe and unforgettable trip filled with meaningful experiences and lasting memories
Go Cougars!
We started our FFA Week celebrations a little early with our annual Industry Tour on Friday. This year's theme is production agriculture. We were able to tour Bexar Valley Livestock and the Ash Flat Livestock Auction. Students were able to learn and see so many things in a real world setting. It was a great day!
At Bexar Valley Livestock, students got to see calves and cows processed. They also observed cattle handling practices, shots being administered, castration, tagging, and learned how to age cows by their teeth. Next, they learned how to trim horse hooves, daily care, genetics🧬,how to saddle a horse, different tack, how to measure a horse in hands, different breeds, and about how to start breaking a horse to ride. For our midday stop, students walked through weaned calves and learned about daily nutrition and what signs to look for to spot illness that may require treatment. They then learned about different methods to treat calves and various vaccines.
Next, we moved to the Ash Flat Livestock Auction. Students were able to tour the facilities on sale day. They observed cattle being unloaded, sorted into pens, what the stickers are they put on the calves backs and what they mean. Before the sale started, they told students about the history of the barn, how livestock auctions work, and ran some calves through for students to guess weights and breeds on. We practiced our math skills to figure a pot load size and how much buyers were paying for calves coming through the ring based on the price per pound. Finally, we enjoyed sale barn burgers while we watched the auction.
Bonuses of the day were free sale barn hats for everyone and petting lots of animals including a very friendly bull! We are so grateful for such a supportive community and school that make learning experiences like today possible! 🐂 🐴
They’ll take on Sloan-Hendrix tonight at Marshall, with tip-off set for 7:30 PM. Let’s pack the stands and show up strong to support Coach Kyle McCandlis and this Cougar team as they battle for the district title!
For those who can’t make it, the livestream link will be posted just before game time.
Go Cougars! 🐾
Make plans to come out and support the Lady Cougars this season! We should also have Junior High Baseball and Softball schedules ready in the next day or two.
Go Cougars!
The team finished the day with an impressive 5–1 record. A special congratulations goes to Ian Bear for being named Tournament MVP — a tremendous individual honor and a reflection of his hard work and dedication.
We are proud of this group and the way they continue to represent Cougar Nation so well. Great job, Cougars! 🐾📚
L to R:
Back Row: Coach Charles Treat, Oliver Bear, Rossi Morgan, Ian Bear, Spencer Densford, Abigail Drollinger
Front Row: Gavin Williams, Maya Vargas, Wylie Blackburn, Samantha Suddieth, Lily Carpenter, Justice Boles
Final score sheets from the State Bowling Tournament were released today, and Faith finished an outstanding 8th place overall, earning her a spot on the All-State team. This is an incredible accomplishment!
We are so proud of Faith for representing Izard County at the state level and bringing home All-State recognition. Congratulations, Faith! 👏
