Board Goal & Objective Update

Provide schools which are safe, conducive to learning and support the physical, emotional and intellectual well-being of our stakeholders.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) are committed to supporting local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to improve the safety and security of school facilities for staff, students, and visitors. On June 1 and 2, Governor Abbott charged TxSSC and TEA with a set of directives to support the safety and security of public schools.

All Texas LEAs had to take the following actions prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year:

• Conduct a Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit
• Conduct an Exterior Door Safety Audit
• Convene the LEA’s Safety and Security Committee
• Ensure all campus staff (including substitutes) are trained on their specific LEA and campus safety procedures
• Schedule all mandatory drills for the school year
• Ensure all threat assessment team members are trained
• Review and, if necessary, update access control procedures
  • For the new school year, access control procedures must include exterior door sweeps (ensuring doors are closed and locked) at every instructional facility at least once each week while instruction is being conducted.

All 5 campuses completed a Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit prior to the first day of school. Campus administrators completed the audit and I verified their completeness.

BISD had to verify to TEA we had conducted the audits prior to the first day of school.

All 5 campuses conducted an Exterior Door Safety Audit prior to the first day of instruction. Results were kept at the District level and verification sent to TEA via a certification survey completed by Chief Dean and myself.

Before the start of the school year, BISD's School Safety and Security Committee met to review our Emergency Operations Plan as well as talk about the new targeted partial safety audit and exterior door check requirements.

The Emergency Operations Plan was submitted in February 2022. It was approved with no additional information required.

Governor Abbott has asked the Texas School Safety Center to "to develop and implement a plan to conduct random inspections to assess access control measures of Texas school districts," and to ensure that all districts assess access control procedures, such as single access points, visitor check-in procedures and exterior door lock checks.

• Bonham ISD received its' first Intruder Detection Audit in September 2022 at L.H. Rather.
• The auditor attempted to enter 3 doors and was unsuccessful. He then went to the front entrance where, once buzzed in, he was met in person by Ms. Traina (office secretary) who walked him up the stairs and into the office - this is her common practice when she doesn't recognize the visitor at the door.

• The auditor and campus administrator then checked all exterior doors. All were closed, locked and would not open.

• He left a report indicating no findings.

All staff and substitutes are trained on BISD safety procedures and the Standard Response Protocols.

All drills were scheduled before the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Drills include: fire, shelter, lockdown, lockout and evacuation.

Campus administrators utilize Raptor to initiate notice of the drills and to report the drill has concluded. This system also notifies district administrators and the BISD Police Department.

Exterior door checks must be conducted weekly to certify all doors are properly closed, locked, and latched. Issues must be reported to the school safety and security committee and the campus principal in order to address any deficiencies.

Each campus administrator, the Police Chief or Officer Abbott are responsible for conducting the Exterior Door Checks each week as required by the Governor through the Texas School Safety Center.

I have also conducted exterior door checks at each campus randomly.

The picture below is an example of the tool BISD used to document Weekly Exterior Door Sweeps.

To promote the safety and well-being of the members of the school community, the Threat Assessment Team is tasked with reviewing threat reports, conducting threat assessments and developing interventions to support individuals who pose threats and the targets of such threats.

Mr. Busbey oversees the School Behavioral Threat Assessment Team and he has received required training. The committee consists of several BISD counselors and administrators. Procedures have been reviewed and refined for each campus.

HB 690 (87th Legislature) required school safety training for school board members.

All BISD Board Trustees completed the training course developed by TASB.

Bonham ISD utilizes three CIS (Communities in Schools) staff to assist campus counselors in providing services, guidance & counseling and academic supports to our students at Finley-Oates, I.W. Evans and L.H. Rather.

Mrs. Milford, Mrs. Eackles and Mrs. Loftice each have a caseload and provide services to at-risk students and their families to ensure they can be successful at school. These three ladies are assets to the District and our students.

Bonham ISD contracts with Erin Holt, LPC and Lindsey Prince, LPC to provide licensed professional counseling services to our students when needed. Students are usually in crisis when this level of care is required that our guidance counselors are not licensed/certified to provide. Campus guidance counselors work with families to make sure these services are provided.

BISD utilizes local funds freed up by Title IV funds to pay for services rendered when the family cannot afford the expense.

KateLynn Shank, former BISD student and current TAMU student, began her internship at L.H. Rather in August. She interned at LHR during the fall semester.

This was a great opportunity for increased and varied help for our students and their families.

Yvonne Posada, current TAMU student, began her internship at BHS in August. She served BHS during the fall semester.

During the summer Yvonne was an intern for the Fannin Behavioral Health Leadership Team where she made community connections to secure resources for families and created a webpage referencing various mental and physical health resources as well as resources families may need for other types of assistance.

BISD Counselors were tasked with hosting three parent training sessions on topics related to student wellness.

Despite their best efforts, the sessions were not well attended.

Counselors are going to revamp parent outreach efforts that address student mental wellbeing in spring 2023 utilizing a different format in order to gain more participation.

TCHATT is a program BISD utilizes to support our student’s mental health needs. Students attend virtual visits – lessening the burden on parents to find a provider and then travel to that provider.

As you can see from the slides below, BISD utilization of TCHATT is up from all of last year already in November. While I don’t like that the need is up, I am comforted that BISD is providing a needed service to our students.

YAM (Youth Aware of Mental Health) is a program provided to students at L.H. Rather. YAM is a school-based program for young people ages 13 to 17, in which they learn about and explore the topic of mental health. Students actively engage with the topic of mental health through role-play and student-led discussions. In YAM, students are invited to role-play and discuss everyday situations that are important to them. The topics range from relationships with peers and adults to changes in mood, feeling sad, or facing a stressful situation. As a group, the students reflect on how they might feel if faced by such events and discuss how to handle challenging real-life situations.

In the Spring of 2022, BHS Counselor Libinka Marvin, received training to become a YAM Facilitator courtesy of the Fannin Behavioral Health Leadership Team and was the facilitator for the YAM sessions at LHR.

The Fannin BHLT has secured Dr. Brenda Moore as our YAM Facilitator beginning Fall 2022.

L.H. Rather 8th grade students received the YAM program this fall.

Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors. The program reduces youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention.

Benefits of Hope Squad implementation:

• Empower the natural helpers in schools through peer-to-peer suicide prevention training.
• Raise awareness of mental health and youth suicide prevention resources.
• Educate students on how to recognize suicide warning signs and respectfully report concerns.
• Train students how to support fellow students who may be struggling.
• Increase connectedness, inclusion, and social-emotional learning skills.
• Increase help-seeking behaviors.
• Reduce suicide attempts.

BHS Counselor, Heather Hicks, completed her training at the beginning of the school year and has the Hope Squad working.

A new program, Rhithm, was requested by Tori Whitlock (L.H. Rather Counselor) and Libinka Marvin (former BHS Counselor) after they attended a training last spring (2022). When the Grant Halliburton Foundation learned we were inquiring about pricing, they reached out to me and asked if they could fund it for us – of course, I said yes!

Rhithm allows teachers to bring a robust SEL (Social Emotional Learning) program into their classroom with no prep work and with less than three minutes of class time. It also allows educators, administrators, and district leaders to gather and view vital student well-being data. In addition to helping staff keep a pulse check on their students and intervene when necessary, these data points help guide Thrive programming, track outcomes, and show effectiveness.

In February 2022, Miss Texas - Mallory Fuller - visited I.W. Evans and talked to students about mental health care. Mallory wrote and published a children's book which teaches kids about the importance of having big goals, building good friendships and asking for help when their emotions just like they would if they were physically sick.

1st - 3rd grade students listened to Nicole Johnson from the Grant Haliburton Foundation in April 2022. They learned the importance of being resilient and how to handle situations they may face.

Mrs. Barnes presented "Bounce Back" - a program that discusses resiliency and positive mental health - to L.H. Rather students in September 2022.

Michael DeLeon shared some facts about choices and addiction with students at L.H. Rather in early September 2022.

Yvonne Williams presented "Building Resilience for When Life Gets Tough" at BHS in October 2022.

• This training was provided and funded by the Grant Haliburton Foundation.

Mrs. Williams spent two days at I.W. Evans in October 2022 speaking to each grade level about the importance of taking care of social and emotional health.

The administrative team has spent lots of time talking about ways we can teach our students to self-regulate their emotions and therefore, their stress level. At administrator Huddle Meetings, we have brainstormed simple, no cost and quick activities that are age appropriate to model, teach and have students practice that will help them manage their stress or anxiety. Principals then share these ideas with staff.

Mrs. Hughes is only one example of the students practicing these skills. Mrs. Hughes' bell ringer was relaxing time - promoting clear thinking and self-reflection.

The return to the second semester was high energy with motivational speaker Jake Thompson. The staff relayed he was relatable, real and genuine; they felt his message was something they would remember and use again later.

He spoke about “winning the next important thing” – breaking each day into small tasks that are easy to accomplish in order to not feel overwhelmed with what has to be completed. Jake also talked about improving the stories you tell yourself – discussing how negative and positive self-talk influence our outcomes. Finally, Mr. Thompson stressed the importance of completing the work together and focusing on not letting your teammates “be drug out to sea” with his Navy Seal reference.

At Convocation, staff were afforded the opportunity to learn from Jovan Glasgow. He was an engaging speaker who easily related to our staff.

Jovan focused on "thriving through adversity" as our staff are still navigating adversity professionally. Jovan brought a different perspective about 'adversity' - he shared how it could be an opportunity for change, for a breakthrough; he shared with staff that this is how he uses adversity. Jovan explained his approach to life and taught us about using all of our experiences, both the good and the bad, as the raw materials for personal growth.

I received many compliments on bringing Jovan in as the convocation speaker - staff felt he understand their struggles and appreciated his perspective.

Mental health and physical health are closely connected. Physical activity has many well-established mental health benefits and include improved brain health and cognitive function (the ability to think, if you will), a reduced risk of anxiety and depression, and improved sleep and overall quality of life. Although not a cure-all, increasing physical activity directly contributes to improved mental health and better overall health and well-being. The good news is that even small amounts of physical activity can immediately reduce symptoms of anxiety in adults and older adults. Depression has also shown to be responsive to physical activity. Research suggests that increased physical activity, of any kind, can improve depression symptoms experienced by people across the lifespan. Engaging in regular physical activity has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing depression in children and adults.

With an excess proceeds checks from a delinquent tax collections lawsuit, I purchased a treadmill and stair climber for each campus, FCSSA and the Maintenance/Transportation Department.

MDLIVE provides urgent care, behavioral/mental health and dermatology services using a smartphone, tablet or computer 24/7. The doctors can help with more than 80 common medical conditions.

Employee plus Family coverage is $4.50 per employee per month and is purchased by the District. This plan provides coverage for all employees and their entire family regardless of whether or not they take health insurance with the school or even have medical insurance at all.

This costs the District approximately $19,000 per year to cover all employees.

Attract and retain a high quality staff by offering competitive compensation, great working conditions and recognizing excellence in performance.

In May, I asked staff 'What Keeps You Motivated?' One hundred seventy-one staff responded with their one word.

Faith/God and family were the most repeated followed by kids/students and hope.

In December I asked staff to respond with one word that described how they were feeling at the end of the semester.

I shared the results with staff at the January staff development presentation; they are shared in the picture below.

At the next Administrative Huddle Meeting, after the staff development day in January, campus administrators talked about what we could 'take off the plates' of staff or change to make them feel less stressed and challenged. Several campuses have done brief surveys with staff. Once results are in, the team will determine what we can do without jeopardizing progress toward academic success.

I conducted Stay Interviews at each campus.

● Fri. Oct. 21 @ I.W. Evans

● Mon. Oct. 24 @ BHS

● Thur. Nov. 3 @ Finley-Oates

● Mon. Nov. 7 @ L.H. Rather

● Mon. Nov. 14 @ Bailey Inglish

My guiding questions were as follows: Why do you like working at BISD? What makes you proud? What is a barrier to your work? How could I help with that?

Mrs. Daniel and I then completed all campus debrief meetings before the holiday break. For each one, I shared ‘glows’, ‘grows’ and ‘concerns’ as well as other outlier information obtained.

Overall the stay interviews were very positive. I sent you a compilation of what was discussed in 12/16/22 Board Notes.

During the spring, I studied comparable and surrounding district pay scales, talking to area superintendents about their plans regarding increases to pay scales. I created 20-ish versions trying to find a way to maximize the dollars while also allowing everyone to see a pay increase. Below were the final results.

TEACHER, COUNSELOR & LIBRARIAN PAY SCALE:

• After evaluating estimated additional revenue based on an increase in student ADA due to a small increase in enrollment PK-12, I recommended increases to every step of the Teacher, Counselor & Librarian Pay Scale.

• This cost was estimated at $336,237. The figure was based on 2021-2022 employees and assuming they were all returning at the next higher pay step. Knowing we would have resignations and new personnel, that number changed based on experience levels of those leaving versus the employees we are hiring.
• With the proposed pay scale, all returning employees realized a raise from the 2021-22 school year to the 2022-23 school year in an amount no less than $1,000. The highest increase an employee will receive is $5,700 – this is due to raising step 0 to $43,000. Those teachers in their first ten years will receive the biggest raises from the current year to the next.
  

PROFESSIONAL SCALE:

• No changes

CLERICAL SCALE:

• Moved highlighted position from CL6 to CL4 since it is an entry level position.

AUXILARY SCALE:

• No changes

STIPEND SCALE:

• Added Bass Fishing Team sponsor stipend and deleted stipends BISD no longer offers.

FCSSA SLP ASST, DIAG, LSSP, SLP & BEH SPEC SCALE:

• Mrs. Richardson reworked to scale to match the 2021-22 Grayson County Coop scale.
• The scale was approved by the FCSSA Board on May 19, 2022.

FCSSA CLERICAL, SPECIALTY & ADMINISTRATIVE SCALE:

• No changes
• The scale was approved by the FCSSA Board on May 19, 2022.

FCSSA STIPEND SCALE:

• Increased Special Education Shortage by $1,000 to $2,500 to retain those teachers in the TSS and Trails classrooms.
• Addition of Speech CCC’s stipend to offer competitive pay for speech therapists that we are struggling to retain and employee.
• The scale was approved by the FCSSA Board on May 19, 2022.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER:

• Increased all levels by $5 per day to remain competitive and combat the sub shortage to increase instructional time.
  

MIDPOINT RAISES:

• 3% of midpoint raises for paraprofessionals, clerical and auxiliary staff. Impact to the budget is estimated at $40,713.45.
• 3% of midpoint raises for professional staff. Impact to the budget is estimated at $44,927.05.

When staff attended 2022 Convocation, they were surprised with a retention stipend in the amount of $500. This additional compensation was a welcomed surprise and helped staff get school supplies and clothes for the children and themselves to start school.

Ensure all students have high levels of academic achievement with a focus on literacy and mathematics through improved leadership, instruction, support and a climate of continuous improvement.

Saxon Phonics was wholly implemented in the winter of 2022 once all consumable supplies and teacher materials were received. The program has continued to be utilized for the 2022-2023 school year.

Saxon Phonics and Spelling was developed to provide targeted foundational skill instruction using interactive, multisensory approaches to keep students engaged, excited, and advancing.

Continual, incremental review throughout the year ensures long-term success.

Daily practice and review deepens understanding and strengthens students’ ability to apply concepts consistently.

Explicit instruction in critical foundational skills such as high-frequency words, phonics and phonemic awareness, spelling, and more combine with interactive classroom materials to create an environment where students want to learn.

Due to explicit phonics instruction provided by the Saxon program,

• The majority of students have increased by several levels in the Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading instructional program.
• The preliminary CLI and TPRI data indicate improvement in categories such as letter recognition, letter sounds, blending phonemes and word reading.
• As of December, over half of the kindergarten students met their growth goal and our kindergarten students are in the 75th achievement percentile for MAP reading.

Added the IXL Reading/Language Arts application to our current license to support Reading Language Arts intervention at Finley-Oates, I.W. Evans, L.H. Rather and BHS.

From phonics and reading comprehension to writing strategies and more, IXL helps learners develop the communication skills needed for success in school, college, and career.

Implemented MAP growth assessment program in grades K, 1, and 2 to allow for better student performance and consistent growth analysis across the district. We currently utilized MAP in grades 3-12 and added the lower elementary grades for the 2022-2023 school year.

MAP Growth is an innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading, language usage, and science. It provides teachers with accurate, actionable evidence to help inform instructional strategies regardless of how far students are above or below grade level.

Reliable insights make it simple for teachers to find common areas of need among their students, identify students who could benefit from intervention, and determine which instructional strategies are generating the most academic growth.

Implemented Reading Horizons Dyslexia program at Finley-Oates and I.W. Evans. Six staff members have been trained to teach the program on those two campuses.

The Reading Horizons approach to reading instruction is aligned to the principles of reading science—it engages students in explicit and systematic phonics instruction that fit into the structured literacy framework. By minimizing the number of rules and skills that students are taught during explicit phonics instruction and connecting these skills to visual cues—students easily remember this process when decoding words into their proper sounds and syllables.

Implemented Phase III of Reading Academies at Finley-Oates. Six staff are currently attending "The Science of Teaching Reading". All currently employed K-3 teachers will be trained by the end of 2022-2023 school year.

Per House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June of 2019, all kindergarten through third grade teachers and principals must attend a "teacher literacy achievement academy" by the 2022 - 2023 school year. All K-3 teachers, including special education teachers, and principals are required to attend the HB 3 Reading Academies. Districts (LEAs) continue to have authority to exempt art, health education, music, physical education, speech communication and theatre arts, or theatre teachers.

Coach Payne worked with a Region 10 program in order to get certified to certify all students in the Exercise Science and Wellness program. Coach Payne received her certification as an Instructor of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in February 2022.

Through this certification, Coach Payne was able to certify all of her students as Community Health Workers which will earn them a recognized Industry-based Certification.

CHWs are non-medical public health workers who connect communities to their health care systems and social service providers. Community Health Worker is an umbrella term that includes a range of community health aides. They are typically citizens of the community they serve and support the health care system as a volunteer or paid aide. They are community advocates and are often agents of social change. Their duties include: home visits, first aid, treatment of simple illness, health education, maternal and child health support, sanitation of the environment, community development activities and recordkeeping and collection of data. The program was developed by the Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS).

I appreciate Coach Payne's willingness to earn this certification to better serve our students. This is a great opportunity and I am excited to be able to offer this.

Coach Sauceda will work to obtain her certification in order that we can continue this IBC.

Mr. Branam and Mr. Hicks have connected with the student body at BHS which is having a positive impact on the campus culture and student and teacher morale.

Overall, disciplinary referrals are down for minor offenses and students are being held accountable for their behavioral choices.

Mr. Branam was instrumental is seeing that consequences for vaping on campus resulted in mandatory DAEP placement. His initiative led to a change in the BISD Student Code of Conduct.

Under Mr. Branam's leadership, the amount of students earning CCMR points is increasing quickly.

In order to more effectively enact progress and change within our CTE programs, Mrs. Buckaloo was reassigned to CCMR and Assessment Coordinator. Her role is to oversee all CCMR activities – this includes CTE, TSIA, ACT, SAT, ASVAB and AP testing as well as some of the special programs including those supporting our English Learners and our GT students.

She has specific knowledge about the number of students who are earning CCMR points in each possible category. Mrs. Buckaloo is tracking this data and at the semester's end, BHS is already 2/3 of the way to meeting CCMR points earned in all of last year.

Promote a positive and service-oriented culture within the Bonham ISD.

To celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, BISD brought donuts to officers at the Bonham Police Department and to deputies at the Fannin County Sherriff's Department.

In February, central office staff members each donated money and purchased 21 pairs of house shoes and delivered them to local nursing homes with a hand-written note.

Central Office staff delivered bags of microwave popcorn with a note of encouragement to every staff member in the District in March.

In April we celebrated National Public Safety Tele-communicators Week.

Bonham ISD Central Office kicked off their celebration of appreciation by providing lunch or dinner for the four dispatchers (2 at lunch and 2 at dinner) at both the Bonham Police Department and the Fannin County Sherriff’s Department.

They enjoyed a meal from Hickory BBQ.

Central Office staff worked crosswalk duties at I.W. Evans on both Center St. and Main St. and at L.H. Rather on Main St. for two weeks in September in order to give campus staff a break from their morning or afternoon duty.

It was a good reminder of all the duties that must take place in order to keep our students SAFE while getting to and leaving school.

Each central office staff member decorated a pumpkin to go into the Finley-Oates Fall Festival to be bid on and purchased. We helped them raise a few more dollars and we had fun making them!

Coaches Against Cancer – This was the idea of Coach Bockman and Coach Hicks who have both been closely touched by cancer in their personal life. For Coaches Against Cancer, coaches wear blazers and tennis shoes to show their support. The Gunter Tigers' coaches joined in and we received several additional donations from Gunter fans.

In addition, we chose for our gate collections for the January 25th basketball games to be donated to Mrs. Patsy Wilson, mother of William Farris – who is an educational aide in the TSS classroom at I.W. Evans. Patsy was battling cancer at the time.

$524 in gate collections plus an additional $365 in donations were collected. In total, $889 was donated to Mrs. Wilson and her medical costs.

Several staff inquired about a District-wide fundraiser for Elvia Hernandez (Head Start Teacher who lost everything in house fire) and Sheila Purser (2nd Grade Teacher whose husband had just died from cancer). They came up with the following idea: staff paying $10 to wear t-shirt/sweatshirts the week before Spring Break and staff and students paying $1 to wear a hat on two Fridays in March.

In total, $2900 was raised and each staff member received $1450.

BISD's August District wide fundraiser was to benefit TSS paraprofessional, William Farris. He was in need of assistance in paying for his mother’s funeral after she lost her long battle with cancer. Campus administrators developed this plan and we were all happy to help him out!

Staff donated $10 to wear t-shirts and tennis shoes for the last two weeks of August; staff and students donated $1 to wear a hat on Friday, August 26th.

In total, Bonham ISD staff and students raised $2,819 for William Farris.

For our fall district wide service project, all campuses took a turn and either provided a meal for the Getting Ahead Program or the Reboot Program during the months of August, September, October and November.

The Getting Ahead Program works with participants (many of whom have children in our schools) to examine their own experiences of inadequate resources as well as explore issues that impact success such as banking, housing, jobs and transportation to gain information to take action to end the cycle of poverty.

The Reboot Program focuses on healing for veterans suffering from PTSD.

The Warrior Care Fund was the recipient of the September district wide and community wide service project.

BHS Volleyball and Football gate collections from the games played during Homecoming week were donated to the Warrior Care Fund.

The Warrior Care Fund was established many years ago with athletic gate collections; our balance dipped to under $500 and needed to be replenished.

The Fund is used to assist BISD families during times of hardship – the fund has been used to assist with a student funeral, help secure housing when fire devastates a family, pay a utility bill when a family is in a bind or provide gas or food money when children are hospitalized just to name a few.

Dana Coker, First United Methodist Pastor, maintains and oversees the Fund. Mrs. Coker meets with the families in need and then determines if their needs and situation fit the criteria. Mrs. Coker will always get approval from me before releasing funds.

$375 was collected at the homecoming volleyball gate and $8479.75 was collected at the homecoming football gates.

$8854.75 was presented to Dana Coker, from the Fannin County Ministerial Alliance, to deposit into the Warrior Care Fund.

Great Days of Service

● The LHR National Junior Honor Society and Student Council members helped at Bailey Inglish sorting, boxing and loading 8,845 food items that were distributed to the Manna House, Crisis Center, Presbyterian Blessing Box and the Food Pantry.

● Bonham High School National Honor Society members helped clean Catron Park, Simpson Park, Powder Creek and the Bailey Inglish Cemetery.

● Bonham High School Soccer teams moved the Foster Village to their new location.

BISD staff donated 85 blankets that were given away in the first 35 minutes at the Spirit of Giving event on Saturday, November 19th.

Our table was one of the first to ‘sell out’ – we will definitely give away blankets again next year; it was a highly desired item.

During each athletic season, Jake Shockley recognizes student athletes from each of the county high schools.

Twelve BISD students received the award in 2022. In addition, one coach and three inspirational teachers were recognized.

Each month school is in session, Texas Farm Bureau recognizes a Teacher of the Month. Teachers are either selected by me or campus administrators to reward the things they do because they are life-changers who love and support our students.

Approximately 2 teachers per campus win the award each year.

Pastoral Alliance breakfast meetings are held at local area churches throughout the school year. During our meetings, school staff (counselors and campus administrators) share their upcoming needs and local pastors share resources their church provides or are associated with.

This partnership has allowed each campus to be adopted by one or more churches who pray for the staff, provide snacks and meals and are the first 'go-to' when something is needed for a students. In addition, we have created and utilize a Pastoral Alliance Group Me to share needs and solutions to those needs quickly.

Through our partnership, many local churches and church members are involved in school activities such as working in the football concession stand, mentoring students, substitute teaching, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meetings and prayer walks.

This is a great partnership – one is which Bonham ISD is blessed to be a part of.

In an effort to bridge the gap between youth sports and high school athletics, in addition to building excitement about our extra-curricular programs, Little Dribblers were invited and recognized during a Warrior basketball game in January.

For Project Celebration, Mrs. Marvin's (former BHS counselor) Hope Squad members developed a video for the Department of Transportation’s PSA Contest. The students wrote, shot and produced a short video Public Service Announcement that emphasized the dangers teen drivers sometimes face, such as distracted driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts, or driving under the influence. While they did not place, the video won a mini grant in the amount of $750 which helped pay for the Senior Trip.

In February, Coach Hicks and two boys basketball players, Avian McCain and Michael Crosby, visited the Kiwanis Club and talked about what it means to them to be a Purple Warrior basketball player. They also shared what it means to #BringTheJuice and #BleedPurple.

So glad they represented BHS!

In April, Jenny and Chris educated the Rotary Club members about specific ways Bonham ISD is working to close delays in instruction caused by COVID, increase reading and math literacy and improve college, career and military readiness.

Their presentation was very well received and the club had some great questions for them – which they answered very well!

In April, I delivered a presentation to the Kiwanis Club about the May 2022 Bond Election.

I think it was well received and several members offered words of support.

In April, BISD students are featured on the Cover of a TEA Newsletter.

A few years ago, TEA solicited student pictures to use on their monthly newsletters. Jordan Thompson submitted several and this one was chosen!!

#PuttingBonhamOnTheMap

Bonham Warrior Band performs at the Red River Art, Wine and Music Festival at the Bonham Creative Arts Center in May 2022.

During the Spring of 2022, the Bonham Chamber of Commerce hosted two luncheons for Chamber members to attend.

At the first luncheon in April, I was invited to give the keynote presentation. I provided a general BISD update and brief bond presentation.

At the second luncheon in June, I shared a brief update regarding BISD safety and security. I covered topics regarding our Police Department, Standard Response Protocols utilized, and the Defender Program.

Matthew Floyd and Wyatt Lacy (BHS Seniors) presented at the Bonham Rotary Club meeting in August to share their experiences at Camp RYLA.

They boys were very well spoken about their Camp RYLA experiences and represented BHS very well.

Student groups routinely assist with Feeding Fanning. The PALS from L.H. Rather, BHS Lady Warrior athletes and BHS Student Council member regularly volunteer.

Thanks to the efforts of Cathie Patton and Tayler Hughes, the Homecoming Parade was a HUGE success. Participant and spectator turnout was amazing!!

I know of several school groups and businesses that plan to participate in the parade next year now that they know we are hosting one and will have more time to get something together.

The Bonham Chamber will also assist with parade planning, marketing and setup next year.

In September, Coach VanMeter and 3 fishing team members gave a presentation to the Bonham Rotary Club. They discussed the scholarship opportunities associated with participation in a Bass Fishing Team, how the boat captains are secured and their role as well as types of rods, reels and lures they use.

Several staff members represented Bonham ISD in the Walk 4 Hope in early October.

It was a great morning to visit with staff, get a few miles of exercise in and donate to a worthy cause of decreasing suicide and increasing mental health resources in Fannin County.

The Bonfire is an event that is anticipated each year. BHS is happy to host and share the event for BHS students with students of all ages, parents and the community!

Central Office staff handed out Halloween candy at Halloween on the Square. Bailey Inglish also had a table on the square.

It was great seeing so many current students as well as former students who are now trick-or-treating with their own children!

On Monday, October 31, Mayor Compton proclaimed the day as Bonham Robotics Day in honor of the team's success and participation in the STATE Coco BEST Competition. The Mayor read the proclamation aloud and presented it to Carson Arris and Maggie Vaught.

To help educate the community about the May 2022 Bond Election, BISD Board President Chance Roberts and I tried a new method of connecting with the community. We created and posted informational videos to Facebook. In all, we created 5 videos covering various topics.

Three BHS Ag Mech students built a tailgate bench for the Justice Is Served Live Auction held in November. Their teacher, Mr. Krodle, supervised the project and helped the students deliver it, but couldn’t attend the event.

Caleb, Connor, Andrew and their guests attended the event with Mrs. Godbey and me – which was so fun! I enjoyed getting to talk with them and was glad they got to see how much money their bench raised for the Children’s Center. Chief Dean was the winning bid and won the bench for $700.

In November, the BHS Robotics Team presented to the Bonham Rotary Club. The notebook lead, presentation lead, marketing lead and robot lead each explained the purpose of their role within the whole project and what they did in creating it this year.

During Thanksgiving Break, BISD received a $500 donation from Jake Shockley State Farm.

I gave the money to BHS counselor, Heather Hicks, to purchase cold weather gear for high school students in need.

Proud of this community support for our students!

Each BISD campus received $600 from Chi Lambda in early December.

Monies were used to purchase items/clothing for students in financial need.

Chi Lambda President, Jeri Lea Johnson and I presented the checks to the principals.

Improve academic achievement of all students through communication, access to information and a network of community partnerships.

Texoma Promise is a program to help remove the financial barrier from a student who desires to attend school to learn a skill or trade or obtain a degree. Their goal is to make college affordable for anyone willing to commit and follow through. Through Texoma Promise, graduating high school students can earn a certificate, associate, or bachelor's degree with no out-of-pocket tuition costs. The Texoma Promise is more than just a scholarship. Mentoring and workforce opportunities are provided from Texoma area leaders and businesses.

The program is provided to BHS students by Grayson College.

Cody Vasquez gave a virtual presentation showcasing Angelo State University to seniors at BHS.

Copan Combs, recruiter from OSU, shared with BHS Seniors what it would be like to be an OSU Cowboy in September 2022.

Exposing students to college campuses is an important first step allowing them to picture themselves on a college campus.

Constitution Field Trip Day at Austin College was an academic event piloted this fall. BHS was one of three schools invited to attend. The Pre-Law Society held two undergraduate-level panel discussions about the constitution. This was followed by lunch and a keynote speech by Texas State Representative, Reggie Smith.

The service project of the Bonham Rotary Club for the month of August was to collect 54 books to donate to the two Pre-K classrooms at Bailey Inglish.

Two Rotarians and I delivered the books. The students were very excited!

• L.H. Rather PALS come over each week to read with and work on other skills as assigned by the classroom teacher with their Pre-K/Head Start student.
• Bonham Public Library Board members come to Bailey Inglish and read with students.
• Each month one classroom takes a field trip to the Bonham Public Library where the tour the library and staff read to them.
• Foster Grandparents read with students regularly.
• Three to four times a year, the principal visits each classroom. At that time, she reads the class a story and leads an activity related to the book read.

• L. H. Rather PALS are assigned students at Finley-Oates. Each week those PALS read books to and with them.
• Finley-Oates has begun to utilize some internal readers - 3rd grade students/classes will partner with a kindergarten class and read to them.
• Students are able to read to Pepper - the therapy dog!
• Foster Grandparents are utilized to read to and with students needing individual attention.
• Mrs. Hilliard visits each class during December and reads to them dressed as an Elf. Mrs. Fox reads a Dr. Seuss book to each classroom during Dr. Seuss week.
• Book It Program - this is a partnership with Pizza Hut and is an incentive program to motivate students to read by providing certificates good for a free, one-topping personal pan pizza when a certain number of books are read and logged.
• Six Flags Read to Succeed is another motivational reading program utilized by Finley-Oates. If students read for 360 minutes, they receive a free ticket to Six Flags.

• Several students have obtained mentors this year that read with students, monitor grades and encourage good behavior.
• Due to the inability to restart the VA partnership after COVID, I.W. Evans has gotten creative and is utilizing some internal mentorships. For example, one 6th grade students is serving as a 'big brother' to the Pre-K students in the TSS room. They work on letter recognition and sounds and the 6th grader reads to his buddy. In addition, Mrs. Bennett (Library Aide) and Ms. Kelson (Life Skills Teacher) collaborate to have general education students read with Life Skills students in the library.

Be excellent stewards of taxpayer funds in a transparent environment.

All light bulbs were replaced with LED bulbs. This upgrade made the gym brighter as well as being more energy efficient.

The ceiling covering was repaired in the Robyn G. Hill Gym at LHR. Our maintenance department did a great job improving our facilities.

District officials had been monitoring and measuring the impact attenuation (ability of surfaces to absorb shocks due to impact) of the playing surface. The rating was not acceptable and my concern was that players could become injured if the turf was not replaced soon.

During the summer of 2022, the football field turf was replaced. During the process it was discovered no pad was installed under the original turf. A pad and new nailer board was installed with this project.

Of course, I am most proud of the large Warrior head at the 50-yard line in addition to more purple and the alternating shades of green!

The drop off and pick up drive on the north side of Finley-Oates was torn out and replaced during the summer with concrete. Included in the project was the removal of the concrete median which was replaced with a flexible divider. An additional lane exit was added, just east of the parking lot, so visitors exiting the campus have two lanes to exit from.

A xx spot parking lot was added just off the science wing at BHS - south side of that wing. Staff utilize the parking lot during the day and it provides additional event parking in the evenings and weekends.