Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Part Two – Crockett ISD
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – With the 2018-2019 school year beginning to slip below the horizon and with administrators having had a chance to catch their breath, we thought it would be a good time to review the highlights and challenges of the past year in education and see what the various districts have on tap for the 2019-2020 school year.
In the second of a multi-part series, The Messenger contacted Crockett Superintendent Terry Myers to get his thoughts on last year and to see what he believes is in store for the coming school year.
“Our students performing well at the UIL (University Interscholastic League) Academic contest are certainly at the top of our achievements this past year,” the Crockett ISD superintendent said.
Myers also singled out the Crockett Bulldog band as a bright spot in the 2018-2019 school year.
“They actually earned the highest marks in both marching and on the concert stage that they have earned in many, many years – long before I got here. Those are both really positive things,” he said.
Athletically, Myers said the Bulldogs had a fantastic year.
“The football team did very well and returned to the playoffs this year. Our track team picked up another state championship (in the 4x100m relay). The basketball team went to the Regional Finals and we have all but two players coming back,” he said.
He also discussed the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and how the students were able to raise money to help fund a trip to Chicago.
“Our community really rallied around the kids and helped them to raise over $10,000. Next year, I think there is a trip planned for not just for the NJHS, but there’s one in tandem with the high school National Honor Society. I think they are all planning to go to Washington, D.C. this coming year,” Myers said.
The district FFA program was also lauded for its performances at the state and national conventions. He added the Sr. Quiz team had a good showing at the national level, even though Myers indicated the students felt they should have done better.
As far as what he saw going into the 2019-2020 school year, Myers said he was hoping for “… continued academic success. Our accountability ratings, from what I’ve seen, show that the longer our district has the children, the better they do. If they have poor accountability scores when they are in elementary, by the time they get to high school, they are doing very well.”
Continuing along the academic theme, the superintendent said the district has consistently had a high graduation rate and Myers said he hoped to maintain this.
One area Myers said he looks forward to in the upcoming school year is the new funding provided by the state.
“This will help us attract and retain the brighter and better teachers to our district for our students,” he said.
One area Crockett ISD has faced challenges in over the years, has been overcoming a less than positive image. However, Myers said, the district’s reputation is on the upswing.
“Our attitude, our behavior and the reputation of our community continues to improve. I believe we are finally starting to see a positive perception of the district and I hope we continue to improve upon that,” he said.
Facility-wise, the superintendent said the football field and the track have been re-surfaced.
“The kids have that to look forward to when they play football, soccer and run track. That should hopefully be a big boost for the community. Hopefully, we will get a new scoreboard to go with it. I think that would be a great accomplishment and it would be a big draw. The floors in our gymnasiums have been refinished this year,” he said.
“I think folks will like the looks of the gym this year,” Myers continued. “I believe they will be more and more proud of that big Crockett ‘C’ as we try to standardize it here. I would like for it to be as iconic as the Texas Longhorns’ or Texas A&M’s logo. I believe our Crockett ‘C’ – I don’t think you will find it anywhere else.”
Financially, Myers said, the school is in very good shape financially “… and we’re going to try and keep it that way.”
Moving to the area of preparing students for life after high school, Myers said in the 2019-2020 school year, he believed the district had well over 100 students enrolled in dual-credit courses in preparation for college.
“Hopefully, we will have great relationships with Angelina College and SFA. I’m also hoping we can expand our career and technology offerings. We are working on all of those things and I think it’s something to look forward to as we go into this next year,” he said.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
