PALO PINTO COUNTY—As the invigorating pomp and circumstance energy associated with graduation season buzzes in the air, the Palo Pinto ISD classes of 2036 and 2030 wish the best of luck to all the high school graduates of 2024.
PPISD serves students from pre-K through sixth grade. The kindergartners will graduate in 3036, while the sixth graders will receive their diplomas in 2030.
For the 2023-2024 school year, the district celebrated the graduation of 15 kindergarteners, Superintendent Wendell Barker said.
“Palo Pinto ISD had an exceptional kindergarten class this year,” We strive to ensure that every student is reading and has strong mathematical foundational skills before the following school year. Further, it is always a complete joy to witness from year to year how these boys and girls develop into young men and women and excel each successive year that we have them.”
Kindergarten teacher, Trina Toalson, said the kiddos made significant progress in foundational skills. The little ones focused on learning letters and corresponding sounds, commonly occurring words, counting to 100, identifying numbers and more.
“These early learning experiences are crucial for establishing a strong foundation that will support their academic growth in future grades,” Toalson said. “It’s wonderful to see our kindergarten graduates transition to first grade here at Palo Pinto Elementary.”
The district held a graduation ceremony for its students on May 23. The district also hosted a high school senior walk, inviting past Mustangs who are graduating to join them, to inspire smaller students who look up to them in admiration.
Moreover, PPISD recognizes students who completed multiple years in the district through the Mustang Merit Scholarship.
Sixth-grade teacher Lauren Salter said her pupils worked hard all year in their daily learning, but also excelled in University Interscholastic League events and the Battle of the Books competition.
“Each student has been a joy to have and I know they will move on to continue doing great things in junior high and beyond,” Salter said.
Battle of the Books, or BOB, was held at Mineral Wells High School on May 9. Palo Pinto ISD went up against 15 teams from seven school districts.
Palo Pinto teams, FBI (Five Book Investigators) took first place and King BOB finished second overall in the competition.
District Administrative Assistant Amanda Hinojos said the teams are made up of students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. They are assigned to read the same ten books over four months.
A panel of judges then scores the students’ understanding of the literature.
“It’s a rigorous academic competition that improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, also teaching teamwork and sportsmanship,” Hinojos said.
Fourth-grade teacher and BOB coach Glenda Valencia concurred. She’s been a BOB coach for 15 years.
“They always want to come back and do it again,” Valencia said of the participating students. “They’re reading more in-depth. They’re really digging into these books.”
Barker said it’s these skills he’s confident the district’s graduating sixth graders will take onto their next academic chapter.
“It is powerful to see the growth these students make from year to year, especially when we can see their progress from being a 4 year old to a 12 year old,” he said. “We are certainly going to miss them as they move on to the next phase of their life. As I always remind them, though we are losing them as an enrolled student at Palo Pinto ISD, ‘Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang.’”
