Never, Never.... Never

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY WARMER FRIDAY!

Congratulations GHS Choir Student Reagan Menard! Reagan qualified and competed at the Area Choir round of the All-State Choir Contest. He is the first GHS student advance to this level in choir. Excellent job Reagan!

Graham FFA- Congrats on a great showing at the Young County Livestock Show!

• Ag Mechanics
• Grand Champion, Gate Project-Cody Henderson, Dylan Allred, Kody Keeter, Tyler King, Riley Wyatt
• 1st place wooden porch swing-Pavel Banuelos, Tristen Wilson, Blake Mead
• 1st place shop table-Gustavo Ramirez, Aaron Rice, Jose Hernandez
• Sheep Show- 2nd Aaron Rice;
• Rabbit Show- 7th Abby Casbeer
• Steer Show- 1st Bailey Logan, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, Shanna Gleason, 2nd Klayton Read
• Swine Show
• Grand Champion, Champion Duroc, 2nd White OPB, 2nd Cross-Cade Anderson
• Reserve Grand, Champion Hamp, Reserve Cross, 4th Cross-Jordan Crago
• Champion Cross, 1st place-Creed Jordan
• Champion WOPB, 1st place, 4th place Cross-Gustavo Ramirez
• Reserve WOPB, 2nd place-Brailey Brooks
• Reserve Hamp, 1st place-Michael Moore
• Reserve Berk, 1st place-Heather Cash
• Reserve York, 2nd cross, 2nd place showmanship-Tyler Walls
• Kimber Pratt-2nd Berk
• Jackson Osborne-4th Berk
• Keagan Dowdy-2nd Berk, 2nd hamp
• Amanda Richards-2nd hamp, 2nd chester
• Tucker May-3rd chester, 2nd hamp
• Riley Lanham-3rd Duroc, 3rd Chester
• Kaitlyn Slavings-2nd Duroc
• Mathew Baxter-7th Duroc
• Anthony Carillo-6th Duroc
• Toby Moore-2nd Duroc
• Jade Jordan-1st Hamp
• Tyler Headrick-3rd hamp, 3rd BOPB
• Mason Mathis-4th hamp, 3rd spot
• Corey Ballew-4th hamp, 5th hamp
• Feli Werner-3rd hamp
• Riley Wyatt-1st cross, 3rd hamp
• Alee Alvidrez-1st cross, 2nd BOPB
• Riley Langford-4th BOPB
• Garrison Stovall-2nd BOPB
• Joe Todd-5th cross
• Mathew Magby-6th cross,
• Terry Don Wainscott-1st cross
• Lilly Cusenbary-1st & 2nd cross
• Ian Magby-3rd & 3rd showmanship
• Jorden Todd-3rd cross
• Ashley Swider-2nd cross
• Hayden Leach-3rd cross
• Levi May-3rd cross, 5th cross
• Tatum Trester-2nd cross
• Hiram Fuentes-2nd cross
• Jared Reeves-2nd cross
• Kyle Moore-3rd cross

Congrats Graham Steer Tucker Horn! Tucker was named a Semifinalist for Offensive Player of the Year by the 1st Down Club of Dallas-Ft. Worth.  He was honored last night at a banquet in Mansfield, TX.

Praise and Celebration Sara Jo Carrico- Ms. Carrico is a Project Lead the Way teacher at Graham High School. She was recently named by the Project Lead the Way organization as a Master PLTW Teacher and will now be teaching other educators in the program.  Congrats Ms. Carrico!

Praise and Celebration Coach Ken Davidson- Coach David was honored as a Coach of the Year Semifinalist by the 1st Down Club of Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Lady Blues Basketball- Congrats on the two BIG WINS this past week versus Hirschi and Burkburnett!  Keep it rolling tonight at Iowa Park.

Graham Steer Basketball- Best of luck tonight tonight vs Iowa Park!

Graham Steer Soccer- Good luck at the Kennedale Tournament!

Lady Blues Soccer- Good Luck at the Stephenville Tournament!

RSB3- Best of Luck to our band students participating All-Region Band Clinic/Concert today! The students include: Kyle Adair, Luis Anaya, Cassidy Freeman, Evelynn Griffin, Alex Husen, Anthony Martinez, Rachel McGregor, Reagan Menard, Madalyn Oakes, Alicia Olvera, Jorge Ramirez, Brian Sierra, Alex Trejo and Kaylea Wright.

Never, Never… Never

With the release of the movie Darkest Hour, Sir Winston Churchill is a “hot” commodity once again. It seems that every generation, his name and reputation flow in and out of our national attention. Since this movie is getting so much Oscar attention, we may be talking about Churchill longer than usual.

Sir Winston is a particularly interesting study. While he was born into an aristocratic family, his life was far from easy. Because he was such an active and difficult child, Winston was sent to Harrows, a boarding school, as a child. He was terribly homesick and would write long letters begging his mother to visit him. For some reason, she seldom made the trip for a visit. Some now think he had ADHD, and that, combined with a heavy lisp, made making friends difficult. From all accounts, he was a depressed, sad, and lonely child. His academic record was decidedly mixed. He could be an excellent student in academic endeavors he enjoyed, but was a miserably poor student when the topics bored him. In fact, he failed the entrance exam for the Royal Military Academy twice and finally gained acceptance by applying to the cavalry rather than the infantry because it had a lower entrance standard.

As a young man, Winston’s fortunes did not improve significantly. His proposals for marriage to two different young ladies were rejected. He was fired from his first cabinet post. He lost three political elections between 1922 and 1924 and five elections during his lifetime. In 1922 he described his situation this way: “I found myself without an office, without a seat (in parliament), without a party, and without an appendix.” Did I mention that he was criticized by other politicians so often that he switched political parties twice?

Yet, Sir Winston Churchill is considered one of the greatest leaders, especially a wartime leader, of all times. Why? Because for every setback, for every failure, through self-will and character he rebounded. Eventually, a marriage proposal was accepted and a beautiful marriage with five children resulted. He served England not once but twice successfully as its Prime Minister. At times it seemed that it was only Churchill’s dogged determination and fighting spirit that lead the allies to victory in World War II.

In 1941, after England had been fighting the Nazis for two years, Churchill was invited to return to Harrows, his old school, to address the boys. In his address, Winston offered the boys some words of advice that are remembered even today: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” So, there’s your “why” he is such a memorable leader!

Those words delivered by Sir Winston Churchill to the young boys at his old boarding school during the dark days of World War II are a tribute to you, also. Texas public school educators do not know how to give in. When you are questioned about your commitment to students, you “never give in,” and you keep meeting each child where he/she is to provide each with the best shot at success.  Regardless of the challenge or roadblock that comes, you “never give in.”

While there may never be a movie made of your life, each of you have some Winston Churchill in you. Your grit, your determination, and your dedication make you memorable. Our communities are blessed that you serve their public schools!

Corny Joke of the Day:

What sort of fish performs operations? (Scroll down for the answer.)

A Sturgeon!

The Secret Ingredient... Attitude

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

Graham Steer Soccer- Congrats to the team on getting the first soccer victory in GHS history on January 6, 2018 over Kemp High School!

Graham FFA is Overall Grand Champion at the Ag Mechanic Show at the Young County Livestock Show with their entry gate project! Graham FFA is  also Metal Division Champion and Wood Division Champion.

Young County Livestock Show- Best of luck to all those with projects at the Young County Livestock Show today and tomorrow.

Lady Blues and Graham Steer Basketball- Good luck this evening in WF playing Hirschi!

Steer Soccer- Good luck playing in the Burkburnett tournament!

Lady Blues Soccer- Good luck playing in the Springtown tournament!

Graham ISD Strategic Planning Initiative- On January 25-26 a group of Graham ISD school board members, administrators, staff members, parents and community members will begin the strategic planning process.  As we move forward, additional staff members will be asked to participate on the Strategic Planning Action Teams. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know.

January Teacher of the Month- Please complete the form using the following link to nominate: https://goo.gl/forms/6XO4v0e4FU0BcdOB3

Hall of Honor Banquet- Graham ISD will be hosting the inaugural Graham Public Education Foundation Hall of Honor Banquet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2018 in the American Legion Building.

A limited number of tickets are available for $25/ticket and may be purchased at the GISD Administration office.

The inaugural class of the Hall of Honor includes:

Paul Hagelstein, Jo Ann Geurin Pettus , Charls Walker, Dr. Troy Rollen Johnson, Garth Baker, JD Burke, Hallie Roselle Graves, Eugenia D Howell, The Bertha Foundation, Ray Herring, Agnes (Addie) Mary Kintner Graham, Edwin Smith Graham, Gustavus Adolphus and Edmonia Graham, Malcolm Kintner Graham.

Concealed to Carry Course- Tom “Doc” Lewis and Robert Sides are teaching a Concealed to Carry Course on ??.  They are offering a $25 discount price to Graham ISD staff.  Please contact them or go to Salt Creek Shooting School LLC for more information and to register.

The Secret Ingredient… Attitude

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants "more than 100%." Well, here's how you do that. Here's how you can achieve 100%. First of all, here's a little math that might prove helpful in the future. How does one achieve 100% in LIFE?

Begin by noting the following.

IF : A = 1; B = 2; C = 3; D = 4; E = 5; F = 6; G = 7; H = 8; I = 9; J = 10; K = 11; L = 12; M = 13; N = 14; O = 15; P = 16; Q = 17; R = 18; S = 19; T = 20; U = 21; V = 22; W = 23=; X = 24; Y = 25 and Z = 26.

Then:

H A R D W O R K =

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = Only 98%

Similarly,

K N O W L E D G E =

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = Only 96%

But interesting (and as you'd expect),

A T T I T U D E =

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%..... This is how you achieve 100% in LIFE.

Have a nice day unless you have chosen otherwise!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

How do you grill sausages in the jungle? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Under a gorilla!

The Reason for the Season!

Good Morning and Happy Early Dismissal Wednesday!

A “STANDING O” to so many students and groups for their performances and the competitive spirit displayed! Thank you all for a great first semester!!!

This time of year offers the opportunity to reflect on the many blessings in my life.  In addition to my family, I count the staff, students and community of Graham ISD as remarkable blessings.  I am grateful for the dedication and perseverance demonstrated daily within our district and community to improve the lives of children.

I hope each of us is thankful for the opportunity we have to be of service to others.  Through this service to children, we help students learn how to learn – and learn how to live. Our work in education provides the possibility to change the future… one child at a time!

This is the time of year for rejoicing and for re-dedication.  A quote from Thomas Drier says it well:  “If we are to enjoy life, now is the time – not tomorrow or next year. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious, joyous life this year.”

As you reflect on your blessings and recharge your spirit, remember you are a blessing in the life of a child!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Dime…

Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his backyard in the snow.  Bobby didn’t wear boots; he didn’t like them and anyway he didn’t own any. The thin sneakers he wore had few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already.  And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.

He shook his head as he thought, “This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don’t have any money to spend.”

Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn’t because his mother didn’t care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far. What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity.

Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn’t fair.  Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn’t easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to. Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.

It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun’s rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment.

As he held his new-found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.  His excitement quickly turned cold when the salesperson told him that he couldn’t buy anything with only a dime. He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line.

When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother’s Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten-cent offering.  Then he put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder and said to him, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”

As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers. The sound of the door closing as the last customer left jolted Bobby back to reality.

All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter. There, before Bobby’s eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow.

Bobby’s heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents young man.” the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.

Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime!

Sensing the boy’s reluctance, the shop owner added, “I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?”

This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he heard the shopkeeper  say, “Merry Christmas, son.”

As he returned inside, the shopkeeper’s wife walked out. “Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?”

Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set side a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway.  Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime.

“When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars.

“When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses.” The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn’t feel cold at all.

May this story instill the spirit of CHRISTmas in you!

In lieu of the corny joke of the day, lets us each pause to reflect on THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

https://youtu.be/DKk9rv2hUfA



The Optimist

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

GO STEERS…  BEAT BUSHLAND!!! Safe travel wishes for all on the trip to and from Lubbock, TX.

RSB3 Students Excel at the All-Region Band Contest!-  Congrats to the following students who made the All-Region Band and to those that advanced to the Area Round:

Alicia Olvera - Flute, Madalyn Oakes - Flute, Rachel McGregor - Clarinet, Taylor Mariena - (Clarinet Alternate), Alex Husen - Clarinet, Evie Griffin - Clarinet, Baylee Marshall - (Alto Clarinet Alternate), Christa Williams - Trumpet, Cassidy Freeman - French Horn, Jorge Ramirez - French Horn, Brian Sierra - French Horn, Kaylea Wright - Trombone, Alex Trejo - Trombone, Anthony Martinez - Euphonium, Luis Anaya - Tuba, Reagan Menard - Tuba, Kyle Adair - Tuba

Additionally, these 4 students advanced to the Area Round in January: Christa Williams, Cassidy Freeman, Kaylea Wright, Anthony Martinez

Congrats to Graham Steer Basketball! The team defeated Lake Worth this past Tuesday 71-32. Good luck in the Glen Rose tournament.

Lady Blues Basketball- Good luck at the Santo Tournament!

The Optimist…

There is a story of identical twins. One was a hope-filled optimist. “Everything's coming up roses!”

The other was a sad and hopeless pessimist.  He thought that Murphy, as in Murphy’s Law, was an optimist.

The worried parents of the boys brought them to the local psychologist. He suggested to the parents a plan to balance the twins’ personalities.

“On their next Christmas, put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford, and give the optimist a box of manure”.

The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the results.

When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, “I don’t like the color of this computer…I’ll bet this calculator will break…I don’t like this game…I know someone who’s got a bigger toy car than this…”

Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling.  “You can’t fool me!  Where there’s this much manure, there’s gotta be a pony near by!”

Helen Keller said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”  

Have a nice day...unless you have already made other plan. It’s your choice!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

What’s Santa’s dog’s name? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Santa Paws!

Putting the Puzzle Together

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FIRST FRIDAY OF DECEMBER... TWENTY-THREE SHOPPING DAYS LEFT UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

GHS FFA- Our Ag Issues and Radio teams are competing at the State contest today at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. The Ag Issues team is comprised of Alee Alvidrez, Nick Moore, Riley Wyatt, Gustavo Ramirez, Kolton Gough and Jake Holland. The Radio team members are Jordan Crago, Jade Jordan, Bryan Sierra. The Ag Issues team performs at 1 p.m. & Radio team at 3 p.m. in State Semi-finals. There are two heats of ten and the top five in each heat will compete in the finals on Saturday in each event. GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO LADY BLUE JASMINE SIMS!- Jasmine earned All-State honors from the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA). Additionally, she was named to the TGCA Legacy Team.  The Legacy Team is comprised of only 20 high school seniors from classes 1A-4A from the entire state. CONGRATS JASMINE… WELL DESERVED!

GRAHAM STEER DOUBLE TENNIS TEAM 2ND TEAM ALL DISTRICT- Congrats to Nick Stevens and Wyatt Westerman on earning 2nd Team All-District honors!

GRAHAM STEER FOOTBALL- The undefeated Graham Steers travel to Abilene Christian University today for the 4A Division II Regional Championship game vs the Sweetwater Mustangs.  Tickets can be purchased at the Graham ISD admin office today until Noon or online at ACU TICKET SITE.  Kick-Off will be at 7:00 p.m. BE THERE… BE LOUD... BE PROUD… BEAT SWEETWATER!

RSB3 ALL-REGION AUDITIONS- Good luck to our 42 students competing for a chair in the TMEA All-Region Band.   Kyle Adair, Luis Anaya,Sarah Bobek, Emily Browning, Rebecca Burgess, William Busey, Summer Croxton, Jake Curry, Jeb Curry, Kailey Duncan, Cassidy Freeman, Brissa Fuentes, Hank Graham, Evie Griffin, Micaelah Hay, Alex Husen, Jordan Louder, Rachel MacGregor, Taylor Mairena, Baylee Marshall, Anthony Martinez, Alan McCall, Matthew McPherson, Aimee McShann, Reagan Menard, Vanessa Murillo, Madalyn Oakes, Alicia Olvera, Kearston Parker, Maddie Paulson, Jorge Ramirez, Faris Sanders, Brian Sierra, Evan Stewart, Brandon Teplicek, Alex Trejo, Zara Van Alstyne, Scott Vicars, Laken West, Christa Williams, Kaylea Wright and Lisa Wright.

LADY BLUES BASKETBALL- The JV teams will be competing in the Iowa Park Tournament and the Varsity team is in the Jacksboro Tournament.  Good Luck to All!

GRAHAM STEER BASKETBALL-  Congrats on the Tuesday night 65-35 victory over Bridgeport and good luck this Saturday vs WF Rider.

Putting the Puzzle Together…

There was a man who had a little boy that he loved very much. Everyday after work the man would come home and play with the little boy. He would always spend all of his extra time playing with the little boy.

One night, while the man was at work, he realized that he had extra work to do for the evening, and that he wouldn't be able to play with his little boy. But, he wanted to be able to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his office, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He removed the map, and then patiently tore it up into small pieces. Then he put all the pieces in his coat pocket.

When he got home, the little boy came running to him and was ready to play. The man explained that he had extra work to do and couldn't play just now, but he led the little boy into the dining room, and taking out all the pieces of the map, he spread them on the table. He explained that it was a map of the world, and that by the time he could put it back together, his extra work would be finished, and they could both play. Surely this would keep the child busy for an hour, he thought.

A few minutes later the boy came to the man and said, "Okay, it's finished. Can we play now?"

The man was surprised, saying, "That's impossible. Let's go see." And sure enough, there was the picture of the world, all put together, every piece in its place.

The man said, "That's amazing! How did you do that?" The boy said, "It was simple. On the back of the page was a picture of a child. When I put the child together correctly, the whole world fell into place."

That is what good parents and great teachers do EVERY day!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

WHO IS SANTA’S FAVORITE SINGER? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Elf-is Presley!