The Mustang Minute
Week of February 19th - 23rd, 2024
Principal's Message
Mustang Family,
Students, if you are taking an AP course that only runs for the second semester, it is important that you indicate your intention to sit for the AP exam by February 23rd on CollegeBoard. This can be done by selecting the "Yes" option. By selecting "Yes", the campus will be notified to order your exam. Please make sure to take care of this before the deadline. All payments are due by April.
Parents, if you are interested in serving on the GCISD Education Advisory Committee, please sign up using the link in the this section below. The first meeting is February 21st; someone will be in touch with you with more details if you are selected.
Finally, tomorrow is a student holiday, so there will be no school. We will see you all on Tuesday, February 20th.
Rah, Rah, Rah...Mustangs Fight!
Alex
Campus Updates & Reminders
AP Deadlines - February 23rd Deadline Approaching
AP Parents and Students,
There are several deadlines regarding AP testing this semester:
- Feb 23, 2024- Students in second semester only courses need to be signed into the College Board and select “Yes” to indicate their decision to test, and for an exam to be ordered.
- Mar 6, 2024- Final deadline for all students, full year or second semester only, to order a test with the mandatory College Board $40 late fee incurred. The fee is only incurred for exams for full year classes that missed the November deadline.
- Apr 19, 2024- Final payment deadline for all AP exams.
- Exam dates and times
Have a specific question? Click on the "Who Do I Contact Directory" below!
GCISD Updates & Reminders
Stop the Bleed Course - February 19th (5:30 - 7:00 PM @ PDEC)
In accordance with HB 496, GCISD will be offering instruction on the use of a bleeding control station to students enrolled in seventh grade or higher from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m., February 19, 2024 at at the PDEC in the Mustang Corral Room. This training is intended for parents and students to learn together.
Interest List Forming for Education Advisory Committee
GCISD invites families, community members and staff to express their interest to serve on the Education Advisory Committee that is being formed to discuss several topics, including but not limited to, high school bell schedules for 2025-2026, GPA policies, local graduation requirements and more. The spring committee is currently forming and dates are set for February 21, March 7, March 20 and April 10. Locations and times will be communicated with those selected to serve on the committee.
To express your interest, sign up via the GCISD Committee Application. Those interested will be added to a pool of applicants to reference when filing committee seats. This form will remain open throughout the year to capture interest from staff, parents, and community and business members. Click here to see an overview of this and other committees.
GCISD Bond Update: How the Bond was Developed
On May 4, 2024, GCISD voters will be asked to consider a $150 million bond to address security, aging schools and infrastructure. The process began more than a year ago with physical assessments completed on all facilities in the district. Campus and department leaders were also asked to identify and submit facility-related items that they felt were needed and/or would enhance security or student experiences. This resulted in more than 2,000 potential projects. In the spring and summer of 2023, the Long-Range Planning Committee was tasked with prioritizing all 2,000-plus projects for a long-range plan.
This committee was made up of a combination of GCISD employees and residents. Then in the fall of 2023, the Bond Advisory Committee of residents was brought together to identify projects that could be included in our next bond package. Representatives from the Bond Advisory Committee presented their recommendation to the Board of Trustees in December 2023. In January 2024, the Board voted to call for a $150,000,000 bond election to include the priority projects identified by the Bond Advisory Committee. Learn more about what these community groups prioritized for GCISD’s 2024 bond at www.gcisd.net/bond.
Congratulations Kevin Contreras placed 2nd at the UIL 5A tournament.
GHS Wrestling Advance to State
Grapevine wrestling competed in the regional 2-5A championships over the weekend in Frisco. Congratulations to the team as they placed 3rd out of 43 schools. Best of luck to them as they compete in State.
First place, Louden Park
Second place, Kevin Contreras
Third place, Ty Hohenberger
Fourth place, Emilie Gonzalez
Fifth place, Bryce Grassi
Winterguard continuing to make history!
Congratulations to our Mustang Winterguard for bringing home another First Place trophy for the second week in a row. Our Winterguard competed at Chisholm Trail High School on Saturday and are continuing to make school history!
Mr. Mustang - Patrick Shukis
Each year, GHS Leadership hosts a pageant featuring junior and senior boys who vie for the title of Mr. Mustang. Co-chairs Allie Edleman and Emily Daniel modeled the theme on The Bachelor and titled it Mr. Mustang: The Final Rose. Contestants dance, pose pick-up lines, model swimwear, and answer questions. Additionally, each contestant shares talents ranging from eating lemons to playing concert-level piano arrangements.
Twenty-four Mustang men competed this year. Senior Patrick Shukis won the coveted title.
Mr. Mustang Top 5
Mustang Artists
Congratulations to our artists that won a medal at Regional VASE: Alex Colvin, Claire Meyer, Elizabeth Waggoner, Grace Eschberger, Ellis Wesley, Fani Rodriguez, Gavin Barron, Hailey Warzecha, Isabella Skukurd, Joanna He, Kate Lee, Madelyn Engle, Maddie Li, Mattie Johnson, Noelani Garay, Sanjay Budda,Todd O'Neil, and Vivi Parker! Also, a special shout out to Gavin Barron who will take one of his sculptures to State and Todd O'Neil for taking BOTH of his pieces to State! Way to go Mustang Artists!
Pep Rally
2024 National Merit Finalists
Lady Mustang Soccer
Our Lady Mustangs continued playing tough this past week with games against Argyle
and Richland High Schools. Check out the game highlights below and be sure to save
the date for our next few weeks of home games as we head into the second half of
district play!
Future Mustang Night – February 20th - Our Mustangs will face rival CHHS once
again! This game is also our annual “Future Mustang & Panther Night”, where we invite
future high school players to enjoy a night of soccer, support their local team, and
come out on the field at halftime for some fun! Varsity plays at 7:40 pm – let’s fill the
stadium with our Mustang Fans!
Senior Night – February 27th
Let’s celebrate all our amazing seniors at our home game against Denton Ryan at
7:30! Senior Presentations will be before our game.
Argyle Game Highlights:
Richland Game Highlights:
Mustang Men's Soccer
Hey Soccer Fans!
If you missed the last two Men's Soccer showdowns, you missed out on some serious action!
First up, our Mustangs took on the Eagles in a thrilling match at Argyle. From the get-go, our team showed strength and determination. Tanner Anstis kicked things off with a slick pass to Jolie Garcia, whose shot from 23 yards out, hit the crossbar which ricocheted into the goal. Then, Spencer Smith tossed in a beauty, Ian Hatton headed it to Anstis, who headed it straight into the net! But wait, there's more! Smith delivered an amazing cross to Gavin Arendse, who buried it in the back of the net. And let's not forget Anstis' incredible breakaway goal, maneuvering past four Argyle players to seal the deal. Final score: 4-2 in favor of Grapevine!
Fast forward to Tuesday when we hosted the Richland Royals, kicking off the evening with a special tribute to our amazing teachers on Teacher Appreciation Night. Despite some nerves and breaking in our new kits, our team found their rhythm. Jolie Garcia showcased his skills yet again with a jaw-dropping laser shot from 32 yards out, perfectly placing it in the top left corner of the goal—absolutely beautiful! And Garcia wasn't finished, as Johnny Wang set him up at the top of the box for another stellar goal. Final score: 2-1, securing another victory for the Mustangs!
Mark your calendars as this Tuesday, February 20, your Mustangs will host arch-nemesis Colleyville Heritage. Get ready to rally the home team and show your support in full force!! Let’s roar with excitement and fuel your Mustangs to triumph! Bring your energy, bring your passion and let’s make some noise!!!
Go Mustangs!!
Mustang Men's Basketball
On February 9th, Men’s Basketball celebrated Senior Night before the Rivalry game against Colleyville. We honored 7 Seniors before they played on their home court for the very last time. The seven Seniors that were honored are #0 Jacob Sorrell, #4 AJ Sowell, #5 Connor Wilson, #11 Demetrius Ford, #13 Blue Schapher, #14 Jarren Pope and #24 Matthew Woodcock. Thank you to these men who have done so much to contribute to Mustang Basketball over their High School Career.
Keep Grapevine Beautiful (February 16th - March 1st)
Speech & Debate Interest? See the Winter Showcase - Feb. 28th (GHS Lecture Hall)
GHS Advanced Academics Booster Club Meeting
For our February General Meeting, we are having Licensed Professional Counselor and Co-founder of Family Connections Counseling share some strategies for parenting through anxiety.
Her talk, Parents…The Missing Piece of the Puzzle will give us ideas, behaviors, and best practices for parenting teens in a competitive academic environment.
You may not be the cause of your child’s anxiety, but you certainly can be an important part of the solution. Learn how to establish healthy patterns of support and connection that help children overcome anxious, thoughts and feelings. Identify natural patterns of parenting that might inadvertently increase anxiety in your child. You will also learn how to get off the parenting, emotional roller coaster that often comes with anxious children by growing your own sense of calm and confidence.
Counseling February Newsletter
February counseling newsletter - https://www.smore.com/p48qz
- National School Counseling Week (Feb 5-9)
- Course Requests and Preferred Scheduling Timeline
- 2024-25 Student Transfer Information
- ASVAB Testing – Feb 28th
Juniors' DARN College Fair
Counselors- Students are assigned to by their last name.
The GHS counseling team consists of:
Marnie Pape (A-D) - marnie.pape@gcisd.net
Abbey King (E-Le) - abbey.king@gcisd.net
Moises Flores (Li-Ri) - moises.flores@gcisd.net
Katherine Partridge (Ro-Z) - katherine.partridge@gcisd.net
Mary Parsley (Lead Counselor) - mary.parsley@gcisd.net
Jennifer Lemke (Student Advocate) - jennifer.lemke@gcisd.net
GHS PTSA Executive Board Interest Form 2024-2025
We are looking for a few good volunteers to be on our PTSA Board for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. It takes lots of helping hands to continue our legacy of supporting our school, staff and students. Please fill out this form if you are interested in volunteering for any of these positions.
We are looking forward to hearing from you and please reach out to us if you have any questions.
Need Formal Dress or Suits for Prom? Visit the GCISD Chic Boutique
Grapevine High School PTSA needs you!
Membership dues are only $10 each school year! Students, remember that if you will be applying for any PTA/PTSA scholarships, you need to be a member of PTSA. Click here to join!
Sign Up for Project Graduation
Donate a door prize for Project Graduation 2024!
Volunteer Background Check
We sincerely appreciate the investment of your time as a volunteer. Whether it is just volunteering with PTSA, a school field trip, or in any capacity in connection with our partnership with Big Brothers-Big Sisters, you must complete a background check.
All volunteers are required to reapply each year. Due to a large number of applicants, we will not notify you of your volunteer status. To get your status, please check with the school office for this information before you volunteer.
Click below to apply:
https://www.gcisd.net/o/gcisd/page/volunteer-background-check