Trustees Receive Update on LBHS Interior Features:
During the board meeting on Monday, trustees received an update on meaningful interior features planned for Lake Belton High School (LBHS), the district’s second comprehensive high school, which is currently under construction in the City of Temple. Future LBHS students, district staff, architects and local historian, Patricia Benoit, presented a plan to celebrate the history of the area and significance of the new school’s location through selected wall graphics, as well as hallway and other way-finding campus location names.
In addition to selecting wall graphics, themes for the campus’ four distinct classroom areas were chosen. Those include: The Depot, representing the Santa Fe Depot and significance of the railroads; The Prairie, representing the significance of the Blackland Prairie; The Springs, representative of the water and the creeks in the area; and The Line, representing the Interurban railway and trolley that existed between the City of Belton and the City of Temple in the early 1900's before paved roads and automobiles.
In May 2017, voters approved a $149.7 million bond program to fund the construction of two new campuses and projects at two existing facilities to address the continued fast growth of Belton ISD. LBHS construction has reached 52 percent completion, with roofing for the new campus wrapping up this summer. With capacity for approximately 2,500 students, LBHS is slated for completion in time for the 2020-2021 school year. The campus will open with grades nine and ten.
Click on the architectural rendering image below for virtual view of "Mainstreet" in LBHS.
|
|
State Golf Meet Bronze Medalist
:
Dallas Hankamer, a sophomore at Belton High School, earned a bronze medal at the UIL Boys 6-A Golf State Championships. Dallas, who was one of four players to break par both days of the state tournament, shot a 3-under 69 on day one and a 4-under 71 on day two to finish in third with a total of 140.
Belton Boys Golf Coach Jim Hellums and the entire Tiger Athletics staff expect this impressive first state tournament finish to serve him well next season.
|
|
Jill Ross Recognized as the TASSP Region 12 Principal of the Year:
Belton High School (BHS) Principal Jill Ross has been honored by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) as Region 12 Principal of the Year.
TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from 20 regional Education Service Centers in the state. Nominations are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership. School administrators are nominated and chosen by their peers.
For the last 15 years, Ross has served in a leadership role in multiple program areas in Belton ISD. She has been a diagnostician, director of federal programs, assistant principal, director of special education and high school principal. In 2014, she was selected as the principal for Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow where she did an outstanding job of providing leadership in a project-based learning environment. In the spring of 2017, she transitioned to BHS to take on a large, comprehensive high school.
Established in 1922, TASSP is an association consisting of more than 5,600 campus level administrators. Its purpose is to build an active network of educators that want to take responsibility for the quality of school leadership.
|
|
NASA LiftOff Summer Institute:
Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow teacher Jessica Settle and South Belton Middle School teacher Shelley Potts have been selected for the prestigious LiftOff Summer Institute to be held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center this summer. The nationally competitive program sponsored by NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium selects teachers to spend a week working with professional scientists and engineers in a workshop setting on innovative lesson experimentation and lesson plan ideas. Mrs. Settle’s and Mrs. Potts’ experiences in this program will enrich and strengthen classroom instruction and further enhance student learning next year
.
|
|
New Assistant Superintendent of Student Services:
Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon announced Mike Morgan, current Athletic Director, as the new Assistant Superintendent of Student Services.
In addition to serving as an assistant athletic director and academic coordinator, Morgan has coached the Tigers’ inside receivers and special teams. He was also the head coach for the junior varsity “Red” team and for boys track. Morgan came to Belton ISD in 2007. Before that, he was in Gatesville ISD where he was the athletic director and head football coach from 2001 to 2006 and head softball coach from 1999 to 2000.
In his role as Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Morgan will provide leadership in the development, implementation, and coordination of the district’s student services programs. Morgan has a master’s degree in coaching and athletics administration from Concordia University and a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from Southwest Texas State University. His wife, Becky, teaches fourth grade at Sparta Elementary School. Their daughter, Abbey, graduated from Belton High School in 2016, and their son, Seth, attends Belton High School.
Mike Morgan will begin his new assignment on July 1.
|
|
Big Red Community Partner:
The construction of Lake Belton High School, in many respects, reflects not only the future for the District and this community but also the rich history, important landmarks, and geographical features which have made this area such a desirable place to call home.
Administrators, staff and students have been working alongside local historian and writer Patty Benoit to plan for interior graphics at the new campus. Old photographs and information provided by Mrs. Benoit, informed the themes and names for classroom areas including: The Depot, representing the Santa Fe Depot and significance of the railroads; The Prairie, representing the significance of the Blackland Prairie; The Springs, representative of the water and the creeks in the area; and The Line, representing the Interurban railway/trolley that existed between the City of Belton and the City of Temple in the early 1900s before paved roads and automobiles. In addition, Mrs. Benoit has been instrumental in graphics planned for the LBHS “Main Street,” which will include iconic images of both the City of Belton and the City of Temple.
For her significant contributions, Patty Benoit is the Big Red Community Partner for June.
|
|
Superintendent's Report
Administrative Changes:
After 36 years of service in public education, 15 of which are in Belton ISD, Principal Judy Schiller has announced her retirement.
Judy grew up in Troy, and graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She was hired to teach fifth grade in Temple and remained there for 20 years, teaching a variety of elementary grades including the first Reading Recovery class. She completed her M.Ed. at Tarleton State in 2004, and was hired as an AP at Tarver Intermediate. She became the principal at Lakewood Elementary in 2006.
Judy has made a significant contribution to the success of the children at Lakewood Elementary, and we are thankful for her service.
STAAR Testing Preliminary Results:
Preliminary STAAR data was recently released by the Texas Education Agency, and our principals have communicated with parents on how to access their students STAAR results.
One fourth of Belton ISD students are performing at the highest levels on reading and math assessments across all grade levels, and one third of students are performing at the highest levels in science and social studies.
Belton ISD performed higher than the state on 96 percent of the reported performance levels o
n third-eighth grade reading and on English I and English II end of course exams. This
includes indicators for approaches, meets and masters.
Preliminary scores are provided by the state to allow us an opportunity to review the data and ensure student scores and information is accurate. We will analyze the data and use it to predict our accountability rating. It will also be used to identify areas for improvement and refine instructional plans as we develop the district and campus improvement plans this summer.
Belton ISD will provide a detailed report at the July Regular Board Meeting to include a review of the calculations used for ratings. The state will release accountability ratings in August.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
