THE PIRATE TREASURE
MAY 12, 2022
PARKWAY ELEMENTARY
GLOBE Teacher of the Year
A couple of weeks ago our very own Mrs. Laurie Karling was honored at LeTourneau University as a GLOBE Teacher of the Year. What an amazing honor for her. If you ask our faculty
and staff at Parkway about Mrs. Karling they will say how much she loves the students, and she enjoys sharing her love of music with them.
Mrs. Karling goes above and beyond for her students from her amazing music programs, to her side gig with the Jolly Roger Jam band. She is definitely All In when it comes to her students. Not only is she a GLOBE teacher, she is our Teacher of the Year, as well as the District Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2021-2022. Mrs. Karling in your famous words “YOU ROCK”.
Drums Alive
Last Friday all the specialty teachers gathered in the gym for one epic drum party. PE, music, art, and computer combined their classes during the students' specials time to enjoy Drums Alive. Our students got to drum and click to the beat of different popular songs. We went from the Cha Cha slide, to the Best Days of our Lives. We also rocked out to We Will Rock You. Our students had such a fun time that they all left the gym saying “that was the best day ever!.
Even some of our teachers, and administrators got in on the action! Thank you Mrs. Ingram, Mr. Davenport, Coach Rockwell, Dr. Baxter, Mrs. Keoun, and Super Bowl champion Travia Howard for playing with us. The students really enjoyed it!
Thank you to all of our specialty teachers Ms. Tigert, Coach Stafford, Mrs. Scaggs, Mrs. Karling, and Coach Haught for putting on a tremendous show for our students.
JUNIOR HIGH
It is STAAR season and the Pirates of PTJH are working hard to show what they know and how much they have grown this year!
It is important to mix in some fun when you are working hard toward achieving a goal, so PTJH gave students a chance to participate in our Annual DodgeBall Tournament. Nine teams, including 90 students, signed up to battle for the opportunity to face the staff team, appropriately titled Old School. Pirates and Lady Pirates fought hard, with an epic showdown between teams of 7th and 8th grade athletes resulting in a win for the 8th grade side. There is a rumor swirling that the champions of the student bracket went on to defeat the staff team, but that fact can neither be confirmed nor denied at this time.
PTJH Student Council members joined their PTHS counterparts for a Leadership Conference where students completed a service project, participated in team building exercises, and developed their parliamentary procedure skills. The group enjoyed the opportunity to make chew toys for the animal shelter and to hone their leadership skills as a team.
The Pirates and Lady Pirates of the soccer and tennis teams have tied a bow on the year for the Athletic Department. These students represented us well in matches and games against schools from all over East Texas by competing hard and coming away with several well earned victories. #PTJH Rocks
BIRCH ELEMENTARY
On Thursday, May 5th Birch Elementary was again named a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School for the 2nd year in a row. Ten thousand schools nationwide have been trained, and only 375 schools were awarded this coveted honor!
This award from Capturing Kids’ Hearts-The Flippen Group recognizes the outstanding educators who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the lives of children.
Congratulations to our Students and Pirates of the Month!
Ciela Corn, Christian Lopez, Valencia Fuller, Jaxon Haddad, William Amaya, Kaylee Lopez, Abby Cervantes, and Avan Martinez. Way to show that Birch First pride!
1st Grade Music Program
On May 5th, our 1st grade students presented a fantastic end-of-the-year music production, “Adventure Away!” which welcomed a record number of parents in attendance. Our Birch First Family is proud of our phenomenal music teacher, Ms. Teresa Meadows, as she builds a love for music within our Birch Pirates.
El Dia Del Nino, Children's Day Celebration
Thank you parents and guardians for making your child's day special! Words can not express how much love was felt by all of our students as they opened and read their personalized letters. We are Birch First, We are Family!
“El Dia del Niño” or “Day of the Child”, a celebration that originated in Mexico and dates back to 1925, is celebrated each year on April 30th. This day is about recognizing the importance of children in society and promoting their well being."
EXCEL
In the final newsletter for the year, ExCEL would like to acknowledge two more ExCEL graduates. There are also a few students who have finished their coursework to graduate but are waiting on STAAR results this month to make it official.
Sage Dillingham came to ExCEL the 2020-2021 school year and she has graduated a year early. She found it easier to work on a computer as opposed to being in a traditional classroom. Sage says what she liked most about ExCEL was the staff and the friends she made while here. She describes herself as outgoing and someone who is determined to be successful. Anyone who knows Sage knows she is an individualist and not a follower and is definitely a trendsetter. Her goal is to study forensics.
Ke'Asia Garland came to ExCEL from Gladewater ISD in February of this year. She came to ExCEL wanting to graduate early and liked that at ExCEL she could work as fast paced as she wanted. She plans to attend Lamar Institute of Technology to pursue either becoming an ultrasound tech or to work in health management. She describes herself as being reserved and admits she can at times be very indecisive.
Outside of celebrating graduates, we would like to again acknowledge a former Student of the Month, Natalie Hunt. Natalie was our student of the month for January. She is back in the news! Last month Natalie was a winner in the Keep Longview Beautiful contest and now her artwork is displayed on a Longview sanitation truck. Way to go, Natalie!
MIDDLE
Our Middle School students had a great time at field day this year with Mrs. Wiley’s class winning the tug-of-war game for 5th grade. Mr. Hernandez’s class won the tug-of-war for 6th grade and the campus! Our Art students were busy repurposing trash into art last month in honor of Earth Day. Mrs. Guerra’s classes made beautiful May flowers out of recycled paper towel rolls.
The Middle School resource classes have attended two Special Olympics events this spring and are enjoying their time outdoors with many field trips planned.
Our students are working hard toward their STAAR goals and have a dance to look forward to on Friday, May 20, 2022. Our End of Year awards program will be May 24, 2022 in the Middle School gym. Times will be announced on Facebook-please watch for updates.
Our Art students were busy building art from trash last month in honor of Earth Day. Mrs. Guerra’s classes made beautiful May flowers out of recycled towel rolls.
HIGH SCHOOL
Graduation time has arrived!
After a full school year of activities, education and obstacles, the Class of 2022 is ready to walk across the graduation stage on Thursday, May 26 at 8 p.m. at Pirate Stadium. Approximately 275 young people have completed requirements for this honor and will be part of the ceremonies.
Before that happens, however, the seniors have a full day on Friday, May 20 to celebrate the ending of their high school days. A breakfast will be held in the cafeteria for them at 8 a.m. Following breakfast, seniors will don caps and gowns and travel to every PTISD campus and Central Office to greet the people in those locations and be honored by them. This is a fun thing for seniors every year and gives a great treat as well to the younger students who are watching them get ready to go out into the world.
Following the Senior Walk, seniors will have a senior picnic at Flying Feathers Ranch to relax and, each other’s company. This event gives seniors the chance to see each other for several hours in a relaxed setting and sign yearbooks, take photographs and just share memories of the years they have shared together.
Finally, that night, the Senior Awards ceremony is slated for the high school theatre. Seniors will be recognized for scholarships, cords for graduation and other honors in this special ceremony.
Following the Senior Awards six days later, graduation will take place.
Other students are finalizing their classes and preparing for exams on May 23, 24 and 25 unless they are exempt. All students will get out of school at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25 for summer vacation.
It has been a busy but successful year at Pine Tree High School. With Erin Brogan being crowned the Class 5A State Champion in Ready Writing - (this is a UIL Academic event). The year has ended well for Pine Tree. Riley Seidel, this year’s Valedictorian, is also a state finalist in the Barbara Jordan Essay contest.
Other Pine Tree students have also seen success this year. The school is filled with honors that people have worked hard to earn this year - something that Pine Tree is known for - and that hard work is going to pay off as young people leave this school and go out into the world.
Teachers are ready for a break, but summer will be a time to get ready for the next school year as well as a time to rest and recharge. Pine Tree High School teachers put in a lot of hours to make sure young people get the best education possible, and those same teachers work during the summer as well as on weekends to get training and education.
Sports are over for the year. Baseball and softball closed out seasons, and spring football is underway. The Spring Game is Tuesday, May 17 at 6 p.m. New head coach Jason Bachman will showcase his first weeks of work during that contest, and then the coaches will begin preparing for the season opener next year at Lindale. Our players, coaches and staff members are optimistic that the Pirates will be one of the best teams in the district.
ATHLETICS
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Frank Richards, President
Adam Graves, Vice President
Jim Cerrato, Secretary
Aaron Klein
Dr. Melanie Roudkovski
Mike Smith
Drew Seidel
Steve Clugston, Superintendent
PINE TREE ISD
Email: info@ptisd.org
Website: www.ptisd.org
Location: 1701 Pine Tree Road, Longview, TX, USA
Phone: 903-295-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/PTISD
Twitter: @PTISD