State champs in softball, track and … buses!
Written by Bruce Olson
The high point of the Humble ISD board meeting June 12 occurred when Humble ISD Athletic Director Troy Kite recognized two Texas state championships won by athletes at Atascocita High School.
Christian Gilmore is the Texas Gold Medal Winner of the 800-meter race and the Atascocita softball team are the Texas State Division 6A Champions for 2018.
"When you start out the first race of the year and you win, that is a good way to start, and then you win the second one and the third one and you get to district and you win it, and you have been undefeated to that point, the pressure starts to build. Then you go to the area meet and you win it and you go to regionals and you win it, and you have a chance to compete at the University of Texas in front of 15,000 people. I am very proud to introduce you to the 2018 800-meter gold medalist, Christian Gilmore, with a time of 1:52:56. To go through your season and win a gold medal and not lose a single race is quite an achievement. Congratulations, Christian," said Kite.
After the applause died down, Kite called forward the Atascocita Lady Eagles softball team.
"If you haven't followed this group of ladies, then you've probably been living under a rock. The last couple of months have been an amazing ride. To do what these ladies have done is quite an accomplishment," said Kite.
He described the way the team had originally tied for district as co-champions with another Humble ISD school, then went 12 and 3 in the district playoffs, and then won the state tournament after a tough opening game with a final 5-3 win over the top-ranked team in the country, Comal Canyon.
"I would like to crown the 2018 6A State Softball Champions, Atascocita High School," said Kite. After the applause again died down, he concluded by noting this is the first Texas State Championship won by any Atascocita team and the only state championship ever won by an Humble ISD softball team.
J.P. Burd the Humble ISD director of transportation, had yet another state and national honor to announce.
"For the fourth consecutive year, we have placed in the top 100 fleets [of transportation buses and systems in the U.S]. This year, we ranked 14th out of 38,000 eligible government entities. We are also proud to announce that Humble ISD is the highest ranked public school district in the top 100 in America," said Burr.
Burr also highlighted two individual technicians who earned state recognition in the "America's Best School Bus Technician Skills" competition. Jared Jacobs and Jovan Jackson placed first and third, respectively. Jacobs will compete at the national level later this year as the Texas representative.
In other business, the board re-organized itself for the coming 2018-19 school year. Following unanimous concurrence, the officers are: Charles Cunningham, president; Nancy Morrison, vice-president; Robert Sitton, secretary; and Martina Dixon, parliamentarian.
After a brief recess, Cunningham announced his proposed appointments to the board's standing committees for the coming school year. The board unanimously approved them. They are:
Audit Committee: Charles Cunningham (chairman), Martina Dixon and Angela Conrad.
Board and Superintendent Evaluation Committee: Keith Lapeze (chairman), Nancy Morrison and Colin Carney.
Building and Planning Committee: Martina Dixon (chairwoman), Robert Sitton and Angela Conrad.
Finance Committee: Robert Sitton (chairman), Charles Cunningham and Colin Carney.
Legislative Advocacy Committee: Nancy Morrison (chairwoman), Charles Cunningham and Robert Sitton.
Board representative for the Humble ISD Education Foundation: Colin Carney.
Kingwood Super Neighborhood Council Representative: Martina Dixon.
Academy for Advancing Leaders, delegate and alternate: Charles Cunningham and Nancy Morrison.
During the public comments period, a resident addressed her deep concern about the question of arming teachers in the classroom. She explained that she was the mother of six, including a senior in high school, and recognized the value of well-trained armed law enforcement officers on school premises. However, she said she has no confidence in arming classroom teachers and believes it would create a more dangerous condition for all students and teachers rather than a safer one. She implored the board to weigh the issues carefully if it was to going to be considered in the near future.
A second resident complained about a variety of teacher issues ranging from class sizes being too large in subjects such as English to teachers not being properly motivated to teach. As the meeting closed, Cunningham thanked the residents on behalf of the board members for their public comments.
School board meetings are normally held at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Humble ISD Administration Building, 20200 Eastway Village Dr., and are open to the public. Agendas are posted on the district website:humbleisd.net.
Author: Bruce OlsonEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
I have been married since 1970 to Kerry, my best friend and a great Australian woman. I served and survived Vietnam in the U.S. Air Force. I fought forest fires in the summer while in college, where I earned a B.A. in economics from Oklahoma State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas. I retired from Continental Airlines. I have a son and two granddaughters in Kingwood, and a daughter and two grandsons on a farm near Mazabuka, Zambia. I am now enjoying life as a grandfather, Tribune correspondent and Humble ISD guest teacher when not traveling to Zambia or Australia.
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