Big Buc's Brag Board
2019-2020
It's often said that teamwork makes the dream work...and that's what is being seen all over Vidor ISD. We appreciate all the personnel, staff and students who are making our district second to none!
KENZEE
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Vidor High School today, where Mrs. Amanda Hatton has nominated KENZEE for her thoughtfulness.
Kenzee suggested a station for girls to be placed in the restroom. She said it would make their day so much nicer to not have to stress about not having what they needed. Assistant Principal Mrs. Hatton took action and set up the station in the girls restroom. Thank you Kenzee for making a difference at VHS. Even the smallest of voices can make big changes.
VJHS TRACK
Stephenson, Long, Bratton
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Vidor Junior High this morning, recognizing some record-breakers!
BRATTON broke the 34-year VJHS school record for shot put at the recent 2020 Pirate Relays. LONG broke the record set in 2016 for the 2400 meter run, with a time of 9 minutes, 24 seconds. STEPHENSON set two new records at Pirate Relays, with a high jump of 5 feet 2 inches and a long jump of 15 feet 6 inches.
Give them a round of applause!
NICOLE CLAYTON
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at OAK FOREST this afternoon, where music teacher NICOLE CLAYTON is being recognized. Her musical production is the talk of the campus! Great job, Mrs. Clayton!
DOC
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Vidor Middle School, where DOC is recognized today.
A big shout out to Doc! He has been working very hard in the Education Galaxy Lift Off program and has the top score for our school in reading. He also has the top score compared to other schools using this program, beating out the top player for Mauriceville. Way to go, Doc!
VHS SANDERSON CLASS
Ms. Elizabeth Sanderson at VHS nominated her classes for Big Buc's Brag Board. She says, "This is a Beowulf Family Tree that my dual credit British Literature students created and made for class." Great job, gang!
VISD ADMINSTRATORS
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at the United Christian Care Center of Vidor this morning, recognizing some Vidor ISD leaders who took time to load up heavy boxes of food for families who need it this Christmas. Today we pay tribute to Dr. Travis Maines, Mr. David Croak, Chief Mike Sanchez, Mr. Jeff Leger, Mr. Preston Clark, Mr. James Parsley, and Mr. Aaron Herrington. These administrators took time out of their busy schedules to help when help was needed. Thank you, gentlemen, for investing not only in the school district, but in the community.
VHS BAND
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Vidor High School this morning, where principal Mr. James McDowell says, " I want to thank Kara Phillips and the Mighty Pirate Band. They showed up for the girls basketball game last night, and they performed from pre-game to the final buzzer. They played the national anthem, and then they played throughout the game during timeouts, pauses in the game, and halftime. This totally changed the environment of the game, and you could tell our Lady Pirates really appreciated their support. It was a great night all around as our girls went on to defeat Cleveland 47-32.
VHS ATHLETES
I want to take a second to thank some of the fine young men we have in our athletic program. My home flooded for a second time just as many others’ homes did a week ago. As early as Thursday morning I had several of our athletes texting me to check on my family and our home....even ones that had already had water in their own homes that morning. And then on Monday we had these four young men, Zack, Blake, Blayne and Grayden all at our house volunteering their time to help me rip floors up. Then yesterday Zack and Blake were back helping me haul mattresses across town. I can’t thank these young men enough. My wife and I will always remember their selflessness. Your parents have done a great job with you guys.
JEFF LEGER
BIG BUC's BRAG BOARD is at VIDOR ELEMENTARY this morning, where teacher Alyssa Ware has nominated Mr. Leger for kudos.
I would like to nominate our principal Jeff Leger. He truly has a huge heart and has worked tirelessly for all of us and our students. Mr. Leger has continuously shown us how much he cares about us and our well being. He came up to the school while we were flooding and worked for hours to get the water out of our rooms and salvage as much as he could. Now that we are back, he has made it his priority to check on us and make sure that we are doing well and that we have everything we need. Mr. Leger is very appreciated!
EMILY PADILLA
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at OAK FOREST today to recognize teacher EMILY PADILLA, who was nominated by Cindy Bollman, a grandparent. Mrs. Bollman has this to say: Ms. Padilla is my twin grandsons' teacher. She has only known them since school started. This past Saturday she went above and beyond the call of duty. She called my daughter and said she would like to come and clean the boys' room. She did not have to do that but she did. This was the second time their little family got flooded out and lost everything. It’s those special moments that really make a difference in a child’s life.
KRISTIE PITMAN
MISTY FRIZZELL
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is going BANANAS at PINE FOREST this morning, where Child Nutrition staffers Kristie Pitman and Misty Frizzell were nominated by Principal Preston Clark. The ladies took the time to write encouraging messages on the bananas served to students today. Way to spread a little sunshine, ladies!!
VHS CUSTODIANS
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at VIDOR HIGH SCHOOL, where Tracy Maines found these hard-working folks replacing desks on a Sunday morning. They started at 6:00 a.m.! Thanks to Tammy Hester and her crew for making it great at VHS!
PINE FOREST 4TH GRADE
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Pine Forest this afternoon, where PE teacher Krista Powell says:
I would like to nominate the whole 4th grade at Pine Forest Elementary. Since the first day of school they have just been so sweet and helpful to others. Without being told to my kids in P.E. show love and kindness to kids that don't always get to come first and aren't always celebrated. For example, our Life Skills class only has about five students in it so when we do the spirit stick they are the underdogs. I explained that to 4th grade today and gave them the option to help them with the cheer, and every student in 4th grade stood up to help. One girl even yelled ,"We don't need the spirit stick so give it to them!" This is not the first time they made me cry this year.
KATELYN HANSON
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at PINE FOREST ELEMENTARY on this Monday afternoon, where KATELYN HANSON has been nominated by fellow teacher Laurie Beard.
I would like to nominate Katelyn Hanson, 4th grade teacher at Pine Forest. With her team leader retiring this summer, and two new science/ math teachers joining her team, Katelyn stepped up to the plate and has worked countless hours making math and science lesson plans and also planning science labs for the entire team. On top of that, this techie lady ( she recently received her master’s degree in educational technology) is always helping her technologically challenged colleagues. She did tech training for the campus this summer, and has even made some videos to train us in various programs. Katelyn goes above and beyond and makes her team and Pine Forest Elementary proud! Congrats, Katelyn Hanson!
KYLE PHILLIPS
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD features a Vidor High School graduate today...KYLE PHILLIPS.
The meat industry wasn’t originally on this Texan’s radar when he first started college. Not until he found out about the meat judging team while going to school at Texas A&M did Kyle Phillips find his passion. Phillips moved to Wyoming in August to take over as the University of Wyoming meat lab manager. Previously, he had been working as assistant manager of Texas A&M’s Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center. Phillips liked the hands-on application he learned from the meat lab while in school. He said he was excited to mix teaching and meat cutting and take on a role that would allow him to shape a program. “A small group of us really have the chance to take the program and make something really cool and really big out of it,” said Phillips. “I think we have some really great goals with our meat science group.” Phillips hopes to maintain a top-of-the line lab and facility to provide the best available meat science educational opportunities for students. WAY TO GO, KYLE!
100% on STAAR Test
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is roaming VISD today to recognize the students who scored 100% on the STAAR test. They are:
Grade 3 math: Gabrielle Allen, Jarrett Courtney, Nathan Fawcett, Trinity McFarland, Colby Wilcox and Michaela Bicknell
Grade 3 reading: Raylee Barber, Nathan Fawcett, Jeremiah Jones, Lilly Jones, and Lexa Welch.
Grade 4 math: Cambralynn Decker, Noah Franklin, Hudson Gau, Jasper Long, Taylor Rye and Aaden Snell.
Grade 4 reading: Zoe Noland and Zane Williamson
Grade 5 science: Natalie Hatton and Drew Maines
Grade 5 math: Mason Counts, Kurt Davis, Natalie Hatton, and Elijah Price
Grade 5 reading: Kenya Correia
Grade 6 math: Rylee Morse
Grade 7 math: Madison Powell
Grade 7 writing: Elliot Gravis
Grade 8 science: Josephine Barlow and Tucker Peddy
Algebra: Tucker Peddy, Silvia Botello, and Donald Clark
English I: Mia Pierce
WAY TO GO! What an accomplishment!
NATE
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at PINE FOREST ELEMENTARY today to recognize NATE, who was nominated by librarian Mrs. Krista King.
Last year, Nate read 123 books and took Accelerated Readers tests on them. He earned 850 AR points and set the school record for most AR points ever earned. He was even able to decorate a ceiling tile to add to the library. Way to go, Nate!
PRESTON CLARK
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at PINE FOREST ELEMENTARY this afternoon, where PRINCIPAL PRESTON CLARK gets the honors.
Fourth Grade at Pine Forest would like to brag on Mr. Preston Clark for taking time out of his day to help raise our new desks so the kids can be more comfortable in them. Good job, Mr. Clark!
LAURA MERAZ
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at VIDOR MIDDLE SCHOOL today, where parent Hally Simmons has nominated LAURA MERAZ for the honors.
"I wanted to let you know how great Mrs. Laura is at 5th grade drop off. She has been there every morning with a smile. She speaks to most every kid by name. She high-fives and hugs them. It has made a huge difference in my 5th grader's day. Congrats to Laura Meraz for keeping the Pirate spirit alive!
HAYDEN
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is with VIDOR ISD COMMUNITY EDUCATION teacher AMY ODOM.
"I would like to nominate Hayden for the Big Buc Brag Board because this awesome student attended the VISD's Robotics/Coding Camp and used his own money to pay for it. He is a very bright, motivated young man, and I am so proud of his hard work during camp AND his choice to spend his own earned money. Great job! I can't wait to see what the future holds for this little gentleman!"
CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at the VISD Curriculum Department this morning, where Asst. Superintendent Mrs. Bunny Adams has nominated her team.
"I’d like to recognize the VISD Curriculum Department Staff for the VISD Brag Board. These individuals have been working diligently since January to plan relevant, varied professional development opportunities for our teachers. In the next three days, there are over 200 learning sessions prepared for teachers and administrators to learn from and participate in with a variety of topics from classroom management, integrating technology in the classroom, and serving students with diverse needs. These folks are hard-working and dedicated to equipping Vidor teachers for the year ahead. We appreciate them!"
2019 LAMAR GRADUATES
BIG BUC's BRAG BOARD is all over VISD this morning, congratulating folks who had a huge achievement come to fruition this weekend at Lamar University's commencement ceremonies. Ten Vidor ISD satff members graduated this weekend with a Masters degree in Educational Leadership, funded by a grant from Lamar University which Vidor ISD pursued in order to aid ten employees in attaining this degree.. Congratulations and kudos for all their hard work to:
Bottom: Sydney Theriot, Courtney Rhodus, Nicole Galloway Top: Shannon Devillier, Janet Manley, Deedra LaPray, Andy Vickery, Bryan Brassard, Ernie Stanford Not pictured: Vlynn Kepley
WESTYN
BIG BUC'S BRAG BOARD is at Vidor E this morning to recognize PreK student Westyn.
Westyn was a little upset at his mom leaving him at school on the first day of PreKindergarten. She assured him that she would come back to pick him up. About the time Westyn started to feel OK about that, another little boy came in crying because he didn't want his mom to leave him. Westyn said, "I love you, Mom, but I have to go help my friend." The 'friend' was, of course, someone Westyn had never met. But he patted the boy's back assured him that their moms would pick them up later, then invited the child to go play with him. Crisis averted....by a four-year-old! Sweet boy!