Here are just a few of the top stories from 2023
It seems like just yesterday that the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø was wrapping up a successful 2022. Now the same can be said for 2023. It certainly was a big year for the district.
It started with some Super Bowl fun, included the World Series, and also included some of the top scholars in the state and nation.
So how do you choose the 10 biggest stories in the district when you publish more than 300 annually on the Looped In blog? You vote on it, of course. Here are the top 10 stories in the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø for 2023 (in no particular order).
1. World Series fun
Of course, the Texas Rangers won their first World Series this year. And the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø was there from the start to the finish. That’s what happens when you have a student deliver the game ball before a memorable Game 1 win. That’s what also happens when the city calls on the .
2. A perfect 10Â
Sam Houston High School and the TCU Community Scholars program have a great track record together. Every year TCU is looking for outstanding Texans to apply for the prestigious honor that includes four years of college and a semester abroad paid for by the school. Every year Sam Houston has outstanding students who apply for the opportunity. In 2023, 10 Texans were selected for the scholar program!
3. Rhodes Scholar
While we’re writing about scholars, how about a big congrats to Isaac James. The Arlington High graduate was one of 32 students selected as an American Rhodes Scholar. How did he celebrate? Of course, he paid it back by visiting with current Colts. James has already graduated from the University of Texas and been an intern at the White House.
4. Lifesavers everywhere
A foursome of É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø staff members stepped up in a huge way this fall. All four helped save lives with CPR and the use of AED devices. Golf coaches Ruston Laurence and Gary Webb rendered aid to a golfer who collapsed on the golf course. Lamar trainer Bryant Grice did the same for a girls basketball player. And Beckham Elementary nurse Brittany Isbell came to the aid of a teacher who needed help.
5. Record recognition
Two years ago the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø set a record as 61 students received recognition for being National Merit semifinalists or earned Hispanic Recognition, African American Recognition or Indigenous Recognition. In 2023, that record was shattered as the district honored 141 students for receiving those honors. Will the record stand in 2024? We’ll find out in February.
6 More P-TECH options
The É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø wants students to be prepared for life after high school and the P-TECH offerings the district has is one of the great ways. In the fall of 2023, the district started two new P-TECH programs at Sam Houston and Seguin High School. At Sam Houston, students can learn about logistics and mechatronics while earning college credit. At Seguin, the focus is engineering as the students at both schools get a leg up in high-demand fields while getting college credit for free.
7. Three new schools open
If you want to see proof of the 2019 Bond in action, you can head down Cooper Street to the new Webb Elementary. Or if you’re on the east side of town, you could peek at the new Thornton Elementary. Or a few blocks away at the new Berry Elementary. All three of the schools opened their doors in 2023 for the first time. The new schools have all the modern bells and whistles our students and staff need, and they wouldn’t have been possible without the community’s support for the bond.
8 Preston Nguyen again
If you remember our top 10 stories from 2022, the name Preston Nguyen should be familiar to you. In 2022, Nguyen won the World Food Championship Final Table. But he wasn’t done. In 2023, Nguyen took his cooking prowess to the airwaves as he competed on Gordon Ramsay’s show Next Level Chef. While the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø product didn’t win, he can cook for us any time he wants!
9 Record-setting Olympians Â
The É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø was well-represented at the Special Olympics state volleyball championship. The district sent 67 students to Austin to compete at state. Not only did our students complete, but they also excelled. All seven teams placed in the top four at state. Way to go Olympians!
10 Super Bowl again
Welcome to É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø, home of Super Bowl champs. In 2022, it was former Lamar student Bobby Brown and former Martin student Justin Hollins winning Super Bowl titles. In 2023, that honor went to former Lamar student Shane Buechele for the Kansas City Chiefs. The district couldn’t lose in the Super Bowl either as another Lamar grad – Kyron Johnson – played for the Philadelphia Eagles.