The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee is composed of junior and senior leaders from McKinney Boyd, McKinney High, and McKinney North. This group provides students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while providing feedback on district and campus initiatives, events, and procedures. As the school year draws to a close, we asked these students to reflect on what they love about their schools and McKinney ISD. In this video, we hear from McKinney High School seniors Caleb Starnes and Danielle Howard, and junior Juett King.

Congratulations to our McKinney ISD 2026 Elementary Teacher of the Year Tommy Gillett of Burks Elementary and McKinney ISD 2026 Secondary Teacher of the Year Reagan Brannon from Faubion Middle School!

The district Teachers of the Year were announced tonight at the 2026 Teacher of the Year Celebration held at the McKinney ISD Community Event Center. It is always a highlight of the school year, and tonight was no exception as McKinney ISD honored all of our amazing Campus Teachers of the Year and announced these two remarkable teachers who will go on to represent the district in the Region 10 Teacher of the Year competition.

Thank you to our donors First United Bank and El Dorado Chevrolet & Mazda for your support!

More photos and coverage coming soon!

Photo: (left) McKinney ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year Tommy Gillett (Burks Elementary) and (right) McKinney ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year Reagan Brannon (Faubion Middle School)

Serenity High Annual Fundraising Breakfast Brings in $30,000

Serenity High may be small, but its impact is huge. Tucked away at McKinney North High School, it’s easy to miss, but for its students, the mission of Serenity is life-changing.

Founded in 1999 by Neil and Lynn Sperry, Serenity High provides students who have completed recovery programs a chance to earn their diploma in a safe, sober environment, with a fresh start.

Since opening its doors, more than 300 students have graduated, many of whom may not have crossed that stage without Serenity.

On April 7, McKinney ISD officials and community supporters gathered at the McKinney ISD Community Event Center for the annual Serenity High Fundraising Breakfast that raised some $30,000 to support one of the few public recovery high schools in the nation.

The morning featured remarks from McKinney ISD Superintendent Shawn Pratt, Mayor Bill Cox, founder Neil Sperry, and former mayor/past Serenity parent George Fuller.

Keynote speakers Jason Hernandez, founder of La Tiendita in McKinney, and McKinney City Council member Patrick Cloutier delivered an inspirational message of redemption and hope.

Serenity Assistant Principal Allie Long concluded the breakfast with heartfelt thanks for all who have supported the vision of Serenity High. A small school that makes a very big difference.

This week’s Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Artist of the Week is Karen Shi of McKinney Boyd High School where she plays violin in the orchestra.

See video: https://youtu.be/jlAuAtBSV0E

Karen is the orchestra president, and she has received Exemplary and Superior Awards in UIL Solo & Ensemble competitions.

Karen currently maintains a 4.96 GPA with 13 AP classes, and she ranks 4th in her class. She has qualified for a National Merit Scholarship, and she is a member of the ESL Math Club, assisting in tutoring ESL students in Algebra and Geometry coursework.

Karen is actively involved in FFA where she is currently raising & showing a steer. She previously showed Market Rabbits and placed 7th out of 31 contestants in the Collin County Stock Show. She was also a State Runner up in the Horticulture Career Development Event.

In her free time, Karen continues to play the piano and perform a classical piano repertoire. She is a volunteer at the Heard Natural Science Museum and the Wild Animal Sanctuary Texas where she prepares food for 15 different rescued wild animals.

After graduation, Karen plans to study Animal Science or Biomedical Science at either Cornell University or Texas A&M.

That’s Karen Shi from McKinney Boyd High School, this week’s Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Artist of the Week.

The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee is composed of junior and senior leaders from McKinney Boyd, McKinney High, and McKinney North. This group provides students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while providing feedback on district and campus initiatives, events, and procedures. As the school year draws to a close, we asked these students to reflect on what they love about their schools and McKinney ISD. In this video, we hear from McKinney Boyd seniors, Eddie Boeve & Chudi Oyiogu, and McKinney Boyd junior, Sophie Kissel.

The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee is composed of junior and senior leaders from McKinney Boyd, McKinney High, and McKinney North. This group provides students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while providing feedback on district and campus initiatives, events, and procedures. As the school year draws to a close, we asked these students to reflect on what they love about their schools and McKinney ISD. In this video, we hear from McKinney North students: Cade Antosca, Mia Ramirez, and Remi Lazaroff.