MVISD November 2022 Employee of the Month

Karee Kerr, Medina Valley MS Journalism & Theatre Teacher

Congratulations to Medina Valley Middle School Journalism and Theatre Teacher, Karee Kerr, on being selected as the MVISD Employee of the Month for November 2022! Watch the video above to learn more about the passion that Ms. Kerr has for teaching and how she inspires her students to be the change that they wish to see in this world.

MVISD Campuses Sweep the "Best Of Medina County" Awards for 2022

Go Medina County has announced their annual "Best of Medina County" Awards, and we have some BIG news to share!

Congratulations to our MVISD winners:
Medina Valley High School - Best High School in Medina County
Medina Valley Middle School - Best Middle School in Medina County
Castroville Elementary- Best Elementary in Medina County

Medina Valley ISD has a Community Bond Advisory Committee composed of 30+ community members that are meeting regularly throughout the next few months to put together a bond proposal to present to the school board. To help all parents and staff stay up to date on the information shared, following each meeting we will be sharing a short summary with you via email. 

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, our Child Nutrition Department prepared their Annual Thanksgiving Meal for our students across the District. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and a mini pumpkin pie were all included and we thank our Child Nutrition Dept. for putting together such a delicious meal. 

Our Federal Programs Department held their Annual Thanks-For-Giving Luncheon last week. The lunch was a special time to recognize our community partners that help the District all year round. 

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/j4sqx-parent-family-engagement-telegram

MVISD Honors Veterans for their service

Last Friday was Veterans Day, and MVISD shared our appreciation with parades, special videos and ceremonies throughout the District. We would like to thank all of our MVISD parents, staff, and community members that have served our country. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your service and sacrifice. 

The UIL Academics Congressional Debate Team consisting of Carissa Caesor, Samantha Noll, and Gwendolyn Rodriguez competed at the UIL Region 20 Congressional Debate Meet. Carissa Caesor's performance at the meet earned herself a spot at the UIL Academics State Congressional Meet which will be held in Austin January 4th and 5th.

MVHS students Liam Highsmith and Richard Jones have advanced to the final round (Area) of All-State Choir auditions!! This will take place in January at Southwest HS. These kids are champions for their patience, grit, and determination!

MVHS Senior, Rylie Human signed her letter of intent for Cheerleading at the University of the Cumberlands. Let's congratulate Rylie as she takes the next step in her cheerleading career!

MVHS students Mason Emiliano Aguilar and Tender Felix Bernal competed in the Spec Mix Bricklayers 500 Competition. They placed 3rd overall competing against other high schools masonry programs. Emiliano also was awarded with masonry tools and $100.

Congratulations to our Panther Percussion for earning 1st Place in their Division at the South Texas Classic. Not only did they win their Division, but they also won additional awards including: Best Front Ensemble and Best Bass Line!

Fifth-Grade students from Castroville, Potranco and LaCoste Elementary schools visited UTSA and got a tour of the campus. They interacted with students and asked all the questions about college life and opportunities. 

Our Watch Dog Program has had great success throughout our Elementary campuses. With hundreds of participants, the program has started off very strong this school year. We would like to thank all of our volunteers and those who have helped to make this program possible. If you have any questions about the program, or how to get involved, please contact your campus administration. 

Seven middle school band members qualified for Region Band. Members from MVMS and LAMS had a great showing. Please congratulate the students below for their hard work, dedication, and musical talent! Medina Valley MS -Zoe Bryant - Bassoon - Band One 2nd chair, Madelyn Lopez - Clarinet - Band Two 3rd chair, Andrew Simonson - Percussion - Band Two 7th chair, Bailey Bendele - Bassoon - Band Two 1st chair, Loma Alta MS - Emma Beck - Flute, Benjamin Bishop - Trumpet, and Kokomi McCormick - Clarinet.

Mani Ramirez and Hunter Burris, junior students at MVHS, brought their version of High School GameDay to the Pep Rally on Thursday November 10. They provided their predictions for the the game and coordinated the entire project from start to finish. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2n2wB6t9SnaihQAskp-uiA

MVISD Alumni Tristan Stivors was recognized as the Sun Belt Conference's Athlete of the Year! After a great season of baseball at Texas State, helping his team win the Sunbelt Conference's Vic Bubas Cup, this is a well-deserved honor. Way to go, Tristan!

October Board Meeting Recognitions

Luckey Ranch Elementary, October 17, 2022

Our MVISD School Board recognized some outstanding students and staff members at the October 17 Regular Board Meeting. Luckey Ranch Elementary was the campus that was highlighted, and we would like to congratulate the following: 

All-Star Students: 

Gabriella Carvajal, Jessa Zendejas, Joycelynn Wallace, Krysten Garza, Amelia Garcia, Catalina Perez, Renata Valencia, Zoey Brooke, Evelyn Plate, Meckenzie Guiterrez and Kassandra Valdez

Above & Beyond Service: 

Stephanie Loiseau, Secretary

National School Bus Safety Week

Celebrating our Transportation Staff

MVISD recognized National School Bus Safety Week by celebrating our amazing Transportation Department with a pancake breakfast! We appreciate all that From our drivers, aides, mechanics, office staff and entire Transportation Team does daily for our students!

MVHS Athletes Visit Elementary Students

Members of the Varsity Football Team, Cheerleaders, and other students have been making the rounds at our elementary campuses to take part in a fun and enriching activity for our younger students. They read books, answered questions from the younger students, and participated in P.E. class together!

Our MVHS Volleyball Team has advanced to the playoffs. They will compete against MacArthur tomorrow, November 1 at Paul Taylor Field House at 6:30 p.m. Go cheer on our Panthers and show your support! 

The MVHS Band competed at the Area H Competition on October 22.  They finished the competition in 5th Place. We are so proud of their performance and dedication that has been put into the competition season! 

The TX-20009th AFJROTC corps had a successful "Cornfield Classic" on Oct. 22!  They hosted 29 color guard teams, 8 rocketry teams, 33 PT teams, and 8 drone teams at MVHS. 

The MVHS FFA Horse & Poultry Judging Teams attended clinics at Texas A&M’s Poultry Farm and Equestrian Center. The Livestock Judging Team placed 5th out of 86 teams and Kahla Simpton placed 8th out of 238 individuals.

MVISD October 2022 Employee of the Month

Teresa Gaitan, Potranco Elementary

Congratulations to Potranco Elementary Secretary, Teresa Gaitan, on being selected as the MVISD Employee of the Month for October 2022! Click the video above to learn more about Teresa and the outstanding job that she does each and every day on her campus.

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://bit.ly/3TcBnPE

All Medina Valley ISD Campuses have received perfect scores on their Health Inspections this school year! Congratulations to our Child Nutrition Department, and thank you for all that you do for our students and staff.

KENS5 Great Day SA All-Star Athlete

Nicole Bloodgood, MVHS Senior

Medina Valley High School's Nicole Bloodgood was recognized as a Great Day SA All-Star Athlete! Nicole is a Senior on the Cross Country team and is also a motivated student and community member. She also is a part of MVHS's Unification Committee.

Watch KENS5 live coverage of the event here.

KENS5 Excel Award - Sarah Young, Loma Alta MS

Loma Alta Middle School 7th Grade Math and Science Teacher, Sarah Young received the KENS 5 Excel Award on October 4 at a surprise pep rally event! KENS 5 Anchor, Sarah Forgany came out to present the award alongside Credit Human, who also awarded Mrs. Young with a $1,000 check. Make sure to tune in to KENS 5 in the morning on November 1 to watch Mrs. Young be highlighted for her outstanding teaching.

Inside the Classroom: Loma Alta Middle School, Mrs. Snell

Mrs. Snell’s 6th Grade English class at Loma Alta Middle School explored figurative language in poetry. They engaged in a puzzling and tactile lesson where students used scissors to cut out metaphors, hyperbole, etc., and paste them into their worksheets. They worked together to explain the meaning/purpose of the figurative language used in the poem.

Medina Valley HS has earned a Purple Star from TEA. This designation is awarded to campuses that are demonstrating support and commitment to meeting the unique needs of military families.

Our MVHS Team Tennis finished their season as Bi-District Champions and Area Finalists. They had an outstanding season, finishing with an overall record of 7-1. Congratulations!

At the start of the October 8 Volleyball game, MVHS Head Volleyball Coach Deesa Griggs was honored by her players, coaches, and Panther nation for 500 wins at MVHS. Congratulations!

The MVHS Band competed at the Southwest ISD Marching Classic on October 8 and finished in First Place Overall. They also received: Outstanding Music, Outstanding Drum Majors, Outstanding Auxiliary, Outstanding Marching and Outstanding Percussion.

Medina Valley Middle School and Loma Alta Middle School students participated in the San Antonio "Chalk It Up" Art Contest. They created beautiful sidewalk chalk art and worked together as a team.

Medina Valley HS Cross Country has won the District Championship at all levels: Varsity, JV and Freshman for both boys and girls. MVISD hosted the District Championship Meet and our Panthers did an outstanding job!

Homecoming week was full of fun and spirit throughout the school district. Congratulations to MVHS Homecoming King & Queen, Ryan Quiroz and Amie Johnson and Prince & Princess, Ian Vonderharr and Rose Simonson.

Medina Valley FFA Land & Homesite Teams competed at the Area VII Contest in Blanco. Homesite had a 10th place finish and the Land team placed 5th advancing to state! Riley Chafin was the 3rd High Point Senior Individual to receive a $1,000 scholarship!

MVHS has 16 newly Certified EKG (Electrocardiogram) Technicians! They all passed the EKG Certification exam. Congratulations to these students.

Congratulations to Cameron “CJ” Beal for being selected to play in the SA Sports Foundation Annual All-Star Football Game on January 7, 2023. This game features 118 of the best players in the San Antonio area.

Congratulations to our 2022-23 MVISD Teachers of the Year!

Our teachers at Medina Valley ISD are passionate, dedicated, and committed to our students! Please help us congratulate our 2022-2023 Teachers of the Year, representing MVISD and each of our 8 campuses.

District Elementary Teacher of the Year - Rebecca Ozuna - Potranco Elementary
District Secondary Teacher of the Year - Sarah Young - Loma Alta Middle School

Campus Teacher of Year:
Alexandra Murphy - Medina Valley High School
Stephanie Summerlin - Castroville Elementary
Rachel Cooperrider - Medina Valley Middle School
Denise Robertson - LaCoste Elementary
Jennifer Peña - Ladera Elementary
Tricia Plate - Luckey Ranch Elementary

Inside the Classroom: Ladera Elementary, Mrs. Sanchez

Mrs. Sanchez's 3rd grade class at Ladera Elementary spent the morning working in groups on an interactive activity that focused on reading skills! Students received a passage that had been cut into different paragraphs without the headings, and worked together to determine the heading that best matched or created their own heading based on their annotations.

Once a month we will be sharing photos from "Inside the Classroom" of one of our Medina Valley ISD campuses to highlight the great learning and top-tier instruction!

KENS5 Highlights Medina Valley High School Students Advocating for Mental Health Awareness

Last week at Medina Valley High School, students participated in the "Start with Hello" program that aims at teaching empathy and empowering students to end social isolation. Students lead sessions throughout the week that reached the entire student body of 2,100+ students, teaching their peers about ways to identify loneliness and social isolation and ways to help. The week was also filled with spirit activities to help promote this message.

Three MVHS Seniors were named as Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. The students received a Letter of Commendation from the NMSC and it recognizes them for placing among the top 50,000 students nationwide. Congratulations D. Dixon, T. Frail, and I. Sanchez!

Medina Valley High School Head Cross Country Coach, James Bermea was named "Coach of the Week" for the week of Sept. 17 by the Texas High School Coaches Association. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

At the Sept. 23 football game Potranco and Ladera Elementary celebrated their Bleacher Creature Night. It was an amazing turnout and experience for our Elementary students.

More than 20 Medina Vally HS students spent Saturday Sept. 17 giving back and helping their peers that needed extra assistance/intervention with math and science. We are so proud of their leadership and commitment to helping others!

Sept. 23 was a big night for Panther volleyball. Not only did the teams have a clean sweep against Southwest Legacy but head coach Deesa Griggs celebrated her 500th career win!

MVHS Band kicked off Competition season on Sept. 17 in McAllen. Congratulations to the Band on a 3rd place finish in their division.

MVISD Employee of the Month - September 2022

Denise Robertson, LaCoste Elementary

Congratulations to LaCoste Elementary 2nd Grade Bilingual Teacher, Denise Robertson, on being selected as the MVISD Employee of the Month for September 2022!

September 6, 2022 was Uvalde CISD's first day back to school, and to show our support for their community, MVISD students and staff wore maroon. It was amazing to see so many participate and show that our hearts were with their resilient community.

In an effort to add bus drivers to our team, our school board approved a new Bus Driver Incentive Program. The program offers current MVISD bus drivers, along with new drivers a $5,000 incentive to be distributed throughout this school year and next school year. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a driver, the application can be found here: www.mvisd.com/jobs/

MVHS Football vs. Southwest Legacy

MVHS Volleyball vs. South San

Bleacher Creature Night for LaCoste & Luckey Ranch Elem.

Friday, September 9 was filled with action all over Medina Valley HS.

Our Varsity Football team played a hard-fought game against Southwest Legacy, falling short 34-21.

Our Varsity Volleyball team also played at home and came out victorious with a big win over South San that went four matches. The fourth game was intense, as the Panthers final score was 31-29 to finish off the match.

It also was a special night for LaCoste and Luckey Ranch Elementary as they got to go down on the football field and run out of the tunnel for their Bleacher Creature Night!

The Watch D.O.G.S program launched with a great turnout at Ladera Elementary. The cafeteria was filled with students and their dads ready to learn more about the program. All MVISD Elementary schools are participating in this program, and we encourage you to contact your campus if you have any questions.

MVHS FFA hosted a fantastic Greenhand Camp on Sept. 7. It was a great opportunity for first year FFA members to learn more about the organization and their fellow classmates. Filled with fun activities and a group meal, the event was a great success for all who participated.

Our Varsity Football & Volleyball teams have been working hard both on and off the court/field. Last week they greeted Elementary students in the morning as they were dropped off. Every week a different high school extracurricular program is greeting students to show their support and inspire our young Panthers!

LaCoste Elementary received a generous donation of school supplies from Health Texas. The supplies will be put to great use, and the campus administration would like to thank them for this thoughtful and meaningful gesture of support.

With a combined 200+ participants, both the MVHS Cheer Kiddie Camp and Soccer Camp on Sept. 10 had a great turnout. Our MVHS cheerleaders and soccer players did a great job working with the young students who attended and it was a fun time for all.

MVHS Team Tennis hosted South San last week and recorded a default win due to the other team not having enough players. This win brings their record to 3-0 in District.