GCISD Highlights 2009

January is almost over, and our new semester is in full swing. I would like to take this opportunity to review some of the many accomplishments in our district during last year.

The year started with a partnership with Allied Waste Services to establish a district-wide recycling program. This is a great initiative to teach our students the value of keeping our planet clean, reducing waste, and decreasing emissions that affect the air we breathe.

During the month of February, eleven of our schools made it to the National Center for Educational Achievement list (BES, CES, GES, GHES, HES, TES, CMS, CTMS, HMS, CHHS and GHS) for outstanding performance across multiple grades and years.

We had our high school graduations in June. Our GHS top students were Salutatorian Heejung Park and Valedictorian Christopher Newkirk. From CHHS, Salutatorian Alexander Nasr, Valedictorian Joseph Yu were the top students. We also welcomed Tona Taylor as the new principal at Cannon Elementary. During this month, Leigh Hockenbrough (BES) and Tim Bressler (HMS) were announced as the GCISD Teachers of the Year.

In July, TEA released the Accountability Ratings for districts across the state, and GCISD earned Recognized status for the second year in a row. Ten of our campuses earned Exemplary status. The district also saw significant improvements in test scores in the areas of Math and Science, while continuing to show top performances in Reading, Writing and Social Studies. For the first time since TAKS replaced TAAS as the tool to measure district performance in the state (2003), over 90% of our students passed the test in each subject area. Also during this month, we welcomed June Ritchlin as the new principal at Colleyville Elementary. Mrs. Ritchlin joined GCISD from Katy ISD.

In August, our school year started with a new bell schedule, which allowed the district to better serve the transportation needs of our students while avoiding the purchase of additional buses, saving thousands of dollars in our budget. A report to the Board on our Advanced Placement (AP) program showed that GCISD has one of the top 4 programs in North Texas, based on participation and AP exam passing rates. In September, the district started offering an enhanced dyslexia program in partnership with the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. Also this month, Bransford, Glenhope and Timberline elementary schools were named to the Texas Business & Education Coalition Honor Roll.

During the month of December, TEA awarded Gold Performance Acknowledgements to GCISD and both high schools based on the new state college readiness indicators.

Congratulations to GCISD for a great year!