Walking the halls
By KEVIN MCCUGH Jasper High School Principal

The faculty and staff of Jasper High School are pleased with the progress being made in providing a quality education for all students. We have completed our first two six weeks of school, and the present enrollment figures are as follows: 9th grade - 216; 10th grade - 217; 11th grade - 177; 12th grade - 172; total - 782.

We have many students and staff members on our campus who dedicate countless hours outside of regular instructional time to pursue special interests related to school activities. Several of our Fine Arts students and FCCLA members hosted a pair of Veterans Day programs titled "Celebrating America's Veterans and Their Legacy" in the JHS Auditorium. The Veterans Day programs pay tribute to the sacrifices made by past, present and future members of the United States military branches. Special thanks to all of the veterans, families, teachers, and students who were in attendance and to Ms. Hines for her organization of the events.

We also have students performing at the Jasper Community Theater in the play "The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood." Our FCCLA sponsor, Ms. Franz, and her members have started sponsoring a "pink day" on the high school campus for teachers choosing to wear pink, with money raised being provided to the Julie Rogers "Gift of Life" program for breast cancer awareness.

Other activities involving JHS students recently included the rodeo team and FFA assisting with the Cowboy Kids Day at Martin Dies Jr. State Park, with assistance from their sponsors, Mr. Meyer and Ms. Breaux.

Ms. Mayhar's Spanish classes celebrated "Dia de los Muertos," Day of the Dead, Nov. 1 - 2. This holiday honors dead relatives by placing altars (ofrendas) in their homes with photos and special remembrances of deceased loved ones. The students prepared and ate foods associated with this holiday, and had an ofrenda in the classroom with pictures of their loved ones.

Also, five members of the JHS Choir participated in the Region 10 Texas Music Educator's All Region Choir Concert in the Julie Rogers Theater in Beaumont. Students selected for this honor competed with over 1,100 students in the region. Students participating included: Kelsey Walker, Women's Choir; Anthony McCarter - Men's Choir; Jessica Alvis, Marcie Ratcliff, and Quentin Fowler - Mixed Choir. Thanks to Mr. Jones and Ms. Ivey for their work with the choir students.

On the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 9, we held a faculty/ student basketball game, featuring our JHS boys and girls senior basketball players against the JHS faculty and staff. Although the senior boys and girls barely held on for the victory, the students, faculty, and staff all enjoyed themselves. After the game, and in the days that followed, we have had many students, faculty, and staff members comment on what a positive time it had been for everyone, as the entire student body was able to be in the gym for the game. Coach Young and Coach Little were responsible for organizing the game, and the teachers were helpful in making sure all students in their classes were able to attend.

We are planning a "Spring Bulldog Celebration" event for our high school students, and we will get feedback from teachers, staff, and students in the process of organizing this day together.

Following the basketball game, we held our annual senior pep rally. We had many parents and community members in attendance for our pep rallies this year. Special thanks for organizing our pep rallies to Ms. Hadley, Mr. Herrington, Mr. Booty, Mr. Parma, and all of our support personnel. As part of the celebration, State Representative Wayne Christian presented a proclamation to Coach Mixon and the Bulldog baseball team in recognition of the 2007 3A State Championship.

Later that evening, the Bulldog football team clinched a berth in the playoffs with an exciting victory over Silsbee. Congratulations to Coach Brooks, the Bulldog coaching and training staff, and the players on their achievements this season. On varsity game days, Coach Brooks and his staff have raised the level of expectations for all players in the program, requiring players to wear Jasper Football travel shirts as part of dressing for success on game days. As a school, we need to continue to raise the level of expectations for all of our students in academic and extracurricular pursuits.

On a final note, thanks to all of the teachers and staff members, and to the parents, guardians, and friends of JHS students for your participation in Parent Conference Day on October 15th. The final numbers accumulated by district personnel indicates that JHS held 715 parent conferences, with an additional 262 parent contacts.

The high school campus recognizes that we are facing tremendous challenges in meeting accountability standards established by the Texas Education Agency, and parental involvement is vital to increasing the opportunities for student success. We encourage you to be actively involved in the lives of your children, and with your support we will continue to move forward at Jasper High School.