School Transformation: A Lesson from Popeyes

If you follow me on twitter and have read a few things I have written, I often talk about how to improve schools.  Many times I believe that some schools do not improve because many people take the wrong approach to school improvement.  We must all remember that schools do not get better because you change things.  They get better because you change the mindset of the stakeholders within the school.

As a fan of fried chicken I came across an article from Brian Solomon of Forbes Magazine about the transformation that took place at Popeyes Chicken.  If you are like me and love fried chicken, you know that Popeyes makes good chicken.  No one can deny that!  However the company was suffering and needed help.  Well, help came in the form of Cheryl Bachelder, the newly hired CEO.  She has been the CEO for 7 years and the last 5 years they have seen unprecedented growth.

So what does fried chicken have to do with transforming a school? I believe the steps that Ms. Bachelder took to transform Popeyes can be applied to schools.

**The first thing that she noticed was that Popeyes restaurants had an image problem.  I can surely echo that.  They were dark and dingy, and sometimes plain dirty.  The actual chicken was good, but folk were starting to believe it wasn't good based on "the look" of the restaurants.  The same is true of schools.  You have to start from the inside out with the culture of the school.  It has to be bright and happy filled with folks that want to move the school forward.  When people enter they have to believe that their child is receiving a quality education.

**The second thing she did was track how each restaurant was doing after they changed the look and feel of the restaurants.  If you want the people to believe that they are actually doing better after you improve culture you have to back it up with data.  If we say student performance will improve when we are better then they need proof.  Why do we do this?  We do it so we can know what all students learn and can do.  When we know this data we provide feedback incrementally.

**The next thing they figured out at Popeyes was that they needed to keep "the main thing the main thing."  If you go to Popeyes you will not see any salads on the menu.  Why?  It's because they are a fried chicken joint, who makes greasy fried chicken.  They do not make salads for P.R. purposes.  Ms. Bachelder simply tells people that she isn't here to solve the world's problems at Popeyes.  Schools can learn from this.  When we are transforming a school we need not do what everyone else is doing.  Just do what works for you and your school-community.  It makes things much simpler.

So what do you see when you go to Popeyes now?  The restaurants are bright and colorful, and their product, fried chicken is prominently featured.  They aren't ashamed of what they are, they own who they are.  This is a special word for those who are in our most challenging zip codes.  Celebrate the gifts your students bring!

So, let's learn from Popeyes as we transform schools into the places that will make students thrive.
*Change the look and feel (Culture)
*Use data to track the progress or lack thereof of your students so that you can ensure mastery of learning is taking place
*Keep the main thing the main thing!  You can achieve transformation by being who you are and not someone else.

Let's go to Popeyes!

Emphasizing Excellence

At Life School it is our hope that all stakeholders embrace a standard of excellence.  If we are all at our best the impossible can be made possible.  All of us must do our part to invest a standard of excellence into the lives of the students at Life School.  As members of the Life School family we must start emphasizing excellence within our students at an early age so as they grow older they will know what their standard is.

We must ensure that we emphasize excellence through our example, through adversity, and with love.

The example that we set with our children is paramount.  We all set the tone for them at an early age.  No single person has a larger influence on children besides the primary caregiver.  If we set the example high for our children they will work hard to reach the example that has been set for them.

We must also emphasize excellence through adversity.  We all know that tough times will come.  When adversity comes we have to show our children that we can still be excellent.  I have often said that adversity reveals who we really are.  If we have strong character and a standard of excellence even in tough times people will always know who we really are.

Finally we must emphasize excellence with love.  Even when your children do not reach your standard of excellence you must pour love into their lives.  We must always correct when needed, but it must always be in love.

Never forget the importance of excellence as we continue to build leadership in all of our Life School students.

What's Their Pulse?

Serving as a principal can be one of the most rewarding, yet challenging positions an individual can hold.  Each day is like a roller coaster filled with dramatic highs and lows. If you serve as a secondary principal you are faced with even more challenges as it relates to leading the students you serve.

Students have so many tools today that allow them to communicate quickly and effectively. Unlike adults, students utilize social media and messaging programs all day for everything! The list is endless! Students stay connected mostly through these mediums: twitter, snap chat, Instagram, and Kik. There are many others, but currently the four listed above are their favorites. 

So why should you know what their pulse is? It's simple, you are the principal and you are responsible for the effective management of the campus. As a HS principal I found that if you wanted to know about anything happening on campus, or what had the potential to happen you could find out about it on twitter. Long are the days that you have to wait for your student informant to give you all the info. That takes too long. Sometimes just searching the name of your school on twitter will tell it all! So what about that Senior prank? Someone's talking about it on twitter! What about that planned protest toward the new dress code? They have talked about it for a day and a half on twitter! Want to find out what the students think about a new planned initiative? No need for a survey! They have been having a no holds barred in depth discussion on twitter and Instagram for days about it! 

What was so unique about all of this was even though my students would discuss many things on twitter they always knew that I was aware of what was going on. They knew I respected them and most of them showed respect. Always know that deep down your students want to exist in a great environment. 

Distractions were always limited because we (most of the staff) knew the pulse of the students. We built relationships with them and were with them every step of the way. When we stepped into the building we were all family. 

So, what will you do to know their pulse? You've got to rethink your approach! It's tough to keep up with it all, but it will payoff handsomely in the end! 

Your First Principal Job! Great!

Congratulations! You just got your first principal job!  The job you have dreamed about your entire career!  The board of education has entrusted you to run an entire school.  If you are the principal of a large HS you are practically running a small city.  I know you are excited!  I have been blessed to have that wonderful feeling before.  I just wanted to give you a few pointers as you start your service as a school principal.

It is my belief that the school principal is the most important factor in how well, or not well the school will do.  If the principal does a good job, most likely the school will serve the students, and community well.  Every principal has their own personality and their own way of doing things, that's what makes leadership so special.  We all know that there isn't a cookie cutter approach to doing things right and transforming a school into the beacon of light that it should be.  However, as you begin service there a few things that can help you as you get started.

1. Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

I placed this first because it is so important.  Building relationships with your new school community is paramount.  Do not make the mistake of missing out on relationship building for "Putting your stamp" on the school.  If people get to know you and trust you, they will move with you as you try to create change.  Send a letter out to your new staff and community and invite them up to meet with you.  The welcome reception does not count.  You need to make time to visit with every staff member that takes the time to come to visit with you.  Use this time to listen to them, and not talk about yourself.  Follow the meeting up with a note or an email highlighting one item of importance that they mentioned to you.  Also spend time cultivating relationships with the leadership team that is already in place (assistant principals, counselors, department chairs/grade level leaders).

2. They Did Things Right Before You Arrived

Believe it or not the school did some great things before you got there.  Yes, I know you looked at the scores and they weren't so hot.  Yes, I know you looked at the discipline data and it wasn't so hot either.  This does not mean that things weren't going well at the school.  Again, take time to get to know people and how things actually worked at the school before you make big changes.  If the scores need work it is okay to let them know that "We will work together to make our instructional program better!"  They do not need you to beat them up about test scores when you first arrive and you do not even know them.  Always remember to ask questions before you make big changes! There is a reason that the policy or procedure was in place.  Just check it out.

3. Be Honest

Let's face it, you will be around these people everyday.  If a teacher wearing flip flops will send you over the edge, let them know right away.  This is good because they will not be surprised by it.  Your staff wants to trust and follow you.  If you communicate and communicate in an honest manner they will respect you even more.

4. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Yes! You are on twitter, and connected to a powerful PLN.  Each day you read twitter you see something new and exciting.  Maybe it's a new way to do a faculty meeting, or the newest idea on how to reach kids.  Stop! Take a minute and breathe! All of these things are probably good, but you are new to your campus.  You do not have to Flip your first faculty meeting.  This is great to do later on down the line.  The people will be nervous enough.  Remember they want to get to know you, they want you to get to know them, they want to know your vision for the instructional program, and they want to know that you will support them when the students struggle with behavior.  So, keep the main thing the main thing.

5. Don't Forget to Have Fun

Being a principal should be fun (even though many times it doesn't feel like it).  Smile a lot, shake hands, give hugs, and be there for the staff and students.  Dress up on the dress up days for Homecoming.  It's okay to get a little silly.

The work of the principal is so important.  You can truly transform the thinking of just about everyone in the building if you choose.  Just never forget that before you can transform their thinking they must get to know you, and trust you.

Be great!

For resources for principals please stop by www.texasprincipal.org

Herbert

Final Week!

Wow!  The last week of school has arrived!  I know the students are excited! We will continue with Senior finals and will begin finals for all students Wednesday.  Remember we have early release on Wednesday-Friday.  Graduation will be this Friday at 8:00 pm at the Tiger competition gym.

Please click here to access the final exam schedule: Final Exam Schedule 

Thank You Senior Men's Club

A Heart for Service!

A big thank you to all of the students who helped out with field/fun days around the district this past Friday.  Service is always a great way to give back!  There were many great comments from teachers and administrators across the district.  Thank you for having a  heart for service.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Volunteering at Field Day

UIL One Act Play
A huge shout out goes to our UIL One Act Play team.  They placed third at state!  This is amazing!  It was great to watch them perform at the beautiful Bass Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Texas @ Austin.  Hearing "Corsicana High School" over and over on the big stage was something that I will never forget.  Kudos to Ms. McLuckie and Mr. Healey for leading our students to success.  Shout out to Christian Minniear and Danny Phillips for earning an honorable mention all star cast award, and to Tiano McDonald for earning an all-star cast award.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Cast and Crew of Moby Dick Rehearsed

UIL Current Events
Another shout out goes to Leland Cook for placing 6th in UIL Current Events at state.  We are all proud of Leland Cook for once again representing Corsicana High School in a great way! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Leland Cook

UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest
Shout out to all of the students who did a great job at the UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest in Austin.  We had students to participate in Choir and Band.  Our students did an amazing job.

These percussionists in the Millenium percussion ensemble each received a first place medal:

Kevin Beldin
Patrick McLean
Miguel Pimentel
Lia Williams
Stacey Habib-Grant
Grayson Watkins
Briyana Miller
Cam Franklin
Hayley Smith
Katie Miller
Alberto Jimenez
Ricky Gonzalez
Grace Updegrove
Cameron Nelson

These students each received second for their brass ensembles:

Lexi Nelson
James McKissack
Hannah Murphy
Alex Cuellar
Zack Lewis
Jonathan Seaton
J'kneetra Dunbar
Oscar Flores
David Quinones
Danequa Dickson
Kati Alexander
Elizabeth Olvera
Menny Castro
Isaiah Palaimaea

These studenrs received 3rd for their saxophone quartet:

Jorge Escalante

Fabian Herrera

Natalie Herrin

Ramiro Ortiz

Congratulations to all of these students!

Choir:
1st Division Ratings:
Jasmine Ibanez
Zane Wilchar

2nd Division Ratings:
Reagan Fraze
Ana Garcia
Jennifer Gonzalez
Andrea Roundtree

Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Calicos 
The CHS Calico dance team will will be preparing to perform at the prelims of the World Cup Game at AT&T stadium this week.  They will travel to AT&T stadium on Thursday to rehearse with television producers, and other dancers in the DFW area.  It will be great to see them perform on the big stage! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions 

Final Exams

Final exams will begin for Seniors this Thursday and will begin for all other students the following Wednesday.  Please find the schedule here: Final Exam Schedule

Please click here for all of the CHS happenings.  

The finish line is almost here!

Have a great week! 

Top 3 Students of the Class of 2014

Thank You for the Wonderful Yearbook 

State UIL Academic Competition

Last week it was great to celebrate the amazing teachers of Corsicana High School.  Our teachers are the heartbeat of our school, and we are thankful to have so many great teachers at Corsicana High School.

Awards Day
We will have our annual awards day celebration this Thursday at 8:30 am.  This is such a great time to honor so many of our students.  Please feel free to come out and help us celebrate our wonderful students!

State UIL Participants 
This week many of our students will go to Austin to participate in state UIL academic events.  The first event will be the state UIL One Act Play competition.  We have 18 students participating which is awesome!  This is only the second time Corsicana High School has been to the state UIL One Act Play competition.  The last time was in 1963!  They will compete on Tuesday during the first session which begins at 4:00 pm at the Bass Concert Hall.  We compete 3rd.
Leland Cook will participate in the state Current Events competition.  This is Leland's second state competition this year.  He also participated in a state FFA competition.  He will compete Wednesday.
Band and Choir students will compete at the state Solo and Ensemble competition this Friday and Saturday. Students will compete at various times during these two days.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Distinguished Scholars Banquet

A big shout out to all of the students who are in the top 10% of Corsicana High School.  They were all honored at the 11th annual Corsicana Education Foundation's Dinstinguished Scholars Banquet.  Many of our faculty and staff members were also honored along with the students. 

Finishing Strong
Students we encourage you to continue to finish strong!  You have been doing great this year and we want to continue our greatness!  Your teachers will still ask a lot of you and I know you will respond like Corsicana Tigers always do!  Be great!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Senior Class of CHS

Prom and a Few Other Things!

Wow! Prom was amazing last night!  I want to first give a big shout out to Mrs. Fletes for doing a great job with prom.  So much hard work goes into putting on such a huge event.  She is one of the best at it!  Thanks for making the night special for all of our students that attended!

A Sneak Peak at Prom

We Love Our Teachers
We will celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week at Corsicana High School this week.  We are thankful that we have such an amazing group of teachers!

National Honor Society
Congratulations to all of the students inducted into the National Honor Society.  This is a great honor for all of the students and I know they will work hard to make the organization even stronger.  

Extracurricular Updates

Shout out to Noah Gilfillan for doing an awesome job at the state track meet in Austin.  He competed in the Pole Vault and got 2nd place.  It was great watching him compete and representing Corsicana!  Go Noah!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

A big shout out to Nathan Griffin who has advanced to the state competition in FFA for Star Chapter Farmer.  Congratulations to Nathan!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Shout out to the baseball team for finishing the season as bi-district champions!  They came up short in the area game against Hallsville!  Congratulations to the baseball team on a great season!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions 

The Tiger Band will host their final concert of the year tomorrow (Monday) in the CHS Performing Arts Center at 6:30 pm.  Please come out and see our wonderful band program!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions 

Calicos
On Saturday, May 31st the Corsicana High School Calicos will be performing in the halftime show of the preliminary World Cup Soccer friendly between Mexico and Ecuador at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The game is already a sell-out with 80,000 tickets sold, and will be broadcast around the world to millions of viewers.

The half-time show will feature “3Ball MTY,” one of the most popular Latin musical groups. The Calicos will make up 75 of the 200 dancers invited to participate. Calico Director Amy Tidwell, was ecstatic to receive the invite.

The girls will learn a routine ahead of time, and then attend rehearsals. The routine is being choreographed by Shelly Bramhall, who also does choreography for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.


“I am so happy for the girls to have this opportunity to perform in such a large venue for a world-wide audience,” said Tidwell. “This will be an amazing experience.”
 Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions 

Spirit of Excellence Lives On!

Last week was a week of pure celebration for all of us at Corsicana High School.  We were able to celebrate our 2014 Distinguished Teachers of the Year, state bound One Act Play team, and the bi-district champion baseball team.  We all know that when our students compete well it only makes Corsicana HS a better place!

STAAR Testing
STAAR EOC testing will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.  The schedule will be as follows:
Tuesday: Algebra 1
Wednesday: Biology
Thursday: U.S. History.

If you are testing please remember to get a good night's sleep and eat breakfast in the morning.  All students should report to their posted testing rooms by 7:40 am.  All students are given 4 hours to complete each test.  Students will eat lunch in their testing rooms at the conclusion of testing.

National Honor Soceity
The Corsicana chapter of the National Honor Society will have their annual induction ceremony Monday at 6:00 pm in the Commons.  We wish all of the students being inducted the best!

UIL One Act Play
Congratulations to the UIL One Act Play team!  They will be competing in the state One Act Play contest!  They will be performing sf "Moby Dick Rehearsed"  by Orson Welles.  If you see members of the cast and crew please let them know how proud you are of them.  Members of the cast and crew are:

Christian Minniear

Caitlin Pohland

Veronica Reyes

Kealey Parrish

Donovan Hailey

Danny Phillips

Tiano McDonald

Makayla Gibson

Reagan Fraze

Kaitlin Griffin

Logan Guerra

Irvin Horn

Reginald Brown

Isaiah Flores

Kayza Mallet

Hailey Herrin

Lexie Owen

Helen Hibbs

The play is directed by Gloria McLuckie and Blade Healey.
Please click on the link to see the schedule of performances.  Corsicana will perform on Tuesday, May 20th during session I.  If you are attending please be there by 4:00 pm.  State One Act Play Schedule Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Calico Spring Show
The Calico spring show Saturday night was amazing!  It was great to see all of the different dances based on movies.  The show kept us on the edge of our seats the entire night.  Great job by Mrs. Tidwell and all of the young ladies!

Entrance to the Calico Spring Show

Baseball
A big shout out to the baseball team for being crowned bi-district champs!  The Tiger baseball team got things started off in a great way Thursday night with a great 9-4 win over the Mansfield Summit jaguars.  They finished things off Friday night at James G. Price with a 2-1 victory!  They will have a best of 3 series with Hallsville beginning this Friday at 7 pm in Jacksonville.  Game 2 will begin at 12 pm in Jacksonville.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Track and Field
Another shout out goes to Noah Gilfillan who will be competing in the state Track and Field Championships this Friday.  This is Noah's second trip to Austin in this competition.  State Track and Field Championships
Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Remember what I said last week!  Let's finish strong!
Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Teacher of the Year and UIL One Act Play is State Bound!

Congratulations to the following Corsicana High School distinguished teachers of the year:

*Shelby Curl
*Rhonda Dulworth
*Andrea Richter

Corsicana High School is pleased to have them represent our school this year.  They are amazing teachers and work hard for our students each day!

Andrea Richter, Shelby Curl, Rhonda Dulworth

UIL One Act Play

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "Moby Dick Rehearsed!"  They have advanced to the state UIL One Act Play contest.  The members of the cast and crew are:

Christian Minniear

Caitlin Pohland

Veronica Reyes

Kealey Parrish

Donovan Hailey

Danny Phillips

Tiano McDonald

Makayla Gibson

Reagan Fraze

Kaitlin Griffin

Logan Guerra

Irvin Horn

Reginald Brown

Isaiah Flores

Kayza Mallet

Hailey Herrin

Lexie Owen

Helen Hibbs

The play is directed by Gloria McLuckie and Blade Healey.

Congratulations to the entire team!

The state one act play competition will be held Tuesday, May 20th in Austin, TX at the beautiful Bass Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.  

Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Finish Strong!

As we transition to the final weeks of school, I have a simple challenge to all of our students!  Finish stronger than you started!  You are an amazing group of students who have been great this year!  You have shown great character, won championships, responded positively in challenging situations, and stayed true to what a Corsicana Tiger represents.  Let's make sure that we do not do anything in the final weeks of the school year that can erase all of the great things you have done this school year.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

STAAR Testing

We will have another round of STAAR EOC testing at CHS next week.  Students will take the Algebra 1, Biology, and U.S. History tests.  Students in grades 9, and 11, and some 10th graders will take these exams.  The schedule is as follows:
Algebra 1: Tuesday, May 6th
Biology: Wednesday, May 7th
U.S. History: Thursday, May 8th
If you are impacted by testing please make sure you get a good night's rest and report to your posted testing room at 7:40 am each morning.

Collins Scholarship
Congratulations to all of the students who received a Collins Scholarship.  It was great to share this special day with all of the students.  Please click here to read more information about the Collins Scholarship program. 

Extracurricular Updates

Track and Field
Shout out to Noah Gilfillan for making it to state again this year in the pole vault.  This will be Noah's seconds trip to the state UIL Track and Field Championships.  Noah received second place this year and will reach for the championship this year.  We salute you Noah!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Softball
The softball team ended their season this past Saturday at home.  They played Mansfield Legacy Friday and Saturday in round one of the playoffs and came up short with a great end to the season.  Thank you to the coaches, players, and all of the parents and community members who have supported the softball team this year.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Calicos
The Calicos will have their spring show Saturday, May 3rd at 6 pm in the Corsicana High School Performing Arts Center.  You do not want to miss this amazing production!  All of the young ladies have been working extremely hard.

Baseball
Shout out to the baseball team for making it to the playoffs once again!  They will face Mansfield Summit in the bi-district playoffs.  They will play Thursday at 7 pm at Summit, Friday at Corsicana at 7 pm, and Saturday at Mansfield if needed.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

UIL Academics

Shout out to the students who will be participating in the regional UIL academic competition.  They will be competing this Friday and Saturday.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions 

One Act Play
A big shout out to the UIL One Act Play team.  They will compete in regionals this Wednesday at the Texas Hall-Main State on the campus of the University of Texas @ Arlington.  The competition will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is $10.00.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Dont Forget the Dual Credit Meeting

It's hard to believe that it is already the 4th week of April.  It's like we just got started!  Like they say time flies when you are having fun!

Mandatory Dual Credit Meeting
Any student interested in dual credit classes must attend the meeting. Parents are also encouraged to attend. Dual credit classes are for junior or senior students who have met the college prerequisite requirements for enrollment in the college courses.
What is dual credit? "Courses offered for dual credit stem from agreements between high schools, universities and community colleges whereby a high school junior or senior enrolls in a college course and simultaneously earns college credit and high school credit for the course."
The meeting will be Monday, April 21, 2014 at 6 pm in the CHS Commons.

Derrick Days
Choirs from all CISD schools, the CHS Jazz Band, Calicos, CHS Bistro, CMS Ag Mechanics and other student groups will be featured at Derrick Days on Saturday, April 26. Click here for the full schedule.  We would love to see everyone out for Derrick Days! 

Corsicana ISD will hold classes on Monday, May 26.  

Monday, May 26 was originally scheduled as a bad weather day, but school will be in session due to an ice day on March 3.

Harlem Gospel Choir
It was great to have the Harlem Gospel Choir on campus this past week!  They put on a great show for our seniors and our fine art students.

Students with members of the Harlem Gospel Choir

Extracurricular Updates
Shout out to Noah Gilfillan and Robin Henley for making it to regionals in track and field.  Noah will be going in the Pole Vault, and Robin will be going in the 200.  The track meet will be this Friday and Saturday at the University of Texas at Arlington.  Go Tigers!  #HomeofChampions

Softball will begin playoff action this week!  We will update you when we know the exact time date and location.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Baseball will have their final regular season game against Jacksonville at home this Friday.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

CHS Calico Spring Show
Mark your calendars for what will be an AMAZING night! Calicos will have their annual show entitled "Lights, Camera, Dancin'!" on Saturday, May 3rd at 6 p.m. Tickets went on sale beginning April 14th with pre-sales $6 and tickets $8 at the door. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, orders and money must be turned in by April 18th. Shirts are $15 each. This year we will have many calico alumni in the audience! Hope to see you at the show!

 Congratulations to McKayla Goodwin and Tiono McDonald

Congratulations to Brooke Jenecka and Allen Bernal

Grit Will Get it Done!

It will be great to be back in the building this week.  I was out three days last week at a training so I can't wait to see all of the smiling faces at Corsicana High School!

Students, I want to encourage you to continue to press hard toward all of your dreams.  Many students have expressed to me how stressful the spring semester can be.  I know many of you are involved in several school activities, are working regular jobs, and have tons of school work on top of it all.  One student recently said to me: "Once I get one thing done, another thing pops up, when does it all end!"  I want you to watch the following TED Talk over grit.  Angela Lee Duckwork says that grit is how you truly achieve success.  She says that grit is having passion and perseverance for very long term goals.  So keep working hard! Keep pushing! Keep pressing! Have grit!

Prom
This year's prom will be Saturday, May, 10 beginning at 8 pm.  It will be held at the IOOF Special Events Center.  I cannot wait to see all of our students dressed up in their formal attire.  Prom is a such a special time in the life of a high school student.  Tickets are on sale for $50.  Have fun! Be safe!

Reminder!!!
We will have school this Friday!  This is a bad weather make-up day.  See you Friday morning!

Extracurricular Updates

We are proud of our students, directors, and coaches for all of their hard work so far this spring.  I love the spirit of excellence that I see taking place.  Keep being excellent!

One Act Play Advances to Regionals!
Shout out to the One Act Play team for advancing to regionals!  They put on another great performance this past Tuesday at Tyler Junior College.  Several of our students received individual awards during the awards program.  They are:
Danny Phillips-Best Actor
Tiano McDonalds-All-Star Cast
Christian Minniear-All-Star Cast
Veronica Reyes-Honorable Mention All-Star Cast
Caitlin Pohland-Honorable Mention All-Star Cast
Donovan Hailey-Honorable Mention All-Star Cast
Hailey Herrin-All Star Tech Crew
Their next performance will be April 30th at the University of Texas at Arlington.  We will update you later on performance times.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Tennis
Shout out to the boys and girls jv tennis teams for winning the district title! They joined their varsity counterparts in showing who is the best at tennis in the district.  The varsity tennis team will compete in the regional tournament this Monday and Tuesday at the University of Texas at Arlington.  We wish them well at regionals!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Track and Field
Shout out to the track team for doing a great job at the district track meet.  We will have several athletes who will be advancing to the area meet this Thursday in Whitehouse!  Go Tigers!  #HomeofChampions

Moesha Tolliver, Makenzie Lee, Sha Sha Taylor, Robin Henley

FCCLA
A big shout out to the Family Career and Community Leaders of America team.  They did a great job at their competition in Corpus Christi. They received 3rd out of 23 teams!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Jenny Garcia, Veronica Reyes, Melanie Bettancourt

Golf
The golf team will have their regional competition this Monday and Tuesday.  Boys will be Monday at the Links at Waterchase in Fort Worth, and the girls will compete Tuesday at Tierra Verde in Arlington.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Softball/Baseball
Another great week by our softball and baseball teams.  They both dominated John Tyler at home, and split with Nacogdoches.  The softball team defeated Nac and the baseball team came up a little short.  Both teams will host Lindale at home this Tuesday.  It will be Senior night for the softball team.  They will head to Whitehouse this Friday.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Teacher Websites
Students and parents our teachers work hard to ensure they have great teacher websites.  Please check them out for up to date information about concepts, assignments/homework, and helpful resources.  Please click here to connect to the websites.

Doing What I Enjoy: Singing!

Tennis Does it Again!

Our first round of testing is over.  I know we are all ready to get back to our regular routine after 5 straight days of testing.  I am appreciative to all of our students who worked extremely hard and gave their best on the tests.  I am especially grateful to the sophomore students who were so flexible when we had to move most of our testing rooms because of a broken pipe on our chiller system that cools most of Corsicana High School.  Thanks for being awesome!

It will be UConn vs Kentucky in the NCAA men's basketball game.  I will be cheering for UConn.  I know many of you were rooting for Florida.  Sorry it didn't work out!  Who is your pick to win it?  Sound off!

Prom
This year's prom will be Saturday, May, 10 beginning at 8 pm.  It will be held at the IOOF special events center.  I cannot wait to see all of our students dressed up in their formal attire.  Prom is a such a special time in the life of a high school student.  Tickets are on sale for $50.  Have fun! Be safe!

District Champion Tennis Team
A huge shout out to the Tennis team for winning another district championship.  They participated in the district tournament in Jacksonville Friday and Saturday and came out team champions in the girls and boys division!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions.

Mixed Doubles
Maggie Phinney and Brandon Levenson-District Champions
Jacob Middleton and Ellen Yates-4th Place

Boys Doubles
Tyler Schultz and Ben Crocker-2nd Place

Girls Singles
Cecilia Hernandez-2nd Place

Boys Singles
Jonathan Castan-3rd Place
Tahoe Mickle-4th Place

Girls Doubles
Michelle Cho and Emily Guo-3rd Place
Jamison Teague and Crystalynn Shirley-4th Place


Extracurricular Updates
Because of testing, last week was pretty quiet at the front end.  Things heated up on the tail end with track and field, soccer, baseball, softball, and tennis.

The girls soccer team played great Friday night against Waxahachie.  They came up short but they all played with tons of heart and represented Corsicana High School in a great way!  I am proud of all of our student athletes, and Coach Jones and his coaching staff.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Girls Soccer Team

Softball got back to their winning ways Friday night with a dominating win over Jacksonville.  They rolled 'em up 8-1.  Love it!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

The baseball team continued their dominance toward a district championship Friday night.  They destroyed Jacksonville 14-3! Softball and baseball will face John Tyler at home Tuesday night! It's Senior night for baseball.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

The track team will have their district track meet this Wednesday and Thursday at Lindale.  Let's burn the track up in Lindale! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

The One Act Play team will have their area competition this Tuesday at Tyler Junior College in Tyler.  Break a leg guys! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Mark your calendars for what will be an AMAZING night! Calicos will have their annual show entitled "Lights, Camera, Dancin'!" on Saturday, May 3rd at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale starting April 14th with pre-sales $6 and tickets $8 at the door. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, orders and money must be turned in by April 18th. Shirts are $15 each. This year we will have many calico alumni in the audience! Hope to see you at the show!

Home of Champions! This is How We Roll!

Wow!  What a great week by the students of Corsicana High School.  It feels great to see our students competing at a high level!  I will talk more about how impressive they have been later.

I have been following the NCAA finals (March Madness) and we all can see that Florida is still in it.  Like I said earlier, they will probably win.  Of course I am rooting against them.

National Assistant Principal's Week
This week is National Assistant Principal's Week.  Please let our wonderful assistant principals know that you are thankful that they are at Corsicana High School.  They are some of the hardest working individuals on campus.  I am thankful that they work hard for the students, teachers, and families of CHS.  Our school could not run as smooth or as efficiently without their hard work.
Thank you Elmer Avellaneda, Laurie Denbow, Shonna Franklin, Shade Boulware, and Patrick Harvell.

SAT Prep
The SAT prep course has begun.  This is a great way to improve your SAT score.  We have a large number of students who will be working many hours after-school and on Saturdays.

STAAR Testing
This week we will have our first round of STAAR EOC testing.  We will have STAAR English I tomorrow (Monday) and STAAR English II Tuesday.  Students, your teachers have prepared you for this day.  Make sure you get a good night's sleep and get a good breakfast each morning.

Benchmarks
We will have benchmarks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.
Algebra I-Wednesday
Biology I-Thursday
US History-Friday

Please remember that on all testing dates we will report directly to our testing rooms.  All students should be in class by 7:40 am.  We will begin all tests at 8:00 am sharp.

Registration
Registration is almost complete for Corsicana High School.  We are a little behind this year because of the changes to some of our graduation plans.  The counselors will be finishing up any students who have been absent and also changing requests of students that may need to change a request.  We hope to have this process finished by next week.  We will begin building the master schedule after that.

UIL Academics
A big shout out to all of the students who are on the UIL academic team.  What a great showing from all members of the team.  We believe that we have just about quadrupled our points over last year!  That is amazing!  As a school we came in 3rd overall.  I am very proud of this!  Our goal is to win the competition next year.  We can do this!  While visiting each competition this question kept coming up:  "What are you guys doing in Corsicana?"  People are taking notice of us, and I love it.  I will include a complete list of results when I get them all.  I hope to have this by the end of the day tomorrow (Monday).

UIL One Act Play advances to the Area competition!

One-Act Play
Best Actor
Tiano McDonald

All Star Cast
Christian Minniear
Danny Phillips
Accounting
1st Place Team
1st Walter Torres *
3rd Ben Crocker *
4th Caroline Kennemore *
5th Claire Vadasy *

Spelling
2nd place Team
3rd Ana Garcia *
5th Harisse Bautista
6th Dilia Yleizah


Honorable Mention
All Star Cast
Veronica Reyes
Donovan Hailey

Outstanding Technical Awards
Kayza Mallett
Hailey Herrin

*Denotes Regional Qualifiers
Current Events
1st place Team
1st Leland Cook *
5th Kaitlin Griffin *
Walter Torres *
Sandra Cortez *

 Computer Applications
6th Grayson Watkins

Literary Criticism
5th Taylor Clift

Ready Writing
2nd Courtney Reeves*

Social Studies
6th Leland Cook

2nd Place Speech Team
Poetry
1st Christian Minniear*
3rd Tiano McDonald*
5th Lexie Nelson

Prose
4th Reagan Fraze
5th Caitlin Pohland

Lincoln Douglas Debate
2nd Todd Warren

District Champion Current Events Team 

District Champion Accounting Team

One Act Play Advances!
Our UIL One Act Play team "Moby Dick Rehearsed" competed yesterday (Saturday) in Whitehouse and turned the place completely out.  They did a spectacular job!  They have advanced to the Area One Act Play competition Tuesday, April 8th at Tyler Junior College.  The entire cast did an amazing job.
Individual awards are as follows:
Best Crew-Kezia Mallett
Best Crew-Hailey Herrin
Honorable Mention All-Star Cast-Veronica Reyes (Pip)
Honorable Mention All -Star Cast-Donovan Hailey (Starbuck)
All-Star Cast-Christian Minniear (Ishmael)
All-Star Cast-Danny Phillips (Stub and other Characters)
16-AAAA Best Actor-Tiano McDonald (Ahab)
Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

UIL One Act Play "Moby Dick Rehearsed" Receiving Awards

Girls Soccer Wins!
Wow!  Our girls soccer team continues to roll in the playoffs.  They won their playoff game against Woodrow Wilson this past Friday.  They will play Waxahachie in the sectional playoffs at Ennis Friday, April 4th at 7 pm.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Navarro County Youth Expo
Shout out to all of the students who participated in the Navarro County Youth Expo. The following students sold their animals in the expo:
Josiah Clagett
Ashley Howard
Nathan Griffin
Carley Casbeer
Austin Roughton
Brody Ushery
Chelsea Vandiver
Drew Miller
Nathan Griffin
Heath Boyd
Ty Tidwell
Welsey Devorak
Brayn Reagan
Jacob Farmer
Mikayla Jones
Emily Stovall
Spencer Edmonds
Sarah Hoffman
Colton Stallings

Golf!
Shout out to the golf team for doing a great job at district.  Another shout out goes to Brody Phillips and Maddy Hodge for advancing to regionals.  We are all very proud of you!  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

CHS Golf Team

Automotive Technology-State Champion
Shout out to Ben Burris for winning the Skills USA Automotive Technology state championship this past Saturday in Corpus Christi!  All I can say is wow!  Ben beat 26 other district winners from across the state, including the defending state champion!  Go Ben!  Ben won tools and $10,000 dollars in scholarships!!! He will represent Corsicana High School and the state of Texas in the National Skills USA automotive technology contest June 23-27 in Kansas City, Missouri.  Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Automotive Technology Team

Tennis
The tennis team received 3rd place overall in the Longview Tournament.  Our tennis team continues to do great things! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Band
Band did an amazing job at their pre-UIL concert.  They have been working extremely hard to prepare for their competition.  I know great things are coming for them! Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions

Grayson Watkins Accompanying the Band

Baseball/Softball
Our baseball team had a big win over district rival Whitehouse this past Friday.  They dominated Whitehouse and defeated them 11-3.  Please do not forget that this is the same Whitehouse team that was ranked #2 in the state just a couple of weeks ago.  Softball had a tough week against Lindale and Whitehouse but will be back in the win column this week.  Go Tigers!  #HomeofChampions

With Isaiah and Veronica after the OAP Competition

Please stay updated with all of the CHS happenings right here.