Melissa Smithey, an Italy High School senior, was presented the Kayrene Uehlinger Memorial Scholarship on April 17, 2011 at Central Baptist Church. Smithey is the daughter of Michael and Rita Smithey of Italy.

Who wants to hunt for over 4200 Easter eggs? Avalon ISD students that’s who! On Monday at Avalon ISD that is just what the students did. The school grounds were covered with eggs and eager egg hunting students.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 there will be a called meeting of the Italy ISD School Board. The 7:00pm meeting will be held in the Italy ISD Administration Building. The lone executive session agenda item reads “Discuss appointment of Barry Bassett as Superintendent of Italy ISD.”

Mrs. Morgan’s first grade class came up with an idea to get grandparents more involved in school with their grandchildren. Kids just love to have their grandparents come to school. Usually they only get to visit grandchildren in school on Grandparent’s Day.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have their regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 18, 2011. Meeting time is set for 7:00pm and will be held in the Italy High School band hall at 300 S. College, Italy. The agenda lists a full slate of items for the school board members to discus.

Charlotte Morgan was selected as the “Teacher with Heart” by her peers at Stafford Elementary.

The “Tiger of the Month” award is an incentive for students to learn and be the best they can be. Each month a student is chosen from each grade (pre-k thru 6th) and honored with the award. Pictures of the “Tigers of the Month” are displayed on the bulletin board down the the sixth grade hallway.

The Italy School Board of Trustees named Barry Bassett as lone finalist in their superintendent search at a called meeting Monday night.

We want champions, anyone can be a champion if you never give up, encourage others and do your best. That is the theme behind the NED special assembly.

To help inspire the Stafford Elementary 5th grade class, who will be taking the TAKS test on Monday and Tuesday, school faculty and the 4th and 6th grade students thru a pep rally in their honor, Friday inside the school’s cafeteria.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have a called meeting on Monday, April 4, 2011. Meeting time is slated for 6:00pm and will be held in the Italy ISD Administration Building at 300 S. College, Italy. The agenda lists this meeting to be primarily conducted in Executive Session as Administrator, Teacher and other personnel contracts will be discussed. The top item on the agenda will be consideration for Lone Finalist for the district’s Superintendent position.

Italy High School students Cruz Enriquez and Zac Mercer represented the creative side of the Gladiators in the recent Rodeo Austin ‘Eco Art Show’ in which all project entries had to be made out of recyclable materials.

David Del Bosque grew up in the small, south Texas town of Alice. His parents did not speak english. His father had a second grade education and his mother had a sixth grade education. So, little David did not know how to speak english when he started school. But now David Del Bosque has his doctorate in educational leadership.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have a called meeting on Monday, March 28, 2011 in the school’s Administration office located at 300 S. College Street. Meeting time is 7:00pm. The agenda slates the meeting will be an Executive Session meeting to select a Superintendent finalist as well as discussion of personnel.

Italy’s own Morgan Cockerham, and her Duroc swine, Kinsler, named after Texas Ranger’s ball player Ian Kinsler, won 1st in class and 3rd in their light-medium weight division during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo this past Wednesday, March 16.

Jane Medrano was in shock when she learned she was selected as the Italy ISD Employee of the Month. “I was thoroughly shocked when I was told I was receiving this award. I feel privileged and honored.”

Meg Lyons went to college and earned two associates degrees, started out in the business field and did lots of office work. But something was missing. She just couldn’t figure out why she was not happy.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have called meetings on Tuesday, March 22, Wednesday, March 23 and Thursday, March 24 in the school’s Administration office located at 300 S. College Street. Meeting times are slated for 5:00pm each day. Superintendent applicants will be interviewed during these three meetings during executive sessions.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have their regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 21 in the band hall at the Italy High School campus. Meeting time is slated for 7:00pm. Contract renewals for the teachers and school personnel is one of the agenda items listed.

The fourth six weeks assembly at Stafford Elementary was a lot like the last one, lots and lots of awards were being given out. There were many happy and excited students accepting their awards, a lot of them were receiving extra recesses and ice cream coupons from Sonic.

Where else but Stafford Elementary can you go back in history and see Davy Crockett and Stephen F. Austin? These two fine gentlemen showed up at Stafford Elementary around 1:30pm on March 2nd.

Italy High School Library hosted its third annual Mardi Gras Party in the Library on Fat Tuesday, March 8. All students and staff were treated to slices of King Cake and the students who got the “plastic baby” in their slice got all their library fines deleted and special Mardi Gras beads.

The Milford Chapter of the National Honor Society will host a blood drive on Wednesday, March 9, from 11:00am – 4:00pm at the Milford School. Carter BloodCare will have a blood mobile parked in front of the school for donating whole blood. Members of the community are invited to participate in an event designed to save lives.

Christopher Anthony, an eighth grader at Avalon Middle School in Avalon, Texas, was declared the county champion at the Ellis County Spelling Bee competition in Maypearl, Texas, February 21, 2011. He will compete at the Dallas Morning News Regional Spelling Bee on March 26, 2011. The competition will be televised on WFAA Channel 8.

Tammy Wallis (Stafford Principal) wanted to come up with a way for teachers to be recognized for their outstanding teaching skills and hard work they put in everyday. Thus, the Teacher’s Heart Award. This award is awarded every six weeks. This time the award went to third grade teacher April Mathers.

Monday, February 28, 2011 there will be a called meeting of the Italy ISD School Board. The 6:00pm meeting will be held in the Italy ISD Administration Building. Agenda items pertain to the superintendent search as well as discussion and consideration of options regarding personnel cuts in preparation of the upcoming statewide education funding cuts.

At Stafford Elementary you will see green recycling bins in every classroom. Stafford Elementary has joined up with the City of Italy in the city’s effort to recycle.

On March 2, Stafford Elementary will be celebrating two big events, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The Italy ISD Board of Trustees will have their regular monthly meeting on Monday, February 21 in the band hall at the Italy High School campus. Meeting time is slated for 7:00pm. Contract renewals for the principals and athletic director is one of the items listed on the agenda.

Do you need help finding money for college? Do you need help applying for financial aid? Are you getting confused when completing your FAFSA online? Well…help is on the way!!!!

Sonny Dickerson, IHS Ag teacher, has announced that he has select meats, as well as a few dessert items, available for purchase. These item are overstock from the Italy FFA Chapter’s annual meat sales fundraiser that was conducted this past December. All has been stored in a deep freezer and is available for purchase now.

Avalon’s senior class is participating in a community service project called Jeans for Teens. Jeans for Teens gives jeans to homeless teens who need them.