Goose Creek CISD April 2023

pregame

BUILDING GIANTS

The 2022-2023 school year has been filled with many successes. Our students and staff have weathered the storm (literally) and have come out better on the other side. As giants, we are used to tackling the blows life gives us and instead of focusing on the negative, we set our sights on the positive. The 24,000 students in Goose Creek CISD count on us to be their soft place to land. No matter their background, it is our charge to educate and prepare them for life once they leave our district. We stress the importance of academics first and everything else second to all our students. Any student that participates in an extracurricular activity must first understand the importance of being successful in the classroom before they can effectively do anything else. By providing our students with the most individualized educational experience, we are ensuring that we can meet them where they are and when they face challenges in the classroom, there is help available to get them where they need to be. That can only happen with the expertise of our campus leadership and staff and the support of our parents. This school year, we added several new campuses to our fast-growing district. The Shelia C. Liles Early Learning Academy as well as the Jessie Lee Pumphrey and San Jacinto Elementary Schools opened their doors in August 2022. These campuses are the pathway to academic success for our youngest learners and include the Fueling Brains curriculum for pre-K learners. We also opened our new Robotics Center directly across from the Stuart Career Technical High School. This facility will serve as home base for our award-winning robotics team, but also as a place where students from across the district and state that are interested in the STEM field can visit. Our Lee High School Fine Arts building is well underway, Stallworth Stadium renovations are currently under construction and more facility updates are forthcoming. We dedicated district facilities in honor of two of our most beloved and decorated coaches this year. Sterling High School dedicated their football

field in honor of former head coach Al Dennis in August. Dennis was head football coach at Sterling when his 1972 team ended their season with a 13-2 record and the district championship. To date, his team holds the title of being the only Sterling High School team to reach the UIL State Championship. Former head volleyball coach Nadine Horne was a force to be reckoned with and expected the best from all her players. She was honored posthumously with a gym dedication in September to a gym packed with close family, friends, and former players. We have vertical alignment across our district. Our learners are taught the importance of prioritizing academics while reinforcing the importance of a balance of healthy activities, such as athletics. Many of our student athletes perform well in their classes, so much so, that we can expect that several of them will be receiving both academic and athletic scholarships very soon. Our Athletics department, led by Athletic Director Lee Martinez, with support from Assistant Athletic Director Gregory Smith and Dr. Demetrius McCall, Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services and our amazing coaching staff, ensure our student athletes remain healthy and provide them with an outlet to showcase their talents. There is a lot happening in Goose Creek CISD and as your superintendent, I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work our GIANT family puts in every day. As we move swiftly through the spring term and closer to the end of the school year, I encourage you to continue to show your support for our student athletes. Our students and coaches work hard year-round, and our children deserve our support. I want to thank each of you for your continuous support of our district. We do not take for granted that you chose Goose Creek CISD, but we are so thankful that you did. We continue to strive to better, to do better and to be better than we were a year ago. Let’s continue to make that happen. Sincerely, Dr. Randal O’Brien Goose Creek CISD Superintendent

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