November 2018

November 2018 | Volume 10, Issue 4

TiTHE ger Times
THE ONLINE NEWSLETTER FOR GUNTER ISD
Superintendent’s Honor Roll
Congratulations to the students who were
chosen by their principal and teachers as
the fall recipients of the Superintendent’s
Honor Roll. They were selected because of
their leadership, hard work and character.
We were honored to recognize them at the
School Board Meeting in October.

(GES) Kynlee Chalker and Brylee Rodges
(GMS) Mitchell Gage and Presley Pace
(GHS) Jacqueline Galvan and Turner Kimball

To celebrate this special honor, the students
will enjoy a special field trip with Dr. Siler at
the end of the school year.

Staff Recognition

Last year, GISD launched a Strategic Planning initiative that had 5 major areas of
focus. We are a district who acts on our plans, and have been doing a great deal to
grow in each of these areas. This quarter, we are focusing our Champion Faculty
awards on Social and Emotional Health. All of our teachers are working hard in this
area, but this fall, these 4 team members stood out. Congratulations to Amy Scott
(GES), Debbie Murphy (GMS), Tim Wylie (GHS), and Mark Williams (District). The
care and compassion they have for our students is undeniable!

Honoring our Principals

The key to student success is a great school,
and the key to a great school is a great
principal. National Principals Month is your
opportunity to say “thank you” to principals
everywhere and to share with the community
all the great things that principals do. It was our
honor to recognize our campus principals at the
October school board meeting.

Staff Development Day Breakfast

Special thanks to the Gunter
Chamber of Commerce for getting
up very early to make a fantastic
pancake breakfast for the GISD Staff
Development Day!

It started our day off with a smile :)

The second annual GIFT Round Up was held on October 13th and
was a huge success! The GIFT Board of Directors would like to extend
a special thank you to our sponsors: College Hill Youth Sports (Paul
& Dawn Daniel), Blake Utter Ford, and Schneider Electric for their
support and generous donations.

We would also like to extend our appreciation to those who graciously
donated their time and talents for our event: Jessica Cernat
Photography,
Phyllis James,
Hometown
Mercantile,
Bethany Parker, Kathleen McClure, Amy Boddie, the GIFT board
and all the vendors, and individuals who attended, donated, and
supported us. This event profited over $35,000!

GIFT would especially like to thank our community. Your generosity
and support does not go unnoticed by the students and staff of
Gunter ISD.

Be on the lookout for next year’s Round Up date and we look
forward to seeing you again!!

Shari Meyerdirk TigerTimes-Page 2
GIFT Director

Volume10, Issue4

Digital Citizenship Week

The Tiger Tech Team (T3) is a group of GHS
students responsible for the technology at the
district. Not only do they assist our technology
department in keeping our computer equipment
running properly and efficiently, they are also
responsible for helping the teachers design ways
to incorporate technology into their classroom.
Each student is assigned one period per day to
work on these tasks.

This month they were tasked with the job to teach the elementary
and middle school students the rules of proper digital citizenship.
The T3 Team as well as Officer Folk traveled to each campus to
have a talk with the students about being a good digital citizen.
The elementary students learned what a digital footprint is and how
important it is to stay safe online by not giving out information while
playing on the internet. The middle school presentation delved a little
deeper by going into the hazards of chatting in some popular gaming
platforms, netiquette and proper use of technology in public places.
Both presentations ended by telling the students how important it is to
balance the time they spend online with physical activity and actually
talking to people face to face. To end the discussion, the middle
school students were given pledge cards to paste on the wall, and the
elementary students received laminated bookmarks.

In recognition of Digital Citizenship Week, Gunter High School students
were exposed to numerous postings around the school regarding cyberbullying, online security & safety, netiquette,
password safety, balancing technology and physical activity, and much more.

After watching a video to reiterate what they had been seeing in
the halls, the students played a school-wide Kahoot! game, and the
top 3 winners were awarded a gift card for their quick and correct
responses. Congratulations to Audrey Curtis, Hayden Fox and Ryan
Hugus for claiming the top 3 spots!

Volume10, Issue4 The T3 Team consists of Madi Varns, Schuylar Marshall, Gabe
Wells, and Tristan Cochran. They did an awesome job pulling
the week together, and would like to thank Officer Folk for
enhancing their presentations by adding additional information
from a legal perspective.

TigerTimes-Page 3

This year’s theme for School Bus Safety Week is ‘My
Driver, My Safety Hero!’ Gunter ISD has a great group
of bus drivers that are dedicated to the safety of all of
our students. We appreciate all of their hard work!

If you see the red stop sign on a bus, please adhere to the law and STOP.
Those of you who do not stop, take the risk of hitting a child. You don’t want to live
with that on your conscience.

Thank you to our bus drivers for keeping our kids safe!
(L-R) Ron Patton, Mark Skinner, Nick Larusso, Jonathan London, Mark Williams, Mark Neely, Edwin Allison

Red Ribbon Week

The National Family Partnership organized the irst Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988. Since then, Red Ribbon Week
has touched the lives of millions of students. The campaign was set up in response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique
Camarena. Parents and youth in several communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their
commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 4

GISD Blood Drive
Location: Gunter High School
November 6th
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Dear Gunter Staff & Community, Readers are Champions

Tears came to my eyes when I read about 101 GES students read a total of 88,929 minutes during the first
the fundraising event you were having for nine weeks of school! Keep up the good work!
me. I can’t imagine a whole community
working together to support one person.
Yet, you did. The love, encouragement,
and support you have given to me are
beyond my imagination. The words
“Thank You” are not nearly enough to
express how you have touched my heart
or to show my extreme appreciation.
Please know how much I love you all and
how much I am humbled by your gift.

Love,
Sara Price

Elementary Book Fair Hershey
Thank You Chocolate World

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful students, Tour
parents, parent volunteers and our Gunter High
School National Honor Society volunteers who GES 4th grade students were able to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania
made our Fall Scholastic Book Fair a huge success! without leaving the walls of their school! The computer, the
We appreciate everyone who attended Donuts for internet, a webcam, and microphone all made it possible for us
Dads and Grandparent’s Day. A special thank you to connect to and tour the facility. The only thing missing was the
to the volunteers who planned and organized both wonderful aroma you experience when you actually enter the
of these events as well as those who assisted with chocolate factory!
the fair. Without our volunteers, the fair and our
special events would not run smoothly!
Sales from the book fair totaled $8,524.56 with a
cash profit of $2,131.14 for the library. Profit from
the book fair will be used to purchase new books
for the library and will help fund our Summer Read-
ing Program. Again, thank you!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 5

Remember the 3 R’s?

3rd graders in Mrs. Pelzel’s social studies and writing
classes learned recently about the importance of saving
our environment. They wrote a persuasive letter to Kinder-
garten encouraging them to use the 3 R’s - reduce, reuse,
and recycle. They shared their letters to each class and let
them keep it as a good reminder to help our world! They
did an amazing job!

October Mrs. Harper’s students used their 5 senses to
Birthday Book describe a pumpkin just in time for Halloween!
Club

Camilla Anderson, Emily
Saindon, Noah Saindon,
Fatima Rodriguaz, Layton
Ingram, Hunter Holloway
and Isai Sierra are
celebrating their birthday
with a book from the
Birthday Book Club.

Voya Unsung Heroes Grant

For two decades, and with nearly $5 million in awarded grants, Voya Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with
educators. We are proud to announce GES 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Harper,
applied for AND received a grant for $2000! 1200 teachers applied and 100
were selected as finalists. Congratulations, Mrs. Harper! Our students are so
lucky to have you as a Gunter Tiger!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 6

Fire Safety @ GES

The best thing to fight fire is water, and we were given plenty! The weatherman didn’t
get the memo that we had planned a day of fun for our elementary students to learn
fire safety, and scheduled rain. The rain didn’t stop it from happening! Our little tigers
had fun despite the weather :)

Special thanks to the Gunter VFD
for coming to our school to teach the
students about fire safety. There is so
much more to learn than just stop, drop
and roll. Among other things, the kids
learn to trust the firemen and now know
who to run to in an emergency. It is an
important topic, and our students always
learn so much!

The weather conditions weren’t optimal,
but you made it fun anyway!

Make Some Noise! Grandparent’s Day

Yes, we want you to make some noise! The GT Horn team allows our GES staff
to choose 1 lucky student for the home games to help them blow the horn. The
lucky winners for the 1st three home games were: Evan Rubio (K), Joshua Todd

(2nd),and Silas Turner (1st)

Thanks to all of the grandparents
who came to our elementary
school on Grandparent’s Day.
We love seeing you in our lunch
room with your grandchildren!

KINDERGARTEN The Kindergarten classes visit
EXPLORATION Funovation and the Gunter Library
throughout the year to promote
reading, using the Library, and our
new addition, Funovation!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 7

1st 9 Week Honor Rolls - Elementary & Middle School

GES - A HONOR ROLL GES - A/B HONOR ROLL

FIRST GRADE: Carson Berry, Brody Biskup, Brynn Breeding, Cal Chafin, Mason Dainauski, FIRST GRADE: Selena Almendarez, Andrew Badillo, Maverick
Nora Dainauski, Jemma Dix, Alia Escobar Maldonado, Keira Folk, Miranda Fraire, Payden Friday, Beale, Dylan Bowden, Mason Clowers, Lola Dixon, Madison
Stella Fuller, Mason Gibbs, Sutton Helenberger, Abigail Hilton, Hunter Holloway, Caroline James, Endsley, Oliver Garza, Hayes Henry, Keagan Kincannon,
Kynzlee Johnson, Mason Layton, Melody McBride, Alexis McDonald, Chloe McDonald, Valeria Maximiliano Maldonado Torres, Carson Mann, Ivan Martinez,
Mendoza, Estevan Mercado, Makenlee Millsap, Jadalyn Morin, McKynzie Olsen, Sylvie Pace, Claret Montes, Jackson Scott, Ryder Standerfer, Silas Turner,
Kolston Piaschyk, Madelyn Ramirez, Calvin Renstrom, Declan Riffe, Olivia Rigdon, Brantley Rice, Elliot Velazquez, Amariah Williams; SECOND GRADE: Austin
Sabrina Ritter, Brylee Rodges, Emry Smith, Chance Stovall, Kanie Sweet, William Waggoner, Anderson, Madelien Cisneros, Blayne Dixon, Kira Hardy,
Rylee Watson, Brittyn Wilcocks, Lawson Wylie, Roman Yosten; SECOND GRADE: Catalina Fatima Rodriguez, Erick Rubio, Lincoln Saenz, Bryan Silva
Almanza, Brody Barnett, Carly Barrow , Brinley Beavers, Sydney Bodnyk, Landry Bortzfield, Diaz; THIRD GRADE: Ayden Bell, Perrin Berry, Makaila
Jude Coglietti, Riki Colunga, Bentley Devries, Harper Dorcey, Kirstyn Dupler, Tinsley Ehret, Brewster, Adam Bustos, Janet Chavez, Aiden Christian,
Jose Escalera, Alexia Falcon, Kinslee Gray, Raynee Hayes, Elise Hedges, Zane Highlen-Prince, Rosee Davis, Maliya Farrell, Benjamin Freshour, Knox
Cayden Johnson, Kohen Lanham, Lizzie Leonard, Gustavo Maldonado Torres, Angie Mendoza, Gage, Weston Goetz, Blake Goodson, Reese Hale, Tommy
Matilda Miller, Krissah O’Brien, Tess O’Daniel, Rider Patterson, Benny Pena, Cadence Ploch, Hammack, Jayden Hutson, Layeton Ingram, Ellyana Mack,
Makenzie Rizzo, Edgar Rodriguez Solis, Isabella Seay, Allison Simpson, Lucas Swinfen, Ava Melanie Martinez, Sofia Pina Lowery, Stone Rumage, Gavin
Thedford, Blake Thigpen, Joshua Todd, Dakota Waligura, Rebecca Wallis, Brooklyn Wilcocks; Rutherford, Emily Saindon, Landry Scott, Kaylyn Simpson,
THIRD GRADE: Gina Aiken, Cole Bolt, Caleb Bowen, Rylee Cassidy, Oliver Culpepper, Jacob Halston Standerfer, Alicesun Tidwell, Melissa Torres, Yulissa
Endsley, Briley Esnard, Aly Gann, Paxtyn Graves, Scarlett Helenberger, Kylie Hughes, Olivia Torres, Anastyn White, Azahria Williams; FOURTH GRADE:
Johnson, Anna Kruzie, Madi Lang, Austin Miller, Makenzi Nelson, Jackson Neufeld, Will Rainer, Jentry Backschies, Lily Carter, Adrianna Falcon, Erick Fraire,
Gregory Renstrom, Ryder Ruiz, Landry Russell, Noah Saindon, Will Schafer, Genevieve Shanks, Alannah Garcia, Taylor Gaston, Ben Giles, Kyla Gortmaker,
Corbin Waligura, Seth Wilde, Jayden Wright; FOURTH GRADE: Brody Bracewell, Kynlee Chalker, Finlee Gressett, Madison Haning, Joshua Hays, Sadie Jones,
Rhys Dainauski, Jordan Decker, Colt Elvington, Grace Geisendorff, Blake Hale, Zachary Hales, Sol Mejia Gonzalez, Daniel Munoz, Lathan Pecina, Samiha
Braden Hilton, Levi Hite Payne, Hailey Hoel, Gracie Jester, Garron Lorusso, Reid Lotspeich, Ethan Pittman, Keyla Silva Diaz, Millana Smith, Evelin Tavera, Nora
Marks , Tristan May, Landri McDaniel, Tucker O’Daniel, Lia Parnell, Ashton Pinkernell, Elyson Thomas, Grayson Turner, Jace Wade
Schafer, Caleb Siler, Sarah Smith, Samuel Waggoner, Zac Wilde

GMS - A Honor Roll GMS - A/B Honor Roll

5th Grade: Taylor Badillo, Karlee Beavers, Legend Bounds, Antonio Castro, Jasmine 5th Grade: Brayden Biskup, Matthew Bohac, Ella Brummett, Landrie
Chavez, Ally Dodd, Cali Dodson, Barrett Elmore, Micah Fisher, Brayden Fortune, Ajay Brummett, Sadie Buckalew-Lewellen, Parker Coons, Cash Costen,
Gawande, Justin Grayard, Emily Hickman, Trace Howard, Levi Koonce, Jacob Krupa, Luzero Escalera, Mackenzie Foster, Tomas Garcia, Keaton Halley,
Emma Marks, Wilson Marks, Lilly Martin, Ava McComb, Braeden McDaniel, Camila Saxon Harris, Dustin Heist, Scout Helenberger, Jayden Hernandez,
Mendoza, Gisselle Mercado, Colt Nelson, Brooklyn Neufeld, Presley Pace, Reese Chris Hosey, Barrett Johnson, Jackson Kruzie, Alexis Lewis, Macie
Patterson, Mauricio Porras, Creed Rainer, Agustin Robledo, Hayden Roadges, Benjamin Mann, Jackson Mazey, Luke Menser, Nathan Merrill, Jordan Rico,
Rodriguez-Montes, Riley Rogan, Talia Scroggins, Kaitlin Stephan, Sophia Swinfen, Benjamin Suitors, Cooper Thomas, Kayleb Tipton-Reilly, 6th Grade:
Jasmine Tapia-Alverez, Emily Todd, Tatum Underwood, Braxton White, Olivia Williams, Reid Brackeen, Brynne Craven, Ava Cundiff, Jackson Decker, Tollie
Dillon Wylie; 6th Grade: Kiera Ashton, Caitlin Badillo, Peyton Beavers, Bryce Biros, Brock Ferguson, Reese Gibbs, Brenley Gibson, Garrin Goetz, Giselle
Boddie, Kane Bolt, Luke Bullard, Burkleigh Coats, Camryn Craddock, Grace Dainauski, Gugliotta, Maddox Key, J’Leigh Larra, Savannah McQuillan, Cesar
Cristian Escalera, Hayden Farrell, Mitchell Gage, Crhristi Grayard, Avery Hale, Addison Montes, Kayla Rizzo, Arianna Rubio-Delgado, Cash Rumage, Wendy
Hammer, Tate Howard, Chloe Johnson, William Kanouse, Madison Litz, Angel Mercado, Salazar, TU Underwood, Luke Wilde, Trevor Wright, 7th Grade: Aubrey
Juliana Moore, Tara Nemoto, Colin Peacock, Ella Pinkernail, Jorge Sancehz, Isabela Burchfield, Daniel Dominguez, Gavin Dupler, Hailey Foster, Lucas
Thomas , Dylan Tokarz, Kari Kate Watkins, Karson Williams, Raiden Windlow; 7th Grade: Frank, Brooks Gage, Kylee Goodson, Dominic Gugliotta, Brayden
Kai Altun, Shelby Blansett, Ryli Bracewell, Jackson Burkholder, Berkeley Caple, Kase Hinton, Jaxson Jester, Brian Journagan, Taylor Latham, Carter
Carlile, Kat Clemens, Avery Diers, Luke Dodd, Cade Dodson, Abby Elmore, Makena Layton, Marshall Magers, Brelee Mauldin, Jose Narciso, Brodee
Fady, Abigail Freshour, Grace Fugett, Lexi Gann, Brooks Griggs-Bell, Parker Hoel, Parker, Andy Salazar, Kendyl Sikes, Jacob Tackett, Paige Yosten,
Adyson Hubbard, Kinley Johnson, Kendall Jolly, Zachary Litz, Jace Martin, Avery Parrish, 8th Grade: Sam Aiken, Nolan Backschies, Isabella Beltowski, Trent
Caseyn Ploch, Houston Rehmet, Reagan Riffe, Sitlaly Rodriguez, Jackson Rue, Hayden Carr, Ryan Cassidy, Jose Chavez, Aubrey Duarte, Tony Fraire, Ellie
Standerfer, Keeli Sweet, Collin Vest, Bailey Watson; 8th Grade: Ashley Betancourt, Nick Freshour, David Garcia, Roman Garcia, Ella Johnson, Lexi Koonce,
Bullard, Ava Cantrell, Paige Daniel, Lindsay Esnard, Viviana Galvan, Finlee Gibson, Ivy Dakota Lowery, Abby Marks, Rayanna Mauldin, Brody McDonald,
Hellman, Alexis Marks, Kendel Marks, Dylan Marsh, Gray McDowell, Bianca Mercado, Gabby Meinen, Samantha Neufeld, Mason Peacock, Adam Reed,
Kamber Puebla, Miranda Putnicki, Cameron Roller, Laney Russell, Caden Severns, Hanna Rubis, Jonathan Smith, Jack St.Clair, Collier Stovall, Ashtyn
Briley Singleton, Ethan Sloan, Kiana Swinfen, Madi Thigpen, Kailey Tokarz, Aubrey Wade, Landon Waligura, Ben Wilde
Walton, Trey Walton, Elle Whitteker

Congratulations!

Keep up the good work!

Volume10, Issue4 Please note: GHS Honor Rolls are reported at semester.

TigerTimes-Page 8

GMS Tiger Leaders

Kind, responsible, humble and hardworking are just a few of the words
used to describe these outstanding young ladies. They were chosen by
their teachers for the GMS Tiger Leader award because they are true
leaders. They were each presented with their favorite Sonic drink as a
reward for their hard work!

Congratulations Micah Fisher, Keira Ashton (not pictured) Kinley Johnson
and Madison Thigpen. Each of you are very deserving of this award. We
are proud of you!

2018 Middle School Book Fair

The GMS library turned into an enchanted forest during the Scholastic Book
Fair. The fair ran from October 12-19. Over $1700 worth of books were sold.
That means the library will receive lots of books from Scholastic! We couldn’t

have done it without our student volunteers: Paige Daniel, Ella
Johnson, Hanna Rubis, Burkeigh Coats, Elle Whitteker, Finlee
Gibson, Ava Cantrell, Brody McDonald, Cassie Pope and Ellie
Freshour. Also, the parent volunteers were much appreciated:
Tiziana Kanouse, Cara Dainauski and Jackie Kruzie. A big thank
you to all of you! Our prizewinners were Avery Diers and Barrett
Johnson. Avery took home 176 Hershey kisses and Barrett won
a poster. Thank you to everyone who came in and bought a
book. Enjoy reading and we will see you at next year’s fair!!

Escape!

Mrs. Schroeter’s 5th grade students are lucky to have her as a teacher! She uses teaching
methods that engage and motivate students to learn. One method she uses is to create
escape rooms where the students must solve a puzzle in order to “escape” from the room. The students found clues all over
the school and used reading comprehension skills, problem solving and team work to make the great ESCAPE!

Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think
that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.

~ William Pollard

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 9

October 24th - AKA #Unity Day

The leadership class at GMS traded their Gunter blue
for orange on October 24th in support of the anti-bullying
campaign. The students created a video to post to the
school’s Facebook page, and spread the word that,”your
actions everyday speak louder than words”. Pictured, 7th
grade leadership students share information about Unity Day
with Mrs. Morrison’s students and the 6th graders.

GMS Art = Amazing!

Folk Art? Officer Folk asked for art from The students are learning to use the basics of line, shape
the students to decorate her and form to create a facade drawing of St. Basil’s Cathedral.
office, so the GMS art classes No other architecture in the world looks like St. Basil’s, so it
went to work creating! is perfect for the art class! History and art were combined in
this project having the students study the columns, drums,
and onion domes as well as looking into the history of the
cathedral. The also learned a little geography by discussing
the location on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. Mrs.
Osburn said, “Overall, I am thrilled to see we have future
architects among us!”

Coiled Magazine Baskets Still Life Drawing
Students used recycled magazines and turned them into art! Amazing skills for such a young program!

They look great and learned some specific skills pertaining to art
class, including:
• precise paper folding skills
• gluing skills
• form vs function of baskets from

prehistoric, tribal and artistic crafts

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 10

ObservationalGHS The high school art 1 classes have been working on their observational drawing skills in Mrs.
Drawing Wade’s class! To showcase our students talent, we will be displaying the artwork at the GISD
ART I Administration building, Farm House Fancy, Hometown Mercantile, Gunter Ground Up and
Landmark bank later this month!

Next time you stop by our GISD Administration
Building, check out the art work displayed by
our MS & HS Art Students! Thank you Mrs.
Wade & Mrs. Osburn for the incredible job
you’re doing with our students!

NHS - More than just an honor roll!

More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas
of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the
organization since its beginning in 1921. Four main purposes have guided chapters of NHS from the beginning: to create
enthusiasm for scholarship; to stimulate a desire to render service; to promote leadership; and to develop character in the
students of secondary schools.

This past month, Gunter High School NHS members
volunteered at the annual “Donuts for Dads” event at the
elementary school. This event had the NHS members up early!
At 6:30 A.M. they reported for duty to help serve donuts and
direct the dads to the book fair. Event organizer, Mrs. Johnson
said, “These kids are incredible! They were all so much help
this morning!” NHS members who helped included: Schuyler
Marshall, Skye Hawk, Kara Curtis, Ainslee Stovall, Elizabeth
Schroeter, Ana Mercado, William Marshall and Karissa Pelfrey.

Volume10, Issue4 Another event our students typically volunteer to help with is Special Olympics. NHS
member, Cassady Craddock, volunteered to accompany our students to the Special
Olympics event at Van Alstyne on Tuesday, October 23rd.

NHS members have come to understand that when they volunteer, the benefits of
volunteering are two-fold. The organization they are helping is greatly appreciative,
and the sense of “wellness” the volunteer experiences is priceless.

Thank you, NHS, for continuing to do great things in your community!

TigerTimes-Page 11

2018 Good Citizens Award

Gunter High School once again has the privilege to participate in the Daughters of the American
Revolution Good Citizens Program and Scholarship Contest. The contest requires that a
school’s faculty nominate seniors while considering a student’s level of Dependability, Service,
Leadership, and Patriotism. The top four nominees are then presented to the senior class for
final selection of the Gunter High School DAR Good Citizen. The four nominees for the 2018
award were: Tori Gittens, Alyssa Jarrell, Kaylee Smith, and Karissa Pelfrey. The final ballot
count from the senior class indicated that the 2018 GHS DAR Recipient will be Kaylee Smith.
Kaylee will receive a DAR Good Citizen Pin, Certificate, and wallet recognition card. She will
also compete in a county level essay competition where, if successful, she can earn the right to
compete at the state and national level. The national level scholarship is $5,000 and includes a trip to Washington, DC to attend
Continental Congress. When you see Kaylee congratulate her on her selection and wish her luck in the scholarship competition!

Gunter High School would like to announce that seniors Brian Avendano and Kaylee Smith have
been named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter
of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which
conducts the program, will be presented by Mr. Waggoner to these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their
exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for
National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers
of more than 1.6 million students (Top 3%) who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017
Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Brian is also being recognized as a 2019 National Hispanic Scholar for his performance on the 2017 PSAT. Approximately 250,000
of the 1.6 million students that took the 2017 PSAT identified as Hispanic. The National Hispanic Recognition Program is only open
to students who score in the top 2.5% of all Hispanic and Latino PSAT test-takers in the
nation. Brian’s selection as a 2019 National Hispanic Scholar ranks him among our county’s
brightest Hispanic students. National Hispanic Scholars can use their status as a participant
to seek scholarships and other honors from colleges and universities around the U.S.
These students are highly sought after by college admission offices for their dedication to
education and drive for success.

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated
outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC.
“These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments,
as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the
advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will
help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their
pursuit of academic success.”

Volume10, Issue4 GHS would like to introduce you to Ty Trevino. Ty is new to Gunter ISD this year. He is a
Junior student and he has his eyes on a World Championship prize. Ty is not on the football
team. He does not shoot hoops or pitch a baseball. Ty pitches horseshoes and he pitches
them better than any other high school student in the state of Texas. Ty started the year as
the Texas Horseshoe Pitching Association’s #1 ranked junior horseshoe pitcher in the state. He retained
his ranking throughout the year and finished 7-0 at the 2018 State Championship in Buffalo, Texas in early
October. Ty’s performance at the state championship earned him a spot on the roster to compete at the
National Horseshoe Pitching Association World Tournament in Wichita Falls, Texas on July 22, 2019.
Horseshoe pitchers from all over the world will converge on Wichita Falls to compete for the title of “Best in
the World”. Please join us in cheering Ty toward his goal of World Champion.

TigerTimes-Page 12

Robotics Team Competes in B.E.S.T. Robotics

by Cynthia Foster

The Gunter High School Robotics Team participated in the B.E.S.T. The robot’s claw design did not change too much from the beginning
Robotics competition on Saturday, October 13. This competition to the end. The only change made was how the claw actually
uses a robot designed and built by students. They compete against “scooped up” items. The claw was made out of cardboard, some
other schools for a chance to advance to state. In this competition, popsicle sticks, and duck tape with some metal closer to the base of
schools are not divided by size. For robotics 1A to 6A all compete the claw to assist with the upward and downward motion.
against each other.
There was also a marketing booth that was designed by seniors
Students find out from the first week of September what the task Karen Mauldin and Madelaine Betancourt. The booth had lights,
of the robot is to be. Then from the beginning of September to a music player, some decorations, pictures, information about the
the middle of October students work furiously to complete all the game, and a small claw-machine game where people could pick up
requirements. This year’s requirements were one of the hardest to small plastic bottles with little fish made out of pom-poms that were
be presented to the teams. The robot had to travel along a beam that affectionately nicknamed “Poofer-fish”.
was 12 feet long, 3 inches deep and 3 inches wide. The robot had
to pick up items from a gyre and drop them to a waiting individual. New to the team this year was senior Zoey Brooks. Zoey worked on
There were several teams that did not get their robot done in time the engineering notebook and quickly discovered the challenges that
and had to forfeit. came along with this, but she stuck with it and completed the notebook
on time and in the process learned a little about engineering. The
Your Gunter team had 17 members who stayed every Tuesday and engineering notebook scored the maximum points! Great job Zoey!
Thursday from 4 pm-7pm and every Saturday from 10 am-5 pm,
or later. The team put in close to 100 or more out-of-school hours. After working six weeks, competition arrived much quicker than
There were many, many, trips to Sonic after school to get dinner on expected. Competition starts earlier in the morning than any teenager
those days not to mention the occasional pizzas. likes. The team left the high school at 6:30 am and headed to Allen
High School for a day of competition.
The team had fun brainstorming ideas for and building of the robot. The team had fun watching and
In brainstorming there are not bad ideas! Who knows what can come cheering for everyone competing,
from a crazy idea! All kinds of ideas are thrown on the white board. seeing the different types of robotic
Students then pick a design and go to the design phase. designs, quickly trying to fix the robot
when pieces were lost, not to mention
This time around, the building process took the team until the last all the laughs during the day.
week of the challenge. The build team changed the design a multiple
times before having a functional robot they were happy with. The Gunter Robotics placed 16th place
team changed the entire base multiple times as well as completely out of 39 teams. They may not have
changing the way the robot moved. There were many ideas but a been the best team there, but they
decision was finally made to go with one large roller propelled by definitely were not the worst. We
a motor. The robotic arm went through several different designs are proud of the things that the team
as well, ranging from a PVC pipe that was flattened out and had a accomplished in B.E.S.T. Robotics
genius locking spring mechanism on it (designed by junior, Colton this year. This year’s B.E.S.T.
Mercer) to another arm that has several small gears, to the final arm Robotics competition was definitely
that had a couple large gears to enable the arm to pick up items. one that will be remembered.

Team members:
Seniors: Brian Avendano, Madelaine Bentancourt, Zoey Brooks,
Karen Mauldin
Juniors: Tristan Cochran, Colton Mercer, Reagan Spencer, Gabe
Wells
Sophomores: Sam Cole, Joe Cooper, Reya Dawlah, Aidan
McDowell
Freshmen: Jacob Hales, Micah Nevil, Jackson Showalter
8th grade: Drew Smith, Jonathan Smith

Mentors:
Marion Cole, Michael Foster, Mac McDowell, and Jeff Spencer

Advisor:
Cynthia Foster

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 13

TORI “Tori has played a vital role in the success of the girls’ cross
by Chris Dodd, GHS Principal country program,” Coach Mark Pelzel adds. “It didn’t take her
long to realize the benefits of running and she soon became an
Tori Gittens finishes twelve spots behind advocate for the program. She pushed those ahead of her, and
her freshman counter-part. They’ve run brought with her those running behind, with positive words of
trails together for three months before the encouragement and a true desire for everyone’s success.”
sun peeks over the horizon, through gnats
and mosquitoes, dust and mud, sweltering It is no surprise that the senior lists her hobbies as basketball,
humidity and bone chilling cold. Tori would advance to hanging out with family and friends, or watching Netflix. Her
State with her performance in most years placing 21st
out of 174 runners in the Region II 3A Cross Country teammates and coaches agree that Tori’s “focus”
Championships. Sara Denton is moving on by virtue of a is to reach her goals and help others along the
top ten finish. There is no way Sara gets to State without way. Tori committed to attending Charleston
her senior running buddy. It’s an unusual year where Southern University on a full athletic scholarship
individual runners from different schools litter the top 20. next fall. Even without her athletic exploits, Tori
Those advancing as a part of a “team” vacate would earn a substantial academic scholarship
their position, sliding up runners into individual to her choice of prestigious university programs.
State qualifying slots. The numbers work She plans to major in psychology and minor in
against Tori in this odd season. And yet she is kinesiology because of course she wants to work
all smiles and congratulations to a student four with students as a career path as either a clinical psychologist
years her junior. That’s Tori. Student-athlete, or educator/coach.
team player, servant, Gunter Tiger.
The Lady Tiger Basketball team began workouts a few days
Tori has put together quite the athletic resume ago and are gearing up for their first game. This season is the
during her high school career despite a junior basketball season first time in a number of years a core nucleus is intact. The
cut short by injury. She surpassed the thousand points scored Lady Tigers are still primarily a squad of underclassmen but
mark (1300) and earned 1st Team All-District honors that will have a standout senior to look to during crunch time. First-
include District Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Tori is also a multi-year regional qualifier in cross country year coach Kamy London (Coach K) believes
and track, in addition to earning All-District Volleyball honors the time is now for the program to progress
before deciding to focus on basketball. More importantly, Tori back to the expectation of making a playoff
is a mainstay on the Academic All-District list. run each year in addition to winning District
She is a member of the National Honor Society, titles. “We have what we need to get where we
the National Society of High School Scholars, want to go,” Coach K says confidently. Coach
Grayson College chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, K was a part of nine state championships
and named to the TGCA Academic All-State during her high school career. She knows that
team her Freshman year. it takes more than one stand-out to extend
a season deep into the playoffs, however having a player
When opportunity arises for students to earn the caliber of Tori is crucial in showing younger teammates
service hours Tori is often the first to sign up. how to work towards being consistently “good” every day.
She spearheads student groups serving the “Tori understands that each practice, workout, conditioning
faculty-staff by redesigning lounge areas and upgrading hallway session counts,” Coach explains. “It only takes a minute or
aesthetics. She helps with clothing and canned food drives and two of poor execution and lack of effort to swing a game the
on occasion assists peers with academic needs. other way. We will depend on Tori to push us through those
moments this season.”
Jake Parker, Tori’s track coach, understands why Tori achieves
at a high level. “From the classroom to the court or the track, Tori is a quiet leader and encourager by nature, but she won’t
Tori’s focus is always in the correct direction, forward,” he hesitate to get onto a teammate when effort is below standard.
says. AP English Teacher Jill Dodd agrees that Tori’s mind-set Great players are coachable. Sometimes they trade in their
is the difference. “Tori is an ‘all-in’ student athlete. She does sneakers for a whistle in order to lead the next generation.
her job in the classroom just as well as she does on the court.” We might see Tori in that role in the near future. And for that
reason, Tori Gittens is our Tiger Times Student of the Month for
November.

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 14

BEFORE Seiberling Rising Up to Eagle

Before Earning the rank of Eagle Scout is not something that happens overnight. It requires a
lot of planning and hard work.

To be eligible for Eagle, the Scout has to complete 11 required badges, and 21 total
badges. They have to move through 6 ranks (starting in 5th Grade), which each require
a number of community service hours, leadership and participation in the troop, camping
hours, along with other leadership requirements. Then they have to propose, plan, and
execute their Eagle Project, then complete an essay, get recommendation letters, and
pass a Board of Review with the Council Eagle Board. Their project has to benefit the
community in some way, and be large enough for them to show leadership.

The school reached out to the troop, as the Softball Picnic tables were becoming a
hazard and really needed to be torn down and rebuilt, or replaced. Penn Sieberling was
looking for a project, so this fit perfectly. He was required to write up a proposal, and get
it approved through the Eagle Scout Board. Then write up a project plan. A huge part
of Eagle Projects is organizing and planning everything, communicating with everyone
involved, and then managing a crew of Scouts, friends, and family to help complete
the project. Penn started the project last February, and just completed it this October.
The picnic tables look amazing! Thank you, Penn, for helping to make the softball area
beautiful.

Penn is in the final stages of earning the rank of Eagle Scout, and we are proud to call
him a Gunter Tiger!

After

When your students cheer for their favorite teacher, the prize is priceless. Coach Gill earned that title at the “Pink Out” Pep
Rally, and won the opportunity to “kiss the pig”. Congratulations Coach Gill!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 15

Regional Choir Contest

On October 9th, Gunter was privileged to host the Regional Choir Contest. Mrs. Kulbeth and her choir students did an
outstanding job organizing the event. Over 180 students gathered in our commons to warm up their voices before the
contest began. We had several Gunter choir students who auditioned at the Region Choir Contest, and they all are to be
commended! Not every one advanced, but
Mrs. Kulbeth said, “Each and every student
who auditioned was fully prepared and
performed with excellence! They should be
proud of their performance.” Students who
were not competing, worked the event in
various roles.

Congratulations to the following singers who

advanced to the Pre-Area Contest.

Soprano - Keely Ward - 8th chair, zone 1

Alto - Kara Curtis - 1st chair, zone 1

Alto - Zoe Carlile - 1st chair, zone 2

Alto - Peyton Buckner - 4th chair, zone 1 (Above) All Region Contestants
Alto - Hailey Wilde - 5th chair, zone 1

Alto - Elizabeth Lodico - 6th chair, zone 2

Tenor - Austin Rue - 1st chair

Tenor- Penn Seiberling - 4th chair

Bass - Brian Avendano - 1st chair

Bass - Cade Carruthers - 2nd chair

Bass - Jacob Seiberling - 4th chair

Bass - Mathew Avendano - 8th chair

Bass - Kanon Keeler - 9th chair

Alternates
Soprano - Adelie Brackeen - 1st Alternate
Alto - Grace King - 1st Alternate
Bass - Sam Erwin - 1st Alternate

(Above) Pre-Area Qualifiers

All of these students earned 1st Chair! Students from a variety of
Volume10, Issue4 districts warming up for the
Regional Contest.

TigerTimes-Page 16

The Fall Choir concert allowed our middle and high school students to showcase their talent as a choir. Each choir,
whether from the middle or high school, sang so beautifully. It was the first official performance for the 2018-19 season,
and we were not disappointed! Great job Mrs. Kulbeth and singers.

DINING WITH DISNEY

Volume10, Issue4 A magical night for everyone who attended!

TigerTimes-Page 17

GHS Band The band has been busy this fall preparing for each football game and competition.
The hours they put in are many, and we would like to thank you for adding an
element of fun and rhythm to our football stands. Congratulations to the Gunter
Tiger Band for a stellar performance at UIL Competition! They sounded and looked
awesome while they performed their show titled “Arabian Nights”.

Middle School Band Halloween Concert

The 7th & 8th grade band students (along with a few GHS Band members) traveled down to our elementary school to
put on a Halloween concert for the students. The songs were fun and upbeat and gave them a chance to show off their
musical talents they have been working on since the beginning of the year. The elementary students learned a little bit
about the type of instruments that are in a band as each section played individually. The student leaders told why they
joined band and what they liked about being in the band. They did a great job!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 18

Parent
Performance Day

On October 25th the Gunter Beginning Band had our first annual Parent Performance Day! Parents were invited into each
class period to see what an everyday class routine looks like. At the end, parents had a performance and were able to ask
questions about the band program. Thank you to all the parents who are so supportive and took time outside of their work
day to listen to your students. We had a blast!

GMS Band Students of the Week

for the month of October

Congratulations to: (L-R) Reagan Riffe, Lexi Gann,
Dylan Marsh, Kat Clemens, Nick Bullard, Sitlaly
Rodriguez, Bianca Mercado, Sam Neufeld and Sam
Aiken.

GMS Director, Mrs. Krause said, “Thank you,

students, for all of your hard work this month!

Keep it up!”

Important November dates:

-November 2nd - MS Band night at the HS football game!
-November 8th - MS pep rally - MS Band performs
-November 27th - Mock All Region Auditions

“Thank you to all the families, supporters and students that participated in our Texas Roadhouse fundraiser! Your
love of the band has helped us tremendously! We are now doing our annual Popcorn fundraiser! Find a student to
order your goodies before November 6th! They make great holiday gifts or just for a craving crusher!”

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 19

The Gunter Junior FFA had an amazing turnout for the October
meeting. They met in Mrs. Osburn’s classroom for pumpkin
painting and had a great time!

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS STOCK SHOW

Congratulations to 8th grader, Abby Marks who placed
5th in Class 10 Hamp and made the sale!

2019 Path to Plate Ambassador

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recently announced that Gunnar Griggs-Bell was chosen to serve
as a 2019 Path to Plate Ambassador for Grayson County. Path to Plate is a research-based
education program that helps consumers understand how their food choices impact their health.

The main goal is for ambassadors to inform the public on the path food takes to get to their plate
and its health benefits. Ambassadors will be challenged throughout the school year to organize
school based events, conducted food tastings at local grocery stores, create educational videos,
host an educational event at the Texoma Exposition and Livestock Show, and attend other
community events where the public is present.

Gunnar is a sophomore at Gunter High School who excels in our Ag program, and we are excited
that he has been chosen as a Ambassador for Grayson County!

HORTICULTURE FIELD EXPERIENCES The horticulture class would like to thank Bob and Denise at A special thank you to YC Nursery for a fantastic tour and
* Treeland is a sponsor of our TIGER GARDEN.Treeland in Gunter for taking them on a tour of the tree farm. the hands on experiences you created for the horticulture
What they are learning in the classroom was brought to life students. This activity made the classroom and “real life”
on your farm! This definitely could be a career for one of our sync. The plants you gave to the students were an added
students, and taking the time to teach our students about bonus!
owning an Agriculture Business is priceless.

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 20

CROSS COUNTRY

DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to Cross Country runners Sarah Denton and Tori Gittens
who placed 5th and 8th at the District Cross Country Meet. Sarah and
Tori advanced to represent the Gunter Tigers at Regionals on October
22nd.
All of the runners did an awesome job running in the rain. Here are the
District Cross Country Results for Gunter ISD.

Varsity Boys Team – 4th Place Congratulations to Sarah Denton and Tori Gittens who both had AMAZING
20th Landon Pelfrey 31:47.4 races at the Regional Cross Country meet! Sarah placed 9th and qualified
22nd Bennett Fady 32:00.2 for the State Meet in November while Tori finished 21st out of 174 runners!
24th Cobi Koonce 32:18.7
27th Alex Covington 32:39.1 REGIONAL CROSS COUNTRY
31st Gabe Wells 32:53.5
39th Josh Rogers 34:00.5
40th John Rowe 34:30.8

JV Boys Team – 4th Place
11th Clay Lemons 24:40.2
19th Trey Phillips 27:10.1
26th Sam Erwin 29:29.3
30th Brya Avendano 29:59.3
32nd Will Blansett 30:28.2
35th Luke Freshour 31:37.8
36th Jacob Merrill 31:38.6
41st Lucas O’Neal 32:46.5
42nd Matthew Avendano 33:20.3

Varsity Girls Team – 4th Place
5th Sarah Denton 13:54.0
8th Tori Gittens 14:09.0
18th Blakely Esnard 15:11.0
25th Nancy Castorena 15:27.3
28th Bri Carr 15:41.1
29th Sarah Jackson 15:44.2
45th Natalie Stephan 16:39.0

JV Girls - 2nd Place
4th Bria Savage 17:13.8
14th Kaylee Pruiett 21:12.5
15th Hayden Fox 21:14.7
16th Sarah Putnicki 21:15.4
17th Kiley Meadors 21:15.4
18th Reagan Andres 21:36.4
23rd Taylor Boddie 22:37.3

Special Olympics Bocce Ball

The Gunter Tigers Special Olympics athletes competed in their
first Bocce Ball Meet in Van Alstyne and earned the following
awards:

Cole Reynolds - 1st place
Tollie Ferguson - 1st place
Alexis Lewis - 2nd place
Melanie Gray & Jaiden Davis, Doubles Team - 2nd place

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 21

Volleyball Scoreboard

Varsity SENIOR
NIGHT
10/2 vs Pilot Point 25-21, 25-18, 25-27, 25-17 WIN
Congratulations to
10/5 vs Pottsboro 25-10, 25-17, 25-18 WIN our two volleyball
seniors! We will
10/9 vs Whitesboro 25-22, 24-26, 25-11, 25-23 WIN miss seeing you
on the court next
10/16 vs Callisburg 25-20, 25-14, 25-18 LOSS season.

10/19 vs Ponder 20-25, 26-24, 23-25, 27-25, 14-16 LOSS ÃÃAlyssa Jarrell
ÃÃHalle Ward
DISTRICT STANDING 3RD PLACE

Bi-District Champs!

vs Leonard (20-25, 25-12, 25-19, 25-17)

Area Playoffs
Rains vs Gunter
Greenville HS
Thursday, November 1st

Junior Varsity Pilot Point WIN Callisburg WIN Pilot Point WIN Whitesboro LOSS (forfeit)
BLUE Pottsboro WIN Ponder WIN Ponder WIN Callisburg WIN
Whitesboro WIN S&S WIN Pottsboro WIN S&S WIN

WHITE

7th and 8th Grade Teams Named District Champs!

10/15 - Gunter vs Pilot Point
7B won 15-6, 15-11
8B lost 4-15, 6-15
7A won 25-9, 25-8
8A won 25-18, 25-8

10/11 - Gunter vs S & S

7B won 15-9, 15-12
8B won 10-15, 15-10, 15-10
7A won 25-13, 25-22
8A won 25-18, 25-7

8th Grade 7th Grade
This team has only lost one set early in the season!
This team has been undefeated for 2 years!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 22

Football Scoreboard

Varsity Junior Varsity

10/4 vs S&S 33-0 WIN

10/5 vs S&S 59-0 WIN 10/11 vs Holliday 0-35 LOSS
10/12 vs Holliday 30-13 WIN
10/19 BYE 10/25 vs Flower Mound 28-6 WIN
10/26 vs City View 42-0 WIN
Junior High

7th Grade 8th Grade

vs Holliday 44-6 Loss vs S&S 46-0 Win
vs Muenster 14-24 Loss
vs Whitesboro 30-6 Win

vs Holliday 32-6 Win

vs City View 60-26 Win

vs Whitesboro 24-0 Win

cheerleaders

Thank you to our cheer team for always supporting our athletes. From the pep rallies to the games, the excitement you bring
to our stands is seen every week! Cheerleading is not for the faint of heart. We know they work hard on their performances
that you see each week, but they also work hard gearing up for their own competition. Anyone who thinks it’s “easy” to be a
cheerleader should attend a practice and watch them put a stunt together. The flips on top of a pyramid don’t just happen;
they are the product of planning, learning from failures, practice, and more practice! We love our Tiger Cheerleaders!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 23

Principal Points “coachable.” I admit that I didn’t buy-in to this as a high school
student. In college, and immediately after, I probably “knew it
by Chris Dodd, GHS Principal all.” And as a young parent and educator you couldn’t “tell me”
anything. A seasoned co-worker told me two decades ago “son,
A well-known media mogul recently challenged her audience by you don’t know what you don’t know.” Well what did he know?
beginning a leadership presentation with the following quote: Obviously what I didn’t.

Taking constructive criticism from others is required to get to the Nearing my third decade as an educator, and starting over again
next level for the third time as a parent, I can definitely see being receptive
to “coaching” as a catalyst to navigating life events.
What does she know? She only discovered, developed, and
produced six-time Grammy winner Lady Gaga. So I pose the question to you the reader: Are you “coachable”?
Do you allow your student to be “coached?”
Baseball great Willie Mays cites “devotion” as the first factor in
success and second being the ability to “accept constructive Many of us helicopter our kids. We all do it at some point. But,
criticism.” do we stop short of becoming “lawnmower” parents removing all
obstacles that standing in our kid’s way, including constructive
Successful people are “coachable.” Being “coachable” is an area criticism from others? If you ask students what they seek more
I strive to be more and more self-aware of as a campus leader. than anything from the adults in their life they will answer you
I learn far more from the staff, students, and parents than I can “honesty” (full disclosure: cash is probably the first answer).
ever bestow upon them. Experience is a great teacher. Being Students want adults to be real and authentic. They want to
conscientious and open to feedback allows someone to become know what they do well but even more how to improve areas of
elite. deficiency.

We naturally seek affirmation, acceptance, and praise while Successful teachers, coaches, and directors are the ones able
avoiding criticism or feedback that “corrects” our actions. Social to motivate students to play for one another and believe in
media taps into this human behavior and capitalizes on our desire themselves. A key ingredient is creating a culture of accountability
to “like”, “follow”, “share”, and “retweet”. In addition, material that or being “coachable.” Reflecting on my successes and failures
points out the mistakes or shortfalls of others seems to invite the as a teacher, coach, and administrator, I can see the deepest
most traffic and comments. The more successful a person, the relationships with students were the ones of transparency and
more criticism sent their way. honesty. I delivered the student the truth and challenged them to
reach their full potential. In return, I was receptive to listening to
I recently had three different conversations involving students, how I could better serve their needs and help them find value in
staff, or parents. In each meeting, I acknowledged that these themselves. “Making it easy” for a kid never results in the best
formative years of secondary education are more about possible outcome.
establishing priorities, working with others, navigating conflict, and
accepting constructive criticism. School is not about chemistry, Evaluate today how “coachable” you are. Ask your students if you
algebra, or writing essays. It is not about extracurricular activities. want an honest answer.
The four years leading up to adulthood are about becoming more

They “ROCKED” their exam!

The AP Literature students were rewarded for passing their
AP exam this past summer. Mrs. Dodd took them to a rock
climbing facility and let them burn some physical energy!

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 24

Checking in on our 2018 Valedictorian!

GHS Valedictorian, Sarah Franze is continuing her legacy that we know best! She always
excelled at GHS, and is continuing to excel in Austin. When I learned that her new adventure
was rock climbing, I had to know more. Here’s her story ending with some advice for the
GHS seniors of 2019... especially pay attention to her last statement!

As told by Sarah Franze... I first started rock climbing because my brother went
through a rock climbing phase, so naturally I had to as well. He quit after a month, but I fell
in love with it. Madi Varns and I would go every weekend or so to our favorite gym, we had
no idea what we were doing, but it was so fun. When I heard there was a rock climbing
team at UT, I immediately set my sights on being a part of it. Tryouts were insanely tough,
arguably the hardest workouts I’ve ever been through, but it was so worth it. We’re in our
off season right now (most of the competitions happen around spring time) so we’re putting
in some solid time at north Austin rock gym, about twice a week, plus a vicious Sunday
conditioning session (similar to that of tryouts.) Over the course of the semester, I’ve really
seen an improvement in my skill and strength, and my hands have become permanently calloused and disgusting... woohoo!
Climbing alongside so many talented people for sure is helping me grow, and Coach really pushes us to train hard and
improve our game. I’m so psyched to be a part of something so amazing, I think I’ve really found my place with this team.

Overall, college has been a blast. Classes are rough and I’ve had to study more than I ever had for school, but in the end it’ll
be so worth it. My piece of advice for this year’s seniors: I know you’ve heard it all before, and you won’t truly understand it until
you’ve gone away to school, but really cherish the time you have with your classmates and your family. Go out and do things,
and just think about how great life is with the people you have around you. Give your parents an extra hug, and make time to
be with the people you love the most. Spend your time doing what makes you happy, with the people that make you happy!

Also, go ahead and delete your old posts (just the worst ones) on Facebook dating back to the 5th grade. Or, if they pose
sentimental value, just hide them and put them on private. Everyone. In College. Uses Facebook. They will find the worst
you.

Senior Class Graduation Announcements / Cap & Gown Orders

- November 14th - We will meet with Seniors to hand out information
- November 27th - Orders & Payment Due

Volume10, Issue4 Fall Break

November 19-23
Enjoy the week with your family!

TigerTimes-Page 25

Gunter Independent School District
Board Briefs

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

GISD Regular Board Meeting 6:00pm

The Regular meeting was called to order by Scott Meyerdirk, Board President. A quorum was
established. The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted by Scott Meyerdirk, Board President. A Student
Introduction was given by Brian Avendano.

ATTENDANCE: Board members included: Jeff Banks, L.D. Byrd, Dr. Gary Harris, Scott Meyerdirk and
Steve Smith. District attendance included: Dr. Jill Siler, Mr. Kelly Teems, Mr. Chris Dodd, Kim
Patterson, Dara Arrington, Heather Hale, Mr. Matt Cooper and several other GISD teachers and staff.

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

 Student / Staff Recognition

o Superintendent Honor Roll
 Elementary School – Kinlee Chalker & Brylee Rodges
 Middle School – Mitchell Gage & Presley Pace
 High School – Jacquelyn Galvan & Turner Kimball

o Staff Recognition
 Elementary School – Amy Scott
 Middle School – Debbie Murphy
 High School – Tim Wylie
 District – Mark Williams

o National Merit Scholar Program Recognition – Brian Avendano & Kaylee Smith both
earned National Merit Commended Scholar recognition. Only the top 3% of all
students taking the PSAT earned this level of recognition. Brian was present at the
Board Meeting and honored for that recognition as well as earning National Merit
Hispanic Scholar Recognition honoring the top 2.5% of all Hispanic students.
Congratulations Brian & Kaylee!

o Principal Appreciation Month – Dr. Siler honored all of the GISD principals for the ways
they go above and beyond in serving their students and staff: Dara Arrington, Heather
Hale, Kim Patterson and Chris Dodd.

 A full Financial Report was provided. Matt Cooper shared a comparison of projected revenue
to our actual revenue for the first 6 weeks and we are running at $150,000 surplus. This is
mainly due to an increased number of students taking CTE courses due to our new staff
additions. Dr. Siler noted that the surplus amount would most likely come down as
attendance levels off due to sickness / flu season. Attendance for the first 9 weeks was 97.7%.

 Communications

o Enrollment Update

 Elementary School 377

 Middle School 278

 High School 305

 TOTAL 960

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 26

o Capital Projects Update – Mr. Teems shared that all projects are complete except final
steps with our Commons sound system and our Strength & Conditioning Center. The
SCC is substantially complete but the equipment needed to finalize the facility (turf /
flooring / etc.) has been unable to access the building due to the ongoing rains.

o Strategic Planning Update – Dr. Siler shared updates from several areas of the strategic
plan.
 Future Ready – Dr. Siler shared about her meeting with Grayson College
President, Dr. McMillen regarding dual credit enrollment, college attendance
and future partnership opportunities.

 Growth – Dr. Siler shared about her team’s quarterly meetings with the City
Manager and plans for the upcoming Board Workshop focused on growth.

 Social & Emotional – Dr. Siler shared about the October Professional
Development Day where the Gunter Police Department gave additional
training on Active Shooters; Texoma Community Center gave an overview of
Mental Health First Aide; Gunter ISD Nurses trained our staff on the use of
our new trauma kits located on every campus. Dr. Siler also shared that all
substitutes have gone through a training that included safety training on our
Standard Response Protocols (SRP).

o Upcoming Events / Meeting Dates
 October 26th, Fall Carnival
 November 9th, Veterans Day Program
 November 15th, FIRST Hearing/Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin
 November 27th, Board Workshop, 6:00pm @ Admin
 December 18th, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin
 January 22nd, Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ Admin
 February 18th, Recognition/Board Meeting, 6:00pm @ GHS

 Board Member Report
o Board Member Training Hours were shared with the Board. Board Members have until
next April to complete allotted training hours for the year.

CONSENT AGENDA/ROUTINE BUSINESS: Minutes, Billing and Budget Amendments were approved.

REGULAR BUSINES
 The Board approved DEC (LOCAL) Revisions to Leave Policy to include provision of a Sick Pool.
This was the 3rd and final reading and approval of the revision to DEC Local. The Sick Pool will
allow any GISD staff to receive donated days for catastrophic illness/injury to them or
immediate family members. Staff members must use all available leave and extended leave
prior to requesting access to the sick pool.
 The Board approved teacher certification utilizing District of Innovation guidelines.

7:03pm Board went in to Closed Session Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.001

7:04pm Reconvened from Closed Session

 Personnel – Dr. Siler shared resignation of Matt Cooper, Director of Business Services effective
November 2nd.

ADJOURNMENT: Regular meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:36pm

Volume10, Issue4 TigerTimes-Page 27

Find Us! Gunter ISD would like to share our con-
dolences with the family of Gayle Banner.
Gunter ISD Mrs. Banner started teaching in Gunter ISD
213 N. 8th Street in 1978 and for the next 22 years before
P.O. Box 109 she retired, served as a teacher, coach and
Gunter, Texas 75058 principal of Gunter High School. Former GHS
903.433.4750 Principal and GISD Superintendent, Kevin
Gunter High School Worthy shared that “Mrs. Banner taught me
1102 N. 8th Street something very special. She taught me how
Gunter, Texas 75058 to treat people and how to inspire them to be
903.433.1542 more than they ever believed they could be. She taught me about excellence
Gunter Middle School and how average was just not good enough. She taught me about relation-
410 Tiger Lane ships and how important they are with your staff and most of all, with your
Gunter, Texas 75058 students. She embodied these qualities everyday as principal at Gunter High
903.433.1545 School.”
Gunter Elementary School
200 West Elm Former GISD Superintendent, Rick Cohagan, attributed much of the success
Gunter, Texas 75058 of Gunter schools in the late 1970s and 1980s to Mrs. Banner. He shared that
903.433.5315 “she was a team player in every respect. I can’t say enough about the con-
www.gunterisd.org tributions she made to our school system.” GES long-time Principal, Cheyrl
www.facebook.com/gunterisdschools Cohagan added “we worked together as a team at Gunter ISD. Whatever situ-
facebook.com/gunterhighschool ation, we knew we could call each other for help and advice - never thought of
www.facebook.com/guntermiddleschool us as three individual campuses but as one district working toward the same
Twitter @Gunter_ISD goals. She had a passion for children as a teacher and a principal. She was
an instrumental part of what Gunter ISD is today.”
Volume10, Issue4
Connie Williams worked side by side with Mrs. Banner for years and noted
that “Gayle’s job at Gunter was more than a job, it was her calling. She started
out in the classroom and taught several classes that included Geometry, Typ-
ing, Accounting and Theater. While pouring her whole self into the classroom
she had two daughters she adored and found ways to be there for them in
their studies and extracurricular activities. The classroom was very rewarding
to Gayle, however she wanted to be a principal. So she went back to school
and earned her masters and became GHS principal in 1992. While serving as
principal she poured herself into her faculty members as well. She supported
them in every way. Her door was always open for students, faculty and par-
ents. We know that by her answering that calling she has had a tremendous
impact on so many students and educators as well.”

GISD Technology Director Shelli Neely agreed, noting that Mrs. Banner “was
an awesome administrator to work under. She led by example, and gained my
respect immediately. As an administrator, the students and teachers knew and
lived up to the standards she expected.” Mrs. Neely went on to note that one
day she headed into the lunch room for lunch and Mrs. Banner was serving
the students. She had been in the kitchen all morning with the cafeteria staff
cooking, and then proceeded to serve lunch because they were short-staffed
that day. “That’s just the kind of lady she was. I’m a better person for having
known her.”

The Gunter ISD family sends our love to the entire Banner family. Thank you
for letting Gayle make a forever impact on our school district, staff members
and students.

TigerTimes-Page 28

Sunday November 2018
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
3
12

There’s always, Always, ALWAYS Red Ribbon Week

something to be for... 5p Girls Basketball 7p MS Band Night at State CC Meet @
Scrimmage @ Van HS Football game Round Rock
Alstyne
7:30p Football @
5p JH Football @ Gunter vs Henrietta
Gunter vs Henrietta

5:30p JV Football @
Henrietta

6p Area Volleyball

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8a - 4p Blood Drive MS Yearbook pictures MS Pep Rally - 2nd Veterans Day Program -
Period Time TBA

Pre-Area Choir Contest 4:30p JH Football @ 5p Girls Basketball @
Gunter vs Callisburg Gunter vs Krum
5:30p Girls Basketball
@ Van Alstyne JV Football @ Gunter 7:30p Football @
vs Callisburg Callisburg

6p V Boys Basketball
Scrimmage @ Celina

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Choir--Pre Area 5:30p Girls Basketball Senior Class 6p Board Meeting

4:30p JH Girls @ Gunter vs Bells Graduation
Announcements/Cap
Basketball @ Callisburg & Gown Information
Meeting
7:30p Boys JV White
Basketball @ Gunter vs 4:30p V Boys
Callisburg Basketball Scrimmage

@ Leonard

Girls Basketball Tourn @ Keene

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

10a Boys Basketball @
Gunter vs Blue Ridge

1:15p Girls Basketball
@ Gunter vs Melissa

Fall Break Thanksgiving Break
28 29 30
25 26 27
4:30p JH Girls Senior Class graduation Holly Jolly Christmas
Craft Bazaar - TBA
Basketball @ Pottsboro Announcements/Cap
Girls JV Basketball Tourn @ Irving HS
7:30p Boys JV White & Gown orders and
Basketball @ Gunter vs payment due V Boys Basketball Tourn @ Celeste

Pottsboro 4p MS Band mock All TigerTimes-Page 29

Region Auditions

5p Girls Basketball @
Celina

Volume10, Issue4