CISD News with Dr. David Faltys, CISD Superintendent
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,brstock or group, according to the dictionary. And that definition certainlybrapplies to Carroll ISD, where we're building our own Dragon Dynasty inbrathletics, academics and the arts. Every year, I'm amazed at how many studentbrhonors our Dragons amass, and at how many areas those honors span.
Academically, our high school wasbrranked among the top in the nation, according to US Newsbr& World Report and Newsweek magazines.brWe also made the AP Board’s Honor Roll, again. Thirteen Carroll students werebrnamed National Merit Finalists. Carroll won the UIL District 4–5A AcademicbrChampionship this year, and four of Carroll’s Odyssey of the Mind teamsbradvanced to the World Finals. In student council, our kids earned top honors atbrstate. Our Dragon Robotics Team won the SW Regional FTC Championship Tournamentbrand earned an invitation to complete at the World Championship.
In the area of fine arts, the DragonbrJazz Band took first place in 5A varsity at the TCU Jazz Festival. TrombonistbrJared Neeley was named to the All-State Jazz Band, while Neha Jain and DaniellebrRodriguez were selected for All-State Band and Choir. The Carroll TheatrebrDepartment earned 15 award nominations for their performance of Legally Blonde, The Musical. Three Carroll choir groupsbrreceived sweepstakes at the Texas UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest forbrRegion 24. The Dragon Symphonic Band, the Symphonic Winds and the Wind Ensemblebrall scored superior ratings at the Region 24 UIL Concert and Sight-ReadingbrContest. The Dragon Marching Band earned a superior rating at the UIL RegionalbrMarching Band Competition as well.
Visual artists were not to bebroutdone. Carroll and Dawson Middle School students earned 10 superior medals inbrthe Junior Visual Arts Scholarship Event. Carroll freshman Christie Ballewbrreceived the highest honor, gold seal, at the Visual Art Scholastic Event,brwhile her CHS classmates all earned superior medals.
Meanwhile, the Emerald Belles wonbrthe ShowMaker State Championship, and the Carroll Varsity Cheer Squad earnedbrthird place in the advanced, medium high-school division of the National CheerbrAssociation High School competition.
Our Dragon athletes continued tobrshine as both cross-country teams won 5A UIL State Championships, as did bothbrour boys and girls swimming and diving teams. Senior distance runner CourtneybrKriegshauser won her second consecutive gold medal in the 1,600-meter race atbrstate, Trevor Gilley took second place in the 1,600-meter, and Joe Sansonebrearned second in the 3,200-meter.
Two Dragon wrestlers earned top-fivebrfinishes at state; the Lady Dragon basketball team made it to the 5A Region Ibrquarterfinals; Lady Dragon softball finished the season 25–9 before losing inbrthe Region I area round of Class 5A softball; and Dragon baseball, as of thisbrwriting, is still in the playoffs.
Not to be outdone, our boys golfbrteam finished third, and the girls team finished seventh at state; the Dragonbrtennis team made it to the quarterfinals of the 5A tennis tournament and set abrrecord for the number of players qualifying for state; and the Dragon soccerbrteam made it to the regional semifinals, while the Lady Dragon soccer team werebrthe state runners-up.
These are just a few of the year'sbrmany academic, fine arts and athletic highlights, ensuring the Dragons are onbrpace to earn a second consecutive Lone Star Cup. I have no doubt the DragonbrDynasty will be marked by many more accolades and honors to come, giving DragonbrNation much to be proud of.
Dr. David Faltys serves as Superintendent of Carroll Independent School District, the largest 5A Exemplary district in the state of Texas. He was named by the 2010 Region XI Superintendent of the Year after being nominated for the award by his local School Board. David and his wife, Jennifer, have four children: Dave, Peyton, Kenton and Lauren