Employee of the Month, February 2023

Medina Valley High School Business Teacher Thad Kroon

In his business management classroom, Thad Kroon offers his students lessons they will carry throughout life. 

Mr. Kroon, a Medina Valley High School teacher, was selected as the Medina Valley ISD Employee of the Month for February 2023. He is recognized for providing his students hands-on business experiences and connections they resonate with.

"These are real life wins," Mr. Kroon said. "I love it! I love being in the classroom where I can make some real life connections."

Tanner Lange, Medina Valley HS principal, said Mr. Kroon works hard to develop relationships with his students and even took on driving a district bus to help get student to and from school. 

MVISD Recognizes National School

Counseling Week

School counselors touch the lives of students every day while they also work with parents, helping them navigate raising children in today's climate. 

This week is National School Counseling Week, and Medina Valley ISD will focus on the contributions school counselors make across the district. 

"I have so much admiration for the counselors of this school district," said Tonie Hutzler, Medina Valley ISD director of guidance and counseling. "They will stop at nothing to ensure students feel heard, supported and valued every day. It is an honor to work side by side with this wonderful group of individuals."

The American School Counselor Association's theme this year is "School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big." Share photos and posts on social media using #NSCW23 and #MVISDCounselors. 

Want to Make an Impact?

Have you discovered your passion for teaching but don't know where to start?

Join Medina Valley ISD for an informative session on alternative certification programs February, 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Castroville Chamber of Commerce Names

Junior Citizens and Educator of the Year  

The Castroville Area Chamber of Commerce recognized some outstanding Medina Valley High School students and educator February 1 at their annual banquet.

Seniors Julia Guzman and Tyler Frail received Junior Citizens of the Year awards. Dr. Keith Jones was recognized as Educator of the Year. Senior Gabrielle Wilson sang the National Anthem. 

Students celebrate 100 Days of School

Students at all Medina Valley ISD elementary schools celebrated 100 days of school February 2 with various projects, activities and by dressing up. 

Luckey Ranch and Potranco Elementary students (shown in photos) were challenged to design posters and shirts with 100 items. They also worked on counting to 100 during school activities.

"We are 100 days closer to our future!" said Sandy Bermea, Potranco Elementary School principal. "The students and teachers have been working diligently to sharpen their skills."

Two Medina Valley High School SkillsUSA student teams are state bound.

The construction students built their way through the Carpentry and TeamWorks competition last week.

The Automotive Technology students also competed at Cast Med High School last week.

The Panther Color Guard was promoted to new division last weekend after placing third place in the Scholastic A division.

The guard competed at the Jourdanton High School Color Guard Contest. It was their first contest. 

The powerlifting Panthers teams brought home the medals from the Texas Strength System's meet last week. 

The girl's team finished in first place overall and the boy's team finished in third place overall. 

Medina Valley HS girl's varsity basketball team is tied in district for first place with McCollum and South San.

They won 74-66 against McCollum HS on Saturday. They have their last game Tuesday, which will determine additional games for playoff seeding.

Kahla Simpton, Medina Valley High School senior, earned Grand Champion Market Goat and won Senior Showmanship at the Medina County Junior Livestock Show last week. 

Almost 20 students participated in the market goat show. Kylie Schutze and Gabriele Garza also received second place in the breeding goat show. 

Medina Valley High School student Aiden Fisher will advance to the American Legion Oratorical state competition in February. 

Fisher previously won the divisional round of the competition in Brenham, Texas at the end of January. 

Medina Valley High School students competed in their first Stock Show and Rodeo Jr. Pitmaster High School BBQ cook-off competition. 

The Panther Pride Pitmasters made the final table in brisket and chicken.

 Congratulations to all the student teams. 

Forward, together is a theme Medina Valley High School students wanted to convey in their special gift to district board members.

Construction technology students built cornhole sets for each member. The art classes painted them. 

"Throughout the years, cornhole has turned into a game that brings people together," said Tanner Lange, school principal. "It still serves as a reminder that we will always be here as a community to hold each other up and move forward, together."

December Board Meeting Recognitions, LaCoste Elementary

Our MVISD School Board recognized some outstanding students and staff members at the December 13 Regular Board Meeting. LaCoste Elementary was the campus that was highlighted, and we would like to congratulate the following: 

All-Star Students (representing Leadership Teams): 

Student Lighthouse Team - Cody Haley 
Flag Crew - Mariana Garcia
Kindness Crew - Melanie Mendoza 
Green Team - Raelin Wood
Teachers of Tomorrow - Jazzlyn Marroquin 
Library Helper - Frances Joyner 
Announcement Crew - Addison Valle
Lost and Found - Slade Iacono
Sunshine Crew - Angel Isbell 

Above & Beyond Service: 

Mrs. Rakowitz, Counselor

Welcome to MVISD!

Brandi Hendrix, Assistant Superintendent of C&I

Rose Pearson, Executive Director of Schools

We would like to introduce two of our new Administrators at MVISD!

Brandi Hendrix is our new Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction. She was previously the Asst. Supt. of C&I at Brenham ISD and has been in education for 18+ years. She has been in various roles throughout her career including a High School Principal, Director of Special Programs and ELA Coordinator. 

Rose Pearson is our new Executive Director of Schools. She was previously the Director of Student Services at San Marcos CISD and has been in education for 22+ years. She brings a wealth of knowledge to MVISD with prior Administration experience at both the Elementary and Secondary levels.

Employee of the Month, December 2022

Macey Starr, Luckey Ranch Elementary

Congratulations to Luckey Ranch Elementary Food Service Helper, Macey Starr, on being selected as the MVISD Employee of the Month for December 2022! Macey and her team work tirelessly day in and day out to make sure our students have a great breakfast and lunch that helps fuel them for learning. 

Over the Holiday Break, all Medina Valley ISD residents received our newest Newsletter called Community Connection. It includes highlights and great information from around the District. Extra copies are available in all of the District front offices for anyone who would like a copy. 

Check out this month's Parent & Family Engagement Telegram from our Federal Programs Department. Click here to learn more resources and programs available for our MVISD Community:

https://www.smore.com/w6h5s

Inside the Classroom: LaCoste Elementary

Inside the Classroom: Mrs. Lopez's 3rd graders at LaCoste Elementary engaged in a creative lesson designed to strengthen their ability to summarize stories!

They designed new "flavors" of cereal based on the books they have been reading. This activity helps students to understand the message of their books on a deeper level and think critically about how to represent the story visually. By creating their own cereal "flavors," they can explore the characters, themes, and settings of the book in a fun and interactive way.

Congratulations to Carissa Ceasor, Medina Valley HS senior, for earning the title of State Champion for 5A UIL Congressional Debate at competition last week at the Capitol in Austin.

Medina Valley HS Junior, Richard Myers has earned 1st Chair Percussion in 5A Area G. Next, qualifying for the All-State Band. Next, he will perform at the TMEA Convention in February.

Congratulations to our Senior Athletes who made the All-State Academic Teams. In Cross Country we had: Anna Adams, Shelby Center, Nicole Bloodgood, Molly Clamon and Paiten Trowbridge. In Volleyball we had: Julia Guzman, Payton Keller and Haylee Hurtado. In addition to this amazing achievement Haylee was also awarded TGCA Volleyball All-State.

The Medina Valley MS Band put on a fantastic performance on Saturday at the Spurs vs. Celtics game at the AT&T center. Their pre-game performance was an entertaining one for all, and overall it was a great experience for our students. 

The Knights of Columbus has made a generous donation of winter coats to 
LaCoste Elementary. Thank you for helping to support our students. For more information contact LaCoste Counselor, Mrs. Rakowitz. 

Our Medina Valley HS Girls Basketball Team has been working hard both on and off the court. This past week they had two BIG wins and they also greeted Elementary students as they arrived in the morning. Keep it up girls! 

Medina Valley High School participated in the All-American Bowl at the Alamodome the past Saturday and had representation both on and off the field. Senior CJ Beal did a fantastic job on the field, while our Cheerleaders cheered on all the athletes on the sidelines! 

Congratulations to Richard Jones, Anthony Cortinas, and Liam Highsmith for making it through the Area round of All-State Choir auditions! The competition is fierce but so are you. Your hard work and determination shows, and we are proud of you!

The MVHS Girl's Powerlifting team started their season off right as they traveled to Natalia for their first meet of the season and came out with big PRs! Congratulations to M. Aguirre for placing 2nd in her weight class, C. Terrazas for placing 1st in her weight class, and L. Bazan for placing 1st in her weight class and qualifying for Regionals!

Ladera Elementary has started a Student Safety Team! The students who are participating are helping to assist with student drop off in the mornings, greeting their peers with a smile and helping to open doors as they enter the campus.