Pampa ISD Explore Magazine 2020

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Staff and Contributors

Explore Pampa ISD

Dr. Tanya Larkin PISD Superintendent

A Publication of the Pampa Independent School District

Dr. Abigayle Barton Assistant Superintendent

1233 North Hobart Pampa, Texas 79065 806-669-4700 www.pampaisd.net

- ABOUT THE COVER -

Todd Hubbart Chief Financial Officer

Jana Williamson HR/Family and Community Engagement Coordinator Robert Forester Graphic Designer

Abby Hancock Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Additional Contributors Matt Brock President, Pampa ISD Board of Trustees Heath Parker Director of Operations Stuart Smith Director of Student Services Carrie Williams Director of Pampa Learning Center Pilar Hunt PHS Art Teacher Alicia Ortner Travis Elementary Counselor Byron Williamson Pastor, First Baptist Church Megan Horn PJHS ELA Teacher and Merit Gold Program Coordinator

John Benton PHS Band Director Byron May Principal, Travis Elementary Mark Murray Director, Career and Technology Education Brianna Montgomery and Tammy May PHS Choir Directors Troy McClendon Principal, Lamar Elementary Hugh Piatt Principal, Pampa High School Jamie Winborne Principal, Pampa Junior High Keana Daughtry Principal, Wilson Elementary Kristal Floyd Principal, Austin Elementary Adela Solis Teacher, Wilson Elementary

Ann and Shannon Loter

Thank You!

Harvey the Harvester was spotted at a recent football game sporting his "can do attitude." Face shields and social distancing practices have posed unique challenges for every aspect of education, including extracurricular activities. Pampa ISD teachers and students have met the challenges of Covid-19 and have maintained "priority one," to keep the students and staff safe.

We appreciate the advertisers who made this issue of the Explore Magazine possible.

The Pampa Independent School District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, or disability. This holds true for all students who are interested in participating in educational programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the school district’s Title IX officer and/or Section 504/ADA coordinator.

Some graphic assets courtesy of Vecteezy.com, Storyblocks.com & Freevector.com.

Some photos provide courtesy of Charla Shults.

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Pampa ISD staff handed out lunches to students last spring as part of the Covid-19 response meal distribution program. This program, and other efforts made by Pampa ISD employees, demonstrated the mission of Pampa ISD, which is "to produce learners who are compassionate, competent and future-ready!"

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What we value! What we believe! How we behave!

P.A.M.P.A. ISD Purposefulness

We believe that the core business of schools is to ensure that every student, every day, is provided challenging, engaging, and meaningful work; therefore, we will purposefully prepare ourselves and our students for authentic experiences to ensure their future readiness.

Authentic Engagement

We believe that students and adults learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process; therefore, we will promote engaging and active learning opportunities to staff and students that foster an attitude of being life-long learners.

Mindset for Growth

We believe that all students are capable of high achievement; that intelligence is developed, and that achievement results from consistent and effective effort; therefore, we will support and encourage students and staff to have a growth mindset in order to meet expectations of excellence.

Preparedness

We believe that students must be prepared for a future of rapid change; therefore, we will foster the abilities to reason, to solve problems, to be challenged, and to use technology as a significant tool for learning.

Assurances

We believe we have a collective responsibility to create and sustain a safe environment that is respectful, caring, engaging, vibrant, and culturally responsive. We believe that the alliance of home, school, and community promotes both school and student success; therefore, we will promote ongoing stakeholder communication and seek authentic, trusting relationships.

Pampa ISD: Our Mission!

The Mission of Pampa ISD is to produce learners who are compassionate, competent, confident and future-ready!

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E X P L O R E Pampa ISD School Board

8

Refections & Lessons Learned Covid-19 Response

10

15

Pampa ISD Disinfection Program

29

30

37

24

26

MERIT GOLD

Mr. Harvester Trent Loter, arguably Pampa Harvester Football's biggest fan!

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BEHAVIOR ON DEMAND RVESTERS HA

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The Legendary Voice of the Harvesters

Preparing for College

38

20

PISD Arts Program #MOMENTS

Pampa Education Foundation

32

18

Pampa Learning Center

Example of a #TogetherWeCan Attitude!

42

Pre-K

CONTENTS 44

74

,

PISD Ambassadors

WILSON S CIRCLES 46

77

The

Harvester Band 50

Tots in Training

PHS's Amazing Students!

80

Get Ready for Fun!

54 56

Writing a Legacy

60 Years of Great Writing

83

SHOWCASE #MOMENTS

58

Nimble is the New Normal

62

Collaboration & Community

Career Guide 96

Enhancing Career & Technology Education in PISD 66

72

It is Time!

Looking Back at the 2019 Pampa High School Choir Musical

THE

LAMAR WAY

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

100

102

Pampa ISD Hall of Fame

2019-2020 & 2020 Inductees

Doing More With Less

The Harvester Explore Pampa ISD • 7

Pampa Independent School District School Board 2020 - 2021

Back L to R: Dr. David Godino, Luis Nava (Secretary), Denise Intemann Front L to R: Lance DeFever (Vice President), Cay Warner, Richard Qualls, Matt Brock (President)

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Message from Matt Brock, President On behalf of the Pampa Independent School District Board of Trustees, it is my honor and privilege to welcome you to the 3rd edition of the Explore Pampa ISD Magazine. Thank you for supporting Pampa ISD and its endeavors this year. Our board’s goal is to provide our community, state, and nation well-educated and well-rounded graduates who are future-ready.

Wow, what a year we have had. 2020 has had many great moments for Pampa ISD. Our motto for Pampa ISD is #pampaproud. So many quotes have come out from our community showing support for our schools, students, and educators. During the 2019-2020 school year our football team had great success and making it deep into the playoffs. Our volleyball team as well made it into the playoffs and had a highly successful year.

Our boys basketball team went 32-6-0 and was one game away from getting to the state tournament. So many of our extra-curricular programs were doing amazing and set to accomplish great things and then the COVID-19 epidemic hit. This put a stop to everything except learning. Our administrators and teachers had to learn to adapt and teach to an empty classroom by going online virtually overnight. Everything changed for the rest of the school year. Students began all learning activities through many different online media sources. Teachers did an amazing job too, and I want to personally thank them for going above and beyond in meeting their student’s needs. I want to commend our senior students for meeting the challenges they had to go through for their last year in Pampa ISD. Graduation was held at the High School and ended with a Parade to celebrate their success.

The Pampa ISD staff continues to work diligently to make sure that students continue their learning. If we have learned anything this year, it is that we must be adaptive to change and ways to learn outside a brick and mortar classroom. Digital learning is going to have to be part of this plan however that happens. We as a board of trustees will continue to support our administrators, teachers, and students in any way possible to make Pampa a successful place to learn and live. I have grown up in Pampa and lived here almost my entire life and I am #pampaproud!

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Refections & Lessons Learned

By Dr. Tanya Larkin, PISD Superintendent

As I reflected back on the countless hours we worked around the clock during Spring Break and the weeks following the worldwide shut down caused by the pandemic, I found myself thinking across a continuum of thoughts from shock and wonder to frustration and trepidation. To describe this time as “challenging” does not really do justice to the emotional and physical strain this had on our staff, parents, families, and our community.

Below is an account of the conversations, actions, and work of the Pampa ISD staff during what we have come to refer to as the Covid Shutdown of 2020.

Although this experience, at times, felt like it has already lasted a lifetime, it all really only began a few months ago. For the Pampa ISD, that day was March 13, 2020—the day before Spring Break.

The world was watching as the Coronavirus began to attack and impact the daily lives of millions of people---far away from Pampa, Texas. On a day when we would normally have been gearing up for a much needed break, exciting trips, and just a chance to catch our breath, we began planning for this invisible enemy to find its way to the Panhandle of Texas. On this Friday, the 13th—yes, the ominous foreshadowing was not lost on us that this day was Friday the 13th—we gathered our leadership team and began planning for the “what-if’s” that might come our way.

Our planning on that Friday began with two primary goals: 1) The goal of Plan A was to be prepared to return to school after Spring Break with protocols and procedures in place for a soft return that included operational changes with social distancing. 2) The goal of Plan B was to develop a multi-faceted plan to provide services and instructional continuity to our 4000 students and staff in the event that we did not return to the campuses at all.

As you know, Plan B was implemented, very quickly, and we began rolling out our services and instructional continuity plans to our staff, students, parents, and the community. We know that the most critical piece of any plan is the quality and quantity of communication across multiple modes and targeted to multiple stakeholders. Knowing this, we launched numerous communication threads through our social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, and of course our Pampa ISD Website. We also engaged many internal systems including email, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google meets. In fact, one of our first planning sessions was held with a hybrid mix of in-person staff and some “attending” through Google Meets-an application that allows for video/audio conferencing in real time.

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Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child Our first priority was to ensure that we were addressing the needs of our students and staff. We developed a survey on the Friday before spring break that asked our students some basic questions about technology and Wi-Fi access. This baseline data was critical for helping us set up our remote instructional plans. With this information, we were able to begin preliminary planning for food and device distribution and Wi-Fi hotspots with local providers, Resound and AT&T. Early on, our team launched into planning and predicting like never before. One incredibly critical need was for technology and the entire infrastructure that would be required for a large-scale deployment of devices, Wi-Fi, and a mechanism for sending and receiving academic content so that our students could have continuity of instruction and not suffer from massive academic regression.

Due to the vision of our leadership teams including our Instructional and Informational Directors, we were poised and more ready than even we realized to meet the challenges of moving to a completely online remote system of teaching and learning. Over the past five years, we have invested in student devices, professional development for our staff to engage in the integration of technology into our lesson design and purchasing online textbooks. Without these prior decisions, we would not have been able to provide services to our students and they would have fallen behind their peers across the state and nation academically and in some cases, social-emotionally as well.

In a little more than 2 months, we distributed more than 2000 devices, stood up more than 200 virtual classrooms full of content on a differentiated scale of difficulty and challenge, and conducted more than 30,000 virtual class meetings, leadership sessions, intervention sessions, and well-check visits. None of us had ever predicted anything like this before and therefore, we had not planned for this on a detailed scale. Of course, a pandemic is one of the chapters in our emergency planning notebooks, but none of us ever truly believed we would ever need to launch those plans.

Now, we know better. Don’t we all!

I would like to bring special attention to the generous and swift actions of the Resound Network team. Without their support, we would not have been able to serve our students as well as we did --and for that, I am grateful!

At the very basic level, we knew that we must ensure that our children were safe and had food to eat. On March 23, our staff called EACH of our students to conduct a basic needs assessment that included devices, Wi-Fi, food, healthcare, and even mental wellness through our social-emotional wellbeing protocols. Our staff made over 3500 phone calls in one day! The outcome of this massive database provided us with the information we needed to finalize our plans for full remote learning.

In nothing short of a miracle, we began distributing food to hundreds of students just three days after the initial needs assessment phone calls. Our Cafeteria staff secured food from vendors and 12 • Explore Pampa ISD

developed an amazing plan to cater and distribute safely more than 1000 meals a day.

Several of our staff experienced immediate changes in their job-descriptions. Those who were once supporting learning in a classroom, found themselves preparing and distributing hundreds of pounds of food in eleven different sites around our community. The willingness of our staff to do whatever it took to meet the needs of our students was inspiring to witness. Overall, we served more than 35,000 meals remotely during the spring and summer.

I do want to close by showing my appreciation for the countless people on our staff and in our community for their patience, understanding, support, and encouragement as forged on this new path into the unknown. I am #PampaProud to work and live in such a caring school district and community.

Lessons Learned We are educators by profession and learners by choice. Reflection is a necessary tool for deep and profound learning and looking back on this experience has provided me with numerous opportunities to learn about my leadership, my purpose, and my deeply held values as an educator. Although the lessons I learned are too numerous to count, below are three that I want to leave with you: • People are the most valuable resource on the planet because they either add value to or take away from all experiences available to them.

• After all the politicians, pundits, and self-proclaimed experts have talked and debated----the ultimate purpose of an educator is to use the tools and talents available to them to build the capacity within themselves and other humans with grace, dignity, and compassion.

• There is always, always, always, something for which to be grateful.

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UPDATE: Start Strong and Stay Safe #TogetherWeCan At the time we published this work--the 3rd Volume of the Pampa ISD Explore Magazine-- we had just completed the first semester of school! After many weeks of planning, preparing, and praying, we began school and I have to say it has gone very well. Yes, we are working harder than we have ever worked before! Yes, we are facing unprecedented challenges with quarantines, disinfecting protocols, and the myriad of frustrations delivering both face to face and online instruction simultaneously! However, there are many other things we can say “Yes” to!

Yes, we are thankful for the community and parental support we are receiving every day. Yes, we are grateful to be back in our classrooms with our students. Yes, we are giving grace to each other when we think we just can’t deal with one more change. Yes, we are building relationships with more compassion than ever before. And..the list goes on and on…

Overall, we have had an excellent start to the 20-21 school year! We don’t know how things will look tomorrow. The truth is, we never did, but we mistakenly had fallen into a false sense of confidence that we had complete control over most things in our lives. What I have found through all of this is that the only thing we truly have control over is our own thinking, our own response to problems, our own actions, and our own hearts.

"Regardless of what happens tomorrow or next week, I am confident that our community will continue to pray for us, our staff will continue to learn, grow, and serve, and our resolve to continue our purpose will not fade!"

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Pampa ISD established several Student Distribution Centers, creating "neighborhood" points for meals and computer devices to be picked up by students. These centers also acted as Wifi points and were maned by teachers, cafeteria workers and IT Department personnel.

Pampa ISD Disinfection Program We are excited to share some information about how PISD goes about making sure we are doing everything possible to provide the students, staff, & visitors the safest environment we can. As we dive into the topic of cleaning & disinfecting our facilities, I would certainly be amiss if we didn’t start off with saluting our number one asset in this program, our people! This takes a tremendous amount of effort on a daily basis from our custodial & maintenance staff, we recognize & greatly appreciate the effort from these fine folks who display such a servant heart on a daily basis.

A little background about our disinfection program, PISD started working to become as well versed as possible in this area in 2017. By January of 2018 the district was in full go of what has become the foundation of our procedures, we rely on today. We certainly understand this is a program that will never be truly finished & something we work hard to stay informed of any technique, procedure, or product that would make us safer or better. Obviously, none of us could have predicted the world changing as drastically as it has in 2020 & realize there is no way to predict what the future holds. Good news, the products & procedures we have been using for over two years have met all guidance & recommendations from our authorities TEA, CDC, & SDHSS. We will continue to monitor all recommendations & data trends to adjust our procedures as needed.

Pampa ISD utilizes professional cordless electrostatic sprayers (aka "germinators") as part of the PISD disinfection program. Using these devices to disinfect uses 65% less chemical and is 70% faster than using a "spray and wipe" technique, which can move bacteria from one surface to another. The mist generated, wraps around surfaces providing better adhesion to uneven or irregular surfaces, including hidden crevices. The fluid used is a safe, hospital-grade, hydrogen peroxide based cleaner.

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PISD Daily Procedures: (6 Steps for Health & Safety) 1. Pre-Treat – Staff cleans all hard surface touch points manually with microfiber cloths loaded with mild hydro based approved cleaner.

2. Disinfect – Apply hospital grade EPA approved Covid product with electrostatic mist sprayer 3. ATP Swab Samples – Take random swab samples of nonporous touch points from each campus by grade level each week.

4. Daily Attendance Reports – Checked daily by grade level for each campus, by grade level. Monitoring for early detection of possible illness by individual classrooms 5. Campus Maps – Overlay ATP data, with attendance reports monitoring for any hot spots, or breakdown in cleaning patterns.

Maps emailed to campus & district administration weekly.

6. Responsive Treatment – The weekly data collected leads our teams to four different trigger levels. For example, Trigger level #3 protocol brings in a comprehensive weekend response: • Custodial Support – complete deep clean, all used objects, balls, manipulatives, toys, etc.

• Maintenance Support – change all HVAC filters, flush in fresh air, air oasis machines for 48 hours.

• Technology Support – all devices pretreated & disinfected • Principal Support – communication released for pretreatment check list prep for rooms involved.

Heath Parker is Pampa ISD's Director of Operations. He is responsible for the "behind the scenes" daily operations of Pampa ISD. This includes managing resources, developing and implementing operational plans and ensuring they are carried out properly. Heath and his team of maintenance and custodial staff play a key role in the development and implementation of Pampa ISD's Covid-19 response, including the facilities disinfection program. Heath is currently serving in his 20th year at PISD. He earned his Masters of Education Administration from Lamar in 2015 after earning a Bachelors of Science (Kinesiology) from West Texas A&M in 1995.

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Maria Lopez,

Head Custodian PISD Admin Building

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By Carrie Williams, Director of PLC

Pampa Learning Center 18 • Explore Pampa ISD

Welcome to the PLC Penthouse! We are located on the 3rd floor of Pampa High School as an alternative setting for high school students in Pampa.

Learning occurs in many different ways, and students can be successful adults in a variety of venues. A self-paced curriculum enables flexible, individualized progress for our students. Whether a student needs additional time for remediation or an enhanced experience in order to reach personal academic goals, self-pacing can be a valuable tool. Our goal is to facilitate progress while providing needed resources and teacher assistance.

Students enrolled at Pampa High School may apply to come to PLC. The application process begins with Pampa ISD Social Worker, Suzanne Pingel. While students apply to come to PLC for many different reasons, our focus is to build positive relationships with our families and continuously mentor students in their plan for lifelong learning. We strive to assist our students in finding their own definition of success and happiness. Not only do students apply to attend PLC, the staff chooses to work in this specialized environment as well. Our success is due in great part to the dedication and genuine love shown by these master educators.

Our students focus on state Business or Multi-Disciplinary endorsements, as well as enjoy the availability of dual credit courses through Clarendon College Pampa campus such as Cosmetology, Welding, and Industrial

Maintenance, with the possibility of obtaining college credit or gaining a certification while still in high school. Microsoft and food handler certifications are career-oriented offererings through our coursework. PLC students also receive assistance with interest inventories, college applications, and financial aid. PLC remains a beacon of hope for students who desire a non-traditional setting and instruction, with a separate, individualized program within the larger campus. We celebrate successes, big and small, and truly want to support our students emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. PLC is not for everyone, as it requires a sincere commitment. However, it is a wonderful option for many.

Bright Beginnings is a state-accredited daycare specifically for the babies of teen parents. In addition to academic services during maternity leave, this program is available in order to keep students in school, ensuring their goal of achieving a high school diploma. This is at no cost to students. Children of Pampa ISD staff are accepted at Bright Beginnings for a fee if there is available space. Children from newborn to 4 years of age experience a curriculum built specifically for their developmental needs.

The caring and experienced staff love on these babies!

We are very proud of our success stories and welcome a visit or phone call for more information. Please like our Facebook page and follow the great things happening at PLC! After all, PLC is the place to be!

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PISD Arts Program

S T N E M O M #

By Pilar Hunt

There is no doubt that our PISD Arts Program 2019-2020 will be remembered for years to come. PISD is one of the leaders in art education in the Texas Panhandle. Because our district has the dedication to this goal, our art students had the opportunity to be involved in analytical and innovative ways to participate in solutions around COVID-19 challenges in how to keep learning art through long-distance classes.

A big "shout of thanks" deserves to go out to the superb PHS students and families who participated with inventive and creative ideas on how to help our seniors have a fantastic graduation. It was truly an event that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.

All these incredibly creative and smart students are not a coincidence. There have been thousands of hours from educators, administrators, families, the whole district, and our community to get our Harvesters where they are and will be in the future. Molding students with these characteristics takes time, resources, and tons of love. One great example happened in November 2019, the district had the fantastic opportunity to receive at the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) in Galveston, TX, "The District of Distinction Award." This distinction is a great honor where PISD has been recognized as one of the school districts in Texas that met all standards

of visual arts excellence. There are 1,227 districts (Ross, 2015) in Texas, making PISD on the top 1.6% in the state. Our district advocates for the visual arts education as an integral part of a balanced curriculum, mentoring the next generation of leaders in our communities.

The district not only spends thousands of dollars on art materials, technology, etc., but also makes sure that our Harvesters have the best trained educators in this field. I have had the great honor of not only participating in this fantastic TAEA conference, but also had the incredible opportunity to receive three days of high-quality training in art education from the top artists and art educators in the nation.

This conference promoted professional art educators' growth through curriculum and instructional ideas, hands-on best practice sessions, technology,

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as well as courses that address the needs of the gifted and special needs children.

On February 29, 2020, our PHS students were able to participate in the annual Visual Art Scholastic Event, also known as High School VASE. Over 34,000 (approx.) (2) entries from all the state of Texas participated in these competitions at four different levels. "This event begins with each of the Regional Events scheduled during February. The State of Texas is divided into 20 Education Regional Service Centers (we are region 16). These regions serve as the dividing boundaries for participation in regional events. Students in the various regions are invited to participate in their Regional Event.

Students are interviewed, and their artworks are juried by certified TAEA jurors. A Rating IV is the mark of an exemplary work of art.

This qualifies the student to be entered into the VASE Area Event.

After the jury process is complete, artworks that qualify to participate are then processed for the State Event." (3). This year we had three prodigious, level IV seniors, Annelea Anderson, Maria Carrillo Ramirez, and Kayla Monds, represent PISD and Pampa High School with flying colors. These students won the following awards: Six medals for area winners, three medals for entries qualifying for the state event, and a regional gold seal presented to Kayla Monds for qualifying her two entries to the state event for a total of ten awards.

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The State Event is designed with the following goals: • To recognize exemplary high school student artwork from across the state.

• To recognize quality high school art instruction.

• To recognize art instructors for providing student opportunities.

• To inform school administrators of the contributions being made on behalf of their art instructors and define a standards-based program.

• To reinforce state and national standards in high school art programs.

• To increase TAEA membership at the high school level.

• Encourage students to elect visual art classes at the collegiate level.

• To provide a safe venue for a quality program that achieves all of the goals above.

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BEHAVIOR ON DEMAND

By Alicia Ortner Many of us never dreamed we would not return to school after Spring Break. Members of the Student Support Staff live to make a difference in the lives of the students on our campuses, as well as their families. How would we be able to do that if the students were not in our buildings? We quickly realized we would need to adjust our practices and methods to meet this challenge. Our district recognized the need to work together to provide a support system that would help children to thrive and succeed in a home learning environment. With the closure of schools during the Coronavirus outbreak, parents became the prime educators with support from the school. The Student Support Staff, which includes the District Social Worker, Behavioral Specialists, and the School Counselors, began to record short videos to encourage and equip parents and guardians to tackle behaviors or obstacles that could interfere

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with the learning process. Using technology to communicate with parents allowed for effective and quick communication.

The shift to a new type of learning experience poses challenges for parents and students.

Each video addressed ways to create emotionally safe and supportive learning environments. As educators, we wanted parents to feel equipped to meet the social and emotional needs of their children. Video topics included understanding and managing emotions, cultivating kindness, growth mindset, the importance of routines and schedules, grounding exercises, among others. District resources were also shared with Pampa ISD families. We are thankful to our district leadership for encouraging us to build an even stronger channel of communication between school and home. Videos can be accessed on the Pampa ISD Youtube channel.

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DONNY HOOPER,

The Legendary Voice of the Harvesters On November 22, 2019, Donny Hooper, the Voice of the Pampa Harvesters, signed off for the final time of a stellar broadcasting career like he had for 27 years, “This has been a presentation of KGRO & amp; KOMX....

Good night, everyone.” Hooper began his broadcast career as a child in the front yard of his Borger home calling play by play baseball with a hand-held cassette recorder. He went on to pursue broadcasting in television production in Amarillo, Amarillo Dusters arena football, radio disc jockey, and much more, before finally providing the eyes and commentary for 1,425 Pampa High School Harvester varsity football, varsity baseball, and varsity basketball games!

Donny Hooper was accompanied by Nathan Bailey for most of those years, primarily for Harvester football. Bailey offered insightful color commentary as a perfect complement to Hooper’s play-by-play, and traveled thousands of miles with Hooper on hundreds of road trips. Tyler Hooper also joined his dad for dozens of games through the years providing stats work and more.

Living in a region where it can often be difficult for fans and family to attend games due to proximity or weather, Harvester fans relied upon Hooper to keep them in the game! With his ability to talk faster than the weather can change in the Texas Panhandle, Hooper could make the game come alive to the listener bringing life to Harvester athletics in a way that blessed and excited many a listener, young and old, through the years. Professionals on television make it seem simple, but the viewer does not see the dozens

of assistants, spotters, and statisticians in the background feeding information to the play-by- play man.

Hooper’s ability to watch the game and articulate the details of players and plays while keeping statistics and commentating on officiating is truly a gift! And thousands of us through the years enjoyed the action while listening in our homes or cars, feeling like we were sitting in the middle of the stands.

LEFT: Hooper give a "thumbs up" from the press box during one of the 1,425 Harvester games called.

BELOW: Harvester coach, Greg Poynor and Hooper poses after Hooper was honored for his 27 years of service calling Harvester Football games.

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Here are a few interesting tidbits through the years: • Favorite out of town pre-game meal: Steak dinner from Las Brisas in Lubbock whenever we were there. Also, it was part of mine and Nate’s “contract” that we get an apple pie and coffee before each game after the meal.

• Favorite press box: He loved Dick Bivens, Lowery Field in Lubbock, Grande Communication Stadium in Midland, and really enjoyed Jones Stadium in Lubbock when we got the chance to play there in the playoffs.

RVESTERS A H

• Oft-repeated complaint: Coaches yelling in the press box next door to us. And never forget the single beam studio after they remodeled the Pampa press box.

• Oft-repeated saying: “Trips left, twins right.”

Hooper’s long tenure gave him the opportunity to work alongside players he previously covered on radio. Kaleb Snellgrooes, Harvester baseball coach, had this to say about Hooper, “It was special for me to have him cover my games as a player and then as a coach. He was as superstitious as me and would wear the same clothes and interview me or not depending on what we did the week before and if we won.”

Donny and wife Gail now reside in Amarillo where he works as the Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Amarillo. The sacrifices of time it takes to cover so many games are far beyond what most of us can imagine. Not only the game broadcasts and travel were extensive, but week-long preparation, interviews with coaches, scouting opponents, and more are part of the job. We look forward to supporting the new voices of Pampa athletics and are very appreciative of their efforts to keep us all in the game!

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Hooper called Harvester Football games for 27 years. Pictured below is the 2015 Pampa vs.

Borger game.

Resound Networks, a Local Company With a #TogetherWeCan Attitude!

Resound Networks is a local provider with a heart for the Pampa community. In March of 2020, all of the schools in Texas were closed and forced to pivot to online instruction. Pampa ISD immediately began to mobilize our resources to make this happen.

The leaders of Resound Networks responded quickly by meeting with our administration, aiding us in gathering much needed geo-data, and quickly stood up WiFi hotspots all over our community to ensure that all of our students had the connectivity they needed to keep learning through the virtual platform. Throughout the summer and even still during the 2021 school year, Resound has continued to be a valuable partner with the Pampa ISD as we work together to meet the needs of our students and families as we continue to provide virtual learning opportunities to all students in PK-12th grade. The relationship we have with RESOUND is another example of how #TogetherWeCan support our students, families, and community during these challenging times.

Resound Networks provides Internet Services for both Residential and Commercial 1-800-806-1719 • resoundnetworks.com Explore Pampa ISD • 29

Pampa Education Foundation Encouraging • Academic • Excellence

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The Pampa Education Foundation (PEF) was created to support and enhance the education of all students in Pampa ISD. The board of directors represents a cross-section of citizens who are dedicated to education and share a vision for excellence in Pampa’s public schools.

The mission of the Pampa Education Foundation is to create and sustain a coalition of businesses and citizens to support funding for innovative programs and initiatives that enrich educational opportunities for Pampa ISD and staff. Every year we have been able to award teacher grants for supplies, programs, field trips, equipment, etc. which give teachers a helping hand to reach goals in giving students extra opportunities to expand their educational experiences.

Some examples of the awards are: Replaced 30 year old sight reading textbooks at PJHS, replaced music stands for the choral department at PHS, provided auto darkening welding hoods to the Ag Mechanics/Structures, Welding 1 and 2 and Manufacturing Class at PHS, updated dictionaries for 4th graders at Lamar Elementary, a lunar cycle model for PJHS science classes, as well as many others.

Our long-term plan is to create a permanent fund that will yield annual revenues to enrich the educational experience of Pampa ISD students. One of the goals was to have $1,000,000.00 by the tenth year. We have not reached that, but we continue to seek ways to grow the fund. We are excited and enthusiastic about the opportunities available to the PEF and ask that you consider joining us in this effort. Please consider making donations, memorials honoring present and former Pampa students, family members, or friends, or gifts from your estate to the PEF. Gifts may be sent to PEF, P.O. Box 1045, Pampa, TX 79066. Together we can make a difference in the lives of PISD students and teachers!

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TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

2019 - 2020 PAMPA ISD

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PISD Elementary Teacher of the Year & Region 16 Teacher of the Year Finalist Danielle Nachtigall

Pampa ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year & Region 16 Teacher of the Year Finalist Megan Horn

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The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” held a lot of merit throughout the 2019-2020 school year. COVID-19 reminded us that it takes ALL stakeholders to guarantee the safety, wellness, and academic success of our students. The role of “teacher” changed overnight in every form imaginable, and was also assumed by parents, grandparents, siblings, and guardians. In typical Pampa fashion, the pandemic brought about our true Panhandle character in the face of adversity.

The Pampa community rallied around our educators and students and found opportunities within the economic constraints. Businesses provided free WIFI and numerous donations, employees changed roles to ensure food and basic needs continued to be met, churches offered resources and reassurance, medical professionals and other personnel braved high-risk work environments gracefully, and all individuals were “essential” in some form or fashion.

We, the Pampa ISD community, continue to understand the critical role education plays in a thriving community. Therefore, we continue to honor teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and other personnel for their service. The 201920 school year was different, but the tradition of celebrating accomplishments, milestones, and excellence continue. In fact, more students, community members, and educators were publicly celebrated this year more than ever before!

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2019 - 2020 PAMPA ISD

TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS Austin Elementary Erika Harris, Teacher of the Year

Brittany Reagan, Paraprofessional of the year

Veronica Chroscinski, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Stacey Doughty, VIP of the year

Lamar Elementary Kelsey Johnson, Teacher of the Year

Giovana Campos, Paraprofessional of the year

Ansley Adkins, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Ulices Guardado, VIP of the year

Travis Elementary Danielle Nachtigall, Teacher of the Year

Diane Adams, Paraprofessional of the year

Autumn Hunt, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Highland Baptist Church, VIP of the year

Wilson Elementary Lexi Milligan, Teacher of the Year

Lauren Karson, Paraprofessional of the year

Adela Solis, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Faith Bible Church, VIP of the year Explore Pampa ISD • 35

Each year, campuses cast their vote to nominate individuals who exceed expectations with student outcomes and continually demonstrate a love for students.

These individuals embody the noble profession and serve as great representation in the respective categories. Below you will find the 2019-2020 campus and district award recipients:

Pampa Junior High Megan Horn, Teacher of the Year

Tori Lackey, Paraprofessional of the year

Hunter Graser, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Chief Lance Richburg, VIP of the year

Pampa High School Shari Ellis, Teacher of the Year

Cheryl Free, Paraprofessional of the year

Sandar Godwin, Emerging Teacher of the Year

Meredith Bagwell, VIP of the year

District Winners Daniell Nachtigall, Elementary Teacher of the Year Megan Horn, Secondary Teacher of the Year We are excited to announce that this year, the Pampa ISD district teacher-of-the-year winners were selected as Region 16 Finalists. Regardless of additional awards, we are #PampaProud of these award winners and all of our stakeholders who play a critical role in educating our students.

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P. I. S. D.

MERIT GOLD

A Six Year Program Preparing Students for College Purpose of Merit Gold:

In the Spring of 2020, Pampa ISD initiated the Merit Gold program; this six-year college preparatory program is designed to identify academic and committed students in order to offer them opportunities for access to rigorous academic experiences and early college entrance exam preparation. Our goal is to support and encourage these students and their parents with challenging and rigorous academic opportunities to successfully strive for and achieve national academic recognition through college entrance exams. Merit Gold provides resources for parents and students to aid them in navigating the college entrance process while providing adept learning opportunities in order to improve successful transitioning from high school to college demands and expectations. The Merit Gold program prepares these students with academic, social, emotional, and financial skills and knowledge for college.

Identifying Students

The data used to determine academic potential is generated from a national norming assessment currently administered in grades K-8 three times per year. This assessment is called Measures of Academic Process, or MAP test. Data is utilized from these assessments to identify students who are on track (as identified by MAP scores) to be college bound. With focused acceleration and preparation, these students become prepared for college entrance exams later during their high school career. After students are identified by MAP, they are formally invited to apply through a process which includes written reflections and a short interview. Once a student has been accepted and enrolled in the Merit Program, he/she will receive accelerated instruction in appropriate academic content; the program ensures that students learn how to mentally prepare for academic demand and they learn time-management skills in order to become a highly achieving and competitive student. The Merit Gold program is initiated at the 7th grade level and connects students to the Duke Talent program which provides additional support and academic opportunities.

Vision and Goals:

We believe it is imperative to provide high achieving students an academic boost early to maximize their achievements through middle school and high school. The mission of Pampa ISD is to encourage and prepare learners to become compassionate, competent, confident, and future-ready. The Merit Gold Program is one of the many ways to ensure these students are academically challenged and receive the experiences they need to be highly successful. Additionally, our Profile of a Graduate articulates the desire for our students to be well-rounded 21st century communicators, collaborators, critical and creative thinkers. The Merit Gold program provides unique opportunities for identified students to excel quickly and successfully.

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Mr. Harvester 38 • Explore Pampa ISD

Trent Loter, pictured here with Harvey the Harvester.

Trent and Harvey are both big fans of Pampa Harvester Football!

In Trent Loter’s room, decorated with as much Harvester memorabilia as possible, (with a little Texas Tech and WTAMU décor too) is a blackboard that he changes daily to indicate how many days until 2 a days begin. This pretty much says it all about how he thinks – Harvester football, Harvester football, Harvester football.

This has been his mindset since the 1990 football season when he began to work with Ryan Parnell as an equipment manager. Coach Dunham was athletic director and Dennis Cavalier was the head coach assisted by Max Plunk, Scott Lewis, Tad Smith, Dennis Doughty and other coaches who have since moved on. These are the head coaches Trent has ‘mentored’ during his time with Pampa football: Dennis Cavalier, Heath Parker, Andy Cavalier, Bryan Wood and Greg Poynor.

Upon graduation from PHS in 1992, Trent spent four years at WTSU/WTAMU with Pampa buddies, Heath (Beef) Summers, Chris Didway and Jason Garren, all in Guenther Hall. While there, he worked in the equipment room with another PHS alum, Heath Parker. He was on the sidelines for every game (43 total) all four years both home and away. He walked across the stage in 1996 and walked right back into the world of Harvester football where he remains today.

For nineteen years, Trent spent “The Season” in Pampa and the remainder of the year at Lake Texoma, but his heart was always in Pampa. In the spring of 2019, he and his parents made the move back to Pampa, which allowed him to attend two more of his favorite sports, Harvester and Lady Harvester basketball and baseball.

He sleeps in a red bed on Texas Tech sheets under the Harvester T-shirt quilt Coach Lewellen made for him. He surrounds himself with volumes of college football magazines and high school football and basketball magazines – as a result, he knows almost all of the names of coaches and mascots in this area and beyond.

A few of Trent’s favorite things: hot dogs, two cheese enchiladas with beans and rice, Chef Boyardee lunches, 44 oz. cokes from Toot N Totum, popcorn and a water at halftime, the PHS band and cheerleaders, Dave Campbell’s football magazine, the Top of Texas football and basketball magazines, Friday night scoreboard shows, The Weather Channel, pens and legal pads (for writing down scores of every game in the Panhandle), the Amarillo and Pampa papers (mainly the sports section) and Katy the Kat. Some of Trent’s routines you can count on: Subway for lunch on Fridays (lots of black olives), McDonald’s after home games (#2 no onions), Coney Island on Saturdays (2 chili cheese Coney’s no onions), McDonald’s sausage biscuit on Sundays before church, a bottled coke with Coach Poynor on Fridays, being Jason for Halloween and trying to scare the coaches, putting a Christmas card on all of the coaches desks each December and going to bed late and getting up late. Getting up early for the week of 2-a-days is rough on him but he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

In summary, Trent has seen numerous coaches come and go; players in the 90’s now have boys on the field and he considers all of them his friends. He never fails to add a state championship to his Christmas wish list and when asked when he plans to retire, his answer is never. Trent Loter is always feeling Harvester Good!!!

Written by Trent’s family Shannon Loter

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A P M A P MPA PA MPA AR PP O U PP RROUDD! OU !

D!

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Mission/Purpose: To train and engage student leaders to communicate with district stakeholders including Pampa ISD students, parents, faculty, and the Pampa community through print and digital media platforms.

We are very excited to begin this new program for the 2020-2021 school year as an extra-curricular option for students in grades 4-12. The Pampa Student News Network or PSNN will be the voice and perspective of our students. They will communicate the great things happening in PISD and they will share about the people who make Pampa ISD #pampaproud. The PSNN will train future leaders to communicate through several different platforms and methods. Students will learn to write articles for the Pampa News, Explore Magazine, and campus newsletters.

They will also gain skills in digital media including photography, videoing, and social media. We are excited to partner with the Pampa News to train our students.

Our goal is to give students an opportunity to gain skills and experience in areas of interest that will develop them into future-ready leaders on their campuses and in our community.

If you would like more information about the PSNN please contact jana.williamson@ pampaisd.net

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Pre-K

Understanding the Importance of Early Childhood Education 42 • Explore Pampa ISD

House Bill (HB) 3 was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature, 2019, and signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 11, 2019. This Bill emphasized the importance of early childhood education in Texas schools. HB3 requires that all prekindergarten offered to eligible four-year-old students be full day, and that the prekindergarten meet the high-quality requirements adopted by the legislature four years ago. To support these requirements, HB3 slightly increases funding and creates a new early education allotment.

Understanding the importance of early childhood education, Pampa ISD used this opportunity to expand on services provided to our youngest learners.

Lamar Elementary continued hosting Head Start services for eligible fouryear-olds. This program changed from a half-day to full-day program to enhance learning opportunities and fully prepare students for their kindergarten experience. Head Start provides a plethora of services for students and families, including: individualized learning, social skills and emotional well-being, concept development, physical and motor development, health screenings, nutritious meals, oral health, family well-being and goal setting, and ongoing connections to a variety of other health and medical services. The Head Start program offered five sections of general instruction and one section of bilingual instruction. Additionally, Lamar Elementary houses the Pre-School Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD).

In addition to Head Start, Pampa ISD added a new Pre-Kindergarten program at Austin Elementary. This program aligned with HB3’s vision to provide services for eligible four-yearolds. However, Pampa ISD took this a step further and added free, Pre-Kindergarten services for all students, regardless of eligibility. Therefore, in 2019-2020, Pampa ISD offered full-services to all students within the community! The program focused on academic and social-emotional growth for each student, offering four classes of instruction and serving over 80 students. Community feedback and student performance data suggests the program was a huge success, which is encouraging for our students as

they enter kindergarten in the fall. We are encouraged that so many students and families are having a great “first” educational experience!

Pampa ISD’s mission is to produce learners who are compassionate, competent, confident, and future-ready!

We know this mission begins from the moment each student enters the school building. Watching early learners develop a love for learning, begin to read, make life-long friendships, and experience “light bulb” moments, has been truly inspirational. We would like to give thanks to all stakeholders who poured time and love into these programs throughout the school year.

We cannot wait to see our Head Start and Pre-Kindergarten programs continue to thrive and provide meaningful experiences for students and families in our community!

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WILSON S C I R C L E S

Social & Emotional Learning Curriculum 44 • Explore Pampa ISD

This year, we introduced Circles to our students. Circles are an extension to our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum and a dedicated time in our campus schedule to focus on building community, relationships, and providing our students with a space to have deep and vulnerable conversations. We began every week with thirty minutes of SEL/ Circles. Mrs. Huffman, our behavior specialist on campus, trained our teachers at the beginning of the year and developed Circles lessons that centered on real-time needs for our classrooms each week. We started the school year knowing that this time could be beneficial for students and teachers. One thing we did not anticipate was how much our students absolutely loved doing Circles. They asked for more days to do Circles during the week, and for the 2020-2021 school year, we have listened by incorporating more Circles time into our schedule.

During Circles, we were able to provide a space for students to learn to express deep emotions and have authentic contributions when they held the talking piece. We were able to model and hold high expectations for learning to be a good listener, not just thinking about what to say next. We also focused on developing empathy for others while building community and trust as a class.

As the campus principal and instructional leader, my vision for this was to provide an avenue to invest in and develop our student’s emotional intelligence. I am passionate about implementing SEL Circles at Wilson because I know that having soft skills, the ability to regulate emotions, and developing an emotional intelligence can be a game-changer for our students as they navigate their current and future world. I believe that the skills our students are learning in Circles are just as, if not more important than their academic growth. Seeing our students learn to communicate their emotions and needs while developing self-regulation skills is incredible.

Circles provided the platform for Wilson Elementary to move towards more restorative practices when dealing with behavior and discipline issues. Restorative circles, which were conducted by myself and Mrs. Huffman helped the students take ownership of their behavior, identify the reason they engaged in behavior, and develop the steps needed to repair the damage from the behavior. These restorative circles improved and strengthened our student to student relationships, as well as our teacher to student relationships.

Mrs. Milligan, Wilson’s Teacher of the Year explains that “Circles allowed our 3rd grade students to connect with their homeroom teacher in a more intimate setting without pressure or fear of being embarrassed. It provided a way for students to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe and secure environment.” Ms. Solis, a Kindergarten teacher and Wilson’s Emerging Teacher of the Year said that, “Having a dedicated time to discuss skills like acts of kindness or gratitude increased the times I saw those skills being used from students.”

The CIRCLES Program provided a way for students to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe and secure environment.

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Ms. Solis, Wilson Elementary Kindergarten Teacher

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Photo by Charla Shults 46 • Explore Pampa ISD

This past year Pampa High School Band students participated in the ATSSB All-State Band selection process. More than 10,000 high school band students from across Texas auditioned in twenty-two different regions for a place in their respective all-region bands.

The top chairs in each region advanced to one of the five area auditions held January 11th across the state and only 280 of these 2,288 students were selected for All-State honors.

The ATSSB All-State Bands met in rehearsals in San Antonio, Texas, February 12- 15. Eugene Corporon (North Texas State University) was the clinician-conductor of the All-State Symphonic Band, which was performed at 10:10 a.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in Lila Cockrell Theatre of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. Julia Allen, Cidnie Goodson, and Korbin Cole, members of the Pampa High School Band, were selected as members of the All-State Symphonic Band. They were chosen for this honor in competitive auditions held this year across the state at region and area levels.

Ms. Allen, a private student of Mr. Fred Pankratz, plays the French Horn. This is her second time to perform as a member of the ATSSB All-State Band. At her chair audition, she placed 3rd chair French Horn in the state of Texas. Outside of band, her other interests include puzzles and crochet. She is the daughter of Blake and Erica Allen. She is the granddaughter of Peggy Koehler. Ms. Allen graduated 8th in her class. This fall she will be attending West Texas A&M University and majoring in Music Education.

Ms. Goodson, a private student of Ms. Helen Blackburn, plays the flute. This is her first time to perform as

a member of the ATSSB All-State Band. At her chair audition, she placed 11th chair Flute in the state of Texas. In her spare time she enjoys reading. She is the daughter of Michelle and Johnny Goodson. Ms. Goodson graduated as the Salutatorian of the Class of 2020.

This fall she will be attending Texas A&M University and majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

Mr. Cole, a private student of Mrs. Sedlacek, plays the trombone. This is his first time to perform as a member of the ATSSB All-State Band. At his chair audition, he placed 8th chair Tenor Trombone in the state of Texas.

Other than band, Korbin is also a member of the Pampa High School choir. He is the son of Amy and Jeremy Cole. Korbin is a freshman and will be performing with the Pampa Band next school year. We want to congratulate him on making the All-State Band as a freshman, this is an incredible accomplishment!

Ms. Allen, Ms. Goodson, and Mr. Cole perform as members of the Pampa High School Band under the direction of Mr. John Benton, who is a member of the Association of Texas Small School Bands, a 1175-member group of band directors in class 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A high schools in Texas.

The Pride of Pampa is very proud of these students, as it is the first time since 2003 - in seventeen years that the band has had three All-State Band members in one year. Making the All-State Band truly is one of, if not the, greatest accomplishment a band member can achieve during their time in high school band. They’ve represented the band and community exceptionally well. We’re incredibly proud of these students, and will greatly miss our graduating seniors.

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Tots in Training

Get Ready for Fun! 50 • Explore Pampa ISD

Pampa ISD's

Early Reading Program The Pampa ISD Early Reading Program, Tots-n-Training, was created to meet the educational needs of parents and preschool children through early literacy.

The program, for children ages 9 months to 5 years old, is designed to encourage early literacy development by providing free resources and programs for parents and children. The program offers free books to children on a bi-weekly basis. Parents are provided with a newsletter and worksheets that encourage parent-child interaction and early learning. Parents are encouraged to read to their children to foster a positive learning environment in the home.

Bama Coward, former principal of Lawndale Elementary school in Amarillo, TX, started the Tots-nTraining program in 1991. Since 1991, thousands of books have been distributed to children across the panhandle. Ms. Coward’s passions for this program began from her work with homebound, young

mothers. She found that there were no books in the homes for the children of these mothers. She began providing a bag of books to these mothers and from that, the Tots-n-Training program was created. Her motto was, “If you impact a parent, you impact a child.”

The goal is the same today as it was in 1991, to make reading and interacting with your children a priority at an early age, and provide experiences at home to increase language development. The potential to make a difference is powerful and the research is clear that children with an early reading start are more successful in school.

dia have helped to grow the program within the Pampa community. Lauren’s service dog, Bo, is a favorite with children who visit the Pampa ISD Administration building.

The Tots program mission remains strong: to introduce the joy and love of reading to children and their parents. We love to hear from parents about the impact the program is making. Jana Williamson is the Coordinator for the Pampa ISD Family and Community Engagement program.

The Pampa ISD Tots-n-Training program is going strong today. We currently provide 250 free books bi-weekly during the school year to Pampa children ages 9 months-5 years old. Lauren Pingel, Pampa ISD HR/FACE Assistant, coordinates the program, and manages the Tots Facebook page. Lauren’s creativity and experience with me-

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Top Left: At Christmas, Santa visits our students to deliver Christmas Greetings and books. Bottom Left: Troy McClendon, Principal at Lamar Elementary reads with Head Start students. Top Right Lauren and Bo Bottom Right: Tot's-n-Training offers 2 special events each year. The annual kick-off is scheduled around Halloween and features staff dressed as book characters and trick or treating.

If you have any questions about the program or if we can assist your family, please contact: jana.williamson@pampaisd.net

When & Where?

To find out when and where Tots-n-Training meets, the latest information can be found on the "Tots-n-Training" Facebook page... follow us!

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Writing a Legacy Travis Elementary Celebrates 60 Years of Great Writing

William B. Travis Elementary families and staff members gathered together to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the school’s opening by focusing on one of the cornerstones of a great education: creating good writers.

According to the State Board of Education, students must demonstrate proficiency in more than 25 essential knowledge and skills before they complete 5th Grade, including the ability to write literary, informational, and argumentative texts. To help parents gain more understanding about what is required of their student to reach these lofty goals, volunteers from the Pampa Junior High Student Council and the Booster Club helped Travis Elementary teachers create a family-friendly evening, filled with food, fun, and opportunities to learn more about how they can help their children become great writers. Families also enjoyed nachos, cupcakes, a photo booth, and a birthday cake celebrating 60 years of school at Travis Elementary.

Originally built with sixteen classrooms, the campus added six in 1984, and thirteen additional learning spaces in 1997. Students enjoy delicious meals in the original cafeteria, and the gymnasium received a new facelift over the 2020 summer, replacing old bleachers, and a splintered wooden floor.

That’s where students gather at the beginning of each school day for Morning Meeting, which features announcements, pledges, the moment of silence, and an opportunity to spotlight aspiring young authors in each grade level.

“If they’re able to sneak away from work, parents usually enjoy hiding in the back and watching their child read their writing for the entire school,” first-year principal Byron May said. “It takes a lot of courage, but the Author’s Spotlight has helped create an atmosphere where more students want to write something and show it off. Being selected is a big honor, and kids are writing each day with a purpose, because they know they might be reading it in 54 • Explore Pampa ISD

front of their peers the following week.” More than 130 young authors were honored this year as the Spotlight Author.

It’s not lost on the school principal that the elementary’s namesake was a pretty famous writer, himself. 4th Graders continue to study the story of William B. Travis, commander of the Texas Republic at the Battle of the Alamo, who penned the famous “Victory or Death” letter that later became perhaps the most famous document in the history of Texas.

“A lot has changed in the last 60 years, and certainly since the 1830’s,” May stated. “But being able to think critically, and communicate clearly is not going out of style any time soon. Creating good writers is absolutely critical toward achieving our mission to produce learners who are compassionate, confident, competent, and future-ready.”

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to recreate the all-school anniversary photo have been put on hold until social distancing measures are relaxed, but staff members look forward to the day when everyone can gather together to create the big 6-0!

William B. Travis Elementary is a respectful community of diverse learners, striving to achieve excellence.

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#MOMENTS The Pampa ISD Education Showcase has a long history of shining a light on the outstanding work of our students and staff in Pampa ISD. Students and staff from every campus across the district come together to demonstrate to parents and the community innovative student learning experiences, award-winning art, choral and physical education productions, career and technology presentations, science experiments, and much more! The purpose of the Education Showcase is twofold. First, it gives our students a platform to communicate their learning experiences and to make real-world applications during their presentations. Second, we open our doors and invite our community into our schools. We love the support that our Pampa community gives to our students. Whether you have children in Pampa schools or not, we invite you to our next Education Showcase. You will be proud of Pampa students and will see that the future is bright!

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Nimble is the New Normal

by Dr. Tanya Larkin Since March, 2020 school leaders, parents, students, and governing agencies have worked together to develop plans to ensure the continuity of learning and services for more than 5.4 million public school children in Texas. We heard statements across the nation and the globe about finding a new normal and wondering when we would get back to normal. As leaders charged with ensuring the safety, security, well-being, and growth and academic development of our more than 3500 students in Pampa ISD, we must ask ourselves what our new normal will be; what our new normal should be; and what our new normal must be.

In short, “Nimble” is the New Normal!

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By creating and maintaining a nimble organization, we are more equipped to lead our staff, students, and stakeholders through the unknowns that are waiting for us all-- just around the corner.

We have never held a crystal ball and have never been able to tell the future; however, it was not until recent experiences due to Covid-19, that we truly understood what being a “nimble” organization meant. We were tested and I am pleased to report that we passed the test. However, we have learned many lessons that will contribute to improving our systems and equipping us to be more efficient and effective as we educate and prepare our students and staff to genuinely be “Future-READY”!

In Pampa ISD, we researched, learned, prepared, and planned for the 20-21 school year. Our goal was to re-open our schools in August safely and with intentional plans that would allow us to adapt, pivot, and provide the services that our students and families need regardless of the conditions we find ourselves in at any given time.

I shared with the Board of Trustees a Continuum of Learning Environments, which guided our planning for the school year.

The Continuum describes how we had to prepare for up to four possible scenarios and everything in between for the 2020-2021 school year. Of course, our hope and primary plan is to continue to safely provide 100% face-to-face instruction.

This is what we plan for each year and we will be ready to do just that. However, it would be irresponsible of us as an organization to not have contingency plans for the other scenarios. Everything we have heard from governing agencies tells us to hope for the best and plan for the rest!

That is exactly what we are doing in the Pampa ISD. Each scenario brings different challenges and nuances to be considered.

Face-to-Face Instruction

Although providing traditional face-to-face instruction is what we were familiar with, we were expected to implement operational adjustments and procedures to ensure that we are taking measures that prohibit the spread of germs and exposure to Covid-19. The Summer School requirements from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) were very restrictive and mandated a great deal of protocols including daily health screens and supervised hand-washing throughout the day-- just to name a few.

We developed our return to summer school protocols and the Gray County Covid-19 Task Force discussed them as well. Our plan to implement several summer school programs in June and July provided us with invaluable information to make adjustments for the fall. The programs supported our students and provided them with wonderful enrichment opportunities. Additionally, they provided the opportunity to test our procedures and helped us refine reasonable, workable ways to “do school” this upcoming school year.

We anticipated these restrictions loosening after the summer and it was our desire to be “back to a healthy and nimble normal” as soon as possible However, the new normal is the reality and that means that we must be nimble –able to make changes quickly and with a high degree of quality and care.

Remote Learning

The 100% remote learning scenario is how we ended the 2019-2020 school year. Although not ideal for some families, we were able to stay connected with most of our students and provided them with learning opportunities, technology, and Explore Pampa ISD • 59

meals as well as counseling services. I am very proud of the hard work and systems that we put into place very quickly last spring. Additionally, our staff learned a great deal about innovative and engaging ways to conduct teaching and learning.

Regardless of the context, we will continue to implement some of these best practices in the future. This is one of the ways that our new normal “should” change.

Despite the numerous advantages of remote learning, it was very clear to us that this way of doing school was not and will not be a good option for some of our families. Some families did not have access to reliable internet and were not able to access our free WiFi spots around town. Some families told us that parents who had to work full time and then be their child’s teacher at night was just not a workable long-term solution. We completely understand that. Even many of our teachers struggled and worked harder than ever trying to teach their students and teach their own children at the same time.

We are working on plans that will provide additional supports for our staff and for parents should we find ourselves in this situation again. Our prayer is that we will not be forced into long-term full school closure again, but we must be ready for this. We will use what we have learned from our past Covid-19 remote learning experiences to improve our skills, our systems, and our supports for our teachers, students, and families. This is a new 60 • Explore Pampa ISD

normal that we “must” recognize and for which we “must” improve.

One way we are improving is that we are building a K-12 online learning management system (LMS) that is more user friendly and streamlined than the various mechanisms we had to stand up overnight last spring. Canvas is the name of this LMS and I am excited about using this both as a fully integrated online K-12 Pampa ISD option as well as a tool for supplementing our faceto-face instructional classrooms. I believe it will help them meet their needs and desires to stay safe, have flexibility, and still stay engaged in our school system. We know that all of this craziness will pass eventually and most students and families will want to return to face to face learning as soon as possible. In the meantime, this is a new normal that we “will” experience.

Hybrid/Blended Learning and Short-Term, Sporadic Closures

The two ends of this continuum are much easier to grasp conceptually and to plan for procedurally. It is in the middle that things get “interesting”. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is also instructing us that we must have contingency plans for possible isolated outbreaks in our communities and we must be prepared to close down parts of or all of our campuses if Covid-19 conditions pop-up or worsen overall. Although this is a new normal that we would rather not experience, it is a possibility for which we are preparing.

So, what does this look like? There are countless possible scenarios under these conditions.

Some of these could include some students learning face to face and some learning online at the same time. It could mean that students learn sometimes face to face and those same students may learn online sometimes. Another possible scenario could involve varied schedules, staggered start/stop times, and periodic short-term classroom or campus closures to provide staff time to conduct deep cleaning and disinfecting if needed. The decisions on how things should look will not be made until the conditions arise, and only if they arise. Notice I use the word "could."

Please know that it is our intention and desire to NOT move into these challenging scenarios, but if this does happen, we will be prepared to continue teaching, learning, and serving our students and families. This is the new normal—Nimble!

One way we have stayed in touch with our stakeholders and stayed prepared was by conducting staff, student, and parent surveys. As we built contingency plans, we needed feedback and input from our stakeholders. We wanted to know your thoughts, ideas, and concerns about the 2020-2021 school year. The information we received from the surveys has been invaluable in guiding our plans.

Our goal is to provide meaningful learning and growing experiences for everyone in the safest environments possible. Our leadership teams

have and will continue to work diligently to plan for each of these scenarios. We have built systems, written procedures, are still constructing online and paper based curriculum, and creating meaningful and professional development/ training for our staff. We have and will continue to communicate frequently about the information we have received from the TEA and our plans moving forward.

Although we are still gazing upon the horizon with more questions than answers, I am thankful to be entering the unknown with the wonderful leaders, teachers, students, parents, and community in Pampa! Although these past few months have been challenging, they have made our organization more nimble and responsive to our community and student needs. I keep hearing people say they want to get back to normal.

We have reflected and will continue to pivot as needed to ensure that we live out our new nimble normal in all the ways that we must and that we should so that we can feel confident knowing that we have done and are doing our very best! I believe that #TogetherWeCan accomplish anything in the Pampa ISD with the continued support and encouragement of our Pampa families and community!

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Collaboration & Community Enhancing Career & Technology Education in PISD The 2019-2020 school year is one that will go down in the history books. As students, parents, and educators, we were faced with a new challenge with little time to react. Everyone involved stepped into action, put their problem-solving skills in place, and found ways to continue learning in the midst of a pandemic. Even though Covid-19 kept us from face to face instruction, we were committed to providing the best opportunities for our students to learn new skills and trades.

By Mark Murray

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Our goal is to prepare students for life after high school whether they continue to college, go straight into a career, or enlist in the military. CTE is changing fast and Pampa ISD is committed to offering the best career pathways and industry certifications for our students. What we hope to accomplish in the short time that we have the students, is to put in place some building blocks upon which they will continue to grow.

We hope to spark their interest in the career path of their choice and expose their passion for auto mechanics, welding, health science, information technology, business, culinary arts, education, computer science or veterinary medicine.

Building Blocks

Each year 8th graders from Pampa Junior High are introduced to what they can expect as freshmen at Pampa High School. This past year we did something a little different to help introduce our 8th graders to the world of CTE. In December 2019 and again in January 2020, the College and Career Readiness classes visited PHS for the day and toured the CTE facilities, listened to the CTE teachers talk about their programs, and received information from the PHS Counselors

on dual credit classes, extracurricular activities, how credits work in high school, etc. This was a great way to introduce our upcoming freshman class to what they can expect when they arrive at PHS and begins to lay a foundation for what they would like to pursue while in high school. We look forward to introducing this upcoming 8th grade class to CTE at PHS. It is our goal in Pampa ISD to help students discover what they are passionate about and then help guide them and provide them with the tools they need to be successful. By receiving an industry certification while in high school, we are able to help position students to continue their education or begin a new career where they are able to utilize the skills they received while at Pampa High School. When students graduate, whether they remain in Pampa or relocate elsewhere, the building blocks that we put in place will hopefully help and contribute to their success.

Hands-on Learning

Many of our classes today offer hands-on experiences so that students are not just reading about how to complete a task but actually applying it.

By doing this, we feel that student learning is en-

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The Information Technology program allows students to learn various skills involving server fundamentals, networking fundamentals, etc. We are also very proud to introduce Elias Herrera to our parents and students as the new teacher for this program. Elias brings years of experience working in the IT field and he also holds several industry certifications. This year we are also partnering with Dell and have received a grant from them to help build and grow this program. Students will work towards various industry certifications including A+ and Security+. Through efforts between these classes and the district Technology Department, students are able to receive hands-on training/ experience while working on the district’s technology equipment. For example, students have been working to wipe all of the old Chromebooks that were in use in years past throughout the district.

hanced greatly and therefore student understanding is at a much higher level. For example, sitting down and reading instructions on how to change the oil in your car versus moving into our shop area and actually changing the oil. Another example, a young man has learned how to build a BBQ Smoker by reading a book. He then moves into the welding shop with Mr. Childress and together they build a nice BBQ Smoker using the skills he obtained in welding class.

In Health Science, students in our Practicum of Health Science class partner with area health providers and receive job-shadowing experience.

The Certified Phlebotomy Technician program allows students to receive classroom instruction as well as required hours for lab that lead them to receiving the CPT certification. In order for students to be able to take the certification exam, students must perform 30 successful sticks. Many of our very own PHS students have volunteered to help these students complete the 30 sticks. New in 2020, we will be offering the Certified Medical Assistant program for our Health Science students.

This new program will introduce new concepts and skills that make them more marketable in an already fast-growing industry.

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Hard Work Rewards

Imagine walking across the stage to receive your high school diploma knowing that you already have an industry certification in the career field you want to pursue. This dream is now a reality as all of the programs of study that we offer at PHS provide at least one industry certification that students can obtain prior to graduating high school. These certifications include Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), and so many more. Every one of these certifications make a student more marketable in the job market.

At the back of this magazine, you will find a new Career and Technical Education Career Guide.

This new guide will provide a thorough look into the various programs of study that are currently offered at PHS. The guide also provides examples of the various careers that the program of study could lead a student into. The goal of this guide is to provide as much information for our parents and students as possible. We want it to be informational and something that you can reference back to even after high school.

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It is Time!

These are the words that were displayed at the 2019 Choir Banquet when the fall musical was announced. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast would once again grace the stage at MK Brown Civic Auditorium.

musical to direct for Brianna Montgomery and the second to co-direct with Tammy May, PHS Choir Associate Director.

“As we do every year, Tammy and I researched many musicals to come to this decision”, said Brianna Montgomery, PHS Choir Director. “We look at many factors including casting size requirements and financial expectations and asked ourselves if it would entice the Pampa community to come and watch. After auditions, we knew this was the right show for this group of students.” Leading the cast would be Sholby Reeve playing the role of the “Beast” and Stori Stribling would don the infamous gold gown to play the role of “Belle.”

Kristen M. Ladd, a 2013 PHS graduate and choir alumni, was also asked to be a guest co-director of this show. Kristen holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Belmont University, with additional training at Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar College, New York Stage and Film, and Michael Howard Studios in New York City. She has spent the last several years living and working in NYC appearing in stage productions with LEIMAY and New York Restoration Project, Leela NYC Theatre Festival, and The Heights Players. Directing credits include Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” and Don Negro’s “Ballerinas.” She also played the role of Babette in the 2011 PHS choir production.

“I loved playing Belle because like a lot of girls, I relate to her on so many levels. I was able to learn a lot from her and I had fun playing a character that I’ve loved since I was a little girl,” Stribing said. Other main characters included Ethan Rushing as “Gaston”, Matthew Ortner as “Lefou”, Lacey Bilyeu as “Mrs. Potts”, Cooper Trolinger as “Cogsworth”, William Karson as “Lumiere”, Taylor Jefferis as “Babette”, Devin Hieronymus as “Madame de la Grande Bouche”, Angelina Martinez as “Chip”, Kyle Gordzelik as “Maurice” and Kameron Parks as “Monsieur D’Arque”. Members of Concert Choir and Chorale filled the rest of the magical cast and crew including two student choreographers, Lacey Bilyeu and Kaitlyn Roberson. This is the third time for PHS Choir to perform Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - first performed in 2006 under the direction of Fred Mays and Wanetta Hill and again in 2011 under Fred Mays and Brianna Montgomery. The 2019 production of Beauty and the Beast marked the thirteenth

“Knowing Kristen would be home for a while -- and given the fact that I was expecting my second child -- gave us a perfect opportunity to see her directing skills in action on the stage she grew up on,” Montgomery said. “Kristen has a wealth of theatre knowledge so we were thrilled when she agreed to come on board.” Additional PHS alumni joining the musical staff included Jon Sturgill (‘04), master audio technician, Stephanie Nelson (‘04) and Stacy Pepper (‘05) sound assistants, Drew Miller (17) stage manager and Drew Facio (‘13), Aaron McKinney-Danner (‘15) and Brendon Burrell (‘12) members of Mix Media One. Burrell played the role of Gaston in the 2011 production. Choir Directors Brianna Explore Pampa ISD • 67

Kristin Ladd, Assistant Director (L) discusses plans for the musical with Choir Director Brianna Montgomery (R).

Montgomery (‘04) and Tammy May (‘94) are also PHS choir alumni.

“It takes a village and we are so thankful for the people who make up our musical village,” said Montgomery. PHS choir might be the only school in Texas to produce musicals solely out of the choir department. Over the course of about 11 weeks, choir parents spent 1100+ hours behind the scenes to design and build the breathtaking sets, beautiful costumes and spectacular props. This year several of our choir dads put their heads together to create a rotating castle.

“Each year the group that works to build the sets try to come up with a new way to design and build the sets,” said parent, board member, and set designer Joe Kyle Reeve.

"The choir went to New York last year and saw “My Fair Lady” which rotates to create the illusion of a bigger set with less stage space being used. The choir directors saw one that was designed for “Beauty and the Beast”and asked if we thought we could build one like it.”

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“Well, we never turn down a challenge and we always enjoy trying to raise the bar each year. We all had our doubts at times, but as always we exceeded even our own imaginations,” Reeve said. “That is the great thing about the set crew, we all work together to design and problem solve and it turns out fantastic.”

“We could absolutely not function without the support of our choir parents.

They continue to raise the bar year after year and truly make the musicals magical”, Montgomery said. “We also want to thank our administrators of Pampa ISD and PHS for their continuing support of the choral program.

Thank you for allowing us to help our students dreams come true while entertaining the Pampa community.”

With the limitations due to Covid-19, many people are questioning the future of the beloved musicals. “We don’t know what the future will hold, but if there is a way to have a musical, we will continue to “invite you to be our guest,” Montgomery said. “For a lot of our students, this is the highlight of their choir career. “ “Musicals gave me a chance to see what I could accomplish with hard work. Also, with many hours being poured into this process, it really boosted my determination as a person and allowed me to show my talents and abilities to the rest of my peers,” Sholby Reeve stated. “Performing at this level creates strong friendships and memories to last a lifetime.”

“This was my first experience performing a main character in a musical and it was amazing to see the whole thing come together from start to finish. And learning from the friends alongside me made it all the more special”, said Stori Stribling.

“It is important for us to give our students this creative outlet and the experience of performing live for an audience,” said Montgomery. If circumstances allow for a musical, PHS Choir will be performing “Mary Poppins” during the 2020-2021 school year.

All State:

Pampa High School Choir students participated in the Texas Music Educators Association all-state audition process each year. This is a 10 month process for many students, starting with an all-state choir camp in the summer to the TMEA Clinic and Concert in February. Students audition different literature over 4 rounds of auditions - District in September, Region following in November, Pre-Area in December and finally Area around the first week of January. In addition to the music audition, these auditions add a sightreading component; students have 30 seconds to study a line of music they have never seen or heard before and then perform it a cappella.

Matthew Ortner, Luis Martinez, Devin Lindley, Kyle Gordzelik, Dax Scott, Clark Allen, and Korbin Cole. These students participated in the Region 1 Texas Music Educators Association Small School Choir Region Clinic and Concert at WTAMU under the direction of Dr. David Edmonds in November of 2019.

“Our kids get a taste of a variety of music through these auditions,” said Tammy May. “Some pieces are short and carry a twentieth century approach and others are large collections of musical compositions composed by famous composers such as Bach, Beethoven or Brahms which gives them the experience of performing with orchestral ensembles.”

Pre-Area members included: Lacey Bilyeu, Stori Stribling, Cooper Trolinger, Aidan Chapleau, Matthew Ortner and Kyle Gordzelik.

After the Area audition, Lacey Bilyeu came out 5th chair in the Soprano section and Cooper Trolinger landed 1st chair in the Tenor section.

PHS choir was honored to have several students being named to the choirs’ this year. District Choir Members included Lacey Bilyeu, Stori Stribling, Taylor Jefferis, Denisse Gonzalez, Madyson Powell, Devin Hieronymus, Ariel Lacher, Katherine Smith, K’Leigh Broaddus, Cooper Trolinger, Aidan Chapleau, Matthew Ortner, Luis Martinez, Devin Lindley, Kyle Gordzelik, Sholby Reeve, Dax Scott, Clark Allen, Korbin Cole and Kameron Parks.

Region Choir members included: Lacey Bilyeu, Stori Stribling, Taylor Jefferis, Ariel Lacher, Katherine Smith, Cooper Trolinger, Aidan Chapleau,

“Our students put in hours of rehearsal in preparation for these auditions,” said Tammy May. Outside of the regular everyday choir hours, choir students can put in an

Lacey Bilyeu and Cooper Tolinger, Texas All-State Choir members traveled to San Antonio to take part in TMEA's 4 day clinic that ended with a concert.

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average of 4-7 hours of rehearsal each week, many taking weekly vocal lessons as well. “It’s a fun challenge to coach individual voices for the outcome of a group setting. Each student is so unique and different techniques work for different individuals which makes it so much fun to coach.”

In February, Trolinger and Bilyeu traveled to San Antonio for a four day clinic with other members of the small school choir and concluded with a concert under the direction of Kenneth Fulton. “Being a part of the Texas All-State Choir is such a blessing! It takes a lot of hard work, but it is so worth it! Music is so special to me and it’s just so amazing to be surrounded by people who care as much about it as you do”, Lacey Bilyeu said of her experience. Lacey is a two year Texas SSC All-State member and hopes to make it a third time in 2021. TMEA also celebrated its centennial anniversary this year with the theme “It Starts with Music”. “Being a part of TMEA’s 100th celebration was even more special! Because of the AllState choir, I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime, “ said Bilyeu.

“TMEA was a true blessing. While you are in junior high, the band and choir directors tell you stories of high school students that have been a member of the All-State band or choir and they tell us that if we work hard enough that we can be there one day. So to say that this is a dream come true is an understatement. Thanks to the help and support of Mrs. Tammy May, Mrs. Brianna Montgomery and Mr. Fred Mays, I accomplished this feat two of my three years in choir. This year also happened to be the 100th anniversary of TMEA so it was extra special. In the music world, you always hear that the best musicians come from Texas, this year proved that statement. I got to see some incredible ensembles perform and be a part of one of those ensembles. I made some lifelong friendships and the memories of TMEA will be ones that I cherish forever, “ said Cooper Trolinger, a two year TMEA SSC all-stater who plans to attend Wayland Baptist University to pursue a degree in music education. “Who knows?”

May said. “We might just see Cooper as a TMEA clinician some day! We are so very proud of all our students who pursued this avenue of competition this year and we look forward to seeing more students named to the prestigious choirs again next year!”

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Vision Statement: A guide to help an organization make decisions that align with its philosophy and declared set of goals.

During Summer planning before the 2019-2020 school year, each campus in Pampa ISD was given the opportunity to collaborate as a faculty in order to develop a Vision statement that would focus and guide our work as educators. As a District we have a Mission to produce learners who are compassionate, competent, confident, and future-ready. The process of developing a campus Vision allowed us to identify how we, as a campus, would support that Mission.

After much discussion, the teachers and staff at Lamar developed the following vision for our school: Lamar Elementary will empower our community by creating opportunities for all members to meet their full potential in a safe, respectful, and collaborative environment. This simple statement tells you a lot about our campus. We see it as our responsibility to empower our community - to make our community stronger and more confident. We will do this by creating opportunities for all members of our community - students, parents, families, and businesses - to be involved and meet their full potential. In order to fulfill this vision, we must create an environment that is safe, respectful, and collaborative to everyone.

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Although there is a lot of responsibility in living up to the challenges of this Vision, the staff of Lamar believes that our community deserves nothing less. In order to ensure that our students are future-ready, we also developed a list of values and characteristics that we believe will be necessary for our students, regardless of their future plans. Using each letter in LAMAR we identified Leadership, Accountability, Motivation, Awareness, and Respect as the foundation for The LAMAR Way. Visitors to our building quickly realize that The LAMAR Way is an integral part of the environment that we are trying to create. T-shirts, banners, hallway posters, and student artwork remind us of the expectations that make Lamar a special campus.

Throughout the year we focused on each of the characteristics - from teaching the students the meanings of the words to recognizing the values in action. We emphasize that Leadership means doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, especially when nobody is watching! Leadership is not a position; you lead from where you are. Our students know that Accountability means doing what you say you will do, and admitting when you make a mistake. Motivation, specifically intrinsic motivation, means that you want to do something because it will make you better, not because you might get a reward for it. We want our students to be motivated to learn and grow. Awareness is critical as we prepare students for an uncertain future. Students need to be aware of others in our community and how our words and actions can affect people around us. Without Awareness of ourselves and others it is almost impossible to show genuine Respect. At Lamar we model and expect Respect for ourselves and those around us.

Lamar Elementary is proud of the role that we play in our community - both our immediate neighborhood and the entire City of Pampa. We work hard to create an environment that is supportive and welcoming.

We encourage you to reach out to our campus - in person, on the phone, or through social media - to experience The LAMAR Way for yourself!

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Ambassadors of Learning, Serving, and Leading

by Dr. Tanya Larkin PISD Superintendent

The 2019-2020 school year was a huge success for our largest group of Student Ambassadors to date. We had over

70 students actively engaged in leadership classes and service projects on numerous campuses and locations across our community. The purpose of our Student Ambassador program is two fold. Primarily, we want to provide focused learning and experiential opportunities for our students to engage in serving others in our community while learning the tenets of successful leadership at a deeper level. Additionally, we strongly believe that our students are the voice, the face, and the purpose behind everything we do in the Pampa ISD. Our Student Ambassadors work regularly with the Superintendent to share about the mission, vision, and goals of our school district with numerous stakeholders within our community and the region. During August and September, the ambassadors worked many hours preparing and serving at our first ever Community Wide Outreach event and our 2nd annual Back to School Bash. Ambassadors also participated in and facilitated the Family Fun Run. One of the most memorable projects was when our student ambassadors worked with our entire staff to teach them how to do a popular dance--”The Git Up”. This was so much fun and provided our staff and students the opportunity to experience teaching and learning from a new perspective! In November and December, several of our student ambassadors helped with the Children’s Shopping tour and even wrapped over 100 presents for a local nursing home so the residents could have a wonderful Christmas experience.

Every January, our ambassadors work with the counselors and our social worker to support the Great Kindness Challenges on the campuses. One of the tenets of leadership that the student ambassadors learn about is the fundamental concept that “people always remember the way you make them feel”. Taking time to intentionally learn and model kindness is a critical part of the overall health and wellness of our students, our campus culture, and ultimately our community and our nation. In February and March, several of our student ambassadors volunteered to help the local PAWS organization with an adoption day as well!

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"We do know for certain, that there will always be a need to focus on developing the servant leadership skills in our students."

-Dr. Tanya Larkin

The Spring projects that were planned involved our students serving at the Teacher of the Year and the Annual Chamber Banquets. Additionally, several of the students had volunteered to serve on the Pampa ISD Strategic Visioning and Planning committee.

Unfortunately, due to the abrupt school closures due to COVID-19, we were unable to complete the spring projects. If allowed, we plan to continue these projects next year.

The 20-21 school year still has many unknowns right now, but we do know for certain that there will always be a need to focus on developing the servant leadership skills in our students. The 20-21 Student Ambassadors have been hard at work through training, planning, and various projects. I am encouraged by the capacity, dedication and commitment of our student ambassadors and firmly believe that the future is in good hands with these young men and women leading the way!

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Pampa High School

has some Amazing Students!

Even in a year shortened by the coronovirus, the amazing students at Pampa High School accomplished great things and gave of themselves to others. Students like Mason Zamudio and organizations like the National Honor society, nominated their teachers for awards and celebrated them in ways never seen before. Our students are dedicated, hardworking, intelligent, resilient, creative, and extremely talented. Our staff is equally committed and always willing to go the extra mile to help our students succeed academically, socially, emotionally, and in life.

Just this year, we sent students to State in band, choir, visual arts, academics, DECA, debate, and had AllState athletes in several sports with many receiving Academic All-State honors. We were able to induct 63 students into our National Honor Society this year and they organized a peer tutoring program to assist their peers with school work before and after school. Students from PHS participated in the Panhandle Gives Campaign for nonprofit organizations across the panhandle. One of our students, Stori Stribling was featured

on News Channel 10 for her "Be the I in Kind" anti-bullying campaign for Bullying Awareness month. Tucker Bridwell was selected as the Built Ford Tough 4A Football Player of the Week for all of Texas. Over a dozen of our student-athletes will continue their careers playing in college. Also, Seth Smith was one of only 660 students nationwide to qualify for the National Congress Debate event! #PampaProud!!

In addition to these outstanding success stories, our students earned over 100 industry-based certifications this year alone. With certifications in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with Welding, Auto Tech, Veterinarian Tech, Phlebotomy, Microsoft Technology Assistant, ServSafe Manager, and others, our students are well on their way to successful careers in the workplace. Our students are

able to explore nine different career pathways at Pampa High and we are building a network of available internships within our community. Those who choose to go to college are able to take advantage of Advanced Placement courses and dual credit classes through Clarendon College and can even earn their Associates degrees while still in high school, like Arianna Anguiano and Taylor Jefferis did this year. PHS is the perfect size high school. We are large enough to offer four outstanding fine arts programs, 20 UIL activities, along with our growing Career Technology Education program, while still being small enough to build strong relationships with our kids and community. It is great to be a part of this amazing, giving community! #HarvestingSuccess everywhere we go!

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Opportunities for All! The middle years. A student’s time in the middle is quick but extremely important, both academically and socially. One thing on the mind of all students who walk in the doors of a middle school is the hope of acceptance and belonging. The staff of Pampa Junior High works hard to ensure that all students have a place to belong, that students are given opportunities for leadership, academic excellence, and that they build character through service to others. It is the school’s vision to prepare confident, lifelong learners, who take ownership of their personal and academic growth in an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected. While working towards this vision, our students set academic goals for themselves, they are given the opportunity to become involved in various programs at Pampa Junior High, and through these programs, students are given the opportunity to work hard toward a goal, build leadership skills, serve the school and the community of Pampa.

Student Council is a service organization for students. Students participating in student council learn that leadership and service go handin-hand. The current student council, consisting of approximately 50 students and four teacher sponsors, is led by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected by the entire student body. The mayor and vice mayor take on leadership responsibilities by leading the daily announcements, leading the student council to two conferences, and leading multiple opportunities to help out in the community.

National Junior Honor Society is another opportunity for student involvement at Pampa Junior High. NJHS is an organization that promotes scholarship, leadership, citizenship, character, and service. As students begin the stages of greater responsibility and independence as a junior high student, NJHS is one opportunity for students that encourages involvement and academics. Students must maintain a certain grade point average to become a member of the National Junior Honor Society. While a member of NJHS, students must complete a service projects. NJHS paves the way for junior high students as they develop leadership skills, grow academically, and strive for membership of the National Honor Society chapter in high school.

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If competition is more the avenue, students have many opportunities to compete in UIL sports. Fall sports include volleyball, cross country running, and football. Winter brings basketball for both boys and girls, and spring blows in the track and tennis season. Through sports involvement, students have a way to stay physically fit while learning self-discipline, leadership skills, and teamwork.

If competitive sports are not what a student is looking for, PJHS students can participate in the fine arts program, which also brings opportunities for competition. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students can take band or choir all three of their junior high years. Art is offered to students in seventh and eight grade. Students may also

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choose to compete in UIL academic by choosing from numerous events they are interested in, they work closely with a coach to practice for the academic competition. Whether students are competing in events such as Chess, Creative Writing, Social Studies, One Act Play, Music Memory, or Math, they are taught the value of hard work, teamwork, and working toward a goal. In the fall UIL academic competition of 2019, the PJHS team, consisting of about 75 students and approximately 15 coaches, took 2nd place at the district competition.

Additionally, Pampa Junior High provides opportunities for student involvement through robotics competitions, the National Science Bowl, and the brand new Merit Gold program. The Merit Gold College

Preparatory Academy is developed and led by 8th grade teacher, Megan Horn. Students become part of the exclusive academy after being identified by data, going through a rigorous application and interview process, and making a commitment to participate. Through the academy, students engage in multiple types of work, experience college level assessments, analyze data, set goals, and gain skills and knowledge that will give them a competitive edge.

At Pampa Junior High, student success is paramount. The staff works tirelessly to ensure that there is a place for everyone to become involved and that students have opportunities to develop qualities that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Career Guide

Pampa Independent School District

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION Explore Pampa ISD • 83

What is CTE? Career & Technical Education (CTE) is a federally-funded education program focused on delivering students of all ages with hands-on, skills-based education that better prepares them for future education or entering the workforce.

Nine CTE "career clusters" are taught at Pampa High School. Several area businesses have partnered with PISD too. They provide on the job training to students, in agricultural, technology, finance industries and more.

Certifications CTE offers students the opportunity to earn industry certifications while in high school. Each program of study that we offer at Pampa High School culminates with at least one industry certification. For example, students that choose our Health Science program of study will have the opportunity to become a Certified Medical Assistant.

Earning certifications are a great way to show employers that you are “career ready” and eager to get started in your new career.

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Career and Technical Student Organizations At Pampa High School, students also have the opportunity to participate in various student organizations such as FFA, HOSA, DECA, and SkillsUSA. Students are able to put into practice the skills that they learn in the classroom through various competitions or other events.

These organizations are a great way for students to develop friendships with other students that share common interest.

Pathway Spotlight Health Science Pathway For several years students that choose the Health Science Pathway have benefited from our partnership with Pampa Regional Medical Center. Through this partnership, students during their senior year are able to go to the hospital during the 2-block class period and enhance their learning through participating in clinicals with other nurses. This is an invaluable experience for these students and helps to reinforce what they have learned up to this point. We hope to add additional partnerships soon where our students can gain real-world experience in various medical fields.

Manufacturing Pathway Recently, Pampa ISD engaged with various businesses in the area to begin developing internship opportunities for our students that choose the manufacturing pathway. Some of those businesses include Hunting, City of Pampa, and the Pampa Economic Development Corporation. Students that choose this pathway will gain experience through on-site visits with these companies along with others that we collaborate with. By doing this, they will be able to capture a glimpse into how they will use what they are learning now in the lab and apply it for their future job opportunities. Many of these businesses are also providing assistance with listing job skills that are most needed in their field of work. We are able to take this list and incorporate lessons on interview skills, effective communication skills, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills. We look forward to working with these companies and hopefully many others.

Information Technology Pathway Students that choose the Information Technology pathway will have the opportunity to obtain multiple industry certifications. One of those certifications is the Dell Certified Technician. Once students obtain the certification they will have the opportunity to work alongside the Pampa ISD Technology Department and troubleshoot tickets that are submitted. This is a great opportunity for these students to apply skills they are learning in class to real-life scenarios in the workplace. In the future, we hope to develop partnerships with companies in Pampa to further provide students with opportunities to apply what they are learning and gain employability skills.

Education Pathway Imagine as a junior or senior in high school being able to shadow a teacher at the elementary school level and gaining experience of what it is like being a classroom teacher. This is exactly what happens with our students that choose the education pathway in high school. Students that choose this path have a desire to help educate future leaders and make an impact in a student’s life. When students complete this program, they are able to obtain their Educator Aide I certificate. Once a student receives this certification, they could work while attending college and begin contributing to their teacher retirement. At Pampa ISD, we are working to grow our own future educators.

Veterinary Medicine Pathway Through partnerships with local veterinarians, students that choose this pathway are able to obtain hours needed to become a licensed veterinary technician. Students spend several hours each week at Gray County Veterinary Clinic, Pampa Animal Hospital, Horne Veterinary Service, and with Every Living Thing Veterinary Clinic. We are very appreciative of these partnerships and the time that they dedicate to helping our students prepare for the future.

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AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND NATURAL RESOURCES WHAT IS IT? Agriculture, food, and natural resources workers produce agricultural goods.

This includes food, plants, animals, fabrics, wood, and crops. You might work on a farm, ranch, dairy, orchard, greenhouse, or plant nursery. You could also work in a clinic or laboratory as a scientist or engineer. Agribusinesses produce livestock, field crops, and fruit and vegetable produce, along with processing these products and marketing them for consumers to purchase.

CAREER PROFILES

WHAT WILL I DO?

Agricultural Educator

People working in natural resources focus on preserving the soil, water and air as well as maintaining and improving our natural environments. Careers can range from working in an innovative scientific laboratory to being outdoors raising plants and animals. Environmental scientists and technicians study and analyze our land and water to maintain a balance between industry growth and sustainability. Agricultural and environmental educators help students apply concepts from math and science to real life problems like water quality, food safety, management of public lands, and wildlife conservation.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you like problem solving?

• Do you enjoy using technology?

• Do you like to help people?

• Do you enjoy working with and analyzing data?

• Do you enjoy plants or animals?

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Agricultural Inspector Animal Scientist Aquaculture Technician Dairy Farmer Farm Manager Floral Designer Food Technologist Forest Ranger Veterinarian

Finance & Business Services

BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION WHAT IS IT? Business, Management and Administration uses your organizational and leadership skills to prepare for careers where you plan, direct and evaluate operations to run a successful business. From the point of view of management and leadership, it also covers fields that include accounting, finance, project management and marketing.

WHAT WILL I DO? Managers and owners oversee the business day-to-day operations, decide what products to make or sale, and how to run the business better. If you choose to be an accountant or bookkeeper, you keep track of invoices, payments, and revenue. Human Resource and training professionals make sure employees are working to their fullest potential. Administrative Assistants or Executive Assistants take on administrative tasks that free-up time and make a company more efficient.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Are you a decision maker?

• Are you a multi-tasker?

• Are you a leader?

• Are you a motivator?

• Are you a strong communicator?

• Are you good at numbers?

• Are you organized?

• Are you a team player?

CAREER PROFILES Administrative Support Business Information Management General Management Human Resource Management Operations Management Entrepreneur

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Public Service

EDUCATION AND TRAINING WHAT IS IT? Education and training workers guide and train people. As a teacher, you could influence young lives. You could also support the work of a classroom teacher as a counselor, librarian, or principal. You could coach sports activities or lead community classes. Education workers most frequently work in traditional schools, however you could also work in libraries, private schools or charter schools.

WHAT WILL I DO? An educator teaches students in a school or other learning environment.

Responsibilities for teachers include preparing and presenting lesson plans, supervising students in a classroom environment, grading coursework, and managing classroom operations and expectations.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you relate to children?

• Are you empathetic?

• Are you compassionate?

• Do you have strong communication skills?

• Are you creative?

• Are you flexible and adaptive?

• Do you enjoy helping others learn something new?

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CAREER PROFILES Administrator Career & Technical Education Teacher Librarian Principal Counselor Teaching Aide Physical Education Teacher Elementary Teacher Junior High Teacher High School Teacher Special Education Teacher

Finance & Business Services

FINANCE WHAT IS IT? Finance is defined as the management of money and includes activities such as investing, borrowing, lending, budgeting, saving, and forecasting. The three main types of finance are personal, corporate, and public/government finance.

The role of finance in business is also to make sure there are enough funds to operate and that you’re spending and investing wisely.

WHAT WILL I DO? Most people who earn a bachelor's in finance work in areas including commercial banking, financial planning, investment banking, money managing, insurance and real estate. Other areas of interest include private equity, commercial lending and sales and trading.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Are you strong in math?

• Are you a good communicator?

• Are you persuasive?

• Are you detail-oriented?

• Are you a strong communicator?

• Are you organized?

CAREER PROFILES Auditor Bank Teller Credit Analyst Financial Planner Insurance Claims and Processing Clerk Loan Officer Stock Broker Tax Specialist

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Health Science & Technology

HEALTH SCIENCE WHAT IS IT? Health Science Education prepares students for careers related to medicine, nursing, health science, and allied health programs. Health Science Education is dedicated to educating today’s students for tomorrow’s health care community.

WHAT WILL I DO? Physicians, nurses, and therapists work directly with patients to diagnose, treat, and comfort their patients. You might also have the opportunity to work in a laboratory and help develop new cures for diseases. As a medical assistant or health information specialist, you maintain history of medical records for insurance or future use.

CAREER PROFILES Certified Medical Assistant Dietitian Health Information Technician Home Health Aide

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME?

Medical Billing Coder

• Do you like to help people?

• Are you patient?

• Do you work well under stress?

• Are you empathetic?

• Are you flexible?

• Do you enjoy math and science?

• Are you interested in the human body?

Pharmacy Technician

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Physician Registered Nurse Therapist

Finance and Business Services

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM WHAT IS IT? Hospitality and Tourism prepares students for careers in the management, marketing and operations of restaurants and other food services, lodging, attractions, recreational events and travel-related services.

WHAT WILL I DO? As a hotel clerk, you will greet guests as they arrive, ensure that their needs are met during their stay, and make sure they feel comfortable while away from home. As a restaurant worker or chef, you will prepare meals, serve food to patrons, and provide a unique experience for your guests. As an employee in the hospitality industry, you will work hard to provide outstanding customer service to your guests in an effort to earn their return business in the future.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you have strong people skills?

• Do you enjoy a flexible schedule?

• Do you want longer hours?

• Do you have a passion to make people happy?

• Do you have attention to detail?

CAREER PROFILES Amusement Park Attendant Chef or Cook Food Service Manager Gaming Supervisor Hotel Clerk Meeting or Event Planner Property Manager Sous Chef Travel Guide Waiter or Waitress

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Business and Industry

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WHAT IS IT? Information technology is the application of technology to solve business or organizational problems on a broad scale. No matter the role, a member of an IT department works with others to solve technology problems, both big and small. The demand for individuals with information technology training is very high.

WHAT WILL I DO? Information Technology careers involve the design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, multimedia, and systems integration services. The demand for new and better technology will continue to grow and so careers for computer and information research scientists are expected to increase.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you like problem solving?

• Do you enjoy using technology?

• Do you like to help people?

• Do you enjoy working with and analyzing data?

• Do you enjoy plants or animals?

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CAREER PROFILES Business Intelligence Analyst Computer Programmer Computer Support Specialist Database Administrator Information Security Analyst Network Support Specialist Software Engineer Systems Administrator Web Developer Cloud Administrator Cybersecurity Analyst

Business and Industry

MANUFACTURING WHAT IS IT? Manufacturing is the process of designing, making, installing and maintaining various products, whether cars, medical devices, heavy machinery, oilfield equipment, or wind turbines. Many careers in manufacturing have become much more automated because of advancements in technology. Individuals pursuing careers in manufacturing will need more technology and computer skills. Manufacturing jobs are in high demand in the Texas Panhandle.

CAREER PROFILES

WHAT WILL I DO? Manufacturing careers vary depending on the industry and skill level. Some industries are more automated where you will utilize computers to manage assembly lines. A fabricator might be using tools to join pieces of metal together to create a large piece of machinery.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you have attention to detail?

• Are you a critical thinker?

• Are you technology-minded?

• Are you good at math and science?

• Are you dependable?

• Do you enjoy working with your hands?

Assembler Fabricator Installer Machine Operator Maintenance and Repair Manufacturing Technician Pipefitter Welder

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Public Service

TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND LOGISTICS WHAT IS IT? Transportation, distribution, and logistics careers focus on moving products and people by roads, air, railways and water. Transportation of goods is the lifeblood of our economy; without truck drivers, there would be no food on the shelves of the grocery store or packages delivered to your door. Vehicles break down and individuals in transportation keep the various methods of transportation operating.

WHAT WILL I DO? Auto service technicians are in high demand, maintaining the millions of cars and trucks on the highway. Diesel mechanics are needed to keep large farm and ranch equipment running in places such as feed yards or ranches. As an auto mechanic, you have the opportunity to operate your own business or work for a auto dealership.

IS THIS CAREER FOR ME? • Do you have a high technical aptitude?

• Do you enjoy working with your hands?

• Are you a problem solver?

• Are you detail-oriented?

• Do you have strong customer service skills?

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CAREER PROFILES Automotive Service Technician Automotive Body Technician Forklift Operator Truck Driver Bus Driver Warehouse Worker Motorcycle Mechanic Diesel Mechanic Airplane Mechanic

Kuder Navigator® Kuder Navigator® is an online education and career planning system that gives you the tools you need to build a foundation for lifelong career success. You'll learn what your interests, skills confidence and work values are and how to apply them to a career plan for your future.

This website also helps you with real-world skills such as how to write resumes and cover letters, how to research employers, and how to prepare for job interviews. You can even create an electronic profile that you may choose to share online with prospective colleges or employers.

Begin by Taking Assessments Your assessment results will help us tailor your experience throughout the site. To take or re-take a Kuder online assessment, stop by the Counselor’s Office or visit with Mark Murray in the CTE building.

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Hall of Fame

Pampa ISD Hall of Fame

Pampa ISD annually bestows it’s highest honors on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and community, committed themselves to advancing the values and goals of Pampa ISD, and ensured a better quality of life for future generations.

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2019-2020 Hall of Fame Inductees Garvin McCarrell ('72) and Randy Ray ('80) were the 2019-2020 inductees into the Pampa ISD Hall of Fame. The two received the awards last fall and were honored with a reception, as well as recognition on Harvester Field at one of the home games.

Garvin McCarrel, Class of 1972 Garvin McCarrell is a 1972 graduate of Pampa High School, where he was the vice president of his senior class, voted all school favorite, a member of the 1972 district championship football team, and set a PHS 440 relay track record. After graduation, he attended West Texas State University on a football scholarship and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He later completed a Masters of Ministry Degree at Bethany Theological Seminary, and a Master of Divinity Degree at Christian Life School of Theology.

Thereafter, he moved to the mountains of New Mexico and managed Camp Summer Life near Taos, New Mexico. It was during the years of living in a log cabin and interacting with people of diverse backgrounds and ages that he knew God was calling him to serve in ministry.

He moved back to Amarillo in 1978 and married his college sweetheart, Kim Smith, and began serving the newly formed Trinity Fellowship church in numerous leadership capacities. The church grew from 75 people to over 9,000 people before he moved in 2007 to Colorado Springs, where he served as the Senior Executive Pastor of New Life Church. He also served as the Chaplain for the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Colorado Springs.

Garvin co-founded a backpack and guide service, and logged over 3,000 miles backpacking and guiding in the Pecos Wilderness. He assisted in the founding of Kings Court Racquet Ball in Amarillo, which is now Gold’s Gym. In 1980, he founded an outdoor adventure program at TSTI in Amarillo.

He retired after 40 years of serving in leadership roles at two churches. He has touched a multitude of people through his counseling, mentoring, encouragement, and gentle guidance. He still lives in Colorado Springs, touching the lives of people and making a difference. He has lived his life by high standards and in the service of others and his community. He is a tribute to Pampa, and exemplifies the Harvester Spirit.

Randy Ray, Class of 1980 Randy Ray is a 1980 graduate of Pampa High School. While in high school, he developed a passion for music and media as he took guitar lessons at Tarpleys and attended numerous movies at the Capri Theatre. After graduation, he enrolled in West Texas State University, and earned a degree in Radio, Film, and television.

After college, he moved back to Pampa and put his efforts into his music. It was then that he became reacquainted with high school friend, Anita Marlar, and they were married.

He moved to Nashville in 1987, and worked as an audio engineer, working with some of the biggest names in music. He reconnected with musicians Andy Denton and Billy Williams of Amarillo. The trio, plus guitarist Michael Jacobs, formed a Christian rock band called “Legend Seven” The band was signed to the prestigious Word record label and began touring. The group made two CDs, each selling 30,000 copies. The band toured the United States and Europe, and had several top singles on Christian radio.

In 1994, he began managing Sunset Studios, where he worked with famous individuals such as Spike Lee, Lynard Skynard, Garth Brooks, Peter Frampton, and Neil Diamond. While managing Sunset Studios, he was asked to teach at Middle Tennessee State University. He began graduate school and began his teaching career.

In 2002, he moved to Canyon to teach at WT and help design the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex. He was able to use his experience to help design the complex's radio and television station, audio suites, recording studio and the high-definition video studio.

He currently serves as Director of Broadcast Engineering at WT, and his students have won numerous awards. While teaching at WT, he has served as executive producer on two documentary films. He has received numerous awards, and has been inducted into the WT Communications Hall of Fame. He also serves as executive producer on the TV series One Sessions. This live music series has won several national awards.

While living in Tennessee, he wrote a humor column for a newspaper, and later, compiled his columns and had a book published. Many of the stories in his book, Thank the Lord for Leroy, are stories about growing up in Pampa.“ In addition to his job at WT, he serves as an elder for Hillside Christian Church and is a City Commissioner for the City of Canyon. In his spare time, he plays bass in the classic rock band Noah Jenda and is the host of two podcasts.

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2020-2021 Hall of Fame Inductee Don Braswell ('81) was the 2020-2021 inductee into the Pampa ISD Hall of Fame. Braswell received the award this fall and was honored with a reception at a PISD Board meeting as well as recognized on Harvester Field at one of the home games.

Don Braswell, Class of 1981 Don Braswell attended Austin Elementary School, Sam Houston Middle School, Pampa Junior High School and Pampa High School, graduating in 1981. These schools, the teachers, the learning atmosphere and the friendships were literally the foundation for everything that followed in his life. Today, Pampa is still “home” and he returns often to visit friends. He started college at Texas Tech University. Tech was not painful enough, so he transferred to the US Naval Academy. During the four years of bliss at Annapolis, he was able to work on a British frigate, work on a submarine from San Diego, work on a surface ship from Norfolk, shoot (and clean) an M-16 in Quantico, and fly a T-34 in Pensacola.

At the Naval Academy, Don learned that the secret to good leadership is to first become a good follower.

He graduated with distinction from the US Naval Academy in 1986 with a BS in Electrical Engineering, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1987 with a MS in Electrical Engineering. He then reported to NAS Pensacola for flight training. For the next 24 years, he flew the F/A-18C Hornet from aircraft carriers. Over this time, he made four deployments overseas to the Persian Gulf.

The Gulf in the summer is routinely over 120 degrees, and falling to 95 at night.

It is amazing how comfortable 95 degrees can be at night. His final deployment was to the South Asian Sea in 2005 where the temperatures were a much better 105 degrees during the day. He spent an accumulated four years at sea, counted day-by-day, he flew 2000 hours, and made 450 carrier arrested landings (150 at night). (To this day, nothing amazes me more than an aircraft carrier during flight operations. 4,000 American sailors routinely perform actions that no other nation in the world can perform. The more you know about each of the 4,000 jobs, the more amazing an aircraft carrier becomes.)

As a pilot at Operational Test Squadron 9 in the Mojave Desert, he tested and operated every weapon on the F/A-18C inventory. Testing the cutting edge weapons was another facet of America’s dominance. Today everyone has GPS, because engineers conceived GPS, designed, and launched the satellites necessary. What was cutting edge 30 years ago is today routine. The US military already had autonomous vehicles that could fly 1000 miles, follow a specific route, and arrive at a target with less than a 10 foot error. With that foundation, he was involved in three different combat operations: The Air War over Kosovo (1999), the Pentagon (9/11/2001), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003).

During the Air War over Kosovo (1999), he was part of a Navy Deployment to Vicenza, Italy where Air Force General Short directed the NATO air forces. 19 Nations in NATO contributed aircraft to fly missions over the former Republic of Yugoslavia. The alliance flew 450 strike sorties over Kosovo and Yugoslavia from 24 March until 11 June 1999. Lieutenant Commander Braswell planned and briefed these 450 sorties to General Short and the other 19 NATO generals every third day. Cdr. Braswell was amazed at the coordination required to keep 19 nations flying and working together for a single goal.

From 1999-2002, Commander Braswell worked from the Pentagon with 20,000 other personnel. He was responsible for a budget including $4.5 billion annual98 • Explore Pampa ISD

ly to purchase the new F/A-18E/F aircraft from 1999-2002. On September 11th 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon directly under his office. While leaving his office on the fifth floor of the Pentagon, Commander Braswell was “the voice” on the fifth floor. 35 civilians were unsure of the exit route away from the E-ring, and followed Braswell’s voice to safety. As they exited the E-ring, the floor was collapsing under them. Next year will be their 20 year anniversary of life. Every single day since September 11th has been a gift.

In 2003, Commander Braswell was assigned to his final flying tour as Commanding Officer of VFA-25, the Fist of the Fleet.

He was involved in the first flights over Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 17th, and his carrier air wing flew missions over Iraq until Baghdad was captured in April 2003. On the first mission, 40 aircraft launched, flew 400 miles to a tanker, tanked during a thunder storm, experienced an engine failure over the desert, and returned to the ship with a single engine. During this campaign, Commander Braswell flew 18 missions over Iraq supporting the ground troops as they advanced towards Baghdad.

Returning home, he was on the USS Abraham Lincoln when President George W. Bush landed on the carrier. The USS Abraham Lincoln had been at sea for 10 months – the longest carrier deployment since the Vietnam era. He continued flying with VFA-25 for the next 3 years and was then assigned to the carrier USS Carl Vinson as Navigator, earned a scholarship to Oxford, and finished his career while instructing at the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. Along the way, he also completed an MS International Relations (Troy University) and the Air Force War College. During his service, he visited 21 foreign nations and lived in 23 different zip codes.

Don retired from the military as a Captain, and began to teach high school chemistry and physics in Mesquite, Texas. Here he completed an MS in Education from SMU in leadership and science curriculum. He also served as the Science Department Head for the John Horn High School with 2000 students. In 2015, He joined the USPTO as an examiner for radar and telecommunications patents. He has continued his interest in education while serving as a school board member of the Global Village Academy in 2015-2016.

While Don has experienced a full life, he feels that his greatest successes and his greatest accomplishments are living with his family and working in his community. He has three daughters and one son and he is married to Sandra (nee Roten) Braswell. Don and Sandra have adopted Chloe (10) and Ben (9) from China, and they all live with their dogs Holly and Jack in Rockwall, Texas. He and Sandra are very active in their local church as Sunday School Teachers, Cub Scout and Girl Scout leaders, PTA members at Ouida Springer Elementary School, Girl Scout Cookie coordinators and Boy Scout Popcorn coordinators.

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This graph illustrates how each dollar is divided and spent on the various student services and operating departments of Pampa ISD. The graph depicts rough percentages and is based on the 2018-2019 audited general operating including food service expenditures.

49¢

Where your Tax Dollar Went

INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT & CURRICULUM

TEACHERS, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES & AIDS

GUIDANCE COUNSELORS

FACILITIES

UTILITIES

6¢

FOOD SERVICES

TRANSPORTATION

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6¢

PRINCIPALS & ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

3¢

5¢

DISTRICT LEVEL STAFF

3¢

5¢

LIBRARY & SAFE/SECURE COMPUTER NETWORK

2¢

4¢

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

2¢

4¢

SECURITY MONITORING & HEALTH SERVICES

11¢

Pampa ISD: Doing More with Less!

2018-2019 Audited General Operating and Food Service Expenditures

Instructional & Instructional Related Services......$ 17,494,684.......Teachers, Counselors, Curriculum, Extra Curricular Instructional & School Leadership........................... 2,075,921.......Principals & Teacher Support Ancillary Services....................................................... 287,346 ......Social & Health Services Student Support Services........................................ 3,375,809.......Transportation, Food Services, Information Technology Administrative Support Services.............................. 1,364,320.......District Level Administration Non-student Support Services................................. 3,285,384.00 .Facilities, Maintenance, Security, Community Services

2019-20 Tax Rate Maintenance & Operations - 0.99000 Debt Service - 0.26500 Total - 1.25500

2018-19 Tax Rate Maintenance & Operations - 1.0600 Debt Service - 0.26500 Total - 1.32500

Per Pupil Revenues* PISD: $7,453 State Avg: $9,913 Per Pupil Expenditures* PISD: $8,295 State Avg: $11,247 *Source 2018-19 PEIMS Actual Financial Data Report

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Harvester

The

The Pampa High School Class of 1956 sponsors an Annual essay contest.

Inspired by ‘56 Ted Swindle’s Description of the bronze Harvester Statue that resides in the rotunda of Pampa High School, this contest challenges participants to give their answer to the question...

Who is this Pampa Harvester?

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BY AUSTIN HILL 2019 ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

T

he soft fading of the sun gives the fields a warm glow and when the night comes the bright crescent moon shimmers and reminds you of the heavy scythe in your hand. With this tool, you will shape the future. You will rise again in the morning and work alongside the sun and her splendor, her gentle rays giving you the passion to press onward. You set your gaze upon he boundless horizon and enumerable rows of flaxen wheat. The grain dances in the breeze while the whistle of the wind fuels its harmonious song. Life radiates within this golden ocean and the cream of the crop gleams proudly above its wondrous seabed.

Your fields are your terrain and the wheat is plentiful enough to share.

You open your eyes to find nothing but dirt. Your dream seems far away, almost unreachable. But the life of the Harvester is a life of overcoming. The days are long and taxing and filled with the most meticulous work, yet you press on. A Pampa Harvester is made out of glowing tenacity and persistence: an undying flame. The sweltering heat of the sun is nothing when compared to the radiance of a Harvester’s heart and its drumming, echoed by their determined footfall.

A seed germinates. The groundhogs peak out of their burrows and heads turn to watch the rival of the sun, the light of the future. Harvesters backs will not bend underneath the immense pressure, they will remain strong, consumed by their will to shape the future.

A Harvester’s sweat waters the dry land and gives life to the plains. The birds sing when sprouts come up out of the earth. Their leaves reach toward the loving rays of the sun, all of them eager to one day burst with the essence of life-giving goodness.

A Harvester is a person who supplies the world with only the most miraculous fruits, whether it be the ripe produce of knowledge, compassion, hard work, or anything in between. To be a Pampa Harvester is to be a leader, influencer, and a hand that feeds a community. A community may only flourish with the hand of its humble Harvester.

With more than 45 years of combined experience, Bryan Guymon and Ken Fields provide broad-based law service for Pampa and the Texas Panhandle area. Practice areas include: business law; estate planning and probate; family law; financial institutions; litigation; oil, gas and mineral law; public education law; real estate law; municipal law; and immigration law.

Ken Fields & Bryan Guymon 120 W. Kingsmill Avenue, Suite 505 · Pampa

806.669.6851 · www.uwlaw.com

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