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Bond Program Moves Forward
Belton ISD trustees began this month's school board meeting with a workshop on the bond program, which voters approved in May. That program includes the construction of a new elementary school and a new high school, the addition of music classrooms and a gymnasium at an existing elementary school, and updates to the auditorium located in downtown Belton.
Representatives from O'Connell Robertson, the district's architectural firm, updated school board members on each of the four projects including coordination with other stakeholders. As the design process for the new campuses proceeds, the district and the architects are collaborating with the city of Temple and have met multiple times to discuss roads, utilities and other aspects of the project.
The new elementary school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019 and the new high school in 2020. The addition at Lakewood Elementary and the updates to the Wall Street Auditorium are scheduled to be completed in 2018.
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SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference Participants
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wo teams of Belton High School (BHS) students competed at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Louisville, KY last month, and both proved that they were among the best in the nation.
Chloe Bush, Allan Harlow, Joseph Hermann and Andres Zapata took first place in the TeamWorks event. In that competition, teams receive blueprints for a construction project that requires carpentry, electrical, plumbing and masonry skills. After making a presentation on how they will approach the project, the teams have two days to complete the structure. This year's build was a kitchen, which had to meet the code requirements for a basement home in Chicago. Craig Sullivan coached the team.
Gabriel Alvarado-Pereyra, Heath Grace, Mikayla Parker, Hailey Peace, Jordan Ross and Jeffrey Trowell advanced to the finals for the Chapter Business Procedure contest and finished fourth. The event tests students' knowledge of parliamentary procedure with a written exam and a mock business meeting. Karen Francis coached the team.
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Selecting Name, Colors and Mascot for New High School
The architects also briefed trustees on how the colors and mascot of a high school can be incorporated into the design of a campus to help establish a sense of community and culture. Following that presentation, trustees reviewed a process for seeking community input and selecting the name, colors and mascot for the new high school.
The board will hold meetings with the community and students in August and decide whether or not to adopt a different mascot and colors in September. If they move in a new direction, the board plans to consider preliminary options in October and make a final decision in November.
The community meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 and 28 in the boardroom at the Belton ISD Administration Building (400 N. Wall St., Belton). An online feedback form will also be available starting Aug. 1.
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Texas Boys and Girls State Representatives
BHS students Garrett Van Smith and Alec Ramba were among 1,100 rising seniors selected by American Legion Posts from across the state to participate in the 2017 Texas Boys State held last month in Austin. While there, students learn about the political process by doing. They organize city, county and state governments; elect government officials; debate legislation; and report on what happens.
For the first time in the program's 77-year history, a Belton ISD student was elected as the governor of Texas Boys State. Smith was also selected to represent Texas at Boys Nation, which will be held in Washington, DC later this month.
American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Unit 55 selected BHS student Rebekah Thomas and Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow students Emlee Sanderford and Sophia Wharton to attend Girls State, which was held last month in Seguin. Like Boys State, Girls State builds an appreciation for the responsibilities of citizenship through a week of simulations.
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Superintendent's Report
Preliminary STAAR Scores
TEA released state testing data on July, 7, and Belton ISD outperformed the state average in 21 out of the 22 areas evaluated for 2017. In addition, Belton ISD scores were at least five percentage points higher than the state average in 17 of the 22 areas evaluated.
The STAAR test scores are important, but they are still only one measure of student success. As a district, Belton ISD has consistently adopted a more holistic definition of student success, and there is also much to celebrate when looking at Belton ISD students and their academic performance from this broader perspective.
Back to School
School starts on Aug. 21, and a lot will be happening between now and then. New teachers will begin on Aug. 8, and all district staff will return on Aug. 9. The curriculum and instruction department has planned a two-day professional development conference for Aug. 9 and 10. Convocation will be held on Aug. 15 at the Bell County Expo Center.
The dates for campus open houses, orientation sessions, iPad pickup and more are available through the links below:
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