The Hive Happenings

There’s so much to celebrate this month at Meridian High School!

Today we hosted our Attendance Lunch — a delicious baked potato bar for all students with perfect attendance this six weeks. We are so proud of their commitment to showing up every day and giving their best!

Looking ahead, our End of Six Weeks Field Trip will take place on October 31st at the State Park, where students will enjoy a day of fishing, hiking, and outdoor fun as a reward for their hard work.

Our Fall sports season is also wrapping up. Cross Country just finished district competition, and we’re thrilled to announce that the Varsity Girls’ team has advanced to Regionals! 🏃‍♀️

I am so incredibly proud of how hard our students are working — and of the dedication I see from our teachers every single day. Every day that a student is at school means they’re taking one more step toward their dreams and goals. Thank you for supporting them on this journey! 💛

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In honor of National Principal Appreciation Month, here’s a little peek behind the scenes of a little "get to know you better" for Lizette Paceley.

About My Role:

Favorite part of being principal: Watching our students grow, succeed, and become confident leaders.

Proudest accomplishment at Meridian: Expanding dual credit and CTE opportunities to give students a head start on college and careers.

Most rewarding part of my day: Walking the halls and seeing students supporting each other.

Challenge I enjoy tackling: Finding new ways to make learning exciting and accessible for every student.

One thing people might not know about my role: I receive anywhere from 100-200 non-spam emails per day, am asked at least 100 questions a day. I enjoy being silent when I get home.

Fun & Personal:

Favorite book/movie/TV show: Book:

Hobby or pastime: I LOVE to read, collect rocks, go arrowhead hunting (although no where to look up here in this area), and go thrifting.

Go-to snack or coffee order: Funyuns and Dr. Pepper Zero -- not really a coffee person

Dream travel destination: Turks & Caicos Islands

Hidden talent or quirky skill: I can play the flute!

School & Students:

Favorite school tradition: My High School's tradition -- Buckaroo F's that get passed out to Varsity Football and Volleyball players.

Moment with students that made me smile recently: Honestly, the students make me smile everyday. I love laughing and sharing jokes with the students.

Advice I’d give students: Don't let your situation now dictate your future. Anything is possible. I grew up poor, poor -- in a single parent home with limited income. I did not let that dictate my chances for success.

Goal for this school year: Continue creating opportunities for students to explore, grow, and succeed.

How I celebrate student successes: From shout-outs in the halls to recognizing achievements at events—every success matters!

Rapid Fire:

Favorite color: Any bright color -- but especially Purple, Teal, or Red.

Favorite school subject: English -- duh!

Coffee or tea: Iced black tea very lightly sweetened.

Morning person or night owl: Morning person! I am usually in bed by 8:30, even on the weekends.

We are thrilled to celebrate our very own Academic Advisor, Estafana Whitmer, who officially completed all of her graduation requirements from Texas A&M University–International today! Estafana has earned her Master’s degree in School Counseling, and we couldn’t be prouder of her incredible dedication, hard work, and commitment to supporting our students.

Her achievement is not just a milestone for her—it’s a win for our entire school community. Thank you, Estafana, for inspiring us all with your perseverance and passion for guiding students toward success!

Let's all give her a big round of applause!

Congratulations to our incredible Band of Gold for earning three superior First Division ratings at the Troy Marching Contest! Their hard work, dedication, and teamwork continue to make Meridian proud.

Next stop — the Midlothian Marching Invitational this Saturday! Let’s cheer them on as they continue to #RiseAsOne!

A fantastic idea from one of our parents: Meridian High is looking to launch a volunteer program—much like classroom moms but for our whole school! We’d love for parents or family members to help greet students, decorate hallways, make positive phone calls home, and support other school activities. This is a wonderful way to build connections and celebrate our students. Interested in joining the volunteer team or learning more? Let us know by filling out the form.

We will send out a monthly sign up sheet requesting volunteers for events happening at the school. Sign up for one or all. Anyone is welcome! Volunteer forms must be signed in order to participate during school hours.

The Meridian High School Junior Class is gearing up for their upcoming Golf Scramble and is currently seeking local sponsors and donations to help make the event a success!

Starting Friday during jacket period, students in good standing will be visiting local businesses to request sponsorships. Each group is responsible for contacting at least two businesses.

If you or your business would like to support our students and this exciting event, please reach out to Coach Krueger or a member of the Junior Class.

Thank you for helping our Jackets continue to shine—both on and off the course! 💛🖤

We are thrilled to announce that Garrett Pope and Jasmin Brown were crowned as the 2025 Meridian High School Homecoming King and Queen!

Garrett and Jasmin represent the best of what it means to be a Yellow Jacket—showing leadership, school pride, and kindness both on and off campus.

Congratulations to our royal duo and to all of this year’s Homecoming Court for making this celebration one to remember! 💛🖤

🌟 Gold Stars: Celebrating Our Everyday Heroes

Every week, we’ll shine a little spotlight on moments—big and small—that make our campus stronger, kinder, and more connected. Gold Stars aren’t about titles or checklists; they’re about the heart and hustle we see in each other every day.

💡 Want to nominate someone for a Gold Star? Send me a quick note with their name and what they did. All shout-outs are not just welcome—they’re encouraged!

This week's Gold Star Nominations were (insert drum roll here):

Miss Whitmer was nominated by someone anonymously. They stated, "Because her diligence to her craft led her to find a transcript mistake that would have resulted in a possible lower rating and less collected funding."

Mrs. Dunn was nominated by Mrs. Beaudin. She stated, "Ms. Dunn loves these kids...she devotes her heart to teaching. She loves our kids enough to show up prepared to teach EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. This proves her dedication to educating students instead of wasting their time. Every single minute of her classroom teaching time is full of purpose, joy and education! I'm very grateful for her and for the commitment she has to our students' success at MISD."

The football coaching staff was nominated by Amber Sterling. She stated, "They work so hard and put so many hours into our kids. They do things behind the scenes that no one sees or knows about. They are there most days before the sun comes up and do not get home until the sun goes down. Some of them may be taking classes for other degrees or have other things they are involved in on top of coaching. Great job coaches. We see you! We appreciate you and we love you!"

Coach Schur was nominated by Mrs. Beaudin. She stated, "Coach Schur is one of the best coaches my daughter has ever had. Her kindness is mixed with a fiery passion to see students excel on the court and in her classroom. I honestly don't know how she does sooooo much! Her love for teaching, coaching and student success is obvious and is greatly, deeply appreciated!"

Lizette Paceley and Jessica Chandler were nominated by Mrs. Beaudin. She stated, "These ladies are AMAZING! They balance hundreds, if not thousands, of responsibilities all in hopes to care for kids and see them grow, flourish and have success academically. If you've ever worked in education, you know the blessing it is to have an incredible principal leading your campus. And, these ladies are certainly among the best!! Y'all are doing a wonderful job!"

None submitted this week.

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Remember anyone can nominate a teacher, staff member, or student! Let's help build each other up this year to make this the best school year ever! Go Jackets!!

Attendance by grade level as of October 10, 2025:

6th grade: 97.57% 🔼

7th grade: 97.82% 🔽

8th grade: 98.15%🔽

9th grade: 97.7%🔽

10th grade: 96.74% 🔼

11th grade: 96.75% 🔽

12th grade: 96.86% 🔼

**Note: Letters were sent home last Friday for absences and tardies! Call the front office for more information.

Note: A student may not have any absences or tardies to earn the library lunch.

For field trips, a student can have zero unexcused absences, no more than 2 excused absences, and no more than three tardies.

It will reset every three weeks for the lunch and every six weeks for the field trip!

• 10/10/25 - HS VB vs Itasca
• 10/10/25 - Varsity Football @ Bremond
• 10/11/25 - Teague Marching Invitational
• 10/13/25 - Student Holiday
• 10/14/25 - HS VB vs Rio Vista
• 10/15/25 - UIL Marching Competition @ Riesel ISD
• 10/15/25 - Parent College/FAFSA Application Night
• 10/16/25 - JH Football @ Wortham
• 10/17/25 - HS Football vs Wortham
• 10/20/25 - Region XC Meet @ Grand Prairie, TX
• 10/20/25 - JH Volleyball vs Frost
• 10/21/25 - Digital Dialogue @ 6:00 p.m.
• 10/22/25 - Tarleton Invitational LDE's (FFA)
• 10/23/25 - HLSR Trailer Build-off
• 10/23/25 - JH Football vs Mart
• 10/24/25 - TSTC Campus Visit, HS Football @ Mart
• 10/25/25 - UIL Regional Marching Contest