Cody Cornell is a 2015 graduate of Turlock High School and is currently stationed at the Marine Cops Air Station Iwakuni in Iwakuni, Japan, where he serves as a Data Sytems Administrator. Cody shared that he joined the military because he wanted to defend the freedoms we enjoy as Americans although being so far away from his family has been a challenge. He is very thankful to his friends and family for the support they have provided to him on this difficult journey. His goals for the future are to one day become a Drill Instructor and continue his education before someday making his way back to Turlock to become a teacher at his alma mater. For those thinking of joining the military, Cody has some sage advice: "It is definitely a great opportunity and is a very rewarding experience . . . you will get to do some cool things and see some amazing places; however you will also be constantly challenged and go through some difficult times . . . . so make sure you really think about why you want to join and ask yourself if this is something you really want to do." Thank you for your service, Cody, and shout out to your parents, Lance and Anne Cornell at Turlock High School.

Pattie Langpaap retired in 2015 after 31 years teaching in TUSD, first at Julien Elementary School and then Crowell. In retirement, Pattie has continued to be a fixture in TUSD as she is a frequent substitute in classrooms across the District which she greatly enjoys. When she is not subbing, Pattie can be found playing tennis, riding her bike on the canal, working for Living History as a Civil War and Renaissance teacher, and helping her grandson, Quinn, who has Joubert Syndrome, grow stronger. Pattie has many fond memories of TUSD including camping out on Crowell's blacktop so the PTA could set up the Fall Carnival ahead of time and not have it disturbed to an author writing a book-- Critter the Class Cat--about her own classroom cat. Pattie misses going to Outdoor Education and fondly remembers the spaghetti that was always served for the first lunch. The list of things Patti does not miss is a little longer--"meetings, progress reports, report cards, jammed copy machines, finding a parking spot, sleepless nights worrying about students, and countless dollars" spent on supplies for her 1,000+ students during her long teaching career. Thank you, Pattie, for continuing to put the "US" in TUSD!

Lea Pizana, 7th Grade, eCademy Charter at Crane School

Cooper Leal, 1st Grade, Medeiros Elemetary

Eli Sanchez, 1st Grade, Brown Elementary

Clarissa Garcia, 7th Grade, Turlock Junior High School

Twas the Annual Turlock Downtown Christmas Parade and all through the streets were happy TUSD faces . . . Congratulations to Brown Elementary School for their winning Cinderella float!

Dutcher Middle School English/History teacher Kelly Fetter created this giving tree outside La Mo in memory of her mom Debbie Murdock who, even when times were tough, always pulled tags at Christmas to help those in need. Thank you to our many TUSD educators who find ways big and small to give back to our students, families, and community this holiday season. 

How about these lady hoop stars?! Undefeated the past two years at Turlock Junior High School with a 32-0 record. Two-time league champions and 4-time tournament champions. Congrats to Coach Phil Sanchez from Pitman High School. Roll on you Tigers!

Shout out to Medeiros Elementary School for partnering with CSU, Stanislaus to host a Parent Reading Night Workshop. Parents learned strategies to help their students become better readers. Yay!

Jessica's House | We spent  #GivingTuesday  bringing new ideas to teachers, counselors and support professionals at  @turlockusd  Our school support coordinator,  @mahlem1  is shown here teaching a piece on  #Mindfulness  she took us on a mindful walk where we noticed colors, sounds, textures and smells. We also did activities with poetry, art, rhythm and movement. All in an effort to bring students back to learning when they’re feeling stressed or worried.