Graduation Deadline!

2014 Seniors: Deadline to Order Cap, Gown, Announcements is Feb. 14! 

The deadline to order a cap, gown and announcements for 2014 graduation is February 14, and order packets are available in the CHS front office.  After Feb. 14, the caps & gowns are an extra $15 late fee.  Announcements they may no longer be available after Feb. 14, as there will only be a limited number available sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

Balfour will be at CHS on Feb. 6 for parent night to also accept orders, or the order form may be downloaded by clicking here and mailed or faxed to Balfour.

Performance Acknowledgements! What are Those?

There has been lots of talk going around about HB5.  That's the new legislation that will change the degree programs in the state of Texas.  There are many great things that have been outlined in this legislation that I have already talked about in this space.  Today, I'd like to talk about something that hasn't received much attention.  All students will be eligible to obtain performance acknowledgements under the new plans.  Each student must first do the following:

• Follow the foundation high school program
• Select one of the 5 endorsements

In order for a student to earn a performance acknowledgement they must have outstanding performance in:

• Dual credit course
• Bilingualism and biliteracy
• Advancement Placement (AP) Test
• PSAT, SAT, or ACT socres
• Earning a national or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license.

We are excited that many of our students will be able to earn the above mentioned performance acknowledgements.  We will give further details on how a student would earn the status on their transcript in each area at the following parent/student information nights:

Feb. 11-7:00 pm
Feb. 18-6:00 pm
Feb. 25-5:30 pm

Full Swing!

It's easy to tell that the spring semester is in full gear.  There are so many activities that our students are involved in I can hardly keep up with it all.  Sometimes I feel like I need to clone myself to make it to all of the activities that are centered around CHS.  I will tell you that I love the energy that I see from our students and our faculty and staff.

FAFSA/TASFA Prep NightCISD Collins Scholarship in collaboration with Navarro College are hosting a FAFSA/TAFSA Prep Night for high school seniors on Monday, January 27 from 5-7 p.m. in the CHS library. Click here to download the flier. 

Here's What You'll Need To Have BEFORE the Workshop:
1. Log onto www.pin.ed.gov to register for a Student and Parent PIN number.
2. A copy of the Parent/Guardian's W-2 Tax Form (If they have worked in the last year).
3. Social Security Number, DL#, DOB of the Student and residing Parent/Guardian.
4. If the student is working, a copy of his or her W-2 Tax Forms.
5. Please bring information regarding any Federal Assistance that the parent/guardian and/or student receives: (Food Stamps, Child Support, etc.).

AFTER applying for the FAFSA, you may be eligible to receive:
* Scholarships
* Grants
* Campus-Based Aid-Federal & Work Study
* Stafford Loans
* Plus Loans (Parent Loans)

Louis Vasquez Day
Friday, January 31, 2014 will be Louis Vasquez Day in Corsicana ISD.  All students and staff are encouraged to wear blue and orange to support this day.  Louis Vasquez is a former Corsicana Tiger who will be playing in the Super Bowl next Sunday.

School Board Appreciation
This Tuesday board trustee Kerri Anderson Donica will be on campus in honor of school board appreciation month.  We are thankful for the tireless efforts of all of our school board members.

Robotics
Three of our robotics teams advanced to the state championship!  This is the 3rd year in a row we have had a robotics team go to state.  Congratulations to Mrs. Roundtree and the entire robotics team!

HB5 Updates
There is a lot of work being done making sure that everything is in top shape for the new graduation plans that are being introduced for the class of 2018.
There will be important parent and student meetings in preparation for fall 2014 course selection. The following dates are available for a parent/student to choose ONE meeting to attend.
Feb. 11-7:00 pm
Feb. 18-6:00 pm
Feb. 25-5:30 pm

Volleyball Academic All State

Congratulations!!!

Extracurricular Updates
Great job by our basketball teams as they swept Nacogdoches this past Saturday.  Both of them will have big games this Tuesday against Whitehouse.  We need as many students, staff, and community members to travel over to Whitehouse to cheer the tigers on to victory.

Soccer had a big week this past week.  The boys team defeated 5A Desoto 4-0 and the girls received 3rd place in the Duncanville tournament.  We are very proud of our soccer program.

Our cheerleaders did a great job at NCAs today (Sunday).  This is the first time that CHS has been to NCA Nationals in 9 years.  We are very proud of our CHS competition cheer squad.

Softball will get things started this week with a scrimmage at Athens.  I know our ladies are fired up about the season.  Go softball!

Please click here to keep up with all of the activities for the week. 

Herbert

Basketball Update!

 Varsity only will play tomorrow at Nacogdoches. Girls will play at 2:30 and boys at 4:00 pm.

The games have been postponed because of the weather situation in the Nacogdoches area.

Varsity tennis has cancelled their tournament at Frisco. This will not be rescheduled.

We will update here and on twitter, and facebook as soon as we know more information.

Herbert

Academic All State Volleyball

Congratulations to following young ladies who made the Academic All State Team for volleyball:

Briana Biltz

Jennifer Garcia

McKala Goodwin

Makenzie Lee

Cecilia Lopez

Veronica Reyes

We are extremely proud of these young ladies!  If you see them please let them know how proud you are of them.

Do not forget about the CHS cheer showoffs tonight at 7:00 pm.  See you there! 

Tigers Bring Home the Gold!

Tiger Academic Team Wins

SWEEPSTAKES TROPHY!

Mildred HS, January 18, 2014 

Spelling & Vocabulary…1st Place Team/1st;Ana Garcia,

2nd;Dilia Yliezah, 3rd; Zana Brown

Current Issues & Events...1st Place Team/1^st;Leland Cook, 2nd; Kaitlyn Griffin

Social Studies…1^st Place Team/1st; Leland Cook, 4th; Jose Almazon

Calculator…1^st place team/1st; Harisse Bauitista, 2nd; Ben Crocker,

3rd Femi Varghese, 4th;Ivan Ramirez

Number Sense..1^st place team/ 1st Harisse Bauitista, 3rd; Ben Crocker

Mathematics…1^st Place Team/ 1st; Gabriel Arrendondo, 2nd;Manuel Perez,

3rd;Ben Crocker, 4th;Ivan Ramirez, 5th;Femi Varghese

Science..1^st place Team/1st;Manuel Perez, 2nd;Ben Crocker, 3rd;Femi Varghese, 4th;Ivan Ramirez

 Computer Applications^th;Jesus Perez... 3rd;Grayson Watkins, 5

Editorial Writing...3rd;Emma Allen, 4th;Kaitlyn Griffin, 5th;Taylor Clift

News Writing...1^st Kaitlyn Griffin, 3^rd  Emma Allen

Computer Applications...2^nd  Alex Lin, 5^th  Jesus Perez

Accounting…1^st place team/1st;Caroline Kennemore, 3rd;Claire Vadasy,

4th;Ben Crocker

LD Debate...1st Todd Warren

Top Speaker...Todd Warren

4th...Gabriel Arrondondo 

Prose Interpretation...5^th  Reagan Fraze

Poetry Interpretation...2^nd  Christian Minniear, 3^rd  Lexi Nelson, 

4^th  Tiano McDonald, 5^th  Caitlin Pohland

CHS Tiger Academic Team continues their journey for excellence this Saturday! 

The bus will leave at 7:00 am from the  front of the high school. 

A bus will be bringing students to and from the school, during the day, to get students home as quickly as possible.  

Good Luck to every sponsor and participant!

MLK Remembrance

Today is a day that we all reflect on the impact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had on our great country.  Dr. King spent his life fighting peacefully against injustices that were taking place during the Civil Rights Era.  The United States is truly greater because of his outstanding contributions.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Looks like it will be the Denver Broncos vs the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.  I was hoping the 49ers would make it in, but we do not always get what we want.  Who are you picking to win?  Let me know!

Second semester begins
The second semester will begin Tuesday morning.  All students will receive new schedules during their first period classes.  Please remember that if you need  a schedule change to fill out the appropriate schedule change card and hand it in to your teacher.

FAFSA/TASFA Information Night
CISD Collins Scholarship in collaboration with Navarro College are hosting a FAFSA/TAFSA Prep Night for high school seniors on Monday, January 27 from 5-7 p.m. in the CHS library. Click here to download the flier. 

Here's What You'll Need To Have BEFORE the Workshop:
1. Log onto www.pin.ed.gov to register for a Student and Parent PIN number.
2. A copy of the Parent/Guardian's W-2 Tax Form (If they have worked in the last year).
3. Social Security Number, DL#, DOB of the Student and residing Parent/Guardian.
4. If the student is working, a copy of his or her W-2 Tax Forms.
5. Please bring information regarding any Federal Assistance that the parent/guardian and/or student receives: (Food Stamps, Child Support, etc.).

AFTER applying for the FAFSA, you may be eligible to receive:
* Scholarships
* Grants
* Campus-Based Aid-Federal & Work Study
* Stafford Loans
* Plus Loans (Parent Loans)

Missed a day of class?  Struggling to find your class notes?  Look no further than your teacher's personalized webpage!  Our teachers have many resources on their webpages to help you.  Please click here to find your teacher's webpage.  

Babies!
Congratulations to all of our staff members who recently celebrated the birth of a child: Nick Claiborne, Kasey Pruett, Danica Griggs, and Sandy Guzman.  We wish you all well!

Testing
We will administer the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test this Wednesday at 8 am in the auditorium.  Please remember to sign up with your counselor.

The SAT test will be administered this Saturday in the CHS Commons.  If you have questions please see your counselor.

UIL Academics
A big shout out to the UIL academic team for winning sweepstakes at the Mildred practice tournament.  Let's keep rolling Tigers!

Extracurricular Updates
Our girls basketball team dropped their first district game this past Friday against the undefeated John Tyler Lions.  They played a great game, and we hope to knock them off when we have them in the Tiger Gymnasium.  The boys basketball team lost a tough one to John Tyler as well.

We need everyone out this Tuesday as we face the Lindale Eagles!  This game will be a BLUE OUT!  We need everyone in blue!  You may wear blue spirit shirts to school as well!  Let's packed the gym and beat Lindale!

The softball team began practice this past Friday and will have their first scrimmage on January 28th vs Athens.  Go Softball!

Soccer will continue in action this week with the girls taking on Kaufman away, and the boys with a home game against Desoto this Tuesday.  Go Soccer!

The CHS cheer team will compete at NCA Nationals this Saturday in Garland.  They have been working extremely hard to prepare for this.  Go Cheer!

Please stay up to date with all of the CHS happenings by clicking here. 

Spirit of Excellence!

If you've seen any of my tweets lately you may have noticed that I have ended many of them with the hashtag #SpiritofExcellence.  There is an ongoing conversation with the faculty and staff of Corsicana High School about how we all must be excellent everyday.  We must be excellent everyday in everything we do.  We will all work hard together to make Corsicana High School the greatest school in the state of Texas. No longer will it be "Ok to be ok."  This will be the same message that we will talk to our students about.  They must give their best at everything they do as well.  In the classroom, in our fine arts programs, and the field of play. We are excellent!  We are Corsicana High School!

If you are like me you are a little bummed that the college football season has come to an end.  What's even tougher is that football as a whole is about to shutdown for a while.  Hopefully I will get into college basketball and start some dialogue about that.

School Board Appreciation Month
January is school board appreciation month in Texas.  We would like to say thank you to our school board members for all of their hard word and dedication to the students, faculty, and staff of Corsicana High School and Corsicana ISD.  The members are Scott Watkins, President; Leah Blackard, Vice President; Barbara Kelley, Secretary; and trustees Kerri Donica, Rev. Ed Monk, Terry Seth, and John Saberton.

Midterm Exams
Midterm exams will begin this week at Corsicana High School.  The exams will begin Wednesday and will end this Friday.  Students, please participate actively in class as your teachers work with you on review items.  Please find time to study at home as well.  We will have early dismissal Thursday and Friday of this week at Corsicana High School.  We will dismiss at 12:20 on both days.  Buses will run at 12:50 pm.  I will post the midterm exam schedule here: Midterm Exam Schedule

Extracurricular Activities 
Soccer season has begun!  Both the boys and girls soccer teams have been active in scrimmages and tournament play.  Our soccer programs have been very successful in the past and we expect them to continue their winning ways this year.  Go Tigers!  #SpiritofExcellence #HomeofChampions

Wow!  Did you attend the basketball game last Friday?  If you didn't, you missed a treat.  This was one of the most exciting basketball games that I have been to since I have been a Corsicana Tiger!  It was great to sweep Whitehouse!  Our girls improved to 3-0 in district play and our boys are now 1-0 in district play. They will face Jacksonsville this Tuesday in Jacksonville!  Go Tigers! #Spiritof Excellence #HomeofChampions

Ralph Watts (Earlier Game)

The UIL academic season is upon us.  I have always loved UIL academics and I am excited about the energy that is brewing for our upcoming competition.  From Accounting to One Act Play we will do all we can to bring home championships!  Go Tigers! #SpiritofExcellence #HomeofChampions

Please stay updated with all of the CHS activities.  Click on our calendar to see what's happening! CHS Calendar

One Act Play Team with students from University High School

Herbert

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!  It will be great to see everyone as I journey the halls of Corsicana High School!  If you are like me it will probably be tough to get up early and go to bed early since many of us have a tendency to stay up late and sleep late on breaks.  Hopefully everyone took full advantage of the holidays to enjoy it with friends and family.  The second half of the school year is always filled with tons of activities!  We will definitely need the rest.

 Family picture with some of my cousins

Christmas dinner

Well, it's official Charlie Strong will be named the new head football coach of the University of Texas.  Those that know me well, know that I love the longhorns.  It will be tough for me to not see Mack Brown on the sidelines clapping it up, but I am really excited about the hire!

As we roll through the second half of the school year we will talk a lot about how to make Corsicana High School an even greater place.  It is important to note that if we want to be great, we must all be great.  We can have no excuses.  In order to be a truly great learning community everything we do must be great.  This includes academics, advanced academics, extracurricular activities, and all we do.

I want to thank the faculty and staff of Corsicana High School for being so responsive to the needs of our students.  Many of them have worked hard to implement technology into their daily instruction.  As a partial 1:1 iPad campus, with full BYOD we have made great strides in the area of instructional technology.  When you go into the classrooms of CHS you see some pretty amazing things!  Thanks!

Mid-Term Exams
Students, mid-term exams are coming!  Please do not forget that there are no exemptions for mid-term exams.  The mid-term exam schedule will be posted around school and in all classrooms this week.  It's time to begin studying now!

The next few days will be very cold! Students, please remember to dress warm.  We will make sure the heat is pumping at CHS, but bus stops and the outside areas will be very cold.  Please remember the guidelines for outerwear.  Also, all sweaters must have a shirt with a collar underneath it.  CISD Standardized Dress

The second half of the school year can be long.  I encourage our students who are not involved in something to get involved!  There are so many activities to be involved in at Corsicana High School.  Do not get caught with nothing to do.  That can sometimes cause you to not be interested in school.  If you are looking for something to join that is very low stress, join the Ping Pong Club.  Get with Coach Harris and see how you can get involved!  School should be fun!

Go Tigers
Home of Champions!