Return to Open Session
A. Invocation was provided by Trustee Rev. James Ervin.
B. Superintendent Announcements
For the second straight year, Nacogdoches ISD has been named a Best Community for Music Education. The district received word last week about the award. You might remember we received this same award a year ago but it was in the early days of the pandemic and we weren’t in school. What a magnificent accomplishment. Our music programs mean so much to the district, and those students and their teachers and directors should be proud of this achievement. Research shows that involvement in the arts is beneficial to what happens in the classroom, and this is another reminder of the excellence of our district-wide fine arts program.
April is School Library Month, and that’s an opportunity to recognize and celebrate school librarians and their programs. In fact, tomorrow is National Librarian Day and we’re grateful for everything our campus librarians do to encourage students to read. The hard work they do for the district pays off not just in the classroom but in the ongoing efforts to create lifelong learners. Just listen to some of the benefits of early childhood reading… research shows that a student who reads an average of 20 minutes per day – or a young child read to by an adult for 20 minutes per day – will spend 3,600 minutes per school year reading while being exposed to an astonishing 1.8 million words annually. And those same students, on average, score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests. In Nacogdoches ISD, librarians provide a number of critical resources, programs, and expertise on their campuses. In communities across Texas and the nation, libraries and librarians deliver indispensable services in our schools, particularly when considering their impact on our youngest readers. We’re grateful for the hard work and contributions our Nacogdoches ISD librarians make daily.
Nacogdoches High School’s Dragon Student Response Team continues to build upon the success from success. NHS collected 12 top-three finishes at the South East Texas Public Service Competition held back in March. Fifteen students made up those top finishers, with the Dragons bringing home two first-place trophies, 6-second place wins, and four third-place medals. The Student Response Team is a club that’s part of Nacogdoches High School’s Career & Technical Education Department and is made up of students from the law enforcement course of study.
Nacogdoches High School’s men’s soccer team finished an outstanding season this month, reaching the regional semifinals before falling to Wakeland High School from Frisco (which plays Saturday for the Class 5A state title). NHS reached the regional semifinals after a stirring win on April, 2 over its Angelina County rivals. The Dragons' Christian Delgado headed in the winner as the final seconds of extra time ran off the clock. What a great season for the Dragons!
