Willis ISD Fall 2023

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in the band one day.” Lyndsey Meier sees great value in the district’s vertical alignment as Lynn Lucas’ girls’ athletic coordinator. “It’s bigger for girls,” she said. “I truly believe that our high school athletes can be great mentors for thge girls.” “We try and take it a step further. I love the access that our girls have to the high schoolers… to meet and talk to them. It’s so important when our kids go to high school that they know someone who is already there. It just bridges a huge gap for girls.” Whether it be preparing students academically for high school or having someone to lean on in the locker room or band hall upon their arrival to Willis High School, vertical alignment is working inside the halls of the elementary, middle, and high schools. One Team, One Purpose.

Someone from our staff or myself has to be at the football games. We have so many of our kids in attendance wanting to emulate the high school kids from band to cheer to dance to the athletes. It’s a true Friday Night Lights experience.” Boys athletic coordinator Travis Elkins has seen a community rally around a school, first-hand. He graduated from Port Neches-Groves in southeast Texas, where the town shuts down when the Indians play. “I believe in what we are doing here at Willis,” he said. “It reminds me of PN-G. Having our students witness what is happening at the high school gives them something to shoot for. That can be their first-ever impression of Willis High School – a ball game. They see what they can be in the future and that sticks with them. Maybe they will wear that jersey or cheer or play

for them,” Norvell said. “The number one change I’ve seen is having great leadership, especially at our school. Dr. Price, just listen to her message. We have been craving that sort of message ever since I’ve been here. It’s refreshing.” The same philosophy is evident down the street at Lynn Lucas Middle School, which is under the direction of Dr. Kelley Moore. “I believe every student can learn at a high level,” Moore said. “At Lynn Lucas, we also follow vertical integration inside of our school. We build department consists of those teachers at all three levels to ensure our sixth-grade students are prepared for seventh-grade and so on. If our teams work together to prepare our students for the next year, it’s a huge win. “Same with our athletics. teams throughout our curriculums. Let’s take Math… our Math team

educators to be EPIC, we also need to always be fine tuning our craft.” Her message is heard loud and clear by her staff as they stress the district message in their classrooms and locker rooms. “Having consistency throughout the district is so important,” Brabham boys’ athletic coordinator Mike Calais said. “Everything is based on fundamentals like accountability, discipline and leadership. Our acronym is WIN – ‘What’s Important Now?’ We want to have character in everything we do, keeping our kids in lock-step with what is expected at the high school.” Raelyn Norvell has spent her entire career at Brabham Middle School, and she sees the culture change within Willis ISD as paramount. “As educators, we are always trying to make things better for our students… providing consistency

Travis Elkins

Lyndsey Meier

10 \\ WILLIS ISD \\ SEPT 2023 \\ willisisd.org