LISD Expect Excellence Newsletter

Lobo Community,

As we head into another busy week at Levelland ISD, there is a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to.

Spring sports and fine arts are officially getting underway, and it’s always exciting to see our students back on the fields, courts, competition areas, and tracks representing Levelland with pride. We wish all of our student-athletes, coaches, directors, and sponsors a great start to the season and thank them for the countless hours they put in beyond the school day.

Students will also enjoy a well-earned four-day weekend coming up. Meanwhile, our teachers will be hard at work with a meeting day and a workday, using that time to plan, collaborate, and prepare for the stretch between now and spring break. This behind-the-scenes work is critical and speaks volumes about the dedication of our staff to student success.

We are incredibly proud of the hard work happening across our campuses—from classrooms to competitions—and grateful for the continued support of our families and community.

Proud to be a Lobo,

Dr. Don Heseman

Levelland ISD Superintendent

https://secure.smore.com/n/j9n8t-levelland-isd

Every year, thousands of Texas students help decide which books deserve one of the state’s most respected honors for children’s literature: the Texas Bluebonnet Award. This year is no different for LISD either. More than just a book prize, this program is designed to spark a lifelong love of reading by putting students at the center of the selection process. The Texas Bluebonnet Award is open to students in grades 3 through 6. Each year, a committee of Texas librarians selects 20 high-quality books that represent a wide range of genres, themes, and reading levels. From laugh-out-loud humor and fantasy adventures to realistic stories and powerful nonfiction. The list appeals to many different types of readers. Using this program helps students discover new authors and genres they might not normally pick up on their own. What also makes this program unique is that Texas students choose the winner, and our librarians make sure that students participate every year. After reading at least five books from the annual Bluebonnet List, students vote for their favorite title, giving young readers a real voice in the literary world. LISD pushes this program beyond just reading. Our librarians host book clubs, reading challenges, book talks, trivia contests, and virtual author visits. Our librarians turn reading into a shared experience and help build strong reading communities on campuses. For many students, the program is their first introduction to voting, discussion, and literary analysis. The winning book at Capitol this year was Volcanoes by Nell Beckerman. The winning book at South was Pedro's Yo-Yos by Rob Penas. And the winning book at LMS was The Girl Who Figured It Out by Minda Dentler. We look forward to seeing which book wins the state!
https://files.smartsites.parentsquare.com/8581/bluebonnetvideo26.mp4

National History Day students from Levelland Middle School competed at the South Plains Regional Competition at Region 17 this past Saturday, and their hard work truly paid off! Over the past several months, students conducted in-depth research—including visits to the Texas Tech Library—and dedicated significant class time to developing high-quality projects.

Their efforts were evident in both special recognitions and placements:

5th Grader Makenna Luna received a special award for Exceptional Use of Primary Sources and placed 1st in the Elementary Poster Division, advancing to State

6th Grader Joey Wheeler received the Trailblazer in History special award

5th Grader Yanely Lara Adame placed 3rd in the Elementary Poster Division

5th Grader Isabella Wright placed 2nd in the Elementary Poster Division and is advancing to State

8th Grader Anna Wheeler placed 1st with her paper and is advancing to State

8th Grader Hayden Waters placed 3rd with his paper and is a State Runner-Up

8th Graders Hollyn Howard and Paulina Chavarria placed 2nd with their group exhibit and are advancing to State

8th Grader Riley Smoot placed 2nd in Individual Documentary

8th Grader Alec Canon placed 3rd in Individual Documentary and is a State Runner-Up

8th Grader Clayton Austin and 7th Grader Nythaniel Blassingame placed 1st in the Group Website Division and are advancing to State

These students demonstrated dedication, perseverance, and a passion for history. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing their projects continue to grow as they prepare for the State Competition in April. Way to go, Lobos!

Mrs. Branch's ABC First Graders were caught brushing up on their partner work during their Bluebonnet Math Lesson. Partner work builds foundational skills in collaboration, communication, and interpersonal relationships. It fosters essential social-emotional competencies like trust, empathy, and conflict resolution while increasing accountability, engagement, and productivity in academics and social development. Thank you Mrs. Branch for making every single lesson memorable!

LHS students in Mr. Hill’s Principles of Business classes recently participated in an interactive trading simulation: The Trading Game. This game is designed to demonstrate how marketplaces function and how access to trade affects satisfaction and opportunity. Each student received a sealed brown bag containing a random assortment of fun, small items. Students were told the items belonged to them and would not be returned. In the first round, students examined their bags silently, without removing, showing, or discussing the contents, before they rated their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5. As the activity progressed, students were gradually given more access to information and trade. First, they were allowed to see what others had received and rate their satisfaction again. Next, they were permitted to trade only with classmates seated in their row. In the final round, students could trade freely with anyone in the classroom. After each stage, students re-evaluated their satisfaction level. Students learned that as trading opportunities expanded, creativity increased. Some students even maximized value by breaking apart multi-item packages to create more trading options. By the end of the simulation, the results were clear: as the “market” grew and choices increased, student satisfaction rose dramatically. Through this hands-on lab, students gained a deeper understanding of key economic principles, including opportunity, freedom of choice, access to knowledge, and the importance of win-win outcomes. Thank you Mr. Hill, for teaching lessons that extend well beyond the classroom and into real-world decision-making.

LMS students completed an exciting goal by becoming authors and publishers of their own book, "Symbiotic Relationships of Animals." Students brainstormed ideas, wrote rough drafts, revised and edited their work, and collaborated on the book title before illustrating the final pages. They enjoyed celebrating each stage of the writing process and they will visit ABC to read their book to ABC students. This will give them the opportunity to practice oral reading and presentation skills as they prepare for TELPAS. Great job, LMS kids!

Our campuses enjoyed celebrating our Counselors last week.

LMS hosted a STEM Lab last week. It was a big deal! Texas Education Agency brought their Mobile STEM Lab full of learning spaces offering engaging, immersive, hands-on STEM experiences to increase skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in undefeated learning activities. Some LMS students have had the pleasure of previewing the STEM lab. They had some success, some failure and how to do better next time! We are thankful for all the parents who were able to make it out!

LHS sends a heartfelt thank you to our YELL (Young Emerging Leaders of Levelland) members for their compassion and service to others. This exceptional group of high school students planned this community service project to make a difference for Lynnwood residents. We thank Lynwood for graciously hosting these students as they personally delivered donated snacks to residents, an experience that was truly enlightening for everyone involved. We also thank the Levelland Chamber for helping to cultivate outstanding students to become leaders in our community!

Fourth-grade students from Capitol Elementary, along with GT teachers Mrs. Utley and Mrs. Alexander, toured Levelland’s City of Mosaics as part of their spring GT project. Students first participated in a Lunch and Learn with Alycyn Keeling, where they learned about the history of mosaics and the artwork displayed throughout our city. This experience supports their study of mosaics and the powerful role they play in history, community, and storytelling. This year, students were also able to add three new stops to their tour with the addition of the mosaics at the Hockley County Credit Union, Levelland ISD Central Office and the Wallace Theatre. Throughout the project, students will continue to explore the origins of mosaics and the stories they tell. As a culminating task, students will create and share a story of their own, applying mosaic principles to visually communicate its meaning. Through this process, students engage in logical thinking, creative problem-solving, and intellectual risk-taking as they design and develop their final mosaic. We can't wait to see their final projects later this semester!

Our Young Emerging Leaders of Levelland members have been busy this week and we thank them for hosting their annual United food drive. We are so proud of these up and coming Levelland Leaders! We thank our community for supporting them. We thank United for letting us host! We also thank the Levelland Chamber for sponsoring the amazing program that builds leaders for Levelland's future!

LHS Senior Trinity Wafer signs with the Lake Michigan Red Hawks to play volleyball at the next level. Wafer will fit the team well as she helped lead the Loboettes to a final record of 12-and-22 overall and a district record of 5-and-7 narrowly missing playoffs. She finished the year with 64 service points, with 18 aces, but more importantly she lead the team in kills with 131 and blocks with 12. Congratulations to Trinity Wafer on signing to play volleyball for Lake Michigan, and good luck. (Story courtesy KLVT Sports Nation)

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Email: dheseman@levellandisd.net
Website: www.levellandisd.net
Location: 704 11th Street, Levelland, TX
Phone: 806-894-9628
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/
Instagram: levellandindschooldistrict