Substitute Appreciation Day is our opportunity to recognize the dedicated educators who step in with flexibility, professionalism and heart. Our substitutes make it possible to keep learning moving forward when a teacher has to be away from the classroom, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment and the vital role they play in supporting our students and staff.
Thank you for everything you do!
View podcast: https://youtu.be/zxLPP4_tkoQ
Mrs. Gonzalez provides us with a more information about the Caldwell Dual Language Academy, which began last year and is ramping up for enrollment for the next school year. She explains how the academy benefits students academically and culturally, and she instructs parents on the pathway forward in choosing the academy for their children.
It began in 1970 when a Massachusetts guidance counselor encouraged people to give up cigarettes for a day—an idea echoed by Minnesota’s first Don’t Smoke Day in 1974. The movement gained national momentum in 1976 when the California division of the American Cancer Society inspired 1 million people to quit for a day, leading to the first nationwide event in 1977. Since then, prevention efforts have driven significant declines in smoking. Yet, nearly 38 million Americans still smoke, and smoking remains responsible for about 480,000 deaths each year.
Podcast: https://youtu.be/lsJ2mAk79eA
“Historically I think people think about CTE courses as vocational for careers for students that were not interested in going to college, and I would say that our CTE courses & programs of today are nothing further from the truth," explains Mrs. Gaskill as she provides insight into the programs and pathways offered by McKinney ISD CTE.
McKinney ISD Students Prepare for the Future by Bringing Calculus and Finances Together
Today's world is expensive. Adults are keenly aware of this. To help students more fully appreciate that reality and prepare for what lies ahead, pre-calculus teachers from all three McKinney ISD high schools have employed an annual project rooted in their unit on exponentials to give students a realistic, in depth look at personal finances after high school.
"We created this finance project to simulate the first year after earning a bachelor's degree," said Kasie Taylor in her pre-calculus classroom at McKinney North. "Every type of finance equation and every way you calculate a loan payment or what your investment is going to be worth when you retire are all based in exponentials."
The two-week financial literacy project required students to choose a job and research their starting salary. They calculated their net monthly pay, monthly savings and general expenditures (including college loan payments, utilities, insurance and all of the real world expense of daily life). With the remainder, they "bought" a car and a house within their budget. Teachers updated the details to reflect current interest and taxes. Students who went over budget saw it reflected in their grade.
Along the way, Taylor encouraged her students to keep the big picture in mind and emphasized that saving a little each month will go a long way over time. "That $50 worth of Starbucks every week is going to make a huge impact if you decide to invest it instead," she told them.
All of this was designed to provide real world applications of pre-calculus curriculum requirements and give students exposure to authentic financial decisions that they will make after high school and college. It was part of a broader emphasis on financial literacy that has included the Ramsey Personal Finance curriculum in high school and financial literacy sessions at all five McKinney ISD middle schools.
For North junior pre-calculus student Lakshanya Prabhu, the project helped her understand what she needs to prepare for financially and helped equip her for it. "From my perspective, I felt like, 'Oh, I have time.' But, doing that project, I was like, 'No, I've got two years maybe,'" she said. "The next steps of life are coming up pretty soon. When you think about taking out a house mortgage, it feels really overwhelming. But, looking at the math behind it kind of makes it feel doable and sets you up with what you need to know."
And, that is exactly what Taylor and her colleagues were aiming for.
"They've done amazing," she said.
Introducing the Community Connection Newsletter!
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Congratulations to our students and staff members who were honored at the November 17 meeting of the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees!
The Board recognized McKinney ISD's November award recipients:
Every Student, Every Day Award
Harris Naeem (McGowen Elementary)
Ricardo Sifuentes (Malvern Elementary)
We Are McKinney ISD Award:
Stephanie Horswill and Jeannie Stokx (Finch)
Amanda Leader (McKinney North High School)
McKinney ISD Lives Kind Award:
Scott Johnson Middle School
State Cross Country Qualifiers:
McKinney North High School and McKinney Boyd High School
Special Recognition for 50 Years of Service to McKinney ISD:
Kathryn Swanner
Three years ago, McKinney ISD wrote a feature story on Kathryn Swanner in honor of her longevity with the District. She's kept going since then. You can read the article here: https://www.mckinneyisd.net/article/2267497
McKinney ISD's Library Media Specialists play a vital role in supporting our students and staff across the district! They help cultivate a campus-wide culture of literacy and inquiry by serving as teacher-leaders who collaborate on curriculum, manage print and digital library collections, and empower students with essential information literacy and digital citizenship skills.
Did you know that, collectively, McKinney ISD Library Media Specialists have:
—295 years of classroom teaching experience
—288 years of experience as a Library Media Specialist
—59 college degrees, including bachelor's and master's
—100 professional state certifications
See video: https://youtu.be/E_lg60zXN1s
Camilla is a 4-year member and current Captain of the NorthStar Drill Team. She was voted “Miss Congeniality”, “Most Dedicated” NorthStar Member, NorthStar of the Week, Spirit Star of the Week, Rookie of the Year and NorthStar of the Year.
Camilla currently has taken 7 AP classes, and she is a member of the National Honor Society. She has earned the green cord and an Academic Excellence Award.
In her free time, Camilla participates in the National Charity League and Maker Dawgs Engineering Club, and she works at Paciugo Gelato Caffe.
After graduation, Camilla plans to study Architecture at either Texas A&M or the University of Arkansas.
That’s Camilla Gonzalez, from McKinney North High School, this week’s Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Artist of the Week.
See video: https://youtu.be/QwogGU3ylqY
The meeting was called to order with the announcement of a quorum, followed by an invocation and pledges led by board member Corey Homer.
The Board started the evening by recognizing students and staff for notable accomplishments.
We honored our “Every Student, Every Day” award winners. Congratulations to Harris Naeem, a 4th grader from McGowen Elementary, and Ricardo Sifuentes, a 5th grader from Malvern Elementary.
We recognized our “We Are McKinney Superintendent” award winners. Congratulations to Finch Elementary teachers Stephanie Horswill and Jeannie Stokx and to McKinney North High School Associate Principal Amanda Leader.
We also recognized our “McKinney ISD Lives Kind” award recipient: congratulations to Scott Johnson Middle School.
We honored the cross country fall state qualifiers from McKinney Boyd and McKinney North High School.
And we wrapped up recognitions by the celebrating Mrs. Kathryn Swanner for her amazing 50 years of service to McKinney ISD.
Following the recognitions, Superintendent Pratt made two administrative announcements. Congratulations to Brynne Riley who was named the new Executive Director of Special Populations and congratulations to Michelle Sutton who was named the new Senior Director of Special Populations.
Next, public comment was heard on agenda and non-agenda items, and the Board then entered closed session.
After reconvening, the Board heard a presentation from our human resources leadership team on the McKinney ISD strategic plan pillar three which is “High Quality Staff”.
Next the Board approved the consent agenda and moved into the discussion & action portion of the meeting. They considered and then took action to approve the election of the central appraisal district.
The trustees also reviewed monthly written reports, including donations under $5,000, and bond, energy, construction, transportation, and human resources reports.
Upcoming district events include a community input night on December 4th at the McKinney ISD Community Event Center with the Educational Facilities Alignment Committee, also known as EFAC. This is a come and go event from 6-8 PM. Additionally, our regularly-scheduled monthly board meeting is on December 15th at 6 PM at the Community Event Center.
The meeting was adjourned following these items of business.
Those are the highlights from this month’s meeting. Thank you for your interest in McKinney ISD and the great work that is happening within our district!
Infant Center:
$17/hour
Must be 18 or older and have graduated high school.
Contact Jennifer Harris at jharris@mckinneyisd.net for more information.
Club 360:
Site Assistants: $17/hour (Must be 18 or older and have graduated high school.)
High school students: $15/hour
Must be able to work Monday-Friday, 2:30-6:30 p.m.
Contact Maggie Darden at mdarden@mckinneyisd.net for more information.
See video: https://youtu.be/bVYaRdWEvjQ
Reagan is a senior, and she is a member of the Bulldog golf team. She has earned MVP honors three times, and she won the “lowest scorer” award twice. Reagan was named Newcomer of the Year in both varsity golf and cheer.
Reagan has taken 7 AP classes, and she currently maintains a 4.0 GPA.
She is a member of the National Honor Society, and she has earned 2 Green Cord awards with more than 160 hours of volunteering.
After graduation, Reagan plans to play collegiate golf and study engineering.
Congratulations to Reagan Lorenson from McKinney North High School, our Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Athlete of the Week!
Worldwide, 589 million people live with diabetes, and close to 50% of diabetes is undiagnosed.
WDD was created in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization to raise awareness and became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225.
The morning kicked off in boisterous fashion as members of the McKinney North drum line, cheerleaders, NorthStars and Guard Dawgs enthusiastically greeted participants as they arrived. Once inside, they heard from McKinney ISD Superintendent Shawn Pratt and North Principal Justin Penio before Deputy Superintendent Melanie Raleeh provided an in depth look at the Choose McKinney ISD program and the multitude of opportunities it offers students. Then, Asst. Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Amber Epperson gave on overview of the vital work of the Teaching and Learning department and its impact on student learning across the district.
North PALS students soon arrived, divided participants into groups and then whisked them away for a tour of McKinney North that took in a wide variety of classrooms and subjects from physics to literature to orchestra to health services.
In all, it was another great morning for McKinney CAN!
Thank you to Principal Justin Penio and the staff and students of McKinney North High School for your hospitality!
Assistant Superintendent of Public Relations and Communications Dr. Shelly Spaulding and Scott Johnson Middle School Principal Holly Rogers led the group in its continued exploration of strength-based leadership, and Rogers facilitated a panel discussion on leadership that included SJMS Instructional Coach Nikki Jo, MISD Fine Arts Director Dr. Jared Critchfield, Vega Asst. Principal Wendy Cottam, ELS Secondary Coordinator Erica Ranel, Coordinator of Secondary Math Matt Corcoran and McKinney North Asst. Principal Clete Wilson.
Over the course of four sessions, the participants will complete certification in Jon Gordon's Power of Positive Leadership program and receive training in StrengthsFinder strength-based leadership. They'll hear from district and campus leaders through panels and presentations and participate in a resume workshop, interview training and more.
Thank you to our panel participants for your time and candid insight!
See video: https://youtu.be/dWLAsjAo554
Meika is a 2-year member of the varsity Mixed Choir, Fusion and varsity Treble Choirs. She has received Superior Rating at Solo Contest twice, and she earned Top Region Choir Member twice. Meika was selected as the Outstanding Choir Member her Freshman & Junior year.
Meika currently maintains a 4.55 GPA, and she has taken 9 AP classes.
She is an AP Scholar with Honor, and she has earned Academic Excellence three times.
In her free time, Meika is a Contemporary Worship Service Leader at her church, and she has released originally-written, composed, and produced songs. Meika participated in the FIRST Lego League as Team Mentor, as well as the Robotics Competition and Tech Challenge at the largest FIRST organization in the world.
After graduation, Meika plans study Neuroscience at college and become a member of an A Cappella group.
That’s Meika Kuns, from McKinney Boyd High School, this week’s Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Artist of the Week.
See video: https://youtu.be/7Eb_mcAIX3Q
Cockrill Middle School students and staff celebrated Veterans Day by hosting their special United States Armed Forces guests to a breakfast, band performance and a parade.
In a special Veterans Day celebration at Wolford Elementary this morning, Principal Maria Hafner and the students and staff of Wolford rolled out the red carpet for family members who have served in our U.S. armed forces and to honor all who have served. Through song, images and heartfelt sentiment from student speakers and guest speaker Sgt. Douglas Chapman, USMC, (Ret.) Wolford poured out its love and respect for veterans.
The event served as a poignant reminder that our rights and freedoms as Americans have been defended and held secure by men and women that we often encounter every day—fathers and mothers and grandparents and aunts and uncles—seemingly ordinary people who have revealed themselves to be so much more through the sacrifices they’ve made to protect our liberty.
"It is important to me," said Sgt. Chapman of the celebration. "It's important to all of our other veterans, too, because we're the ones that have gone out and put our lives on the line for this. Many have given their lives. And, it's important that the kids understand that we're here for a reason."
See video: https://youtu.be/ovlMSiGoImg
The Frazier choir and the McKinney North High School orchestra filled the gymnasium with patriotic music, and the hallways were decorated with artistic tributes from the students, as well as a “roll call” mural commemorating all of the veterans associated with Frazier Elementary.
From Frazier Principal Amy Holderman: “On behalf of all of our Gators, we want to give you an appreciation for your dedication and for your service. We would not be here today in our awesome school community if it wasn’t for you.”
See video: https://youtu.be/pcWWuEtavC4
On the golf course, Caleb earned First Team All-District honors in 2024 and 2025, and he was the district runner-up in 2025.
Caleb is a 2-time regional qualifier with a personal best round of 68, and he has helped lead his team to a district championship.
Caleb has taken four AP classes, holds a 3.74 GPA, and he is a 3-time Academic All-District honoree.
Caleb participates in the PALS Mentorship program and the aviation program.
He volunteers through the Student Athletic Leadership Team, and he works as a golf caddy.
After graduation, Caleb plans to earn his commercial pilot’s license and fly for a major airline.
Congratulations to Caleb Austin from McKinney Boyd High School, our Dennis Baker State Farm Scholar Athlete of the Week.
