What an incredible (and incredibly hot!) week it’s been for Meridian FFA! Our students absolutely rocked the Central Texas Youth Fair, with every single exhibitor securing a spot in the Sale of Champions this past Saturday.

If you missed the sale, it's not too late to show your support. Add-on donations are still being accepted! Please contact Kathe Witte within the next two weeks, or reach out to Mr. Gann or Ms. Kuykendall during the week of June 16, once they return from a well-deserved break after a big week of cheering on their students.

Below are highlights from the fair—a long list of accomplishments that speak volumes about our students’ dedication and success. It’s a lengthy recap, but well worth the read!

🔹 FFA Student Highlights

Zoey Whitmer

• Reserve Grand Champion Steer

• Champion Exotic Steer

• Reserve Native Steer & Breeder

• Champion Senior Steer Showman

• 1st Place Goat & Champion Lightweight Goat

• Champion Senior Record Book & Quiz

• 3rd Place Pig, Champion Senior Pig Showman

• 5th & 10th Place Broilers

• 2nd High Point All-Around

• all projects were sale qualifiers

Alex Rodriguez

• Champion American Steer (Jackpot & CTYF)

• 2nd Place Exotic Steer

• 1st Place Dorper & Breed Champion

• 1st Place Goat, Champion Heavyweight Goat

• Grand Champion Overall Goat

• 3rd Place Pig, Senior Swine Showman Finalist

• 1st Place Dorper Jackpot

• 3rd Place High Point All-Around

• All projects except broilers were sale qualifiers

Jordon Sheffer

• 1st Place Dorper Jackpot

• 3rd Place Southdown Jackpot & CTYF

• 3rd Place Record Book & Quiz

• Sale Qualifier

Makayla Ford

• 1st Place Steer, Reserve Exotic Steer

• Exhibited a lamb

• Sale qualifier

Jasmin Brown

• 2nd Place Medium Wool (Jackpot & CTYF)

• 2nd Place Record Book & Quiz

• Champion Senior Lamb Showman

• Sale Qualifier

Bradly Perry

• Reserve American Steer (Jackpot & CTYF)

• Exhibited Blueberry Lemon Cake

• Sale Qualifier

• Caught a calf in the Calf Scramble

AJ Villarreal

• 1st Place Medium Wool Jackpot

• 2nd Place Southdown Jackpot

• 2nd & 3rd Place Medium Wool CTYF

• Sale Qualifier — sold the 2nd place lamb

Taylor Brown

• 2nd & Reserve Finewool Cross Jackpot

• 1st Place Finewool Cross CTYF & Champion

• Exhibited Red Velvet Bundt Cake

• Caught a calf in the Calf Scramble

• Sale Qualifier

Maryn Roberson

• 3rd Place Pig

• 2nd Place Polled Hereford Heifer

• Sale Qualifier

AB Torres

• Sale Qualifier — Medium Wool Lamb

Bennie Whitmer

• 2nd Place Jackpot Goat, 3rd Place CTYF Goat

• Caught a calf in the Calf Scramble

• Exhibited German Chocolate Cake

• 1st Place Polled Hereford Heifer

• Sale Qualifier

Luis Ramirez

• 4th Place Medium Wool (Jackpot & CTYF)

• Sale Qualifier

Adrian Rodriguez

• 5th Place Market Rabbits

• 4th Place Medium Wool Lamb (Jackpot & CTYF)

• Sale Qualifier — sold the lamb

Elizabeth Brooks

• 1st Place Angus Heifer

• Champion British Heifer

Bobby Brown

• Sale Qualifier — Goat

Maddie Powell

• Sale Qualifier — Medium Wool Lamb

Arianna Sandley

• Blue Holicer Rabbits: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place

• French Lop: 2nd Place

Ag Mechanics Team

• Trailer built by Josh Law, Jesse Scott, Bradly Kihnel, and Mark Pittman, shown by Mark Pittman II

• Placed 2nd for Ag Mech trailer

🐑 A Note on Resilience

With every successful event, there are often unseen challenges. Two of our students suffered heartbreaking losses right before the show.

Cash Powell, a first-year showman, lost his lamb to summer pneumonia.
Elizabeth Brooks lost her steer just days before the fair, possibly due to heat or bloat.

Please show them some love and encouragement—they showed immense strength through a tough moment.

Congratulations to the Band of Gold for their placement in the Outstanding Performance Series hosted by the Association of Texas Small School Bands! This is the first time our band program has submitted their UIL Concert recordings for this competitions. "Action Scene" was one spot away from advancing into the OPS Area round. This is further proof our students are rising the occasion and setting new expectations! #RiseAsOne #WeAreMeridian

On May 31st, Band of Gold members participated in the FCA Bowl Game this morning along side other students from across Central Texas! Mr. Y served as one of the directors of the FCA Band Committee. Thank you for representing MHS!

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible 2025 Cheer Squad and their Sponsors:

📣 Andrea Dunn – Junior High Cheer Sponsor
📣 Teandria Taylor – Varsity Cheer Sponsor

Your time, energy, and dedication to our cheerleaders do not go unnoticed. Because of your leadership, this year’s cheer camp was a success and ended with an amazing showcase! The showcase featured several cheerleaders receiving multiple awards, including All-American! We’re excited for the season ahead and so grateful to have you leading the way. 🙌

Let’s go, Jackets!

My name is Blake Dagley, and I'm thrilled to join Meridian ISD as the Audio, Visual Technology teacher. With more than two decades in the AV industry and prior classroom experience, I'm ready to share my knowledge and experience. As the son of a long time dedicated teacher and coach, I've always had a passion for inspiring young minds and I look forward to fostering that growth here.

I’m excited to begin my journey as the new boys’ basketball coach at Meridian High School! I am a proud graduate of Austin College (Go Roos!) and later completed my master’s degree at APU. This year marks my 13th in education and my 9th as a head boys’ basketball coach. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to coach at schools ranging from 2A to 6A, gaining valuable experience and building programs at every level. I’m also a proud father to two amazing elementary-aged kids—my son, Grayson, and my daughter, Harper—who keep me grounded and motivated every day. It means a great deal to join a community like Meridian, a place that has meant so much to my family. I’m eager to get started and to contribute both on and off the court.

Hello!

My name is Nicholas Jeter, and I am very excited to be given the opportunity to work as an assistant Band Director for the Meridian Band! As of May, I am a graduate of Tarleton State University, from which I obtained my degree in Music Education with a minor in English; I am still pursuing my master's degree in music. My fiancé and I currently reside with my two dogs in Stephenville. This is my first year in teaching, as I recently completed my final semester, so I am looking forward to teaching at such a great district!

My name is Estafana Whitmer, and I’m honored to begin a new chapter in my journey with Meridian ISD as the Academic Advisor at Meridian High School. Over the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of serving in various roles on the elementary campus—first as a substitute teacher, then as a paraprofessional, and most recently as a classroom teacher for the past three years.

I graduated from Texas Tech University in 2019 with a Bachelor of General Studies. Currently, I’m pursuing my Master of Science in School Counseling degree, and I’m thrilled to be furthering my education so I can make a greater impact in the lives of our students.

As I step into this new role, my goal is to support all students in reaching their goals and guide them toward a successful future. I’m eager to learn and grow alongside the incredible team here at MHS. My heart truly belongs to the wonderful students of this community, and I feel incredibly blessed to continue serving them in this new capacity.

Meridian High School is celebrating a major academic and financial milestone this year, thanks to our growing dual credit program. Dual credit allows high school students to earn college credit while still in high school—for free—saving families money and helping students get a head start on their college journey.

📈 Dual Credit by the Numbers:

School Year Dual Credit Students Credit Hours Earned

2024–2025 -- 49 students 272 hours

2023–2024 -- 9 students 42 hours

That’s a 444% increase in student participation and a 548% increase in college hours earned in just one year!

💰 Financial Impact:

The average cost of one college credit hour at a Texas public university is approximately $275 (including tuition and fees).

This Year’s Savings:

272 hours × $275 = $74,800

Last Year’s Savings:

42 hours × $275 = $11,550

Total Saved Over Two Years:

$86,350

That’s nearly $75,000 saved this year alone—money that Meridian families won’t have to pay later in college tuition.

🎉 Why It Matters:

Dual credit doesn’t just save money—it gives students:

• A head start on college degrees
• Confidence in college-level coursework
• Career readiness and real-world skills

We are so proud of our students for rising to the challenge, and we thank our superintendent, school board, dual credit partners, and families for supporting this incredible opportunity.

All STAAR testing data for High school will be available to families beginning on June 10th. Please use the link below to access the information. To log in to the family portal, parents or guardians must use:

• The unique student access code (Use previous unique access code or call you campus for the code)
• the student's date of birth, and
• the student's legal first name.

STAAR scores for students in grades 3rd - 8th will be available after June 20th.