Connect with Katie
DECEMBER 5, 2025
Lovejoy Leopards Lovejoy Leopards
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
LovejoyCommunity,
Welcome back, Lovejoy! I hope each of you enjoyed a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving break. This week, we kicked off our annual Fine ArtsFestival,andIam,onceagain,deeplymoved by the extraordinary performance of our students. Their artwork and performances truly reflect the best of Lovejoy ISD. A heartfelt thank you to our Fine Arts teachers, directors, and studentsforbringingthisbelovedtraditiontolife. I encourage all Lovejoy families and community memberstojoinusforthefestivities,takingplace December4-12.
LovejoyISDhasanationallyrecognizedvisualartsprogram,andlastnight’sK–12 Art Evolution Exhibition was a powerful reminder of why. The gallery was filled with students and families whose excitement and pride created a remarkable senseofcommunityandcelebrationofexcellenceinthearts.Iespeciallyenjoyed attendingasaparentandenjoyingmydaughter’spiecedisplayedinthegallery,a momentthatgavemetheopportunitytoexperiencetheeventfrombothpersonal and professional perspectives. Petra Pipinich, Lovejoy High School student, presented a painting titled Youth, and I was deeply touched by her powerful art and artist statement reflecting on youth, human connection, and the impact of technologyonthewaysweinteract.Theeveningwasaninspiringreminderofthe talent,thoughtfulness,andheartwithinourLovejoycommunity.
2025CrestCounselingAward
The counseling teams at Lovejoy High School and Puster Elementary have been honored with the distinguished CREST Award, a statewide recognition for excellence in comprehensive school counseling programs. The CREST Award highlightsprogramsthatexemplifyoutstandingcommitmenttostudentsupport, advocacy, and achievement. This is the first time Lovejoy ISD has earned this honor,amilestonethatelevatesourdistrictonthestatestage.Congratulationsto ourexceptionalcounselorsonthiswell-earnedachievementandfortheprofound impacttheymakeeachdayonourstudentsandfamilies.
BondImplementationCommittee
Before the break, our community-based Bond Implementation Committee held their first meeting. The committee engaged in rich discussion and thoughtful planning as we prepare for implementation of 2025 bond funds. The committee members emphasized the importance of communication with our community as projects are implemented. A bond update web-page will be launched to support strong communication in this area. A special thank you to our bond implementation committee members for their dedication of time and commitmenttoeffectiveimplementationofourbondinitiatives.
KatieKordel Superintendent
MAJESTICS SENIORS SHINE AT MACY’S DAY PARADE
Over Thanksgiving break, Majestics Dance Team seniors traveled to New York City to perform alongside more than 700 Spirit of America Dance Stars in the 99thAnnualMacy’sThanksgivingDayParade.
In preparation for their unforgettable performance, dancers dedicated many hours to rehearsals, walking routes, and parade preparations. While in New York,thedancersexploredthecity,attendedaperformancebytheRadioCity Rockettes,andsawaBroadwayshow.
TheMajesticswerehonoredtorepresentLovejoyISDandspreadLeopardSpirit onsuchaprestigiousnationalstage.
UNSTOPPABLE ATHLETES SHINE AT BOCCEE BALL
Lovejoy ISD students competed in an Unstoppable Athletics Bocce Ball event this fall, bringing energy, sportsmanship, and heart to the competition. Held in Van Alstyne ISD, the event welcomed athletes from across the region for a day of friendlymatches,celebration,andschoolspirit!
Secondarybocceballcampusteamstrainedforweeksleadinguptotheeventand their hard work paid off! With smiles on their faces they demonstrated incredible focus, teamwork, and resilience on the court. Whether rolling for precision or cheering on teammates, each student embodied the true spirit of Unstoppable Athletics:inclusion,courage,andjoy.
Coaches and PALS were on hand to support and celebrate every athlete, making thedayunforgettableforallinvolved.
Wearesoproudofourstudentsfortheirparticipationandsportsmanship.Events liketheseremindusofthepowerofcommunityandtheimportanceofcelebrating every individual's strengths. Congratulations to all our bocce ball athletes, you inspireuseveryday!
LOVEJOY SUPPORTS YMSL FOOD DRIVE
Lovejoy ISD participated in the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) Lovejoy Chapter Thanksgiving Food Drive, demonstrating the district’s strong spirit of service.SloanCreekIntermediateSchoolwentaboveandbeyondbycollecting animpressive3,800cannedfooditems.
Donations were delivered to the St. Jude Food Pantry, which shared that this was the largest food contribution they received all year. Thanks to the generosityofLovejoyfamilies,St.Judedidnotneedtopurchaseanyadditional foodtoprovideThanksgivingmealsforlocalfamiliesinneed.
TheYMSLFoodDriveisheldinmemoryofAlisBrantl,abelovedmemberofthe LovejoycommunitywhopassedawayfromcolorectalcanceronApril9,2023. Supportingthefoodpantrywasoneofherfavoritephilanthropicpassions,and herlegacycontinuestoinspireactsofkindnessacrossthedistrict.
BEYOND LOVEJOY ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
On November 22nd, Lovejoy Alumni runner Will Muirhead became a National Champion for the 2nd time! Will ran Cross Country and Track and Field for Lovejoy High School from 2014-2020 and was a member of the back-to-back 2016 and 2017 State Championship teams. Upon graduation, Will attended OklahomaStateUniversitywhereheisamemberoftheCrossCountryandTrack andFieldteams.MuirheadandtheOSUCowboyswontheNCAADivision1Cross CountryNationalChampionshipinthe2023CrossCountryseasonandagainthis 2025 season with a commanding performance. Join us in celebrating this outstandingLovejoyalumnus!
ATTENDANCE UPDATE
Strong school attendance is correlated with higher academic performance. Additionally,averageDailyAttendance(ADA)isametricthattheStateofTexas usestodeterminefundingforpublicschools.Eachweek,thisattendancedata willbeupdatedsoourcommunityisawareofourmostrecentADA.
DISTRICT CALENDAR
TMEA REGION 25 ALL REGION ORCHESTRA
The19orchestrastudentsfromWillowSpringsMiddleSchoolandSloanCreek Intermediate, who placed in the TMEA Region 25 Middle School All-Region Orchestra, participated in their Clinic and Concert on November 14–15 at Lowery Freshman Center. Students spent a total of 8.5 hours rehearsing with theirregionalensemblesbeforeperforminginaconcertforafullaudience.
The Lovejoy Orchestra Booster Club generously provided Chick-fil-A lunch for studentsonSaturday,helpingmaketheeventevenmorespecial.Throughout the clinic and performance, the students represented Lovejoy ISD with outstanding behavior, strong rehearsal techniques, and exceptional musicianship.
WILLOW SPRINGS ALL REGION BAND
On Saturday, November 15th and Tuesday, November 18th our region hosted the first and second phase of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region 25 Middle School All-Region Band Auditions at Willow Springs Middle School. All-Region is an individual competition where students learn three contrastingetudesandperformtheirscalesfrommemoryforapanelofjudges inhopesofearningapositionintheAll-RegionBand.Thismusicistechnically demandingandchallengesthemtobebettermusiciansthroughoutthewhole preparationprocess.Thesestudentscompetedagainstover1300other7thand 8th grade band students from our region (Lovejoy, Plano, Wylie, Sherman, Melissa,Anna,Princeton)tobepartoftheonly20%ofstudentstoearnaspot inthisprestigiousensemble.MakingtheAll-Regionbandisahugehonorandan accomplishment which shows students diligence and dedication to their musicianship.
Listed in order from left to right: Jonathan Newton (trumpet), Jerry Yin (clarinet), Alexis Gurz (trumpet), Noelle Coughlin (clarinet), Harrison Mordecai (percussion), John O'Brien (trombone), Hawk Wood (percussion), Michi Cambie-Wasilik (percussion)
9 GRADE ALL-REGION TH BAND AUDITIONS
The Lovejoy Band celebrated the strong performances of its freshmen at the 9th Grade All-Region Band auditions, marking their first high school audition experience in an extremely competitive region. Congratulations to percussionist WilliamMurphy,whoearnedaspotintheFreshmanAll-RegionBand.
Additionally,thefollowingstudentsearnedalternatepositions:
NatalieHsiao–BassClarinet
WilliamJaynes–FrenchHorn
CalebFritzsche–Percussion
Several students narrowly missed alternate placement, demonstrating impressive performances:
SelumeEhicheoya–Flute
LukeFerinden–Clarinet
NoraSchuette–BassClarinet
Congratulationstoall9thgradebandmembersfortheirdedicationandhardwork. The Lovejoy Band is proud of each student’s accomplishments and continued growth.
SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS!
Congratulations to Max Rattleff, Senior Percussionist, who was just named a 2026 YoungArts Award Winner. The YoungArtsAwardsareoneofthemostprestigiousartshonors for talented young artists in the United States. Congratulations,Max!
Congratulations to Luke David, Senior Tenor Saxophone player, for being named a Samsung American Legion Scholarship Recipient. Luke is the second Texan to win this scholarship since 1996. Congratulations, Luke, on this prestigiousaward!
ROBOTICS DOMINATES AT DUEL TOURNAMENTS
LovejoyRoboticshadanoutstandingweekendbeforeThanksgivingbreak,with teams competing at two separate tournaments. Teams 1082E, J, M, and W traveledtotheSpeedwaySignatureEventattheIndianapolisMotorSpeedway, while teams 1082N, T, U, and V competed locally at the Garland Tournament. All teams worked hard throughout the weekend in pursuit of strong performancesandawards.
At Speedway, 1082M and 1082E partnered during the elimination rounds and advancedtotheQuarterfinals.1082Jteamedupwith2140DPeptoBismolfrom Jenison, Michigan, and narrowly missed advancing after falling to the tournament finalists by just two points in their first elimination match. All Speedwayteamsperformedadmirablyagainsttoughcompetition.
AttheGarlandTournament,1082UearnedtheJudgesAward,1082Nadvanced totheSemifinals,and1082Vand1082Treachedtheeliminationrounds.
LovejoyISDappreciatesCoachSparrowandCoachGaddieforleadingrobotics teamsatseparately,soteamscouldattendbothtournaments. Additionally,we are incredibly grateful for the many parent volunteers who traveled and supported teams at both events. Their time, dedication, and flexibility were essentialtotheweekend’ssuccess.
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LEOPARD LIFE WEBSITE
LovejoyISDhasanunparalleledsenseofcommunityandconnectioncenteredon student opportunity. In support of this collective commitment, the Leopard Life websiteshowcasesawiderangeofevents,activities,andfundraisersorganizedby boosterclubs,PTOs,athletics,finearts,individualcampuses,andmore! Leopard Lifeisprominentlyfeaturedacrosscampusanddistrictwebsites,highlightedinall newsletters,andeasilyaccessiblethroughtheLovejoyISDmobileapp.
Please note: the information featured in the "Community News" section is submitted by local community members. Lovejoy ISD is not affiliated with the organizationsanddoesnotclaimtoendorsethem.
Lovejoy Libraries are excited to announce the 2nd Annual Sora Reading Challenge! This November and December, all Lovejoy students and staff are invited to soar into reading using thedistrict’sreadingapp,Sora.
This year’s theme, “Read like a Dragon: Fuel Your Imagination!”, encourages readers to dive into magical adventures and ignite their creativity.Thetop20readersfromeachcampus will earn dragon-inspired keychains created by theLovejoylibrarians.
Thisyear’stheme,“ReadlikeaDragon:FuelYourImagination!”,encouragesreaders todiveintomagicaladventuresandignitetheircreativity.Thetop20readersfrom eachcampuswillearndragon-inspiredkeychainscreatedbytheLovejoylibrarians.
But that’s not all! The campus with the highest total reading minutes will be crownedtheTopWinner!Standoutreadersfromthewinningcampuswillreceivean exclusive3D-printeddragon!
Tolearnmoreandgetstarted,visitt.ly/2mXWS.LovejoyLibrariescan’twaittosee whichcampusbringsthefireandsoarsthroughthepagesthisholidayseason!
Don’t miss your chance to grab yourAllSZNSgear!Orderswillbe available for pick-up at the Administration Building before Winter Break. Click Here to Order
**After Thanksgiving break, stop bytheadministrationbuildingto grab a pair of our “Double L” or “Sprinkle” shorts! A variety of sizes will be available for purchase.
DISTRICT & CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS
Lovejoy ISD is committed to creating strong connections and providing clear communicationwithourLovejoyparentsandfamilies.Belowyouwillfindlinksto the most recent newsletters from each campus. Sign up for weekly Principal Newslettersheretostayinformed!
DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
Connect with Katie
LOVEJOY CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Campus Newsletter
HART ELEMENTARY
Principal Newsletter
PUSTER ELEMENTARY
Principal Newsletter
SLOAN CREEK INTERMEDIATE
Principal Newsletter
WILLOW SPRINGS MIDDLE
Principal Newsletter
LOVEJOY HIGH SCHOOL
Principal Newsletter
Connect with Katie. December 5, 2025. Issue 18