In the spirit of the season, the McKinney Education Foundation made their rounds on Dec. 6, delivering more than $120,000 in classroom and teacher professional development grants to teachers and media resource specialists on 28 campuses across the district.

Watch the inspiring story of McKinney North High School senior Kate Smith, whose heart for students with special needs led her to teach a theatre class at North that partners general education students with special education students, so they can participate in the elective.

Once again, MISD high school and middle school participants in the YMCA Youth and Government program have distinguished themselves by qualifying 25 students to attend the Youth and Government and Junior Youth and Government state conferences—and one student has been chosen as one of two representatives from Texas to participate in the National Youth Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. in March.

Malvern Elementary School namesake Iola Malvern passed away on Dec. 5, 2019, at the age of 92. Her life was marked by steadfast commitment to education, and her influence impacted the lives of hundreds of McKinney students over the course of a career that spanned more than 30 years.

In the effort to keep MISD kids well—especially during the winter months—the district offers a couple of practical reminders and information on when you should keep your child home from school.

McKinney ISD continues to offer comparatively low-cost college entrance exam preparation, this time with a ZAPS ACT preparation seminar in January. The session is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2020 and is open to all MISD high school students. The cost is $75.

Substitutes play an important role in McKinney ISD, and the district is currently seeking qualified substitutes through January 2020.

McKinney High School yearbook students earned six National Photo of the Year finalist nominations from the National Scholastic Press Association. While they’ve had nominations in the past and a national winner in 2012, it’s the most nominations at one time the school has ever recorded.

Wilmeth Elementary families came together for the school’s Brown Bag of Lunch Project to pack and donate 2,200 brown bag lunches for the Samaritan Inn in McKinney. It was part of the school’s effort to help those in need—and help their students learn about the importance of helping others.

The Minshew Elementary community collaborated to paint games on the school’s playground blacktop.

In July 2020, McKinney ISD will host a Drum Corps International competition for the first time at the McKinney ISD Stadium and Community Event Center. DCI is the premier marching band/drum corps performance and competition tour of its kind.

Each year, the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) designate October as National Principals Month to recognize the hard work of campus principals and their crucial role as leaders. In this article, we spoke with five principals about the challenges, rewards and the weight of responsibility that comes with the job.