LISD Expect Excellence Newsletter

Hello Levelland Lobos!

Happy New Year. I wish you the best for 2025. As Helen Keller so wisely stated, "Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties."

Welcome to the spring semester at Levelland ISD. We are excited to have the students back and we anxiously await all the amazing activities and opportunities that are to come.

Have a great week!

Go Lobos!

Expect Excellence

Becky McCutchen, Superintendent

LHS UIL Journalism sponsor Kelly Buckner #expectsexcellence and brags on some of her UIL Journalism students. They competed in the Texas Tech University UIL Winter Journalism Meet and earned the first-place trophy! These students were also recognized for their success in paving the way for their future! Congratulations to them all and to Fabiola for receiving the $300 scholarship. Great job LHS kids!

LHS eSports teacher April Austin took her seniors who are in the LHS eSports program to visit Wayland Baptist University. They toured the facility, visiting the fine arts building, the area where they broadcast their radio station, and the science building. Students were able to visit with their head eSports coach and learn more about the games offered and how to obtain a scholarship to Wayland. Who knew years ago that this could be a productive career? Aren't these students lucky to get to do something they love?

Levelland ISD continues with our Lobo Excellence Award in December! This community connections project honors two local businesses for their support each month! We surprise their business with goodies from the LMS Lobo Diner, a Lobo Flag and Pole, and a photo op. Allied Oilfield and Renegade were both honored for their generous support of LISD activities and athletics. We appreciate the partnerships with both of these businesses and hope we can give back half as much as they give us. Thank you!

We have to brag about Damian Munoz! He is the LISD Maintenance Supervisor's Assistant by day and boxer by night! Damian is an LHS graduate and made his Pro-Boxing Debut in Hobbs, NM at the Lea County Event Center. He has been training and boxing in matches since he was at LHS, started out as an amateur, and then gained State and National experience. Damian is number 4 in the Nation for his weight class and has had enough experience to go pro. Damian trains twice a day at Shark Attack Boxing Center, led by Sharky LeCroy here in Levelland. We give him a shout-out and wish him the best of luck in this endeavor!

This was a great Christmas Surprise! South 4th-Grader Donnie Simpson didn't even recognize his brother at first. Montana Knight (a Morton ISD graduate) has been serving in the Navy for two years and Donnie had not seen him since 2nd grade. Montana arrived in Levelland and came South Elementary to give Donnie a great Christmas surprise. Thank you for your service Mr. Knight, and welcome home! Merry Christmas!

https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/videos/1268699234251623

LHS students in Mrs. Tori Henderson's floral classes were hard at work making beautiful wreaths for the Christmas season! They learned about creativity, design principles like balance and repetition, patience, resourcefulness, and enjoyed expressing their personal style. We are so thankful for this CTE course that opens a door for their future!

South Elementary students participated in making a Heavenly Angel Tree in Mrs. Mary Bara's Art classes. Mrs. Bara recently lost her mother and this was a great way to have some closure. Students told of "angels" they knew and loved in heaven before painting an ornament for the Heavenly Angel Tree. These ornaments went home with students to hang on their own trees so they could remember their loved ones for years to come. What a sweet idea for the Christmas season!

Capitol hosted their annual Sing Along this morning with a packed house! This always puts us in the Christmas Spirit. A great time was had by all!

https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/videos/1128958885483973

LHS students in Mr. Chad Lawson's Forensics Science class spent the week creating a Christmas Crime Scene! His students built miniature holiday-themed crime scenes for the end-of-the-semester fun project. This lesson touched on several topics studied this semester, including how to investigate and reconstruct crime scenes, data collection, preservation of evidence, and evidence analysis! Thank you, Mr. Lawson, for #expectingexcellence and thinking out of the box so that students remember what they've learned. LHS is so lucky to have this amazing class that opens another door for students after high school!

Twas the week before Christmas, but the Elf on the Shelf was spotted at LHS using microscopes, reading, finding Santa’s favorite element, safely using the Bunsen burner and evaporating dish, demonstrating standard anatomical position, finding a healthy lunch, and sitting around observing her favorite students. She found more nice than naughty students and staff at LHS.

This Grinch whose heart already grew three sizes, visited the LHS LOC students yesterday to wish them a Merry Christmas! It was a great end to their pancake breakfast and semester!

What a great way to end the semester and have fun too! Biology students in Mrs. Sandy Billington's classes made Christmas Ornaments! Mrs. Billington says, "When kids are younger they make Christmas Ornaments, but don't usually have the chance when they're older. This ornament is something they can always keep and remember their Biology class and teacher at LHS!" Each design had to represent something they had learned in biology this semester! That's fun! Thank you, Mrs. Billington!
https://files.gabbart.com/456/biologyvideo.mp4

There are so many verses and quotes about giving so we must share this Capitol story that will touch your heart. Mrs. Clara Sanders' mother, Lupe Hernandez, passed away eight weeks ago at the age of 91. Lupe had asked Mrs. Sanders how many 4th-grade students Clara had and then proceeded to make 88 hats for each child before her passing. These hats were made with love and care, and we know that it gave Mrs. Sanders so much pleasure to give each of her kids a hat for Christmas that will bring back the memory of 4th grade for many years to come. Thank you for this heartfelt gift, Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Hernandez up in Heaven!

The Levelland Lions Club honored the LHS students of the month earlier today. LHS #expectsexcellence and two students are nominated each month by teachers for making the extra effort at school. Senior Addisen Campbell and Sophomore Jake Potter were both honored! Addisen was nominated by Counselor Robyn Parkinson and Jake Potter was nominated by Spanish teacher Isabel Navarro. Congratulations to these two outstanding LHS students!

Capitol students were caught in their pajamas today, but they are still working! PE teacher Kristy Sanders had students hard at work using manipulatives purchased with her LIFE Foundation grant. These manipulatives help students with their fine motor skills and help them work on social and cooperative skills. Thank you, LIFE Foundation, for making learning great every day.

All year long, our ABC Littles have led the pledges at our Board of Trustees meetings. We appreciate them continuing with this tradition! LISD #expectsexcellence, and we are so proud that our strong education begins at ABC and grows through LHS! Thank you Mrs. Howard!

LHS Athletic Director Lyle Leong is pleased to share the long list of boys honored on the All-District Team! These honors are earned through sweat and blood, aches and pains. We are super proud that the list is extra long this year! Congrats to our athletes and coaches for a job well done! https://files.gabbart.com/456/footballawards.mp4

LHS Senior Aubree Gaona signed today to continue her Volleyball Career at McPherson College in Kansas. Aubree has played for Coach Gibson for three years and has been an asset to the Loboettes. Congratulations, Aubree, on your next step in your future! We are proud of you and can't wait to see what you do at the next level as a McPherson Bulldog!

Email: rmccutchen@levellandisd.net
Website: www.levellandisd.net
Location: 704 11th Street, Levelland, TX
Phone: 806-894-9628
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/
Instagram: levellandindschooldistrict