Hello East Harris County and Crosby ISD families,
We’re leaping into March! Our families are finalizing Spring Break plans. Our teachers are preparing lesson plans for the month. We’re energized for the start of spring. Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating the Crosby High School Class of 2024.
Let’s jump right in. Congratulations to the Crosby Middle School theater students. The budding actors, actresses, directors, and stagehands won big at the first ever Lake Houston Area Middle School One Act Play contest. The CMS players took home a 1stplace trophy and awards for Best Technical Crew, Best Actor, and Best Actress! Fantastic job!
Crosby Middle School and Crosby High School partnered to host a “Find Your Future” Expo for current eighth grade students. The incoming freshmen and their parents had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with our CTE (Career and Technical Education) coordinator, teachers, and counselors. They discussed graduation requirements, our 22 courses of study, various career pathways, and exciting electives. Last year, more than half of Crosby High School seniors graduated with an associate’s degree or industry certification. That’s a statistic worth bragging about!
Let’s give a shoutout to Mr. Carlos Grace, who works with vocational students at Crosby Middle School. Mr. Grace won a $1000 check as part of the “Houston Loves Teachers” campaign. Mr. Grace was surprised at the donation from the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority and Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s office. He earned it for having perfect attendance during the fall semester. The group also presented a check to Principal Lozano worth $4000 to be used to benefit Crosby Middle School students and staff.
We want to celebrate the Crosby High School Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team for going toe-to-toe against Randle in the second round of the playoffs. Although the game didn’t go the way we wanted, the girls’ team made it deeper into the playoffs this year than last year. That’s progress! We can’t wait to see what next year’s squad does under Head Coach Melynda McGregor. The Crosby High School softball and baseball teams are also preparing to enter district play. You may not know this, but our softball and baseball players are heavily involved with younger students in the district all year long. Whether it’s reading to elementary students, helping students in need shop for free Christmas presents, or hosting a ”Special Friends” game, our student-athletes are living out our “Portrait of the Graduate” by putting kindness into action and being service-minded.
We are so proud of our many Crosby High School alumni, especially those who return to share their life experiences with our students. This semester, Class of 2014 graduate, Austin Walter, visited with football players at the high school. Austin made it all the way to the NFL! He’s currently a running back with the Las Vegas Raiders. Austin is a great example to our kids. Austin, his twin brother Aston, and their mother, Dian Buckhalter-Walter, regularly give back to the district. Aston is currently an Offensive Assistant at the University of Tennessee. During their rising careers, the Walter brothers have never forgotten where they came from. We thank them for showing our current students just how far you can go.
I wanted to share kudos with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Constable Sherman Eagleton, and Commissioner Tom Ramsey for supporting our efforts to keep our communities safer. As you know, Crosby and Barrett Station are unincorporated areas of Harris County, so both of our communities function without municipalities. Crosby ISD takes ownership of the fact that the school district plays a key role in connecting community and law enforcement partners. We’ve created a Crosby ISD Crime Reduction Task Force that meets once a month to talk about hot spots, homeless outreach, current crime trends, and preventative policing. Soon, we’ll host community forums for all homeowners, business owners, faith community leaders, and families to attend. I’m really looking forward to seeing the progress we make with our law enforcement partners.
The spring is a busy time, and I appreciate all the sacrifices parents, families, coaches, and teachers make to ensure our students are making the grade and being involved in as many extracurricular activities as they can be. I hope your family has a chance to take a breather during Spring Break, which runs from March 11th through the 15th. Classes resume on March 18th for the final two months of the school year!
We are Moving Forward! Go Coogs!
Paula Patterson
Superintendent