Graham ISD Community,
What a wonderful time of year! If your calendar looks like mine, there’s a little something happening every night of the week, but you can’t help feeling the excitement building for the holidays. I hope before we head into the break, you and your family will join us for our Fine Arts Showcase. This is a wonderful event designed to show off the talent and hard work of our students and staff. Plan to stop by Graham High School on Thursday, Dec. 18 to see student artwork on display (5:30 to 8 p.m.), watch theatre performances (6-7 p.m. in the auditorium), and to listen to the sounds of the season during our band performances (7-8 p.m. in the gymnasium). Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
We have school on Friday, Dec. 19 and it is the end of the nine-week grading period. I’m so proud of our students and staff for all the work they have put in this first semester. One of the highlights of our School Board meetings is the opportunity we take to recognize students and staff on our agenda. Last night’s meeting was no exception, and I hope you will take a few minutes to look through this newsletter to see all the amazing things our kids have accomplished. It’s a mixture of team and individual achievements that give all of us reason to celebrate.
I’d like to give a special shoutout to Lulu O’Brien, fifth grader at Woodland Elementary. She is the inaugural winner of Graham ISD’s first ever art competition for our district holiday card. She captured the spirit of GISD best with her artistic drawing for our “Snow Much Steer Spirit” contest.
This is a wonderful time of year to reflect on all that we have accomplished together and to get energized and excited about the work ahead. I hope all of our Graham ISD families will enjoy the upcoming break with time set aside to celebrate your faith, family, and reflect on 2025. I count all of you among my greatest blessings this past year.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!
Committed to Excellence,
Dr. Johnston
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On Wednesday evening, the Graham ISD Board of Trustees heard the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report presented by Michael Hamby of Merritt, McClane and Hamby. GISD received a “clean” report for the fiscal year ending August 2025. This means an independent firm found no significant findings or discrepancies.
The results of this independent audit reinforce GISD’s commitment to financial transparency and sound fiscal management, and aligns with the district’s Board-adopted Strategic Plan to ensure fiscal efficiency through the budgetary process to meet the academic needs of all students.
Trustees also approved the district’s participation in the West Texas Food Service Cooperative for the 2025-2026 school year. This is a multi-regional service comprising school districts, charters, and other governmental entities in ESC Regions 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. The WTFSC operates two components, food purchasing and commodity processing, that assist participating members to administer fiscally sound child nutrition operations while providing appealing, nutritious meals.
The Board approved a budget amendment in the amount of $97,055 to cover the district’s portion of the cost of upgrading the wireless network across all schools. The E-Rate program provides funding to K-12 schools to purchase hardware that increases their access to reliable, high-speed broadband internet and wifi. E-Rate will fund 80% of the total cost of the upgrade to Graham ISD’s wireless infrastructure including a five-year warranty, but requires the remaining 20% be funded by the district.
In other business, the Board of Trustees:
- Approved the additions, revisions, and/or deletions of (LOCAL) policies for TASB Localized Policy Manual Update 126;
- Heard an Academics Update;
- Approved the Consent Agenda, which consisted of previous meeting minutes, an enrollment report and financial reports; and
- Met in Closed Session as permitted by Texas law.
The School Board’s next regular meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
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JHS Band Honors
- Carson Kidd- ATSSB Region 7 North Zone Junior High Band
- Magnolia Huffman- ATSSB Region 7 North Zone Junior High Band
- Colt Graham- ATSSB Region 7 North Zone Junior High Band
- Johan Huerta- ATSSB Region 7 North Zone Junior High Band
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GHS Band Honors
- Sophie Rodgers- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band, ATSSB Region 7 Symphonic Band, ATSSB Area Qualifier
- James Gage- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band, ATSSB Region 7 Symphonic Band
- Phoebe Helms- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band
- Aislee Everett- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band, ATSSB Region 7 Band (Alternate)
- Benecio Garcia- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band, ATSSB Region 7 Honors Band, ATSSB Area Qualifier
- Peter Hunter- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band, ATSSB Region 7 Symphonic Band
- Elijah Yoder- ATSSB Region 7 All-District Band (Alternate)
- Esther Hernandez- ATSSB Region 7 Symphonic Band
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Lady Blues Volleyball Honors
- Katelyn McGehee- 1st Team All-District, Academic All-District
- Tara Dawson- 1st Team All-District, Academic All-District, THSCA Academic All-State 2nd Tea, TGCA Academic All-State
- Kaden Atwood- 1st Team All-District, Academic All-District, THSCA Academic All-State Honorable Mention, TGCA Academic All-State
- Rylee Moore- 2nd Team All-District, Academic All-District
- Kya Cooper- 2nd Team All-District, Academic All-District
- Madison Cauble- All-District Honorable Mention, Academic All-District, THSCA Academic All- State Honorable Mention, TGCA Academic All-State
- Emily Hughes- All-District Honorable Mention, Academic All-District
- Hadleigh Allen- Academic All-District
- Izzy Alejo- Academic All-District
- Jennilee Bowman-Academic All-District
- Kathryn Hughes- Academic All-District, THSCA Academic All-State Honorable Mention, TGCA Academic All-State
- Bentleigh Martin- Academic All-District
- Treyton McCullough- Academic All-District
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Elementary Holiday Card Winner
Lulu O’Brien- 5th Grade Woodland Elementary
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The first meeting of the Facility Planning Committee was held November 19. Pioneer Elementary School graciously hosted the meeting in their cafeteria and gave walking tours of the building, as well. About 56 students, employees, parents, business leaders and taxpayers were appointed to the committee, representing each campus and various aspects of the district and community. Another 15 district and campus administrators are serving as liaisons to the committee.
The first meeting included a gallery walk to learn more about the district’s facilities, enrollment, attendance rates, budget outlook, strategic plan and past bond/capital improvement projects. GISD Parents Courtney Bennett and Matt Rader were introduced as the Citizen Co-Chairs of this advisory committee. Eventually the group will hear from subject matter experts that will include architects, financial advisors and demographers. A facilities assessment from Corgan and a demographic study by Zonda are expected in early 2026.
Members of this large advisory committee will be divided into five subcommittees to complete work in the following areas: Academics & Enrollment; Capital Improvements & Transportation; Student Programs/Extracurricular; Safety & Security; and Technology.
The group will continue their work throughout the school year, culminating in May with recommendations to the Graham ISD School Board for a five-year, Long-Range Facility Plan. You can follow the work of this committee on the Facilities Planning Committee web page. The next meeting will be held at Crestview Elementary School on Dec. 17.
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Please join us for the GISD Fine Arts Showcase, Thursday, Dec. 18 at Graham High School!
Program
- Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
- GHS Theater at 6 p.m. in Auditorium
- GISD Band Concerts at 7 p.m. in Gym
- Art Show will run from 5:30-8 p.m.
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From time to time, Graham ISD schools may implement one of five Standard Response Protocols as part of the district’s emergency response plan. These protocols include Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. We are using space in our monthly community newsletters to review the procedures and purposes of each of these protocols.
Last month’s newsletter explained campus Evacuate procedures. The fourth protocol explained for the 2025-26 school year is a campus Shelter. The Shelter protocol is typically announced over the intercom system using plain language to alert students and staff members to a safety situation that necessitates that they Shelter inside the building to ensure their personal safety. The primary objective is to ensure that all students, staff, and visitors can quickly, and in a safe, orderly manner, move away from the threat. There are two different forms of “Shelter” directives. One is a “Shelter-in-place” and the other is referred to as “Shelter for severe weather.” The most common utilization of Shelter protocol is for bad weather.
During a Shelter, protocol and practice allows students and staff to move in an orderly fashion to safe locations within the building. Reasons that prompt the need for Shelter protocol include tornadoes, severe weather, a Hazmat spill or release, or other environmental threats such as flooding, etc.
If the “Shelter for severe weather” directive is given, the response action is to quickly move students, staff and visitors indoors, perhaps for an extended period of time, because it is safer inside the building than outside. For severe weather, depending on the type and/or threat level (“watch” versus “warning”), affected individuals may be required to move to rooms without windows on the lowest floor possible or to a weather shelter. Each Graham ISD campus has specific locations designated for each classroom to move to in the event of a “Shelter for severe weather.”
If the “Shelter-in-place” directive is announced, the response action is to quickly move students, staff and visitors indoors, perhaps for an extended period of time, because it is safer inside the building than outside. Affected individuals may be required to move to rooms without windows or rooms that can be sealed off. Shelter-in-place for hazmat examples include a train derailment with chemical release or smoke from a nearby fire. Ventilation systems are turned off and coats, jackets or tape can be placed at the base of doors to seal off the room and protect air quality until first responders provide next steps or clear the campus.
If you ever have questions about any of the district’s SRPs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your campus principal.
Watch for #GrahamSafe announcements through the ParentSquare mobile app.
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District Openings
GISD
- Elementary Curriculum Coordinator
- Diagnostician
GHS
- Teacher, Social Studies/Boys Athletics
- Teacher, Math
- Paraprofessional, Library
GJHS
- Teacher, Social Studies/Science/Boy’s Athletics
Woodland
- Paraprofessional, Library
- Counselor for the 2026-27 school year
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Texas public schools are funded through a blend of local, state, and federal dollars—each playing a unique role in supporting student success.
- Local Dollars come primarily from property taxes.
- State Dollars are calculated on our GISD students’ attendance using the state’s per student dollar amount.
- Federal Dollars vary by district and in GISD, these dollars make up the smallest piece of the pie and are targeted to support special education services.
For more information regarding school funding visit the link below:
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Crestview Elementary recently hosted a vibrant Emergent Bilingual Family Engagement Night, bringing together students, families, and staff for an evening of connection and celebration. The event highlighted the diverse cultures and languages that make the Graham community so special.
Families contributed delicious homemade salsas and a variety of toppings for the nacho bar, creating a flavorful spread that everyone enjoyed. The evening also included activities designed to strengthen home-school partnerships and support bilingual learning. It was a wonderful reminder of the power of community and the importance of celebrating every language and culture represented in Graham ISD.
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“Would like to shout out to Braxton Braim for playing a great season in football his senior year!”
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My paras deserve a huge shoutout for how hard they work. They care for our students, support me, help our general education teachers, and lift up our kids every single day. They often pay for supplies (snacks, games, toys, puzzles) out of their own pockets. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs nearly as effectively. I’m so grateful for everything they do.
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Have a Graham ISD student or staff member that deserves a shoutout in an upcoming newsletter or social media post? Take a few moments to share information about the achievement or contribution the staff or student made and share photos if you have them using the form provided below. |
We are excited to start a new tradition this year. Thank you to Christie Andrews, Lead District Art Teacher, for coordinating our Elementary Holiday Card Contest with our Crestview & Woodland art students. We celebrated 5th grade artist Lulu at our Board Meeting and her fantastic rendition of the theme “Snow Much Steer Spirit.” Congratulations to Lulu! |
We’re proud to showcase our student work! Our Graham High School Audio/Video Production and Principles of Arts classes have been creating hype videos and highlight videos for our high school sports and activities. Be sure to watch them all in our YouTube playlist! |
- Dec. 12: GISD Closed/No School
- Dec. 18: Fine Arts Showcase
- Dec. 19: Full Day of School-Last Day of Fall Semester - Beginning of Winter Break
- Jan. 5: Teacher Work Day/No School for Students
- Jan. 6: Classes Resume/Start of the 3rd 9-Week Period
- Jan. 7: Facility Planning Committee Meeting
- Jan. 14: School Board Meeting
- Jan. 15: Silver Steers & Lady Blues Club Meeting
Check out the Online GISD Calendar for a more comprehensive list of upcoming academic, athletic, fine arts and extracurricular activities.
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Please join us for a farewell reception to honor Debbie Townley’s achievements, contributions, and lasting impact on Graham ISD.
Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 4-5 p.m. at the Administration Office
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400 Third Street | Graham, TX 76450
940-549-0595
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