Antonio Vaughn has been selected as one of the Middle School Coaches of the Year for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC). He was nominated by Coach Tate Batton.
Batton remarked,” He is one of the best young coaches I’ve been privileged to work with over my 8 years. I challenged him this year with coaching our 7th grade boys’ team. Vaughn took a group of boys that really needed to learn fundamentals, how to play the game of basketball, and how to find a drive within themselves to compete. I can say without a doubt he exceeded expectations with this group of boys! He had to deal with kids being injured, sick, and have multiple kids on his team that hadn’t ever played basketball.”
“He always found a way to monitor and adjust his team no matter who he had available to where they competed at a very high level to win games. During our practices I could trust Vaughn to structure his own practice plan in order to develop his players skill set to where they grew as athletes and men every day,” added Batton.
“I enjoyed watching the 7th grade boys’ basketball team improve throughout the season. We got better each week and seeing the reaction from the community kept me striving. My favorite memory was beating Perryton over at their place. It was a tough environment, and the boys played their hearts out,” reminisced Vaughn.
Vaughn’s plans are to continue to build the basketball program. “I am going to continue to push my boys harder than before. My goal is to show their parents and community the 7th grade class has talent like no other,” shared Vaughn proudly.
“Vaughn is the type of coach and person that kids love to play hard for and be around. He has a great relationship with all the kids at our school. I watched him coach his players very hard at times during the season, and they always responded in a positive way,” shared Batton.
Batton continued,” Vaughn is a great coach because he has structure, accountability, and a love for kids.
Vaughn wears many hats like all coaches in a rural school district. He coaches football, basketball, and track. “I enjoy getting to teach the students and student athletes’ different things that I was taught whether it be on the playing field or aspects of life,” shared Vaughn.
Vaughn is a graduate of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He is currently in his first year of teaching and is a member of the Lynx to Learning Academy. He teaches high school physical education and strives to build that program as well.
Congratulations on receiving this prestigious award!
Junior High Parents:
Tomorrow Wednesday, April 26th, our lunch schedule will be as follows:
7th grade: 12:12 pm
6th & 8th grade: 12:45 pm
Great job representing Spearman ISD at the State Tennis Championship, Jeb!
#LYNXNATION
Read with a Buddy is a program designed to mentor first and second grade students. Reading is the tool used in the program, but the support extends beyond the reading.
Sheryl Meek and Karen Thompson were instrumental in starting this program in 2013. Adult mentors meet one day a week with their buddy during the spring semester.
A party was held to celebrate the 2023 program year. Mentors and students shared about what the program meant to them. One student said, "I like the program, and I wish I could do it again next year." Another student added," My buddy is cool!"
Wishing Jeb Garnett all the best as he competes in the State Tennis Tournament!
Congratulations to Rhonda Smith as she will be retiring from education for twenty-five years. She has worked the last eleven years at Gus Birdwell Elementary.
Smith has taught prekindergarten, fourth grade math, English as a Second Language (ESL), and Reading Lab during her career.
Smith shared a funny memory,” I taught my youngest son for six weeks, but had to kick him out of my class because he could not handle sharing mom with others.” When you work in a small school district, you are often times blessed to teach your own children but even more blessed when you get to teach your grandchildren. Smith shared, “I taught two of my grandchildren; what a blessing that has been.”
Smith learned at a young age she was called to be a teacher. “My grandmother kept kids in her home, and I loved spending the summers with her. She babysat a little boy that had a speech impairment. I worked with him every day and by the end of summer he had improved tremendously. I knew then that my calling was to be in education,” reminisced Smith.
The Smith’s are relocating to Brownwood, Texas and will run an RV park and cabin rentals. They are looking forward to spending time with grandchildren and ministering to those that stay at their place.
Thank you for your service in education. You will be greatly missed. Enjoy retirement!
Please join us Tuesday, April 25th at 6 pm in the Spearman High School Cafeteria for the Spearman FFA Banquet. We strongly encourage all FFA students and their parents to attend. Additionally, all FFA sponsors with Gold, Silver, or Bronze status are welcome to join us in celebrating our accomplishments.
The students in Mrs. Meiwes' freshman class are trying out a new recipe in class. and then will cook it at home for their family.
Week of 4-24-23
Cheerleaders for 2023-2024
Spearman High School Employee of the Month
Stephania Hernandez teaches Spanish at Spearman High School. She joined the SISD team in October after the departure of the Spanish teacher.
“If you were to walk into Mrs. Hernandez’s classroom, you would never know she was a first-year teacher. When she came to the district, her first goal was to build relationships with all of the students in her classroom while maintaining structure needed to ensure a positive educational environment,” stated James Layman, Spearman High School Principal.
Making learning fun is something Hernandez has accomplished. Layman continued, “Mrs. Hernandez has a talent for the classroom and planning, and if you were to talk to her students, I would guarantee that for many of them, their favorite part of the year was hearing her Rap the alphabet in Spanish!”
“She has a heart for the students in Spearman and has a personality as big as the Texas sky. She is constantly looking for ways to keep her students engaged, and seeks feedback on how to grow professionally. Mrs. Hernandez has been a blessing for SHS,” smiled Layman.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Spearman Junior High Employee of the Month
Susie Seaman teaches 8th grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and one section of 7th grade ELAR. She serves on the district’s teacher voice committee and is part of the process champion group for Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) at the junior high
.
The students benefit by having Seaman as their teacher. “Mrs. Seaman is a master at her craft. She holds students to a very high standard while showing that she genuinely cares for them. She already had many of the CKH practices before we started the program. For example, she always does a great job of greeting students at the door to help set the tone for how class will go. When “good things” are discussed, she does a great job of making the students sharing feel relevant and valuable. She also has a built-in system for class rewards to help build a friendly competition between them,” shared Craig Black, Spearman Junior High Principal.
Black continued,” Mrs. Seaman is very organized, punctual, and is not afraid to dive into the data for her students. Her data dives help her drive her instruction to see what areas she needs to target for each individual student. This has proved to be beneficial for all of her students, and it is very evident from the scores that her students produce.”
Input is a valuable resource in education. “Mrs. Seaman is very honest and is not afraid to say when things are good or how something could improve. She is always very direct in conversations, so you know how things are going. I appreciate this because we can be very candid with one another to help make our campus a better place for students,” smiled Black,
Seaman will take on a challenge and conquer it. Black added, “Mrs. Seaman’s success in the classroom is a direct reflection of the relationships that she builds with her students. It truly bothers her when she feels like she is not reaching a particular student. This does not deter her from continuing to work hard for that student but makes her more determined. She is up for the challenge.”
“Mrs. Seaman is a great asset for Spearman Junior High, and we are blessed to have her on campus,” said Black.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Gus Birdwell Elementary Employee of the Month
Dixie Smith teaches Response to Intervention (RtI) math and the Gifted and Talented (GT) program. Mrs. Beck shared, “Dixie is extremely organized, hardworking, and a very kind and thoughtful person.” Her organizational skills make everyone’s job easier. Our campus just completed the third round of progress monitoring tests, and this runs so smoothly because of Dixie's hard work. She works closely with the teachers to make sure she is supporting the student's needs in the regular classroom,” added Beck.
The GT program at the elementary campus has many great things going on at this time. “When Mrs. Smith took over the GT program, she asked what it should like look. I gave her some very loose guidelines and she took it from there. She has done an exceptional job coming up with fun, creative activities that our students enjoy,” stated Beck.
Smith loves her students and they love her. “The students who she works with love her and work hard for her. We are so lucky to have Dixie on our campus!” smiled Beck.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Call or stop by the business office if these keys are yours.
Spearman ISD Business office (403 E. 11th Ave) EAST doors
806-659-3233
Wishing our SHS UIL Academics team the best of luck as they compete in the UIL Academic Regional Meet in Abilene today!
The school board members had the privilege of hearing members from the Adult ESL class speak about their learning. The Adult ESL class started five years ago and continues to serve adult students. Over 130 students have participated in the program over the past five years.
The school board members recognized the One Act Play cast and crew for their accomplishments at the district competition. A special thank you was given to Brandi Cogdill for her success as director.
Congratulations to Marilynn Ortiz and Hudson Swan for being selected as the 8th grade Students of the Month.
The Class of 2023 Lynx to Learning Academy members were recognized by the school board members. Congratulations, on a successful year!
The Lion's Club Students of the Month were recognized at the Spearman Lion's Club and school board meetings. Congratulations, Estafany Tarango and Jesus Marquez!
