Can you believe it? It is summer already. Where did the time go? Recently, at the Italy High School campus, in the old gymnasium, Stafford Elementary students were being honored for all their hard work, good behavior and good grades. Not only were the students being honored but teachers and staff were also being honored for all the hard work they have put in over the school year.
Italy High School honored their graduates last Friday night with a graduation ceremony for 36. The top 10% were seated on the front row, as well as National Honor Society members. Cords and collars, gowns and caps were donned as they passed in front of the school board, received their diploma and moved their tassel to the other side.
Peri Patterson knew at a very young age that she wanted to teach children. It started back when she was about fourteen years old when she would help her grandmother teach her Sunday School class. She was good at it, had a “knack” for it and loved teaching the little ones. She now has twenty-nine years of teaching under her belt.
Lots of excitement in the Dome last Thursday evening for forty-three Stafford Elementary kindergartners. They were so excited about being in the “Dome” and they were so excited about graduating to the first grade.
The end of the school year is here but the Italy High School graduating Class of 2012 is embarking on their first steps to the rest of their life. These Gladiators have worked hard the last 12 years and it has paid off-in more ways than one. With over $245,000 awarded in scholarships, these seniors are ready to begin the next part of their journey. The following students have received honors:
You better watch out, here comes the pre-K graduating class of Stafford Elementary. You better get ready because here they come, they are ready for kindergarten.
Every year Stafford Elementary has a field day. This is where the students participate in many games such as relays, volleyball and water slides. This year Field Day was two days. On Thursday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm the pre-K, kindergarten, first grade and second grade were first up on the field. Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm the third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade and sixth grade students took over the field.
Megan Richards and Kaytlyn Bales were named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at Italy High School’s 29th Annual Academic Banquet Thursday evening.
Mr. Miller (principal) put in place a program for the students at Stafford Elementary to be rewarded for demonstrating good behavior. Every time a child is showing responsibility, respect, walking in the halls respectfully and quietly, has all his materials for class, minding the teachers they receive a “PAWS card.”
Daniel Nazar, who attended Milford High, recently graduated from Harvard Law School in the top of his class. Daniel, who currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will take the bar exam in June and has already been offered a job with a prestigious law firm in New York City. He plans to make New York his home, but has fond memories of the good times in Milford, Texas.
Every year at Stafford Elementary the first graders always put on the play ‘Deep in the Jungle’. Now, last night like all the other performances of this play the cafeteria was packed with proud parents, teachers, students and friends. And as always these cute little first graders did a fantastic job.
For the last four years the U.S. News and World Report has been publishing a list of America’s Best High Schools. For the third year in a row Avalon High School has made the list and has earned national recognition.
On May 3, 2012 Zain Byers, Monserrat Figueroa (sophomore), Meagan Hooker (junior), Brianna Riddle (sophomore), and Emily Stiles (sophomore), Taylor Turner (sophomore), and Jesica Wilkins (sophomore) were inducted into the Italy High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society.
The unofficial results of the 2012 Italy ISD School Board trustee election has been released. The votes will be canvased at an upcoming school board meeting.
The Italy High School and Junior High have released their “A” and “A/B” Honor Roll lists for the 5th 6-weeks of the 2011-2012 school year.
Stafford Elementary will have its yearly Pre-K and Kindergarten Round-UP on Thursday, May 10, 2012 from 3:30-6:30 and Friday, May 11, 2012 from 8:00-3:00. There will be a scheduled lunch break from 12:00-1:00.
In the old gymnasium at Avalon ISD, the bleachers were filled with elementary students, teachers and family members ready to recognize the achievements of the elementary students. The assembly took a while because there were so many awards.
In the 5th grade science classroom at Stafford Elementary, when the kids have learned a concept well enough to teach it themselves, THEY DO! Using an app available on the iPad, our Stafford 5th graders can use pictures, draw on the screen, and record their own voices all at once.
The fifth six weeks awards assembly was held at the Stafford Elementary gymnasium and as usual it was over flowing with proud students, family members, Stafford teachers and staff. As names were being called and each student was recognized for his or her achievements, smiling faces were galore.
April Mathers has always wanted to work with children so teaching was a perfect fit. She has been teaching for about ten years now and she has always taught at Stafford Elementary and loves teaching there.
Italy High School principal Lee Joffre has announced the STAAR/TAKS testing schedules for the junior high and high students for the week of April 23 thru April 27. To give each group of students the optimal testing environment several students will have late arrival schedules during this testing week.
Look out everyone here comes the man in the big gray trash bag! Who is it you might ask? It is no other than Jason Miller (Stafford Elementary principal) ready to take on those pie throwing Stafford Tigers.
Italy High High School will host a hamburger meal fundraiser on Tuesday, April 17th in conjunction to the final home softball and baseball games of the season. The burgers will be cooked at the hamburger stand next to the field house and will be served beginning at 4:30pm. Swing by on your way to the softball and baseball games!
Kaytlyn Bales, Italy High School senior, was named recipient of the Kayrene Uehlinger Scholarship at Central Baptist Church in Italy Sunday morning.
On April 2nd and 3rd Italy High School’s 9th-12th grade students participated in Academic UIL at the Grandview High School campus.
Jane Medrano has been teaching for twelve years. She has taught for six years for Italy ISD. Her first two years at Italy ISD she taught seventh and eighth grade math, also teaching eleventh grade math models and also taught TAKS remediation. Her next four years she has taught math at Stafford Elementary.
The Stafford Elementary PTO will be holding their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 17th at 7:30 a.m. It will be held in the Stafford Library. Refreshments will be served and two lucky parents will have a chance at a door prize.
Every year the Stafford second graders put on the production of Nowhere Else but Texas! And once again they did a terrific job. Hats off to Mrs. Mandrell and Mrs. Shepard on putting together this wonderful performance.
Mrs. Davis, Italy HS/JHS Counselor, has published a few reminders to help the Italy High School’s 2012 graduating class stay on top of things as they move towards graduation.
What better way to start the Easter weekend than to have an Easter Egg hunt with all your friends at school. Stafford kindergartners sure thought that this was a wonderful idea. They could not sit still in their classroom for all their excitement.
Jennifer Aguado has always taught school at Stafford Elementary. Why would you ever leave when you have the best of everything? Best students, best parents, best teachers, principal and staff. That is exactly what Jennifer Aguado thinks about Stafford Elementary.
Tuesday afternoon it was raining to beat all in Italy. There were tornadoes in Dallas and surrounding areas but that did not stop the Stafford Elementary PTO members and the Italy community from coming out and supporting the kids at the hamburger supper.
On Saturday morning, March 24, Stafford Elementary students Savannah Lewis, Hunter Hinz, Rose Kennimer, Jayden Perkins, and Colton Allen took part in the Ellis County Science Fair at Lucy Mae McDonald Elementary in Ferris. Their exhibits were judged in competition against the exhibits of other elementary students from Waxahachie, Maypearl, Palmer, and Ferris.
Several Italy students were recognized at a school board meeting Monday evening.
Avalon ISD has had many achievements but one of them stands out before the rest, that is their dual credit college course program. The students have been very successful and two students in particular have worked the program to the max.
On March 10, 2012 students representing the Italy High School and Junior High School Art program entered a project in the Star of Texas Rodeo Austin Eco Art Show in Austin, Texas.
The 2012 Lady Gladiators continue to build on their early season momentum and start 2-0 in district play.
On Saturday, March 3, two teams of bowlers from the Milford Chapter of the National Honor Society participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowlathon in Waxahachie raising over $1,500.00 for the Ellis County BBBS chapter.
Shelden Kinnison of Italy has earned a place on the President’s Honor Roll for the fall 2011 semester at Texas State Technical College Waco.
The Italy School Board announces Hank Hollywood as the new athletic director, head football coach and social studies teacher at Italy High School.
In order to better serve the dual credit students with scholarship opportunities Navarro College has extended the deadline for the Brilliance Dual Credit Scholarship, (Fall 2012/Spring 2013) until 5:00pm on June 1, 2012.
Hank Hollywood, a 1996 graduate of Celina High School, was named athletic director, head football coach and classroom teacher at a called meeting of the Italy School Board of Trustees Tuesday evening.
Tuesday morning the Stafford Elementary gymnasium was filled with smiling students, smiling teachers and proud parents, grandparents and relatives. It was the fourth six-weeks awards assembly and talk about a lot of awards! There were awards for excellent conduct, perfect attendance, good citizenship, AB honor roll and A honor roll.
The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have a called meeting on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. The lone agenda item for this meeting it to approve the superintendent’s recommendation for Athletic Director.
Italy High School/Junior High School has announced that there will be a special schedule next Wednesday for some of the students. This is due to ELA (English, Language Arts) Exit Level TAKS testing for the juniors and the ELA TAKS test for the sophomores. As a result the 7th and 8th graders, the freshmen as well as the seniors will be allowed to sleep in that day
Charlotte Morgan has been teaching first grade for about twenty-two years at Stafford Elementary and credits Mr. George Scott (a past Italy ISD superintendent) and her husband John Morgan for her success.
The Italy School Board of Trustees voted to extend the contracts of the elementary and high school principals through June 2014 following a three-hour executive session at its board meeting held Monday evening.
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The Italy High School and Junior High have released their “A” and “A/B” Honor Roll lists for the 4th 6-weeks of the 2011-2012 school year.
Oh boy, was there a lot of excitement in the old Avalon gym on last Friday afternoon! The gym was filled with excited boys and girls because for the first time at Avalon Elementary they were having an awards assembly and would be giving awards for good citizenship, Soaring Eagles (most improved grades), A honor roll, A B honor roll and AR points.
Sharon Davis, Italy High School guidance counselor is striving to keep the Italy High School students in-the-know of important dates and deadlines. She shares the following dual credit course information.
