Big Red Letter - October 2026
Three Belton ISD Seniors Earn National Merit Semifinalist Honors
Three Belton ISD seniors—Anya Jinadatha of Belton High School, along with Shreya Muni and Guru Rajkumar of Lake Belton High School—were named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program following their high-achieving PSAT/NMSQT scores. All three credit their academic success to personal consistency and strong support from family, peers, and teachers. Highly involved in school leadership, athletics, and academic competitions, each student plans to pursue pre-med or biophysics tracks in college with long-term goals in medicine and research. Their semifinalist standing qualified them to compete for upcoming National Merit Scholarships and finalist honors.
Six additional Belton ISD seniors were named Commended Scholars: Alexandra Bui, Aiden Walker and Vishnuprasad Kakarla of Lake Belton High School, and Kirra A. Martin, Andrew N. Rabroker and Charles K. Wagner of Belton High School.
Two Belton ISD Students Named National Math Stars Second Consecutive Year
Belton ISD celebrated two third-graders, Apollo Barth of Lakewood Elementary and Katie He of Sparta Elementary, who were selected as 2026 National Math Stars. They joined previous honorees to bring the district's total to four stars and nine finalists since joining the program in 2025.
Selected from a pool of 161 local students who scored in the top 5% nationally on the Renaissance Star Assessment, Barth and He completed a rigorous, multi-stage application process to earn the distinction, which carries 10 years of individualized math enrichment and mentorship.
Student Once Helped by Sparta Teacher Returns the Favor
Belton Middle School sixth-grader Jude Ruiz used his 3D printing talent to design and donate a custom raised clipboard for Brett York, a Sparta Elementary third-grader in need of an adapted writing surface. The project came full circle through Sparta special education teacher Jenn Hoelscher, who previously taught Jude and helped him build his confidence in elementary school.
Jude, who runs his own venture called Print Kid 3D, previously created fidgets for Special Olympics athletes and classrooms, and he declined payment for Brett's custom board to give back to his former teacher's classroom.
Two Belton ISD Schools Earn Purple Star Designation
Belton ISD’s two newest campuses, Hubbard Branch Elementary and James L. Burrell Elementary, earned the Purple Star Campus Designation, bringing the district’s total to six designated schools. The distinction recognized their dedicated commitment to supporting military-connected students and families through specialized transition programs and campus liaisons.
Hubbard Branch and Burrell joined Belton High School, Lake Belton Middle School, High Point Elementary and Charter Oak Elementary as the district’s six currently designated Purple Star campuses.
With military-connected students making up nearly 30 percent of the district, the new designations highlighted Belton ISD's ongoing efforts to create welcoming, supportive environments for military families across its campuses.
About Us
Email: communications@bisd.net
Website: www.bisd.net
Location: 400 North Wall Street | PO Box 269 Belton, Texas 76513
Phone: 254-215-2000
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