Coppell ISD - you matter

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt celebrating the Coppell Cowgirls 6A Division I State Championship with Soccer Coach Craig Able and CHS Senior Summer Chen who was named MVP of the state tournament. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yzIie6ho_o

Let’s raise our voices in celebration for the Coppell Choir, whose harmonious hard work and pitch-perfect passion earned them Sweepstakes honors at UIL with straight 1s from all six judges!.While their stunning performances truly struck a chord, it’s the dedication, growth and ensemble spirit they’ve shown throughout this journey that deserves a standing ovation. Watching these talented singers grow in confidence and musicality, under the leadership of choir directors Bona Coogle, Aaron Coronado and Katherine Conkovich, has been an inspiring experience, and we’re so excited to see where their next verse leads.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt at the Baseball and Softball Party at the Parks event on April 8, where he speaks with Softball player Emma Praytor. The video also features Softball player Lena Gay singing the National Anthem with teammate Riley Warren signing the song in American Sign Language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH0udXE7RC8

CISD Destination Imagination Teams did remarkably well at the recent state competition against the strongest teams from 16 regions across Texas. Congratulations to: Team: Dumpster Divers Won 5th Place Medal in Secondary Level, Technical Challenge: Breaking Point Qualified for Global Finals held in Kansas City, Missouri, May 22-25, 2025 Team members: Maxwell Hall (CMS East, 8th), Sahana Iyer (New Tech, 10th), Virginia Hall (New Tech, 10th), Naisha Dey (CHS9), Pranamya Shrikant (CHS, 10th) and Rohan Jain (CHS9) Team: Small Eyed Owls Ranked 7th Place in Secondary Level, Scientific Challenge: Worlds Beyond Team members: Macy Rogerson (CHS9), Reid Dodd (New Tech, 9th), Will Crawford (CHS9) and Anna Olougouna (CHS9) Team: Ocean Chicky Exploding Volcanoes Ranked 13th Place in Elementary Level, Technical Challenge: Breaking Point Team members: Claire Midtbo (Wilson, 3rd), Lauren Bond (Wilson, 3rd), Matías Espino (Wilson, 3rd), Joshua Rolón (Wilson, 3rd), Luis Carrasco (Pinkerton, 3rd), Liam Carrasco (Pinkerton, 3rd) and Luca Carrasco (Pinkerton, 3rd)

🎉 Happy National Assistant Principals Week! 🎉 This year, National Assistant Principals Week is celebrated from April 7–11. CISD is proud to join school districts across the nation in honoring the hard work, dedication, and impact that assistant principals have on student success. We are incredibly grateful for the outstanding leadership and support our assistant principals provide to students, staff, and our entire learning community. Thank you for all you do to serve our learners! Special shoutout to the amazing assistant principals at CISD: 👩‍🏫 Coppell High School: Associate Principal Taylor Smith-Bothun, Justin Helpenstill, Jeremy Jordan, Colleen Lowry, Dan McCready, and Anna Wanderski 👨‍🏫 New Tech & Victory Place: Garrett Voelker 👩‍🏫 Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus: Nathan Harvey and Jessica Lynch 👨‍🏫 East: Rob Borenstein and Carrie Boyle 👩‍🏫 North: Linda Rothey and Stephen Frank 👨‍🏫 West: Matthew Telepak and Ayasha Greene 👩‍🏫 Austin: Brianna Sanford 👨‍🏫 Canyon Ranch: Kylie Godinez and Kat Yegge (who also serves Lee) 👩‍🏫 Cottonwood Creek & Pinkerton: Julie Springer 👨‍🏫 Denton Creek: Laura Melson 👩‍🏫 Lakeside: Allison Parsons 👨‍🏫 Lee: Angel Buchanan 👩‍🏫 Mockingbird: Dr. Julie Dawes 👨‍🏫 Town Center: Tiffany Lee 👩‍🏫 Valley Ranch: Sheryl Dennehy 👨‍🏫 Wilson: Leigh Ann Howard Thank you for all you do, and for making a difference every day! 🌟

Congratulations to the Varsity and JV high school boys and girls Track & Field teams, who are both District Champions! The top four in each varsity event have qualified to compete in the Area Track & Field Meet this Friday in McKinney. Way to go Cowboys and Cowgirls Track and Field!

CISD was recognized for its unwavering support of military service members at the March 31 Board Meeting, receiving several prestigious awards from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Retired Colonel James “JP” Hogan and retired Texas Army National Guard Major General and former State Representative Rick Noriega were on hand to present the awards, underscoring the significance of this honor. Lieutenant Colonel Esther Splawn, a Special Education teacher at Coppell High School and a dedicated member of the Marine Corps Reserves, along with her husband Eric Splawn, a retired veteran and a teacher at New Tech High @ Coppell, and Marine Corporal Reserve Sam Odorizzi, a former Cottonwood Creek student who now serves as a Structured Learning Aide at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, nominated CISD and several of its employees for ESGR Patriot Awards. Their nominations led to multiple recognitions, District-Wide Awards: Coppell ISD – Above and Beyond Award Coppell ISD (State of Texas Public Sector) – Pro Patria Award Also at the meeting it was announced that CISD is one of 30 businesses and organizations in the U.S. that are a finalist for the National Pro Patria Award to be announced later this year with the award to be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Individual Employee Awards: Laura Springer, Principal at CHS Anna Wanderski, Assistant Principal at CHS Chris Gollner, Principal at CMS North Stephanie Fleischhauer, Intervention Services Specialist Zane Porter, Principal at New Tech High @ Coppell Garrett Voelker, Assistant Principal at New Tech High @ Coppell and Victory Place @ Coppell Kara Lindquist, CHS9 Special Education Teacher Amber Warrington, New Tech High @ Coppell Special Education Teacher Dr. Andra Penny, Principal at Cottonwood Creek Elementary Lieutenant Colonel Splawn expressed her gratitude, stating, “CISD is the most supportive civilian employer I have ever had in my nearly 15 years of serving as a reservist.”

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt as he visits with Denton Creek Elementary Principal Dr. Yanet Cardoza and recent and upcoming activities at the campus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoGRSdU4OV8

Celebrating Gifted and Talented Specialists Week March 31-April 4 is Gifted and Talented (GT) Specialists Week, a time to recognize and appreciate the incredible educators who nurture and challenge our gifted learners across the district. These specialists dedicate their time and expertise to fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity in students, ensuring they reach their full potential. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following GT specialists for their unwavering commitment to excellence in education: Austin Elementary: Natalie Harvey Canyon Ranch Elementary: Melissa Harris Cottonwood Creek Elementary: Kim Cook Denton Creek Elementary: Joanna McDonald Lakeside Elementary: Melissa Warren Richard J. Lee Elementary: Ayesha Khan Mockingbird Elementary: Ann Carlsson Pinkerton Elementary: Marnie Ward Town Center Elementary: Heather Bass Valley Ranch Elementary: Gayla Cockrell Wilson Elementary: Carol Koslowski

Today, CHS hosted Adulting Day. 1000 students and 35 guest speakers took part in 16 different classes focused on some of life's biggest struggles as a young adult. Ranging from cooking and meal planning to learning how to file taxes and even car maintenance.

Congrats to our Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer teams for their amazing playoff runs. Both teams play in Regional Playoff Games tomorrow night, with the Cowgirls playing Flower Mound at Lewisville High School at 7 p.m. and the Cowboys playing Plano West at Prosper High School at 8 p.m.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt with the Coppell Chamber of Commerce Student and Teacher of the Month from Victory Place @ Coppell — senior Jason Macias and Math teacher Allison Stephens. He also speaks with Victory Place Principal Marcy Walters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOSW054zjM

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt with Job Shadowing Students Aryan Godambe, Neha Nathwani and Pranshu Parmar, along with Daniel Armbruster and Helen Johnson with AAA – Auto Club Enterprises in Coppell, one of the 45 CISD Job Shadowing hosts. The video also features Job Shadowing sites CityVet in Coppell and Sam Pack's Five Star Ford Carrollton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO6mQoWxYIE

🚀 CISD Juniors & Seniors Explore Real-World Careers on Job Shadow Day! 🚀 On March 13, nearly 200 CISD juniors and seniors had the incredible opportunity to explore the workforce during the 2025 Job Shadow Day. Thanks to our amazing community partners and businesses who opened their doors, students gained invaluable hands-on experience across various industries! 💼✨ A huge thank you to the Coppell Chamber of Commerce for collaborating with us to make this day a success, and to CISD’s own Megan Mackin for making it all happen. 🙏 With students placed in 45 job sites—many with multiple departments—this event provided a well-rounded view of different professions, giving students a closer look at the skills needed to thrive in today’s workforce. 🌟 We are incredibly grateful to all of the companies for their generous support and participation.

Fifteen representatives from CISD, including students, teachers, staff, Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt, participated in Coppell Day at the Capitol on March 5. The group was officially recognized on the Texas House floor and met with our local Representative Cassandra Hernandez, Senator Tan Parker's office and key members of the House and Senate Public Education Committees, including Representative James Talarico and House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley. Sponsored by the Coppell ISD Education Foundation, this trip provided an invaluable opportunity to share our district’s legislative priorities and highlight our students and teachers.

Valley Ranch third graders “crunched” their way through a fun-filled math lesson as teacher Nadya Gulam used Cheez-Its as part of a lesson on calculating area and perimeter. Students arranged the cheesy squares into different rectangular shapes, calculated their area and perimeter, and then got to eat their work! This hands-on (and mouth-on) activity made learning both measurable and delicious. With math this tasty, students are sure to remember how to calculate area and perimeter long after the last Cheez-It is gone.

Canyon Ranch Elementary hosted its first-ever Family Engagement Night, bringing students, parents and staff together for an evening of connection and fun. Families participated in interactive games, art projects and hands-on activities designed to encourage meaningful engagement — without the use of technology! The activities focused on key areas such as Literacy, Fun at Home, Community and Healthy Living and STEAM, providing families with creative and engaging ways to learn and connect. From thought-provoking questions about learning to exciting STEAM challenges, the event offered simple yet impactful ways for families to bond. The come-and-go format allowed everyone to explore activities at their own pace, making for a relaxed and enjoyable evening. Canyon Ranch Elementary is grateful to all who attended and looks forward to continuing this tradition of fostering strong school-community connections.

Tune into YouTube each week to #CatchupWithHunt as he shares stories from across the district. This week you can catch Dr. Hunt at the Beam Signing Ceremony for the new CHS Fine Arts Facility, which is part of the voter-approved 2023 Bond. Dr. Hunt spoke with CHS juniors and Vivace Choir performers Olivia Bennett and LeMariam Bantenew, as well as with Erin Bossart, Vice President Education for Corgan, the architecture company that designed the building. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_mzAe9mrKo

CHS senior Yashitha Chunduru recently represented the student business organization DECA at the Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) event at the State Capitol in Austin. Chunduru, who serves as the current state DECA President and the DECA District 11 President, was able to interact with fellow state officers from various CTSOs, representing teaching, technology, health sciences and more, as well as engage with members of the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. Chunduru and other student leaders shared the importance of Career Technical Education (CTE) and were part of the state proclamation of February as CTE month in Texas. DECA chapters at CHS9, CHS and New Tech High @ Coppell are student business Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) that students can choose to participate in as part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Business, Marketing and Finance program of study.

Last week, five Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) students represented CHS and CHS9 at the State TAFE Competition, delivering outstanding performances. Three students qualified for Nationals in their respective events. Nathalie Petit and Eesha Jogdand earned Gold Awards in the Interactive Bulletin Board event, while Suzy Waly received a Gold Award for Teacher Created Materials, securing their spots at Nationals. Petit also earned a Silver Award in Exploring Support Services Careers. Additionally, Zachary Brooks, Rachel Goodman, Nathalie Petit and Suzy Waly received a Silver Award for their Breakout Session, Growing Beyond the Classroom. Congratulations to these students on their impressive achievements!