Timpson Bear Update - February 3, 2012
Submitted by Mid Johnson

New Athletic Director - The Timpson ISD Board of Trustees hired James Conway as the district’s new athletic director in a special called meeting Thursday February 2, 2012. Conway, a former Timpson ISD coach is currently working at Tatum ISD as the defensive coordinator and special education teacher. He has experience as an athletic director serving in that position at New Diana ISD, Tatum ISD, Center ISD and Bridge City ISD. Accomplishments while serving as head football coach included thirteen play-off appearances, nine district championships, eight bi-district championships, three area championships, two regional championships, one quarterfinal championship and one semi-final appearance. As athletic director, Conway had championship wins in volleyball, boys and girls basketball, cross country, track, baseball, softball, boys’ golf, girls’ golf and tennis. Conway has earned many professional honors including being named district coach of the year eight times, and all-star coach in the Texas High School Football All-Star game. Conway, who resides in Timpson, has deep roots in East Texas.

He is a graduate and former athlete of Center High School, received a bachelor of science and master of education degrees from SFA and earned his mid-management certificate from East Texas State University. Conway said, “I believe that athletics is a vital part of a school’s curriculum, because it is a learning experience that teaches young people the value of hard work, mental and physical discipline, and self-worth. It stresses the importance of loyalty, responsibility, sportsmanship, and teamwork above individual accomplishments. Athletics like life is filled with victories and defeats, because of these situations, athletics teaches young people how to cope with these ups and downs. Conway also said he is very excited about returning to coach at Timpson and looks forward to being a part of the Timpson ISD winning tradition.

Lady Bears Basketball Report - The Jr. High Lady Bears basketball teams hosted Beckville Jr. High last night. The 7th grade team hustled the entire game and played tremendous defense the entire, but still fell short 8-2. Cedesha Curtis scored the2 points for the 7th grade. They are still working hard and still learning to handle the ball, make good decisions on the court, and of course how to shoot the ball. In the 8th grade game, the future Lady Bears could not get a break and for the third straight game, just could not get the ball to go into the net losing 25-12 . Tracy Bell lead the team in scoring with 6, followed by Kiazman Page with 4 and Tori Cross with 2. Coach Prather.

Last Tuesday night our Lady Bears traveled to Shelbyville to play the Lady Dragons in a District 22A contest. This was also a hard fought game for all four quarters. The game went back and forth through out the first half with the Lady Bears leading by 1 (10-9) at the end of the 1st Quarter and by two (15-13) at the half. We extended the lead to 3 (21-18) by the end of the 3rd quarter, but just could not quite finish down the stretch losing 30-24. Jakelia Caraway led us in scoring with 17, followed by Tammi Harris with 7. We are still tied with Garrison for 3rd place with 2 games left in District. Thank you, Coach Prather

TES Pep Rally - Timpson Elementary School students and staff held a pep rally Friday in honor of the Lady Bear, Junior Varsity Bear and Varsity bear basketball teams to cheer them on for tonight's Friday February 3rd games against Tenaha. Students led cheers, the crowd got loud and Coach Anthony and Coach Prather introduced the players. Everyone had a great time building spirit for the game and recognizing the hard work of the coaches and players.

Timpson Bear Update - January 30, 2012
Submitted by Mid Johnson

Weekly Calendar of Events -

Tues. Jan. 31st - Basketball - JVB/VG/VB vs. Shelbyville @ 5:30 p.m. - Away
Tues. Jan 31st - Feb 3rd - FFA Fort Worth Livestock Show - Steers

Thurs. Feb. 2nd - Middle School Basketball - 7G/8G/B - vs. Beckville @ 5:30 p.m. - Home

Fri. Feb. 3rd - Basketball vs. Tenaha - JVB/VG/VB - Senior night - @ 5:30 p.m. - Home
Fri. & Sat. Feb 3-4 - UIL Band Solo & Ensemble contest

Lady Bear Basketball Reports -

The Jr. High Lady Bears basketball teams played at Shelbyville last Thursday night. The 7th grade team hustled the entire game and played tremendous defense the entire, but still fell to Tenaha by a score of 18 to 7. Hannah King lead the team in scoring with 4, followed by Cedesha Curtis with 3. In the 8th grade game, the future Lady Bears could not get a break and just could not get the ball to go into the net losing 26-10 . Tracy Bell and Rocio Venegas each scored 4 point followed by Kiazmin Page with 2. Coach Prather.

Last Friday night our Lady Bears hosted the Beckville Lady Bearcats in a District 22A contest. Our Lady Bears winning the contest by a score of 42-40 in a highly competitive and entertaining game. This was a hard fought game for all four quarters. The Lady Bears got down by 10 in the first quarter (12-2), but fought back towards the end of the 2nd quarter to be down only by 4 (25-21). Then the Lady Bears were able to take the lead in the 3rd quarter and go up by 6 in the 4th before Beckville tied it and then went up by two with under two minutes left in the contest when Jakelia made a steal and tied the game at 40. The Lady Bears were then able to hold the Lady Bearcats and Tammi Harris scored with about 10 seconds on the clock. The Lady Bearcats were able to get a shot off, but LaToya grabbed her 10th rebound of the game to secured it for us! Jakelia Caraway led us in scoring with 16, followed by Tammi Harris with 14, then Rachel Reeves pitched in 12 to finish the scoring. Both LaToya Cartwright and Tammi Harris led the team in rebounds with 10 each. LaToya finished with 9 blocked shots while Jakelia had 6 steals and Harley Martin had 5 assists. Next up will be the Lady Dragons of Shelbyville, Tuesday at Shelbyville.
Thank you, Coach Prather

School Spring Pictures - Spring pictures will be taken on Thursday, February 2nd in the high school gym. Notices will be sent home today and forms will be sent home on Wednesday to pick your pose. These are the pictures that everyone can take, and then they send home the packages and you can purchase them or return them. However, if you have kept a package in the past and not returned it or paid for it, you won't be able to receive this year's package.

Timpson Bear Update - January 26, 2012
Submitted by Mid Johnson

Pre-K News - This week, Pre-K 4 has been learning the letter Mm. Today, they were able to learn how to write the letter M and the letter M in shaving cream. While we were learning how to write the letter M, we talked about what color shaving cream was and what it looked like. Some answers were: a horse, snow, and white stuff.

Gifted &Talented News - It's Gifted and Talented Nomination time! See the attached forms for additional information. Timpson Elementary School will accept Kindergarten nominations for the Gifted and Talented Program from January 17, 2012 through February 6, 2012. Nominations may be made by parents, educators, and community members. Nomination forms are available at the Timpson Elementary School office. Please feel free to contact Betty Ivins at 936-254-2463 for more information. The Timpson Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color age, or national origin in its educational programs, activities, or employment as required by Title IX, Section 504, and Title VI.

La Escuela Elementaria de Timpson aceptara nominaciones para el programa de los estudiantes talentoso de 17 enero hasta 6 de febrero, 2012. Nominaciones pueden hagan por los padres, los educadores, y los miembros del comunidad. Las formas para nominacion estan disponible en la oficina de La Escuela Elementaria de Timpson. Para mas informacion llama Betty Ivins 936-254 2463, por favor.

El Districto Escolar Independiente de Timpson no discrimina en la base de sexo, discapacidad, raza, edae, o origen de nacionalidad en las programas, las actividades, o empleo como requierado por Titilo IX, Section 504, y Titilo VI.

TISD Board Member Joyce Wolfe - Mrs. Joyce Wolfe is serving as secretary of the Timpson ISD Board of Trustees. She has served for five years. A graduate of Timpson High School, Mrs. Wolfe and her husband Ronnie have two children, Elizabeth and James, who also are THS graduates. Mrs. Wolfe continues to stay active in the school district through her school board service and attending activities in which her grandchildren Vincent and Julian are involved. Mrs. Wolfe is interested in all aspects of the school system including academics, extracurricular and school facilites. She hopes to see the number of students enrolled in dual credit classes, including those teaching vocational skills, will continue to grow and that students will be well prepared and job ready when they graduate. She promotes keeping the district's physical facilities in good working order to provide a safe, healthy environment for students while at the same time preserving the traditions such as the high school building that help students and staff build on Timpson ISD's rich past as we move toward the future. Mrs. Wolfe attends school board training to ensure that she is current on school law, policies and procedures. She also attends school athletic events, student programs and open house to show her support to the staff and students. Mrs. Wolfe has a strong work ethic and is persistent in her belief that Timpson ISD has the ability to be a school district that consistently meets the needs of our future by educating our youth today.

Timpson Bear Update - January 24, 2012
Submitted by Mid Johnson

Basketball Update - According to Coach Anthony, the high school basketball game at home tonight, January 24th, will begin at 5:30pm with the JV Boys, followed by Varsity Girls, and then the Varsity Boys. Garrison has enough for a JVB so we added the game.

Fort Worth Livestock Show Results - According to Vo-Ag teacher Jesse Stroud, Timpson High School FFA students recently returned from the Fort Worth Livestock Show and the students did great with their animal projects.It was a fun and successful trip. Keaton and Margo represented Timpson well with Margo Hooper placing second in her class with her semmintal heifer. Keaton Bush placed 3rd in his class with his Santa Gertrudis heifer. Congratulations to these students and thank you both for representing Timpson High School so well.

3rd Six Weeks Reports - According to Principal Betty Ivins, attached is the elementary honor roll and perfect attendance reports. Click here for perfect attendance; click here for honor roll.

Timpson Bear Update - January 23, 2012
Submitted by Mid Johnson

Calendar of Events -

Tues., Jan 24th - VG-VB Basketball - Home vs. Garrison @ 6:30 p.m.
Wed., Wed 25th - TES Pastries for Parents - 7:30 a.m.-8:00 a.m. - Grades Pre-K-1 - Elementary Cafeteria
Thurs, Jan 26th - TES Pastries for Parents - 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Grades 2-5 - Elementary Cafeteria
Thurs, Jan 26th - 7G-8G/B @ 5:30 a.m. vs. Shelbyville - Away
Fri., Jan 27th - VG-VB Basketball vs. Beckville - Home @ 5:30 p.m.
Sat., 28th - Carlisle FFA Show in Henderson - Heifers, Steers, Lambs, Goats, Pigs

Timpson ISD students who qualified to play in all region band concert. Pictured left to right Reed King, TISD band director Tim Hunger, and Maggie Bush

All Region Band - THS student Maggie Bush and TMS student Reed King played in the Region 21 ATSSB All-Region band. These two students earned the right to play in the All-Region band concert in a competition against other students in Region 21. Reed King was the first chair tenor saxophone in the All-Region Middle School Symphonic Band conducted by former THS Band Director Nathan Templeton. Maggie was eighth chair clarinet in the All-Region High School Concert Band conducted by Jeff Bradford from Lake Highlands High School. Timpson ISD Band Director Tim Hunger said both concerts were very impressive and he was very proud of the TISD students who were a part of these spectacular concerts. Attached is a photo of Timpson ISD students who qualified to play in the All-Region band concert. Pictured left to right are Reed King, TISD band director Tim Hunger and Maggie Bush.

Lady Bears High School and Middle School Basketball Reports -

The report on the Lady Bears High school game Friday night against Gary.

Last Friday night our Lady Bears hosted the Gary Bobcats in a District 22A contest. Our Lady Bears winning the contest by a score of 42-35. This was a hard fought game for all four quarters. The first half was back and forth with the score at the end of the first quarter tied at 10 and the half time score very close with us on top by 2; 21-19. It was the third quarter press that allowed us to take a big lead 35-19 and hold the Lady Bobcats scoreless the entire quarter. Of course, they stormed back in the fourth quarter due to us having too many turnovers to make the game close. Jakelia Caraway led us in scoring with 26 followed by Tammie Harris with 7, Rachel Reeves with 5 and Harley Martin with 4. Tammi Harris led the team in rebounds with 15 followed by LaToya with 10. It was reversed in blocked shots: Latoys had 10 followed by Tammi with 4. Our district record at the end of the first half of district stands at 2 wins and 3 losses. We start the second half of district play Tuesday at home against Garrison. -- Coach Prather

The report on Thursday night's Jr. High game against Tenaha.

The Jr. High Lady Bears basketball teams played at home against Tenaha last Thursday night. The 7th grade team hustled the entire game and played tremendous defense the entire, but still fell to Tenaha by a score of 4 to 2. This was a big improvement from the first time we played Tenaha-that score was 20-5. Aislynn Kimzey scored the 2 points. We were all disappointed, but realize that we are making progress. In the 8th grade game, the future Lady Bears played flat and could not handle the ball against the pressing Tenaha players losing 32-2. Tracy Bell scored our 2 points. Their record now stands at 4 wins and 3 losses. -- Coach Prather

TISD Board Member Dannie Hunt - Dannie Hunt has served as a Timpson ISD board member for the past seven years. He and his wife Maureen have a son, Joseph, who is a 2008 graduate of Timpson High School. Mr. Hunt is employed at WalMart in Nacogdoches. His experience as a manager in the corporate world has taught him the importance of supporting and encouraging the employees in any business including the school business. He is very supportive of the TISD staff and believes this encouragement will motivate the staff to provide outstanding educational opportunities for the students. Mr. Hunt realizes the future of our schools, community, state and nation lies in the hands of the students we are educating today. He is pleased that TISD students not only receive an excellent education from the school staff but that the staff also provides great examples of how adults with Christian ethics and morals conduct themselves. Mr. Hunt's own experience as a student taught him the importance of getting a good education in the classroom as well as the life lessons often learned on the athletic field. As a result his goals for TISD is to continue to support the outstanding staff, continue the academic success of all three campuses and to develop the athletic program so that students can learn to work as a team and to understand that winning comes as a result of not only talent but hard work and deducation. We appreciate Mr. Hunt's dedication and service to the staff, students and community.

Timpson ISD: The Superintendent's View - December 12, 2011
From the desk of TISD Superintendent, Dr. Mid Johnson

Thanksgiving, Christmas time, the New Year; these are all times for us to reflect on how blessed we are to live in the USA and work in education. It seems from the news that all of our cherished ideals and beliefs are being attacked and denigrated. Because of these pressures, we have determined that our best course of action is to work even harder to achieve excellence in our district. This we are doing and will continue to do so. A key element in our plan of attack to remove every obstacle is UNITY.

Let me cite two recent examples. Our elementary and middle school recently had great success in their UIL competitions. Even the competing schools were complementary of how well organized the events were, and how enjoyable the hospitality was. In order for that to happen every person on these campuses worked together to make it a success. That is one example of unity. Another is the “BITS” (Bears in the Sky) exercise. This involved many people from the high school and middle school, students, teachers, and administrators, working together to put a weather balloon, digital cameras, and tracking devices into the sky. This NASA like experiment was to photograph the curvature of the earth and the blackness of space. The willingness of many people to work together made this an enjoyable and successful event. Team spirit and unity always promotes excellence and make work fun. Someone once said, “People who love what they do never work a day in their life”.

The Christmas story reminds us of our national heritage and educational roots. There was a time that no one could be thought of as being “educated” without some knowledge of the Bible. This great book is actually sixty-six different books unified by one theme. In a like manner our curriculum may include many different areas, but it is necessary for it to be aligned or unified so every teacher in every class has the same goal; student success. Our nation has been sustained by one major idea. We are all different, but our diversity contributes to the unifying truth that we are AMERICANS. The alternative to unity is chaos, anarchy and defeat. When we stand together, we are a better district, and we help our community, State and county to improve by sending out students who will contribute to the goodness of America. We are indeed grateful to be educators in this important time in this great country.