Bridge City ISD Fall 2023

BRIDGE CITY HIGH SCHOOL

BRIDGECITYISD.NET

Bridge City Student-Athletes Making Community Proud

BC NEWS

Established in 2021, to benefit the students of Bridge City ISD, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors that includes local business, industry, and community leaders. The Foundation will provide funds beyond the normal operating budget for educational programs and activities for students and staff. The mission of the Bridge City ISD Education Foundation is to generate funding that will enrich teaching, inspire learning, develop leadership, and enhance opportunities for BCISD students that would not otherwise be available. The Foundation supports BCISD in providing an enhanced learning environment through a community united and committed to the public education of BCISD students. To date, the Foundation has donated $30,000 in grant funding to BCISD teachers for products and programs that meet the mission of the Foundation. We are grateful to the Cardinal Centurions, the one hundred people whose generosity brought the Foundation to life, and to the individuals and companies who support our fundraising activities.

For more information on how you can partner with the Bridge City ISD Education Foundation, please contact Patty Collins at bcisdeducationfoundation21@gmail.com.

Follow us @ www.bcisdeducationfoundation.org or on Facebook @BridgeCityISDEducationFoundation

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ON THE COVER Photo by BRADLEY COLLIER

Big Catch: The Bridge City High School bass fishing team has become one of the fastest growing organizations within the school, teaching accountability and teamwork while having fun.

SOCIAL BCHS

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@bridgecityisd

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Welcome to Bridge City Independent School District. I am thrilled to be Superintendent of a school district where academic excellence is expected and extracurricular programs flourish, while students are held accountable and given the opportunity to be well-educated. This year is my 23rd year in education and my fourth school year in Bridge City ISD. I am excited about WELCOME

the opportunities we will have over the next several years to build programs and facilities to meet the growth of our district and the needs of our students. Bridge City ISD is an innovative educational system within a family-oriented community with a small town atmosphere. As a school district, we pride ourselves on creating a family environment for our students and staff. The Bridge City ISD school board, administration, faculty, and staff are dedicated to our mission. The commitment to the 3,200 students who grace our hallways remains constant: To provide a comprehensive and well-balanced instructional program in a safe learning environment to ensure the development of caring, responsible, and productive graduates capable of contributing in a global society. We are passionate about student success and it is my hope that our commitment to students is evident in all we do. We provide an excellent academic and extracurricular environment that demands our students work hard to become the best they can be. We are investing a great deal in technology, career and technical education (CTE), and other resources to help ensure your child has an opportunity to reach their fullest potential. While we take pride in quality education and individualized educational opportunities, Bridge City ISD offers a variety of activities and educational programs to enhance the overall educational experience. I am excited to see what the future holds for our school district. I’d like to thank our community for supporting our schools through various hardworking and generous booster clubs that provide our students with everything they need to be successful. I invite you to become a part of our incredible community and school district. This is a great place to raise a family and educate your children. I invite you to follow our campus and district Facebook pages as we send school updates and highlight the many successes of the students of Bridge City ISD.

BRIDGE CITY ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES TOP ROW: Mike Johnson , Member Thad Hill , Member Mark Anderson , Member Jerry McInnis , Assistant Secretary Dr. Mike Kelly , Superintendent

BOTTOM ROW: Judy Cole , Secretary Paul Zoch , Vice President Rebecca Rutledge , President

It’s always a great day to be a Cardinal! Warm Regards,

Dr. Mike Kelly Superintendent of Schools

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CONTENTS TABLE of

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The Red & White

The Crowd Pleasers Let’s Give the Bridge City Cheerleaders a Hand

Strutting Their Stuff Bridge City Strutters are Ready to Hit the Turf On Friday Nights

Photo Feature: The Bridge City movement is alive in 2023

10 Suiting Up

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Picking Up Speed

Strength In Numbers Depth, Experience Keys to Cards’ Boys Basketball Success

Bridge City Fans Should Anticipate a Resurgence As Their Team Takes to the Gridiron

The Cross Country Program is Coming Off Another Impressive Year On the Trails

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28

12

Patch Me Up!

Something to Prove

Casting a Line

Student Aids are Ensuring the Safety of the Bridge City Competitors This Fall

The Cards' Girls Basketball Team is Balanced with Bellanger, Thornton

Competitive Fishing Emerges as a Top Sport at Bridge City \\ By Matthew Ogle

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30 Curtain Call

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Driving the Bus

The Perfectionist

Bridge City’s Woolley has Become a Leader in Multiple Fields \\ By Matthew Ogle

Bridge City Theatre Prepares for Exciting 2023-24

Carter Enters Final Season as the Face of Bridge City Volleyball \\ By Matthew Ogle

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Bring In the Fanfare Band and Color Guard are Back in Action This Fall

Serving Success

Cardinals Volleyball Team Returns to the Court with Determination

Bailey McCauley

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PHOTO feature

the Re__d & W__hite The Bridge City movement is alive. The Golden Triangle community has much to cheer about as the football team is showing marked improvement under the direction of new coach Chad Landry. The volleyball team is one of the best in the area as they play for a district title three-peat, led by one of the top kill artists in Demi Carter. Band, cheer and dance have put in long hours to prepare their Friday night performances. The cross country and tennis teams will be challenging for district titles and postseason personal bests.

Brailey Miller

Hunter Keddy

Band Captains - Gracin Weldon and Ian Roberts

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PHOTO feature

Lincoln Breaux

Zoee Buchanan

Lexi Nugier

Nicholas Lejeune

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PHOTO feature

Kiley Dupre

Whitney Cunningham

Kennedy Frank

Raema Lyda

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PHOTO feature

Gavin Ehrle

Bryce Linder

Brooke Carpenter

Hensley Morgan

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PHOTO feature

Laurie Barg

Reece Molina

Natalie Chavez

Holly Silveira

Hutch Bearden

McKinlee Carpenter

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PHOTO feature

Malachi Lyda

Braxton Lynam

Blaze King

Makayla Gonzales

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feature FOOTBALL Suiting Up__

The Cards were in a bit of a rebuilding phase a year ago, but with a reinvigorated mentality and another year of experience under their belts, Bridge City fans should anticipate a resurgence as their team takes to the gridiron in 2023 under the direction of new coach Chad Landry. The Cards started the season with two wins and were led by dual-threat junior QB Hutch Bearden, who had eight scores in the first three games. Abraham Munguia, Jerris Brown and Gavin Bodin are the top targets downfield, while Merik Aras shares the running duties. Meanwhile, count on Blaze King, Ayden Richardson, Austin Bellanger, Jagger Carlin and Nick Lejeune to continue leading the defense.

2023 Bridge City Football Team

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Hunter Newton

Aden Lapeyrolerie

Merik Aras

Victor Hernandez

Jagger Carlin

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BASS FISHING

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Casting a Line

Competitive Fishing Emerges as a Top Sport at Bridge City

\\ By Matthew Ogle

Cox. “They are working in groups, and they have a partner throughout the process, but they understand how to be individually responsible as a result.” So, what does a tournament day look like for the students involved? “Usually, the kids are blasting off pretty early,” Cox said. “They can start putting their lines in the water around 7 a.m. and they tend to grind it out all day until around 3 p.m. Since most of our tournaments start around January, they can sometimes be out in 30-degree weather with icicles hanging off their boats and poles. That, paired with the fact that they tend to bring their own equipment and drive to the location, shows just how committed these kids are to this sport.” Sounds difficult yet inviting. It’s not hard to see what reeled these competitors in.

high school level, which brings the Bridge City team to where it is today. The Cardinals represent exceptionally well on the water. The group averaging at least three Top 30 finishers in every tournament and had success to the tune of earning up to $15,000 in scholarships in just one season. Watching all these kids bond and compete over their common love for fishing is really special to see. “ ” Fishing may be a solitary activity to some, but that doesn’t mean the students can’t learn something along the way. “The kids learn teamwork through the tournament fishing program, and they learn how to be accountable for themselves,” said

ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING SPORTS AT BRIDGE CITY HIGH ISN’T ON THE FIELD OR COURT. It’s on the water. Dating back to 2013, BCHS has gradually been developing a club dedicated to the common passion of competitive fishing. Along with several other schools that make up the Southeast Texas High School Fishing Association, this program consists of numerous tournaments in which teams compete against each other with the opportunity to win scholarships. One might wonder about the full scope of its popularity. “Our team has been growing,” said one of the program’s directors, Melissa Cox. “We started with just a few. We only have 3 seniors right now, but the junior class is huge, and the underclassmen team continues to grow as well. We’re trying to expand our club, and they’ve been really fun to work with.” “Around here, we fish a lot. But it’s not like football, where something brings people together. So, watching all these kids bond and compete over their common love for fishing is really special to see.” Inspired by the BassMaster Elite trail, this phenomenon has spread to the collegiate and

2023 Bridge City Bass Fishing Team

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Reese Broussard

Brody Hairston

Jared Cox

Ethan Peet

Darin Fletcher

Jackson Nagel

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BC NEWS

Keep Up with All the Latest Cardinal News, Updates and Announcements! FOLLOW US!

FACEBOOK: @bcisd

INSTAGRAM: @bridgecityisd

TWITTER: @bridgecityisd

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VOLLEYBALL

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Perf__ectio__nist the Carter Enters Final Season as the Face of Bridge City Volleyball

Demi Carter

\\ By Matthew Ogle

BRIDGE CITY VOLLEYBALL IS HEADED INTO LATE SEPTEMBER WITH THREE CONSECUTIVE DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER ITS BELT. While the surrounding players are exceptional, it can’t be a coincidence that the Cardinals began to heat up once senior Demi Carter stepped onto the court. Carter is the reigning District 19-4A MVP for good reason. Her 6-foot-2 frame and remarkable athleticism make her a nightmare for any opponent to try to get to the ball over the net. With the precedent she’s established, it should come as no surprise that Carter has been an athlete since her early years. “Before volleyball, all I played was basketball,” said Carter. “When I got into seventh grade I tried out for volleyball, and I realized that I really liked it. So, I moved into club that Summer and once I started playing more and got into high school, I decided that volleyball is what I wanted to pursue in college.” Mission accomplished, considering she’s now committed to play for Angelo State at the conclusion of her high school career. “I love it (Angelo State) because I want to major in Animal Science and they have a really good program,” she said. “Whenever I went up there for a visit, I loved the coaches, we had a great connection, and their gym is just beautiful to play in. So, it made sense to me.” Animal Science fits Carter like a glove. She’s worked with animals for the majority of her life. When her family lived in Lumberton, they had 10 dogs before moving to Bridge City, where they currently raise Scottish Highland cows. While she is unsure of what her future holds career-wise, she knows she wants to work with animals, hence her potential endeavor into Vet School. However, it’s not only her skill on the court that’s raised eyebrows. Carter also happens to be quite the perfectionist when it comes to her schoolwork, which is why she’s ranked third in her class. “Academics are huge for me,” she said. “For me, it always comes before volleyball, because if you don’t have the grades you don’t play. But I have pretty high expectations. If I get a 95 on a test, I’m crying (stifled laughter).” Since she spends her free time aiding her family with raising the cattle, Carter’s only other focus is perfecting her craft on the volleyball court. She has plenty of opportunity to do so in the Summer when she’s with her club team AVA. “I feel like my hitting has improved the most,” said Carter. “Whenever I’m hitting, I’ve worked placing the ball at certain spots on the court instead of just swinging. My passing has gotten better as well. Since I’ve come here [Bridge City] and coach [Savanah] DeLuna made me a six-rotation player, I’ve gotten to pass in the back row, which feeds into every aspect of the game.” Expectations are high this year for the Cardinals, which means nothing has changed in the mind of Demi Carter.

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feature VOLLEYBALL Success serving Fresh off the heels of their second-consecutive undefeated district championship and third-consecutive district championship, the Cardinals return to the court with the determination to ensure that nothing changes. Bridge City had a tremendous 17-4 record heading into district play. Demi Carter is back at the helm from the middle-blocker spot, and she will look to leave her mark for her senior campaign at BCHS. Lexi Nugier, Cambree Lacomb, and sophomore OH Makenna Knight should also be key contributors to coach Savanah DeLuna’s top-notch squad. After reaching the third round in last year’s postseason, could this be the year that Bridge City takes it all the way?

2023 Bridge City Volleyball Team

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Makenna Knight

Cambree Lacomb

Kaylee Britten

Nicole Sasser

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feature CHEER __c__ro__w__d pleasers the

Bridge City has some of the most accomplished cheerleaders in Texas. They set the tone inside the hallways and on the field, while being the ambassadors of hype throughout the community. From painting signs to firing up the crowds at volleyball and football games, let’s give the cheerleaders a hand.

2023 Bridge City Cheerleaders

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Big Red

Heidi Broussard

Abi Ernst

Lexi Smith

Carys Wolfe

Makayla Gonzales

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CROSS COUNTRY

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Ava Anderson

2023 Bridge City Cross Country Team

sp__eed Bridge City’s cross country program is coming off another impressive year on the trails, with a trip to the 2022 UIL-4A Regional Meet in their rearview mirror. Given the fact that several of the team’s key runners are returning, it should stand to reason that the standard has been set. Coach Bryan and Karen Bozman will look to their front-runners – Victor Hernandez, Ava Anderson, and Raema Lyda – to lead the Cardinals back to the postseason and beyond this Fall. picking up

Victor Hernandez

Hayden Petitjean

Brooke Carpenter

Ava Vicknair

JJ Rougeau

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STUDENT AIDS

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PATCH ! The Sports Medicine program deserves more credit than they are often given. While the athletes are the ones who battle it out on their respective fields of play, it is the student aids who are called into action at a moment’s notice. They share in the teams’ successes, as they keep a watchful eye over their fellow classmates. There will be no group more vital to ensuring the safety of the Bridge City competitors this Fall, than the student aids. me up

Kaydence Hanks

2023 Bridge City Student Aids

Laurie Barg

Kadence Spears

Emily Boudin

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STEM

feature

Driving the Bus

Bridge City’s Woolley has Become a Leader in Multiple Fields

\\ By Matthew Ogle

BRIDGE CITY IS HOME TO SOMEONE WHO COULD EASILY BE DESCRIBED AS A FUTURE CEO. Throughout her tenure at the school, senior Addison Woolley has already made her presence known on the football field, via her role as a Drum Major for the Cardinal Band. Perhaps even more intriguingly, Woolley is a leader among the select few students chosen to run Bridge City’s inventive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Bus Project. “Back in 2021, our administrators decided to turn a retiring bus into a mobile STEM lab,” said Woolley. “They got all of our engineering students to pitch design ideas. There were 75 of us, so we all pitched in our ideas and a ‘super team’ was selected. Eventually, 15 of us were chosen to be a part of the final STEM bus. “We collected all our ideas and started presenting them to various companies and organizations, and we raised over $50,000 in funds to create the lab.” Both Band and the STEM Bus Project are undoubtedly huge commitments to make as a

student. Just how does Woolley manage to do both simultaneously? various companies and organizations, and we raised over $50,000 in funds to create the lab. “ ” “It’s a lot of effort to balance the two,” she said. “I’ve had to talk with some of my teachers about it, but they’ve been really helpful with my schedule. All the classes I have are linked though, so it’s become a little easier as I’ve gone We collected all our ideas and started presenting them to

through it.” Given her ability to multi-task and make quick decisions, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Woolley is currently tied for the distinction of being her class’ valedictorian. “The competition of being tied for first in my class can be stressful at times,” she said. “But, it kind of works out. The person I’m tied with is a drum major as well, so we’re friends and we just talk each other through it. We both take some hard classes but we’re trying our best.” With all the achievements she has accrued at BCHS, paired with the experiences gained in the process, Woolley has a clear picture of what’s in store for her future. “My future is definitely going to involve leadership,” Woolley said. “I realized, as I was taking my time through the projects, that I like managing and the organization-aspect, which is why I want to go into the business field. That kind of combines the two leadership capabilities that I’ve acquired here.” Something tells us that the STEM Bus is just the beginning for Woolley.

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2023 Bridge City STEM Bus Team

2023 Bridge City STEM Bus Team

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BAND

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b__ring in the

Bridge City’s esteemed Band and Color Guard are back in action to provide the iconic sights and sounds that make Friday nights as entertaining as they are. As they prepare for UIL competitions this season, the band will simultaneously play an integral role in hyping up the crowd week in and week out.

Fan__fare!

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Woodwind Leaders

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Drums

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Drum Majors

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Brass Leaders

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Director Tami Goss

2023 Bridge City Marching Band - Color Guard

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DANCE

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St__rutt in__g The award-winning Bridge City Strutters are ready to hit the turf on Friday nights to give an amazing show for the hometown fans. It’s these talented performers who contribute an equal amount of time and effort to perfecting their technique and renditions to captivate audiences. All the while, donning those stylish uniforms which make them the stars of the show. their stuff

2023 Bridge City Strutters Dance Team

Lt. Marleigh Boyd

Captain Olivia Romero

VP Presley Faulkner

Lt. Raely Ply

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BOYS BASKETBALL

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Numbers strength in Depth, Experience Keys to Cards’ Success

2023 Bridge City Boys Basketball Team

We feel good coming into the season and want to get into the playoffs. We have had a great offseason and I feel like our strength is our depth. We will roll five in, five out and will be able to press because of our numbers. Top to bottom, we have guys who can play a little bit. We have experience also with eight of 12 players returning. They are hungry too having missed the playoffs by one spot. “ ” ~Randall Robertson BRIDGE CITY BASKETBALL COACHES 26 \\

SEASON LAST 19-17; 6-6 in District

CORNER PLAYERS WATCH TO Lincoln Breaux Aaden Bush Aiden Gutierrez

Coach Randall Robertson

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Abraham Marguia

Hunter Silveria

Jerris Brown

Aiden Gutierrez

Stephen Stone

Payton Doucet

Jagger Carlin

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GIRLS BASKETBALL

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Prove__ something to The Cards are Balanced with Bellanger, Thornton

2023 Bridge City Girls Basketball Team

Our style of play is predicated on defense. We like to pressure the ball, get after it and compete. We share the ball on offense and try and make the right decision, making the most of our possessions. We have several girls who can score. We are pretty balanced with some talented posts and guards who can shoot. I have high expectations because of our experience this season. “ ” ~Larry Sterling BRIDGE CITY BASKETBALL COACHES 28 \\ BRIDGE CITY HIGH SCHOOL \\ FALL 2023 \\ vype.com

SEASON LAST 7-14; 1-10 I District

CORNER PLAYERS WATCH TO

Laken Bellanger Rylynn Thornton

Coach Larry Sterling

Rylynn Thornton

Laken Bellanger

Kaylee Britten

Nicole Sasser

Kailey Nelson

Kira Middleton

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THEATRE

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Bridge City Theatre Prepares for Exciting 2023-24 Cardinal Company 23-24 Curt__ain Call

Technical Theatre

Production

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BC NEWS

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It’s a Great Day to Be a Cardinal! JOIN OUR TEAM

POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN: Substitute Teaching, Food Service, Maintenance, Transportation, Custodial Services Interested in joining the Bridge City ISD family? From instructional staff to support staff, we’re looking for individuals like you to join our team and make a difference in the lives of students!

For more information on the District and open positions, visit www.bridgecityisd.net and click on “Employment.”