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May 23, 2019
We celebrated the successes of our graduates at recent awards and scholarship ceremonies. Many scholarships were awarded to our students, including $228,000 from the Belton Educational Enrichment Foundation (BEEF).
The BHS Class of 2019 began Senior Day with a walk through the halls followed by breakfast, awards and senior splash day. We wish all of our students graduating a wonderful summer and bright futures ahead!
Message from the Superintendent:

Dear

We are in the midst of one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a time to honor our students and celebrate all that they have accomplished. Banquets, awards assemblies, end-of-year parties, and other special events are underway across the district. And next week, our seniors, nearly 800 of them, will graduate. One of the most rewarding parts of my job as superintendent is standing on stage during graduation and handing out diplomas to students who are prepared to excel in tomorrow’s world. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the stands at Texas A&M last week and watching our Lady Tiger Softball team compete in the Class 6A Region II semifinals. While their impressive playoff run came to an end against a solid Klein Collins team, it’s been an amazing season for our girls and their fans. They broke records for runs scored, home runs hit, and won a program-record 33 games! I want to congratulate coach Matt Blackburn and his squad for an amazing season.

When our seniors graduate next week, I’ll be joined on stage by our Belton High School and Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow valedictorians and salutatorians. I want to congratulate BHS valedictorian Jacob Jimenez and salutatorian Marcus Ake, as well as BNTHS@W valedictorian Sarah Batson and salutatorian Maia Borchardt for achieving an impressive record of success. I’m proud to say that these students are part of the Superintendent Scholars program and have earned recognition not only at their campus but also on a state and national level. All the moments of studying for PSATs, SATs, AP exams, and ACTs really can lead our students to the Ivy Leagues, but don’t take my word for it, Jacob will soon be pursuing degrees in Architecture and Engineering at Harvard University. I’m confident that this is only the beginning of these top scholars’ accomplishments and look forward to what they will do in the future.

Yesterday ,   we recognized the teachers of the year selected by each campus and the District's athletics, career and technical education, special education, and fine arts programs. From that group, Holly Lamberte, a biology teacher and cross country coach at Belton High School, was selected as the secondary teacher of the year, and Kelly Francis, a fifth-grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary, was named elementary teacher of the year.
 
Our teachers are the heart of the school district. They make lifetime memories for our students while teaching them meaningful content and life skills. They love our kids, and they value and treat each one with respect. As we wrap up the 2018-2019 school year, I want to express my appreciation to them for a job well done. 

When we started in August, we discussed the power that we have as educators to create moments that matter for our students. Our teachers and staff have taken that message to heart and poured their energy, passion, and talent into making this a tremendously special year for our students. 
 
Linked below is a video that celebrates some significant moments from inside and outside of the classroom this year. I hope that you will take the time to watch it and will feel a sense of pride in the work that was accomplished by our team. What we do for our children, their families and the community truly does matter.

Sincerely,

Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.
Superintendent
This week we recognized campus and department Teachers of the Year. Congratulations to Kelly Francis, Elementary Teacher of the Year, and Holly Lamberte, Secondary Teacher of the Year! Special thanks to Madrigal who provided the entertainment during the luncheon.
Class of 2019 graduates returned to their elementary schools to celebrate and share memories during Senior Walk events.
Message from the School Board President:

A big thank you to our Big Red Community who demonstrated its support of our students again this year at the recent Belton High School and Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow scholarship ceremonies. This week, we had two wonderful evenings during the Belton Educational Enrichment Foundation’s (BEEF) senior scholarships ceremonies where BEEF awarded 162 students a total of 166 scholarships totaling $228,000. We appreciate the financial support our community gives to our students because that investment will reap great rewards!

That support has also been incredibly valuable to our board as we remain committed to addressing growth in a fiscally responsible way. During our most recent board meeting, my fellow Trustees and I received an update on the final issuance of bonds from the May 2017 bond program. The $19,700,000 bond sale is the final part of the $149,700,000 in bonds voters approved for construction funding for Lake Belton High School and Charter Oak Elementary as well as renovations and additions at two existing facilities. The board is very pleased that the diligent work of our staff and advisors is anticipated to again result in a favorable outcome for our taxpayers.

Being good stewards of taxpayer dollars as we continue to focus on creating opportunities for kids is also behind recent board action to relocate our thriving orchestra fine arts program to the main Belton High School campus. Our board unanimously approved a schematic design for an orchestra addition at BHS that includes an additional 3,200 square feet for a dedicated orchestra rehearsal hall, sectional room and three practice rooms, along with renovations to 1,200 square feet of existing band hall, instructor office space and the band music library. The BHS Orchestra program is an important, high-achieving program for our students and their families, and the board’s approval of O’Connell Robertson Architects’ designs reaffirms our commitment to offering strong fine arts educational opportunities in high-quality instructional spaces. I’m looking forward to the project’s completion and opening in the fall of 2020.

But even sooner, our newest elementary school, Charter Oak, reached the important construction milestone of substantial completion. We were so excited to show off the campus that Dr. Kincannon gave a special early tour on Tuesday to a group of energetic and enthusiastic Pirtle Elementary third- and fourth-graders who will be part of the first classes at Charter Oak when it opens in August. I can’t wait for the sneak peek Thursday night for Charter Oak families when they’re welcomed to their new school by teachers, administrators and campus staff.
 
Lastly, I would like to congratulate my fellow trustees, Dr. Rosie Montgomery, Board Vice President Jeff Norwood and Manuel Alcozer, who joined me in taking the oath of office during our May meeting. Being sworn in to new terms on the Belton ISD School Board, is an honor that means a great deal to us all. As we continue our service alongside Board Secretary Janet Leigh, Ty Taggart and Chris Flor, I want to reiterate our commitment to putting kids first and ensuring they receive the best public education possible.

Sincerely,

Sue M. Jordan
President, Board of Trustees
Elected officials and community leaders had the opportunity to join third- and fourth-graders, who will attend Charter Oak next school year, for their first look at the newly completed elementary school. Charter Oak families can join us tonight for a sneak peek event.
Year-end excitement continues with Pre-K and Kindergarten graduations, awards ceremonies and field day activities. Belton Early Childhood School students enjoyed Spring Splash Day!
We couldn't be prouder of our Lady Tiger softball team following another benchmark season, which included an undefeated march to a district championship and a program-best 33 wins! Spring football came to an end with the Tigers playing their annual Red and White games last night. Congratulations also to six more of our athletes who signed to play at the next level: Gracie Green (soccer at UMHB), Yuli Cruz (soccer at UMHB), Marques Aguilar (football at UMHB), Kaylee Hausam (track & field at Harding University), Sela Anderson (track & field at Southwestern College), and Jerrisha Rice (basketball at ASU Mid-South).