Our End of the Year Celebration- Thank you Huntsville ISD Staff & Faculty!

Once our students have finished for the year and before most of the staff begin their summer, Huntsville ISD hosts one last get together-

think of it as some quality "us" time to celebrate, hang out, enjoy some good breakfast and honor our award winners.

We send our retirees off with our deep gratitude, award staff and faculty for exceptional work, and recognize the service milestones of our folks.

We've already had a chance to share lots of photos (via Facebook) of the hanging out & camaraderie part of our morning, and here we share photos our individual honorees.

This year, we were able to catch everyone as the received their award- look through these photos and know that you are seeing employees that are the backbone of Huntsville Independent School District.

Retirees from Huntsville ISD

Linda Bone

Lisa Burns

Richard Burns

Cynthia Cunningham

Sue Howard

Pinellafie Johnson

Jan Moore

Cindy Renfro

Thank you also to retiree Mary Neville!!!

Huntsville ISD Service Awards

Thirty Years of Service

Lisa Burns

Beverly Kelly

Vanetta Mills

Toxie Oliphant

Judy Phillips

Twenty Five Years of Service

Robert Bennett

Margaret Cantu

Sandra Minor

Congratulations and Thank You to Scott Bumbaugh,
Linda Houston, Ruth Hutchinson & Sarah Munoz!!!

Twenty Years of Service

Albert Archuleta



Royce Blackwell

Prentice Foley

Paula Foreman

Charlotte Fuller

Angela Gaston

Amy Gilcrease

Kimberly Merchant

Christie Moorman

Sharon Odom

Angelina Santos

Teresa Scruggs

Amy Turner

Sophia Willis

Thank you and Congratulations also to Cynthia McGowen!!!


Fifteen Years of Service

Gary Evans

Linda Huff

Annie Johnson

Dusty Stoughton

Ginger Widner

Ten Years of Service

Chandra Brown

Audrey Burnett

Clayton Carr

Shannon Duncan

Jonathan Gallen

Maria Garcia

Jamie Lorenz

Charlotte Neal

Cleotilde Rivas

Karen Tymniak

Thank you and Congratulations to John Decker,

Melissa Lee and Liller McGuire!!!

Five Years of Service

Jaime Alvarado

Shannon Autrey

Amy Beers

Lisa Black

Seth Bracken

Teresa Bridge

Kimberly Cardoza

Suzanna Carvajal

Amanda Cason

Angela Coleman

Mayra Colunga

Christy Cross

Megan Delagarza

Deborah Dennis

Brandi Dougherty

Dominic Francisco

Paula Guthrie

Donna Gutierrez

Paul Hastings

Shandilynne Holley

Douglas Johnston

Christopher Kha

Tonya Lacox

Matthew Lahey

Daniel Leatherman

Brittany Long

Oralia Lozoya

Luis Lugo

Virginia Mathiews

Michael McBride

Jacory McGinty

Sarah McNeel

Danna Mitschke

Makinzie Nicks

David Niedermeier

Leroy Panzer

Robin Panzer

Jennifer Pelczar

Jessie Price

Monique Pruett

Lateel Richardson

Shelia Riggins

Cynthia Robinson

Olimpia Robledo

Velma Scott

Maribel Varela

Richard Williamson

Augustina Zamudio

Thank you and Congratulations also to
Maria Obregon Aragus, Connie Baker, Kimberly Good
Bailee Henson, Tammie Roundtree & Anita Tipton !!!



Substitute Teachers of the Year

Huntsville High School - Brianna Reeves

Mance Park Middle School - Kacee Nathaniel

Huntsville Intermediate School - John Garcia

Huntsville Elementary School - Allison Nichols

Stewart Elementary School - Lindsey Farr

Scott Johnson Elementary - Irma Gambrell

Samuel Walker Houston Elementary- Charla Conley

Gibbs PreK Center - Nicole Philbert

Instructional Assistant of the Year


Instructional Assistant of the Year - Elementary: Brenita Mills

Instructional Assistant of the Year - Secondary: Jaime Alvarado

New "Rookie" Teacher of the Year

New "Rookie" Teacher of the Year - Elementary: Cassy Siros

New "Rookie" Teacher of the Year - Secondary: Samuel Grubbs

Support Person of the Year


Support Person of the Year - Campus: Heather Bauer








Professional Support Person of the Year - Elementary: Jennifer Lott







Professional Support Person of the Year - Secondary: Dawn Shaw







Teacher of the Year Award

Teacher of the Year - Elementary: Dona Wells

Teacher of the Year - Secondary: Cindy Ness-Gallen

Huntsville ISD, we did it!

Congratulations to ALL!!!

Have a wonderful, restful and safe summer!!!

#HuntsvilleISD

#HornetProud

What's an Innovative Learning Center? Huntsville ISD & The #FutureReady Library

At last night's School Board Meeting, we shared a video about the remarkable things the students & teachers are doing at Huntsville Intermediate School through the Innovative Learning Center.

Under the guidance & direction (and through the work & dedication!) of Library IA Joyce McGowan and Innovative Learning Specialist Diana Teel, our Huntsville Intermediate School kids are doing, making, exploring and LEARNING amazing things!

Soooooooooooooo...you may be wondering...

What kind of things?
What the heck is an Innovative Learning Center?
What's an Innovative Learning Specialist?

Well that's what the video is for- check it out!

Huntsville ISD- PE at the Elementary School Level, Estella Stewart Elementary School

Check out this video on our Huntsville Independent School District Elementary PE program- we focus on Coach Wells & the amazing work that she does- and has done- for generations of our Huntsville families at Estella Stewart Elementary School.


She's like a lot of our staff and faculty-----professional, passionate, caring----- an expert educator!

Watch the video, and you'll see that she's part of an awesome team.

One more thing- she had to step out of her comfort zone to be featured like this- thank you Coach!

Huntsville ISD: Professional Learning Communities and Student Engagement and Learning at Mance Park Middle School

What are Professional Learning Communities (PLC's)?
How do they effect Student Learning and Student Success?



I loved the opportunity to highlight the awesome (time intensive, hard, worthwhile and completely AWESOME) work that goes on behind the scenes during our Huntsville ISD Professional Learning Communities (or 'PLCs'). In this video, we focus on our Eighth Grade Science Team at Mance Park Middle School. Check it out!

Passionate About Beauty & Business- The Huntsville ISD Cosmetology Program

We were asked to make a video on the Cosmetology Program we have here at the High School. I have been a huge fan of the program and Vanessa Tindall  ever since I got here, so for me it was an opportunity to share my personal enthusiasm and admiration for the program. 






Thanks to all that contributed their perspective, including Stacy Godby, Principal Grimes, the students, Josie and Mrs. Tindall--- and of course Norma & Maria from Lush Salon and stylist Ondria & stylist and manager of Salon Chic, Courtney Jones Wood.

Super gratifying to hear success stories from the HHS Cosmetology program, and to get to include your voice here in the video- thank you!

Welcome to The Hive

Here's a video that we put together for the Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustees profiling The Hive.. so it's an episode of The Hive about The Hive. :-)

The hard part of making a video like this is that you can't include everybody who contributes to the making of the show- we have over thirty students that 'officially' contribute and more that submit music, ideas, etc.

So our goal was to show the Board- and everyone - including you- a slice of life and work at The Hive, and why we are so proud of our students.











#letsstaycurious
Matthew Lahey

Huntsville ISD, Sam Houston State University and "The Bearkat Promise," Committed to Providing an Education for Huntsville & Walker County Students

What is college REALLY like?  How do you get from here, to there?

Bonding with a Sam Houston State Dance student!

I mean, what is it like to be a student at Sam Houston State University?

Lee Miller, Director of the Center for Community Engagement
at SHSU (and... a Hornet, a Hornet Mom & a Bearkat) is hanging with our Seniors.

Although SHSU sits right in the middle of our school district, many of our students don't really know what it's like at the University, and may not even consider 'Sam', or college of any kind, as a part of their future.

College may not be for everybody, but without knowing all of their options, do students really have a choice in their future?

Eat 'em Up Kats!  and Sting 'em Hornets!!

It's hard not to catch the enthusiasm of the student tour guides, aka "Sambassadors"!

Recent efforts, collaborations between leadership at both Sam Houston State and Huntsville Independent School District, are working to open students' eyes, broaden their experiences and maximize their possibilities through partnering together to bring our students to the campus of 'Sam.'

The Senior Class experience was called College Sense.  It included both academic presentations
and sessions that included the "how-to's" of applying and financial aid.

Two recent field trips are an example of the effort.  All of the sixth graders made, for most of them, their first trip to the campus and got taste of college life.

A few weeks later, our High School seniors made a similar but more involved field trip that included tours of the campus, student panels, discussions with financial aid folks and a very special announcement made by our Superintendent Dr. Howell Wright and  Dr. Jaime Hebert, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State.

Picture these two at college.

Dr. Herbert shared information about the university's standing "Bearkat Promise," which states that if a student desires to attend Sam Houston State University, the university is committed to working with that student and their parents to make it happen.  In other words, if our Hornet students "do their part" in high school by preparing themselves and meet the admission requirements, the University will work to find the financing through available grants, scholarships and other forms of financial aid to make that college dream a reality for them!

Mrs. Cason, a chaperone on the Senior trip, has a second to pose for a pic!
(Thanks Mrs. Cason!)

I can almost picture the Sam Houston Statue saying, "Good to see you!"

Here a student is getting down to how these meal plans work!

Follow the dotted line....

Taking a moment to let it sink in.

'Sambassadors' need to love people and having fun, and clearly these guys are good at their job!

Jennifer Kempton is our College & Career Counselor, and she was 'in the zone' at SHSU.
She has loads of information on her page on the HHS website, which you can find here. 

What is college really like?
Students could ask questions of the student panel,
 a diverse group that was happy to answer any and all the Seniors had.

They're listening...

Huntsville High School Principal Beth Burt and High School Counselor Mandy Stewart

Those students who knew they were heading to Sam
went up to get their first 'Sam' T-Shirt as an accepted student!

Rosa Mejia is the Assistant Director of the Visitor Center,
 and her team of 'Sambassadors' took our students all over the campus!

Hey, I know that guy!
That's HISD Board of Trustees President (and On Campus Recruitment Coordinator for SHSU) Patrick Antwi
with Clair Collins, Senior Admissions Counselor.  These are among the SHSU folks that worked hard to host
our students on both the Sixth Grade and Senior Class field trips.

Just some of the "Sambassadors" with Visitor Center Counselor Kristin Limón (third from left), Visitor Center Coordinator  Melanie Zuniga  (center back with glasses),  On Campus Recruitment Manager Courtney Chastine (in white) and in rear (with arm raised in back) GO Center Counselor Casey Cox.

Let's do this!

Mrs. Davis, one of the Sixth Grade chaperones rocking that
"windswept" look!  It suits her, doesn't it?
(Did we mention it was cold and windy that day??)

This may be the first of many trips to the Lowman Student Center for some of these students.

We made the sign!!

SHSU On-Campus Recruitment Coordinator welcomes the students to the campus!

OK this is interesting...

Practice makes perfect, and it's best to start early--- Eat 'em Up Kats!

And now, to one of the cool buildings on campus, the Gaertner Performing Arts Center!

The students were able to sample a variety of classes,
this guy is in a movement class in the Dance department.

She's getting into this class!

Visiting a rehearsal studio was probably a first for some of these sixth graders.

This is a pretty cool day!

Sixth graders on the move...

"Separate checks, or ?.."  Actually, it was on the house!
The Fresh Food Company's Old Main Market generously provided free lunch for BOTH of our trips, all
of the sixth graders and all of the senior class! 

Is this college life? OK, I can get down with this!

Lunch was amazing!

Huntsville Hornet, future Bearkat?

This is a pretty dang orderly line for free pizza!

Wow!  That looks good!

How did this student swing meeting  his mom for lunch at the Old Main Market?
Easy, his mom works there!

Thank you Sean, Annlyn and the entire Old Main Market management team and crew!

To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I'll be back!"

Heading home with a full stomach, head full of ideas and
 a picture in their mind of what may be in store for them.

The next day, we couldn't resist taking this student's pic rocking
the BearkatNation shirt she received the day before at SHSU!