CHS Newsletter

Bobcat Nation,

It’s hard to believe we are already heading into the final week of the first quarter! Our students and staff have been working hard, and their energy and commitment continue to set the tone for a strong school year. October will be a full and exciting month, with Homecoming, Red Ribbon Week, Breast Cancer Awareness activities, and Fall Break all just around the corner.

This upcoming week is one of our biggest of the year—Homecoming Week! We can’t wait to see our students and community come together to celebrate. The Community Pep Rally will be Thursday evening at Bobcat Stadium, the Homecoming parade and football game will be on Friday, and the Homecoming Dance is Saturday night. We encourage everyone to join in the spirit and traditions that make Celina so special.

Thank you for your continued support as we finish out the first quarter strong. We are proud of our students and excited to celebrate Homecoming with all of you!

Let’s have a great end to our first quarter and continue to make this an incredible year.

For Kids,

John

Each week, you will find the Athletics Calendar here and you can click on it to see what is going on for the week. We will advertise for other events in Academics, CTE, and Fine Arts.

• Our Varsity Volleyball team was on the road on Friday and brought home a big district win against Lake Dallas to move to 6-2 in district play.
• Our Varsity Football team travelled to neighboring Aubrey and posted a big 48-10 win.

Our Bobcat Band travelled to both McKinney and Princeton to perform yesterday. They stopped in McKinney for feedback and then went South to Princeton to compete in the Sounds of Fall Competition where they took home the gold over some amazing 5A and 6A bands!!! We are proud of you, Bobcat Band!!!

Thank you to Mandy Harvey Photography for the amazing pictures and to our CHS Cheer Team, Las Gatitas, and coaches for all of their hard work in making this the best pep rally of the year!!

Photos by Ben (10) and Luke (12) Rothenbach

Photos by Ryder Phillips (12)

Homecoming Dance Tickets

Meet our 2025 Homecoming Court! These girls were voted on by their classmates as grade level princesses and queen nominees. We are so proud to have them representing CHS. What an amazing group! Join us at the Homecoming Game at halftime on October 10th to see the Homecoming Queen crowned.

LeeAndra is in 9th grade at CHS, and she plans to participate in UIL Academics and Softball this year. She is an active volunteer for Helping Hands Celina and the Junior Police Academy. LeeAndra plans to attend Texas A&M University where she will pursue her dreams of working in the medical field by becoming a doctor.

Chloe Anderson is in 10th grade at CHS. Chloe is a member of the CHS Student Council and HOSA, and she also plays softball. Outside of school, she is an active member of Celina YoungLife. In the future, Chloe would love to attend college and pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing to become a neonatal ICU nurse.

Alex is a Junior at CHS, and she is the setter for our Varsity Volleyball team. In the future, she strives to pursue a career in real estate, but more importantly, grow a loving family of her own.

Natalie is a trainer for the CHS Varsity Football Team and is a part of HOSA. She is also a dedicated volunteer in Rock Creek Church’s Kids Ministry and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars through Collin College. Natalie plans to attend the University of Oklahoma and pursue an occupation in radiation therapy.

Mikyla is a senior at CHS. Mikyla spends her free time designing and tailoring her own clothing. She also loves to freelance portrait drawings and paintings.

Maddie is a CHS Varsity Cheerleader, and she is a member of CHS National Honors Society, Mu Alpha Theta, NSHSS, and the Young Women of Influence Celina chapter. In the future, Maddie plans to attend Southern Methodist University, and be a cheerleader there while pursuing a pre-medicine track. She hopes to become a pediatrician.

Rachel is the CHS Student Council President and the Choir Co-President. She is also a member of National Honors Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and is the Co-President of the Hive. Rachel also powerlifts, plays rugby, helps her dad, Mark, on the Bobcat Radio Broadcast, and attends the Legacy Hills youth group. In the future, Rachel plans to attend college and play rugby, while pursuing a degree in kinesiology or sports broadcasting.

Check out this interview of Mic'd Up With Mallory, our Junior Sports Broadcaster.

Our Commercial Photography students are practicing taking photos in different lighting and of different textures!

Celina High School Spanish Honor Society is thrilled to celebrate Spanish Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15! This special time allows us to recognize and honor the rich cultural traditions, history, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. We’re excited to foster appreciation and understanding while celebrating the diversity that strengthens our schools and community. ¡Feliz mes de la Herencia Hispana!

NHS is going to have its first meeting next Tuesday, the 7th during CATS. Please contact Mrs. Ware or Mr. Craft with any questions.

Our 2025-2026 yearbooks are on sale now! https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A08128000

Mrs. Owen is our front office queen. She keeps our attendance on track with grace and treats us all with kindness and patience. She has been in education for 12 years, 10 with us at CHS. Her favorite part about CHS is our traditions. She most loves football, the black out pep rally, and the victory line at football games. Outside of work, Mrs. Owen loves Country music and dancing, she loves concerts, and she likes Texas Red Dirt music like Bri Bagwell. She hopes that students will remember her as a fun loving person, and that is already exactly what we think of her. We love you, Mrs. Owen!!!

(Interview by Journalism students, Maggie H. and Emma D. )

For entry into CISD events, we are using the HomeTown app to make it easy to purchase tickets. You can scan the QR code below to download the app.

Ms. Hunter's classes have designed and showcased mental health awareness posters around the school for September's Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Here is a sneak peak of what they designed and their upcoming designs for October's Bullying Prevention Month.

Thank you for taking time to read some of the ways in which we connect and grow in order to Love Kids and Drive Rigor.

For Kids,

John

Join us for the 2025-2026 Lunch n Learn Series! Brittany Cortez is a College and Career Counselor from Collin College and will cover a variety of college related topics throughout the year. The sessions will start at 12pm via Zoom. No sign up is required, just grab your lunch and click on the Zoom link in the flyer. Each of these topics will also be offered to all students to attend throughout the school year.

Helping Hands of Celina

Community Action Team (CATS)

Our CATS is our parent organization that helps to support all 1500 students and 135 staff throughout the year with bake sales, selling the official Homecoming t-shirt, and providing goodies/luncheons for our staff. Please join to add a layer of support for our kids and our staff. You can join through your School Cafe account and look for CATS (HS PTO) Membership '25-'26.

If you do not have a School Cafe account, you can click here to set up one and this will allow you to join CATS, purchase the official Homecoming t-shirt designed and sold by our CATS, set up a lunch account, and order other items like paying for parking spots and dues for various classes.

School Lunch

Free and reduced lunch applications can be found in the following link: https://www.schoolcafe.com/CELINAISD The grace period will end September 26, 2025, so please take time to complete your application.

For our new families, you can create school cafe account using the link above, you can send money with your child, or you can have your child bring their lunch. In School Cafe, you can monitor your child's account and place restrictions on their meal accounts if you would like to do so (e.g., your child can only buy one ice cream).

For those who were in Celina ISD last year, any balance that you have in School Cafe rolls over from the previous school year. Please add funds to your account before the first day of school.

GPA Update beginning for Class of 2026

Please click this link for the GPA update for the Class of 2026.

GPA Update beginning for Class of 2029

Please click this link for the GPA update for the Class of 2029.

2025-2026 Attendance Goal = 98%

We achieved 95.1% attendance last year so 98% is a very bold and ambitious goal! Furthermore, the more students are here, the more connections and positive relationships that they have, and the more that they learn!

Attendance-Truancy Tribunal

Chapter 25 of the Texas Education Code details the attendance requirements for students in Texas. Students must be in attendance for 90% of their class in order to receive credit for the class (remember that our goal is 98%). In addition, there is language in this code that directs schools/school districts to take action when a student accumulates a certain number of unexcused absences (including tardies - 3 tardies = an unexcused absence) and this includes filing truancy charges on the parent. Celina ISD wants to partner with our parents in order to prevent truancy charges from being filed. Therefore, when a student accumulates 7 unexcused absences/tardies, we will send a summons to the parent and student to attend a Truancy Tribunal Hearing in order to develop a plan to improve the attendance of the student. The Truancy Tribunal process has proven to decrease unexcused absences, decrease failed classes, and decrease discipline incidents of students. We are proud to implement the Truancy Tribunal Hearings and we know that this will benefit our kids and our families. If you have questions about the Truancy Tribunal process, please reach out to me via email or phone call at the information in my signature

Student Code of Conduct

At CHS, we start with the knowledge that we have the best students and parents on the planet! As such, we hold the highest standards for our kids because we know that they will live up to these standards. Likewise, we hold ourselves the to the highest standards to support our kids and our parents. We want to make sure that you have all of the information needed regarding our dress code and the passage of the new "cell phone ban" HB 1481. The dress code and standards of conduct are contained in the link above. The dress code is addressed on pp. 58-59 so please take a moment to familiarize yourself with CISD standards of dress and decorum.

HB1481 Device Ban

The major change for this year is the passage of HB 1481 that prohibits personal communication devices. Celina High School will strictly enforce this law/policy between 8:45-4:10. Prior to 8:45, students should turn off and put any prohibited devices in their backpack. This will prevent any prohibited devices from being seen or heard and will allow students to form relationships with other students and teachers and focus on learning. If you need to contact your child, you can send a message to their school email account and if there is an emergency, you can contact our front desk and we will assist in getting the message to your child(ren).

Although HB 1481 does not go into effect until September 1, 2025, CISD has chosen to implement this law beginning Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Our staff will continue to only use their personal devices for professional use only during the work day and because we receive emergency notifications and we send emergency notifications through our personal devices.

Prohibited personal communication devices include, but are not limited to:

• Smartphones
  

• Laptops and tablets
  

• Smartwatches
  

• Earbuds and earphones
  

• Smart eyeglasses

• Portable gaming devices

Contact Information for Administrators and Counselors

Administrators

• Dr. John M. Burdett (Principal) - johnburdett@celinaisd.com
• Kristy Carr (Student last names A-Gan) - kristycarr@celinaisd.com
• Greg Sherwood-(Student last names Gar-N) - gregsherwood@celinaisd.com
• Dr. Adam Washburn (Student last names O-Z) - adamwashburn@celinaisd.com

Counselors

• Carrie Crane (Student last names A-Gan) carriecrane@celinaisd.com
• Denise Moore (Student last names Gar-N) denisemoore@celinaisd.com
• Karen Pelkey (Student last names O-Z) karenpelkey@celinaisd.com