Carroll School Board members voted to implement a split high school grade configuration following several hours of intense discussion at Monday evening's meeting. Supporters of each option packed the Board room as Trustees publicly discussed their personal opinions and frustrations over the high school issue. Only a week ago, representatives of an independent company shared the results of three surveys on the topic. Although several Trustees said they felt the results clearly showed that those surveyed preferred Option C, others felt the information was ambiguous. Clearly divided between Option A (two 9-12 high schools) and Option C (9th grade center), Trustees ultimately sought middle ground as they came together to endorse Option B's split configuration. The Option B plan calls for 9th and 10th graders to attend Carroll Junior High School and 11th and 12th graders to attend Carroll High School. Trustees asked the Administration to make a recommendation on transition plans at the December 10 meeting. School officials had originally planned for 10th graders to be housed at CJHS beginning in August 2002. Another option is to wait until the facilities are approved and constructed before making the change. When asked by the Board if he could support Option B, Superintendent Dr. Ted Gillum said he could and would work hard with his staff over the next few months to put together a bond package to construct the necessary facilities. A bond election is tentatively set for the same day as the Trustee election in May. The Board hopes to finalize the transition plan in December so that students can begin registering for 2002-2003 classes in January and February.

Trustees Hire New Firm To Handle Construction Projects

The School Board selected J & A Construction Services as the program manager for the next bond election. The decision allows school officials to begin contract negotiations with the company. The final contract will be based on the scope of work required in the final bond package and will require Board approval. There will be at least three team members from J&A housed in offices at the CISD Administrative Annex. Brent Kline is now with J&A and will continue to serve as the district's main contact for construction management. Total Program Management's contract with CISD will expire in August 2002 as projects from the 1999 bond package are completed. Trustees are expected to select architectural firms for the 2002 bond package in December.

Schools and Offices To Close For Fall Break

CISD schools and offices will be closed for fall break Nov. 19-23. Regular office and school hours will resume on Monday, Nov. 26.

2002-2003 School Calendar

The proposed 2002-2003 school calendar is posted to the district's web site (http://www.southlakecarroll.edu) for public review. Questions and comments can be directed to jthannum@cisdmail.com. The District Advisory Committee reached consensus on the calendar at its December 5 meeting. School officials plan to take a proposed calendar to the Board of Education in December.

Campus Teams Participate In Training

Carroll school officials recently conducted a crisis training workshop for each CISD campus crisis team. The workshop covered the handling of suspicious mail, telephone threats and other safety situations. CISD has a comprehensive Crisis Management Plan that covers a variety of situations, and was developed in cooperation with the Southlake and Grapevine police and fire departments, DFW Airport and the American Red Cross. Employee training is conducted on a regular basis.

JES Receives Wal-Mart Grant

Special thank you to Wal-Mart in Southlake for awarding Johnson Elementary School a Literacy Grant of $1,000. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart presented JES science teacher Cathy Barthelemy with a $750 grant.

Minor Bus Accident Occurs

School officials reported a minor bus accident this morning when a CISD school bus carrying eight students to Eubanks Intermediate School was hit from behind by a pickup truck. The incident occurred on Kimball Avenue, just south of FM 1709. No one was injured and the eight students on board were safely transported by another bus to the Eubanks campus.

Durham Assistant Honored

Congratulations to Brad Hunt, Assistant Principal at Durham Intermediate, for being named to the Texas Middle School Association (TMSA) Executive Board. He will serve as Director for Region 11. Although this is Brad's first year as a Carroll administrator, he served the past five as assistant principal at Coppell Middle School - west. He is the past president of the North Central Texas Middle School League and continues to serve on the NCTMSL Executive Board.

CISD Employee Donates More Than Just Friendship

Our thoughts and encouragement are with Karen Wall who works in the CISD Technology Department. Karen will undergo surgery this week to donate a kidney to a close friend.

CHS Band Shines

The Carroll Dragon Marching Band performed at the state competition in Waco recently. The tremendous dedication of our students and wonderful support of parents, CHS and the entire district made it an exciting and memorable experience as Carroll marched to 13th place among the bands from all across Texas. Our students marched a great program and represented Carroll with skill and passion.

Fall Junior Seminars Slated

Fall Junior Seminars will be held in the CHS Auditorium on November 27 and 28 during English classes. Parents are welcomed to attend any session. The seminars will explain student transcripts, grade point averages, course requirements, four-year plans and college visits.

College Fair is Dec. 3

The Guidance Department of Carroll High School will host the CHS College Fair on Monday, December 3 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The program is scheduled during school hours so all students can participate. Students will have the opportunity to visit with over 100 representatives from universities, colleges, military academies, technical schools and military recruiters from many different cities around the U.S. Career opportunities offered in the DFW metroplex will be available, as well. Parents are encouraged to attend.

Senior Names Needed

Seniors, it is time to confirm your name as it will appear on your diploma in May. Letters have been mailed to senior parents requesting this information to be returned to the CHS Guidance Office no later than December 7, 2001. Please watch for this letter and return it as soon as possible.

College Application/Scholarship Deadlines

Please be aware of college application and scholarship deadlines. The Guidance Office at CHS will be closed from December 20 until January 7. No transcripts or letters of recommendation can be processed during that time. Also, any request received after Friday, December 14 is not guaranteed to be processed before January 7, 2002.

Congratulations to Lady Dragon Softball Players

Two members of the Lady Dragon softball team signed letters of intent with colleges this week. Jessica Thomas will play for Pittsburgh University. Her teammate Lindsay Carswell will play for Auburn University. Congratulations to these talented athletes and their families.

Senior Makes 1st Chair in State Jazz Band

David Halbouty, a senior at Carroll High School, recently made 1st chair trombone in the Texas All State Jazz Ensemble. Congratulations David!

Students from CMS & CJHS Earn All-Region Honors

After a week of intense selection, 15 students from Carroll Junior High and 17 students from Carroll Middle School were selected to the Region V All-Region Honor Bands. The students competed against 1,400 students from Birdville, Arlington, Fort Worth, Boswell, Keller and Brewer for a place in either the Symphonic or Concert band. The students from CJHS include: Brian Clancy, Drew Rohmer, Chris Milyo, Samantha Draper, Heather Dalton, Rachel Messing, Chelsea Knight, Matt Anderson, John Paine, Amy Malloy, Valerie Newcomer, Andrew Frangos, and Sam Harriger. Joseph Oliveti and Sam Wunderl were chosen as alternates. The following students from CMS were selected: Laura Edwards, Corrie Melton, Whitney Underwood, Becky Anderson, Yannik Neufang, Kohei Fukushima, Megan Morgan, Kelly Martin, Maddie Brown, Michael Moore, Natalie Davies, Scott Reutter, Drew Johnson, Andrew Sanchez, Jack Howard, Kelly Nelson, Ben Small and Ashley Park.

Academic Team Earns Honors

The CHS State Champion UIL Academic Team competed at the Denton High Invitational Meet in preparation for the spring District Contest. The following students took top honors in their event:

Dragon Forensics Team Excels

Congratulations to members of the Dragon Forensics Team for their victory this past weekend in Buda-Hays. The team took Second Place Sweepstakes with the following students receiving accolades:

• Cole Grissom--Top Individual Event Performer (earned most sweepstakes points for his squad)
• Cole Grissom--1st Place Humorous, 1st Place Dramatic, Semifinalist Prose & Poetry
• Poetry Finalists: Kim Millard, 8th; Lauren Cole, 4th; Melissa Stroud, 3rd; Ben Jordan, 2nd.
• Sarah Kennard--7th Place, Prose.
• Prose Semifinalists: Nathan Isbell, Jenny Pardoe, and Kristen Trahan.
• Poetry Semifinalists: Allison Burford, Travis Engle, Tori Orman.
• Humorous Semifinalists: Kelly Jones, Kim Millard.
• Dramatic Finalists: Allison Burford, 7th; Kelly Jones, 6th; Ben Jordan, 3rd; and Tony Dassaut, 2nd.
• Dramatic Semifinalists: Melissa Stroud, Tori Orman, Jenny Pardoe, and Kristen Trahan.
• Duet Finalists: Lauren Cole & Nathan Isbell, 6th; Ben Jordan & Travis Engle, 3rd; and Tony Dassaut & Kristen Trahan, 1st Place.
• Melissa Chu & David Strauss--Quarterfinalists, Policy Debate
• Shamaila Malik--Semifinalist, US Extemp
• Wes Sackrule, Cynthia Liu, Jeff Geels--Semifinalists, Foreign Extemp

Upcoming Meetings:

Academic Cocurrucular Enhancement Committee/Technology Committee joint meeting tonight (Nov. 14) at Carroll High School. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Budget & Finance Committee meeting Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Administrative Annex, 3051 Dove

Board of Education Meeting Monday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m., 1201 N. Carroll Avenue.