Go Ag Mechanics!

Corsicana High School was super busy this past weekend!  Softball, baseball, Ag Mechanics, FFA, the Calico Dance team, One Act Play were all in action.  We are fortunate to have so many of our students involved in extra-curricular activities.  I often say that school is much better when you are involved!  Get involved!

I want to thank everyone who came out to the 1st "New Graduation Requirements" meeting.  The turn out was great!  A special shout out to the teachers, staff, and administrators that were a part of the process.  You helped make it great!  As principal, it is always great when you know you have so many parents that are passionate about their child's educational future.  We are truly blessed in Corsicana!  There will be two more meetings: This Tuesday at 5:30 pm. and Monday, March 3 at at 12 pm.  You can find more information about the information that will be presented at the meetings here.

Corsicana High School was fortunate to have United States Representative Joe Barton on campus today.  He spoke with our Dual Credit Government students.  He talked to them about the day in the life of a U.S. Congressman.  He also took questions from the audience.  One of the questions that started a spirited discussion between the Congressman and our students was: "What is your stance on immigration reform?"  It was great to have Congressman Barton on campus!

Students With Congressman Joe Barton 

Benchmarks 

Last week our students took benchmarks in English I and English II.  The purpose for benchmarks is simple.  It is for us to see where are students are so that we can help them if they need extra help.  Even our students who do very well, must show growth each year.  That means that we have to work extra hard to be very specific about how we help our students.  We will take Algebra I, US History, and Biology at later dates.  We will keep you posted!

Extracurricular Updates

I want to give a special shout out to the Ag Mechanics team.  They received Reserved Grand Champion at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.  They also placed second in class at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo!  Go Ag Mechanics!

Ag Mechanics Team 

The Calicos competed in the Texas Dance Classic on Saturday, Feb. 22 in Rowlett, Texas. They returned with a total of 13 awards to add to their trophy case! Those awards included a Sweepstakes and Gussie Nell Davis in both Officer and Team categories. The Social Officers and Seniors earned a 1^st place Best In Class for their two performances. The Officers earned a Judges award for their performance in their Officer Lyrical. The team earned judges awards for all three routines: team pom, team hip hop, and team jazz. The team also earned Best Overall Precision and Best Overall Choreography for all of their performances.

Calico Dance Team

The CHS Debate team did a great job in Sulphur Springs this past Friday.  Gabriel Arrendondo took 2nd and Todd Warren took 5th in LD Debate! Awesome! 

Please keep up with all of the CHS activities here

I will update more CHS accomplishments this week.

Parents and students please keep up with everything that is going on in class by checking out your teacher's webpage.  They work hard to keep them updated for your instructional needs.  Please click here to find here them. 

Tiger Girls Basketball All-District Selections

Congratulations to the following girls basketball team members.  They have all earned all-district honors!  If you see these young ladies give them a high five and let them know how proud you are of them! Go Tigers! 

1st Team All District
Alexis Baston - Sophomore
Destini Lunsford - Sophomore
Erica Melendez - Senior

2nd Team
Sha Sha Taylor-Junior
Kennady Betts - Sophomore

Honorable Mention
Briana Biltz - Senior
Ariel Bartee - Senior
Jalinda Davis - Sophomore

Academic All District – GPA 88 or above
Destini Lunsford - Sophomore
Kennady Betts - Sophomore

Catch the Feeling!

I want all of you to know that I have been fired up lately!  I am fired up about the spirit, service, and commitment educational excellence I have seen at Corsicana High School.  I am so thankful that we have a school full of compassionate, caring, and kind people. Here are 3 things that you can do to join me in this excitement I have been feeling lately!

*Get involved-School is much more exciting when you are involved in something.  This is for students and staff.  There is a club or an activity for you.

*Set goals-Set reasonable attainable goals for yourself.  You know what you need to improve on.  Set a goal, and make it happen!

*Be positive-When you have a positive attitude, your outlook is that much better. If you have an idea about how to make something better at CHS, let us know.  No one is perfect, but we all want to get better.

This week will be extremely busy at Corsicana High School.  One of the big activities that will take place is a round of benchmarks for the English I and English II EOC exams.  Students will take English I on Thursday and English II on Friday.

We will have our first "New Graduation Requirements" meeting this Tuesday at 6:00 pm.  The first meeting was canceled because of the weather.  All incoming freshman (current 8th graders) and their parents are invited to attend.  We will give general information and information on all 5 endorsement areas.

Please do not forget that school will be dismissed at 11:00 am on Monday, February 17, 2014.  Buses will run at 11:30 am.  Lunch will be from 11:00-11:30 am.

Seniors, please make sure you bring your college acceptance letters to Mrs. Dockery in the assistant principal's office.  We want to showcase your success!

Extracurricular Updates

Varsity soccer will go up against district rival Ferris this Tuesday.  Girls will begin at 5:30 and the boys at 7:30.  Please come out and support the Tigers!  The weather is supposed to be nice!

Varsity boys Golf will be in action Tuesday in Grapevine.  Go get 'em Golf!

Track and field will have their first track meet this Thursday in Red Oak.  The meet will begin at 4:30.  It will be good to see the Tigers flying around the track.  Go Track!

The Robert D. Mertz Memorial Tournament will take place this Friday.  It will begin at 8:00 am.  This is a good time to check out our Tennis program.  Go Tennis!

The Calico dance team is going to contest this Saturday.  They will have showoffs this Friday at 6 pm.  Come out this Friday and help send the Calicos off to victory.

Softball will be in action at Red Oak this Tuesday.  Both softball and baseball will be in tournament play beginning Friday.

Please click here to stay up to date with all of our activities at CHS. 

Late Start!

Corsicana High School will begin tomorrow (02/12/2014) at 9:40 am.  All students will report to 3rd period.  Teachers should report to school by 9:30 am.  If you have morning duty please report to school at 9:15 am.
The weather report is showing that there will be a warming trend over the next few days.  If you are like me you are ready for some milder weather.  Go Tigers! 

CHS Girls Basketball-Seniors

Great Game!

I want to personally say thank you to the fans of Corsicana High School! All of you came out to the playoff game in Ennis in a way that I haven't seen in a long time.  It was great to see the sea of blue and gold in the stands.  Students I want you to know that the #spiritofexcellence at Corsicana High School is alive and well simply because of you.  Never stop your Tiger spirit from shining!  Go Tigers!

Fill the Gym!

It will be great to be back on the campus of Corsicana High School after being gone for three whole days.  It is always hard for principals to be off campus, but I am thankful that we have such a great administrative staff and wonderful teachers to keep CHS running smoothly.  It is always important to take time out to learn and grow professionally.  I am always appreciative that I am able to work in a district that understands its importance as well.

Girls Basketball in the Playoffs! 
If you are a Corsicana Tiger, you should be super excited about the playoff game Monday night.  I know I am! It has been 21 years since the Tiger girls basketball team has been to the playoffs.  We must come out in huge numbers to support our Tigers.  We have to show our team and that team from Arlington Seguin that we are behind them 100%.  If you are a student or a teacher that would like a ride you can sign up to ride one of 3 fan buses.  There are over 120 signed up at this point.  We need even more!  The buses will load up from the main parking lot at 5:30 and leave shortly afterwards and return immediately after the game. The only cost to the student will be the admission to the game. The game will begin at 6:30 pm at Ennis High School. Go Tigers! #HomeofChampions #SpiritofExcellence

Can you believe this weather lately?  We have another chance of wintry mix this Tuesday.  I have never seen so much cold weather in my entire life.  Well, maybe I have and I just don't remember.  I had to drive in lots of snow this past Thursday in Grapevine.  I promise you in was not fun.  I had lots of close calls.  I hope the ice and snow stays away from us.

Band Solo and Ensemble! 
Wow! Our band students did great at Solo and Ensemble! We have 32 students advancing to state! This is amazing! Congratulations to all of the students! Go Tiger band!

Congrats to Automotive Technology
Several of our Automotive Technology students competed in the Skills USA district competition in Waco, TX.  In the Automotive Service Technology contest our of 40 contestants CHS students took the top three spots: 1st place Ben Burris, 2nd place Rodolfo Rodriguez, and 3rd place went to Jason Book.  Sophomore Ronald Hernandez won 1st place in the Power Equipment Technology contest and in the Diesel Equipment Technology contest Korey Martin came in 2nd and Miguel Yepez come in 4th.  Ben Burris, Rodolfo Rodriguez, and Ronald Hernandez will represent Corsicana ISD at the State Skills USA contest in Corpus Christi, TX.  Congrats!

HB5 Updates
This Tuesday we will have the first of a series of meetings where we will discuss our new graduation requirements.  These new graduation requirements are being driven by new legislation passed this summer.  All incoming freshman (current 8th graders) and their parents are required to attend one of these meetings.  The dates are:
Feb. 11th-7:00 pm
Feb. 18th-6:00 pm
Feb. 25th-5:30 pm

National Signing Day!
Congratulations to all the student athletes that signed national letters of intent this past Wednesday.  We are extremely excited for these young men and their bright futures.
Chris Jones - University of Texas-El Paso
Devontay Bell - Tarleton State University
Donovan Hailey - Hardin-Simmons University
Hector Calvillo - East Texas Baptist University
Noah Gilfillan - University of Arkansas
Congrats! Go Tigers!

Athletic Updates
There will be many athletic events this week.  The boys basketball team will have a crucial game this Tuesday in Lindale!  If you are able to travel over to Lindale please be there to support our boys.  Our soccer, tennis, softball, and baseball teams will be in action this week.  Please click on the calendar to see when you favorite Tiger team will be in action. Calendar of Events

#GoTigers #HomeofChampions #SpiritofExcellence

Realignment and More!

We ended the week with a bang last week with our celebration of our local pro football player Louis Vasquez.  It was great to see so much community pride in support of Mr. Vasquez.  I love when I see our community come together to support one of our own!  Go Tigers!

Louis Vasquez Day

Wow! The Superbowl didn't end up like most of us thought it would have.  I thought it would have been a lot closer than 43-8.  We must give Seattle their props though!  They did an amazing job!  What did you think of the commercials?  I didn't think they were as funny as they had been in the past.  It seems that they went after our emotional side more than anything! Let me know what you think! 

Corsicana Education Foundation Presents CAST

CEF is bringing the telethon back!  On February 10, 2014, CEF will once again host a "telethon," now called CAST, which will be stream live via webcast through computers, tablets and smartphones. CAST stands for Corsicana's Amazing Students and Teachers. CAST will be from 6-8:30 p.m. live from the Corsicana High School gym. The event will feature performances from CISD students and teachers, highlight classroom grants and CEF programs, and allow the community to make their annual support pledge for the students of Corsicana ISD.  To make an advance pledge to be announced live at CAST, please contact (903) 602-8133 or click here.

HB5 Update
Last week I spent a little time watching the State Board of Education committee meeting.  Most of the discussion centered around finalizing graduation requirements under HB5.  As I have written about many times in this space this will change the graduation plans of our incoming freshman.  I will write to you later highlighting the changes that they passed in the meeting last week.

College Information
Students and parents, we will have additional FAFSA/TASFA prep nights.  We hope we have a better turn out at the next sessions.  We received information that more people would have showed up if their tax information had been completed.  We listened!  We will have another session soon!

We want to know what college/university you have been accepted to!  Please bring your college acceptance letter to Mrs. Dockery in the assistant principal's office.  We will post it up at the school for all to see.

UIL Debate
The UIL CX debate tournament will take place this Tuesday in Lindale.  Let's bring back a championship!

Extracurricular Updates
We will find out Monday morning who our new UIL athletics and academics district will be beginning with the fall 2014 school year.  We will update you right here with the news!

**Breaking News-UIL District Realignment 

Corsicana

Nacogdoches-124.87 mi

Ennis-21.39 mi
Lufkin-131.99 mi
Jacksonville-83.18 mi
Lindale-76.65 mi.
Whitehouse-82.85 mi.
John Tyler-73.05 mi

Shout out to the CHS Krush Krew for all of their school spirit this year.  They have helped transform our games into total craziness and excitement.  Of course it helps when our teams are doing great this year!  The boys and girls basketball teams will be celebrating Senior night this Tuesday.  Come out and see our seniors getting recognized!
Another shout out goes to Danair Martin for his great dunks in the last two games.  I will go on the record for disagreeing with the refs for the weak technical fouls they have called on him after those dunks.  Keep dunking Danair!

Baseball will kickoff this week with their first scrimmage against Midway!  Please come out tomorrow at 5:00 pm to check them out.

Tennis will participate in the Highway 287 Invitational in Ennis this Friday and Saturday.

The varsity girls soccer team will play Athens at Tiger Stadium Monday at 5:00 pm.
Please stay updated with all of the CHS happenings right here: CHS Calendar