In LISD, we are preparing the dreamers to be doers by developing engaged, collaborative learners who are equipped for success.

The English to Speakers of Other Languages students collaborated with the Life Skills students for a festive, virtual book reading session. We had 12 ESOL students volunteer to read Christmas books to help get the Life Skills kids excited about the upcoming holidays. It’s a win-win for all because the ESOL kids get an opportunity to practice their speaking/reading skills while collaborating with another classroom on campus. -Jill Hargis

Shout out to the SPED BIC, AVLS, ALS, FLS, Resource, and BASE teachers and aides. Despite COVID-19 making many of our routines very difficult to do like normal, they have adapted/ adjusted what they do in the classroom so that our students can still be very successful. -Tricia Felicien

In LISD, we know students thrive when they are engaged in their learning and feel a sense of belonging in our schools.

The TCHS AcDec team won the District Competition for the first time in school history, beating out the 4 other LISD schools en route to victory! Our competitors racked up 55 individual awards, including 6 gold medals, 12 silver medals, and 6 bronze medals. Additionally, Ryan Arnold and Leydon Goble finished 2nd place overall in their categories while Ashton Malone finished 1st place in the Varsity category. TCHS will move on to the Regional competition as the 2nd ranked team in the Region!

-Cheryl Chupe and Curry Goff

Congrats to those students who made the all-region band. Their names are below. Once again, The Colony has the most students out of all schools as we have for the past 4 years. Students with the word “AREA” next to their name, means they advance to the Area level, where they will audition for all-state. Wish them luck!

Piccolo

Jocelyn Collado 1st chair – AREA

Flute

Oliva Gu – 10th chair

Oboe

Mikayla Phillips – 2nd chair - AREA

Clarinet

Savannah McClincey – 9th chair

Jahziel Flores – 11th chair

Alto Saxophone

Carmen Merrill – 4th chair

Alice Karcher – 6th chair

Bari Saxophone

Kennia Pequeno – 1st chair – AREA

Trumpet

George Hawkins – 1st chair – AREA

Oudom Pach – 7th chair

Landen Nelson – 12th chair

Horn

Anderson Cotton – 4th chair – AREA

Mathew Nguyen – 5th chair

Elizabeth Bauerly – 7th chair

Sarah Gamble – 8th chair

Trombone

John Nye – 2nd chair – AREA

Raul Carmona – 6th chair

Lauren Mihalovich – 8th chair

Tuba

Loghan Runnako – 1st chair – AREA

Charlie Moats – 3rd chair

Percussion

Dylan White – 2nd chair – AREA

Jackson Merrill – 5th chair

-Michael Larkin

The TCHS Competition Team competed at the UIL State Cheer Competition on Thursday January the 14th against 58 other 5A Division 1 schools. The top 20 teams advanced to finals and TCHS was one of those teams sitting in 12th place! They placed 13th overall in band chant and 9th overall in fight song! Their performance was so great in finals, that they bumped up two spots and finished in 10th place overall out of all 5A division 1 schools! Way to go TCHS Cheer! -Heather Jones

6 TCHS Choir Students made the Region 2 Choirs including Tye Denson, Daniel Feliberty-Irizarry, Elijah Hull, Andrew Moats, Myriana Owens, and Justin Tran! Congratulations to these talented singers!

-Margaret Miller

Have you ever seen the movie or read the novel about the famous The Freedom Writers? Well, our class got the opportunity to meet with an incredible woman who is a real Freedom Writer, inspirational speaker, author, and successful entrepreneur. We had a virtual meeting with Ms. Tiffony Jacobs, who shared her plight from poverty and abuse to education and success. She expressed how rough her upbringing was, but she also illustrated how she overcame those circumstances by engaging in positive self-talk, valuing education, surrounding yourself with positive people, and believing in the power of writing. We all gained a new perspective that encouraged us to appreciate everything we already have and to remain resilient in the face adversity. -Ashlee Wilkerson

The Colony Cougars Model United Nations (TCCMUN) will be competing at Harvard virtually on January 28th – 31st! This is the second time TCCMUN will compete at this prestigious university to enhance their international relations, debate, and leadership skills. Our President, Kaitlin Said, ensures TCCMUN is accessible to any student, even without prior knowledge of the workings of MUN. Now being offered at TCHS is MUN I - IV nine weeks courses which allow all students to learn, practice, and compete right here on campus. With over a hundred members and counting, we encourage all students interested in debate, international relations, or academic rigor to join us. Club time is socially distance in the library after school Mondays so come see what it's about as we mock committees to prepare for Harvard! -Kristie DeLuna

I have been through the medical gamut since 2017 having contracted a bacterial infection in my knee. This past Monday (January 4th) I had my 12th knee surgery and I learned that a former student of mine and a recent TCHS graduate, will be shadowing one of my doctors whom I introduced her to through my medical fiasco! Lemonade from lemons! -Alisa Slavens

Topcats celebrated their second biennial Holiday Spectacular. This year we prepared our show and special features to be recorded and put together in a memorable digital format! -Alex Rogers

I would love to celebrate our 6 volleyball players that were given 5A Region 2, District 10 Honors!

Sophomore, Kacie Rangel, was voted First Team All-District.

Juniors, Natalie Hawkins and Lilly Quinones, were voted Second Team All-District.

Junior, Lydia Gentry, and Freshman, Josie Bishop, were voted Honorable Mention.

And last, but not least, Sophomore, Sophia Smith was voted as The 2020 Newcomer of the Year!

I would also love to recognize and celebrate the girls that excelled in both volleyball and the classroom. Academic All-District Honorees (these ladies maintained a 90 or higher in all of their classes during season): Bella Navarrette, Kacie Rangel, Lydia Gentry, Melanie Mora, Miranda Garcia, Zabrina Fernandez, and Sophia Smith.

-Rachel Buckley

In LISD, we believe education is a shared responsibility between our district and the communities we serve.

The art department has put together a virtual art gallery for TCHS and the community to enjoy. The gallery includes artwork from both virtual and in-person students from the first semester. These works are from all-levels from Art 1, Art 2 and 3 Drawing, Art 2 and 3 Painting and Ceramics.

-Heather Jones

TCHS Band and Orchestra were able to host a virtual holiday concert. -Michael Larkin

The cheerleaders hosted a second virtual pep-rally on 12/4 that went out to the staff and community and was shown during advisory periods. Many groups participated including: JROTC, Choir, Color Guard, Band, Cheer, Topcats, Volleyball and Football. -Heather Jones

The JROTC Cougar Battalion Honoring our Veterans!

Veterans Day looked different this year- but it, and our country’s veterans, were still remembered and appreciated.

Like most other events and celebrations, plans for Veterans Day were changed and adapted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Each year, The Colony High School honors thanks and remembers our military, we recognize the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces- military connected students, alumni, faculty, and staff through a special Veterans Day event. This year, in lieu of our traditional event in the gymnasium, our event was conducted in our theater.

Our Army JROTC Cougar Battalion Veterans Day program was led by Cadet Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Michelle Ortiz. CSM Ortiz also lead the Cougar Battalion Honor Guard team, which included Cadet CPT Alex Kurian, Cadet CPT Andrew Crouchman, Cadet CPT Daniel Rodriguez.

Our exceptional guest speaker was University of North Texas Dean Felecia Epps. Dean Epps is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran lawyer. Dean Epps graduated Magna Cum Laude from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha. Dean Epps graduated with honors from Quantico the Naval Justice School.

The Cougar Battalion would like to thank our school and community for their support during our virtual Veterans Day program.

-LTC Janie Eddins

For the past seven years, Theatre at The Colony (TATC) has produced “Christmas Comes to The Colony.” It’s a production many in the community look forward to as the show brings cheer and joy to the holiday season. When the time came to start gearing up for the annual show, TATC began exploring every avenue to ensure they could bring the holiday favorite to the community, even in the midst of a pandemic. We knew our community had been economically hit hard, so whatever we did was going to need to be low cost, or better yet, free, for our audience. We decided to stream the production on YouTube for licensing purposes, and offer the link for free so audiences could watch the production time and time again throughout the month of December. It wouldn’t be cheap or easy, but giving the community a gift during trying times was important to TATC. This year especially, we hoped the production would bring joy and happiness while focusing on the promise and magic of the season. More than 1400 people were able to view this special production as our gift to them. -Rhonda Craig

In LISD, when we say we want to be good stewards of our resources, we aren't just talking about taxpayer dollars.

As fall semester was drawing to an end, and gearing up towards the holiday festivities, the faculty and staff of TCHS celebrated warmth and joy with the 12 Days of Christmas. Holiday music played by our band department as well as during transition periods. The talent of our TC family was put to the test with door decorating, creative mask and ugly sweater competitions. Secret Santa gift exchange brought a giving spirit as teachers and faculty secretly surprised participants in this exchange. From Dec. 3 to Dec. 18, each day leading up to the last day of the fall semester was creatively celebrated with holiday treats and gifts from both our Student Council and administrators. -Kimberly Broomhall, Counseling Department, and Jamie McCarty

TCHS Counselors have been awarded CREST (Counselors Reinforcing Excellence in Texas) from the Texas School Counselor Association for the third consecutive school year. CREST is a continuous improvement document that school counseling programs can use to demonstrate effective communication and commitment to obtaining results. Click the Smore below. -Cory Broom

A huge thanks to Dr. Baxter, who allocated some Title 1 funds for us to purchase new books this fall. With that money, we decided to update our nonfiction section to be more current and inclusive. Our upcoming book order includes fiction and nonfiction award-winning titles and celebrates diverse voices.

December Take & Make-

December's Take & Make activity was a card writing kit so students and staff could send holiday cheer letters to individuals in local assisted living facilities, those affected by domestic abuse, individuals in the homeless community, Meals on Wheels recipients, and nurses and doctors at Cook Children's locations in North Texas. We had over a dozen cards sent out to these locations, just in time for the holiday season. Be on the lookout for our January Take & Make in this month's Cougar Library Letter!

Pop-Up Library-

We ended the fall semester with a Pop-Up Library so students and staff could stock up on books for the holiday break. We had a successful turnout and hope to do more Pop-Up Library events in the spring semester.

-Kimberly Broomhall and Emily Pojman

The students of TCHS life skills classes worked tremendously hard over the fall semester in their student run business, Radiant Treasures. The profit earned was used to adopt three angels off of the LISD angel tree, as well as add some items to their new sensory room. This spring semester they look forward to continuing to learn valuable vocational and academic skills all while giving back to the community they love so dearly. If you would like to see some of the current products offered by Radiant Treasures, take a look at their website by clicking the button below. -Katie Brown, Mattie Rainwater, and Jennifer Shaw

Curry Goff was named The Colony High School's Teacher of the Year!

Mr Goff is a tremendous advocate for students and exceptional classroom teacher. We are proud of Mr. Goff and the contributions he makes to The Colony in the Science Department, AcDec team, and navigating virtual learning.

Website: https://www.lisd.net/tchs
Location: 4301 Blair Oaks Drive, The Colony, TX 75056, USA
Phone: 469-713-5178
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecolonyhighschool/
Twitter: @TheColonyHS