Rockwall, TX (May 20, 2025) – Recognitions Congratulations to the following students and student groups who the Board of Trustees recognized for the following accomplishments:
Elementary Stock Market Winners – Each year, the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) announces the first, second and third place winners of the yearlong 2024-2025 school year Stock Market Game™ competition in North Central Texas. The first-place winners are from Sharon Shannon Elementary, the second-place winners are from Amy Parks-Heath Elementary, and the third-place winners are from Linda Lyon Elementary.
Dr. Gene Burton Academy State Champions Representing Various Career & Technical Education Programs:
Esports The Esports team, GENE Rocket League, placed first at the Esports State Championship. This is the first state championship for our Esports team at the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy. Congratulations to advisor, Alex Vrana and Rocket League Team members Jadon Matusz, Hunter Hughes, and Haden Hicks.
Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Conference Highlights The 2024–2025 Business Professionals of America (BPA) competition team competed at the State Leadership Conference. Twenty national qualifiers advanced to the BPA National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, held May 7–11. The team was led by advisors Naposhi Amos, Jeff Burkham, Marcia Eddy, and Misty Rayson. National Recognition
- Three Virtual Teams placed in the Top 10 nationwide, including one team earning 1st Place and Best in Show.
- Two Competitive Teams advanced to Finals, placing 4th and 7th in the nation.
National Winners
- Visual Design Team (4th Place): Esther Collinwood, Micah Comradd, Arya Davis, Madison Phillips
- Software Engineering Team – Virtual (5th Place): Austin Collinsworth, Birt Finney, Landon Riddle, Micah Sadler
- 2D Animation – Virtual (6th Place): Brady Aston, Nathalie Perez, Austin Welch
- Network Design Team (7th Place): Birt Finney, Nico Patrick, Roman Patrick, Micah Sadler
- Virtual Multimedia and Promotion Team (National Champions & Best in Show): Jake Gist, Kara Green, Adam Lambert
BBQ Team – 205 Pitmasters 205 Pitmasters BBQ team, led by their coaches Sean Hill and Chandler Romero, competed at the High School BBQ, Inc. State Championships on April 26th in Granite Shoals. A total of 109 teams from across the state competed in five categories: dessert, beans, chicken, ribs and brisket. The 205 Pitmasters “smoked” the competition and brought an overall 3rd place state finish back to Rockwall.
The following Pitmasters are being recognized for placing in the Top 10 in State:
Team Ash – Top 10 in State
- Trent Godwin – #1 Rib Cook in the State of Texas and a State Champion
- Barrett McIntire – 7th place Chicken
- Beau Pyatt – Brisket
- Mason Campbell – Dessert
- Cayson Perez – Beans
Team Charcoal – 3rd in State
- Austin Houser – 2nd place Ribs
- Graham Chenault – 4th place Dessert
- Emma Victoria – 12th place Brisket
- Liam Hardesty – Chicken
- Kylene Yang – Beans
Team Smoke
- Cailey Ross – 3rd place Brisket
- Faith Hudson – 10th place Dessert
DECA DECA, led by their advisors, Dori Brown, Alisha Bridges and April Deats, is proud to announce that they had 21 state qualifiers competing against more than 6,000 students at DECA State Career Development Conference. Three students were state finalists and one student advanced as an International Qualifier competing in the Business Marketing Series event at the DECA International Competition in Orlando, FL among 16,000 competitors.
Congratulations to the following students and their advisors:
State Finalists and International Alternates:
- Grace Sandoval – Food Marketing Series
- Katelyn Bui and Isabelle King – Marketing Management Team Decision Making
State Finalists and International Qualifier:
- Carter Brown – Business Services Marketing Series
FCCLA Culinary FCCLA Culinary is led by Chef Instructors Chris Rivera and Celeste Hernandez. Congratulations to Kennedy Jacoby who earned first place and is state champion in the Cupcake Presentation event. She earned a scholarship to attend the Escoffier School for Culinary Arts.
TSA Led by Kim Card and Renee Aube, eleven Architecture students and three Fashion Design Students competed in the Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition in April.
Congratulations to the following students: Amelia Bullard, Kimberly Cruz, Belinda Garcia, Abril Paez, and Monica Montezon earned 5th place at the state competition and qualified for nationals.
High School Residential Models
- Ian McDunn, 1st place
- Colton Causey, 2nd place
High School Single Family Residential Models
- Johnny West & Mikyla Owens, 1st place
- Tristen Lopez, 6th place
High School Presentation Drawing
- Justin Cothran, 6th place
Fashion Design and Technology
- Meagan Mercado, Peyton Horne, and Sarah Riggs all placed in the top 15.
Gold Medal VASE Contest Winners – Approximately 35,000 high school students participated in this year’s VASE, beginning with regional competitions held across Texas. Only the top-rated artworks from each region advanced to the State level, where they were evaluated again by panels of professional artists and educators.
At the State level, students receive another rating on a scale of 1 to 4. A rating of 4 indicates the highest level of excellence, recognizing both technical skill and personal voice. This year, only 4% of all entries statewide earned this prestigious rating.
We are proud to recognize the following students who advanced to State VASE and earned a Rating of 4:
- Brynley Hergert (Rock 9)
- Lauren Duffy (RHS)
- Zoe Kloiber (RHS)
- Tomas Lucero (RHS)
- Emma Perry (RHS)
- Hanae Long (Rock 9)–Two artworks advanced to State
- McKinley Martin (RHS)–This marks the third consecutive year McKinley has earned a State VASE medal.
From this elite group, a small number of works are selected for the prestigious Gold Seal Award, the highest honor in the competition. Gold Seal artworks are considered among the best student pieces in the state and are included in a traveling exhibition that tours Texas museums, universities, and galleries. This represents less than 0.5% of all entries.
- Nicholas Marcel Jean-Pierre (RHHS) earned a Gold Seal. This is the second Gold Seal for Nicholas.
Rockwall High School’s Walk the Line and Rockwall-Heath High School’s Infiniti A Cappella Choirs competed in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals competition in New York City on April 25, 2025. Out of over 200 schools that competed across the country, only ten schools were selected to compete in finals. To qualify for this contest Rockwall High School won the Southwest Division which is made up of schools from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Rockwall-Heath High School won the Wildcard Round made up of all A Capella Choirs across the nation who placed second and third in their division. At the National finals competition in New York City, Rockwall-Heath High School’s Infiniti won 3rd place, and Rockwall High School’s Walk the Line won 5th place.
Rockwall-Heath High School Girls’ State Track and Field Championship Medalist – The Rockwall-Heath Lady Hawk track team had a great showing at the UIL State Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Kacie Whitten finished third in the Class 6A Girls’ Pole Vault clearing a heigh of 12’ 6”. Kacie had a great senior season and has signed with Texas Tech University where she will continue her track & field career. Congratulations to Kacie and her coach, Kyla Hammond.
Boys & Girls State Gymnastics Individual & Team Medalists – The Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School girls and boys gymnastics teams have a long history of excellence and the 2025 season was no different.
Rockwall Girls’ Gymnastics finished as Runner-Up in the THSGCA State Championships for the third year in a row in Odessa on April 25-26, 2025. This team is coached by Stephanie Tyson and Megan Haught.
Rockwall Boys’ Gymnastics finished third in the State of Texas at the THSGCA State Championships in Odessa on April 25-26, 2025. This team is coached by Cameron Sweny.
Girls Individual
- Floor Exercise: Haylee Finley, 3rd place – Rockwall High School
- Uneven Bars: Keagan Jacoby, 1st place – Rockwall-Heath High School
Boys Individual
- All-Around: Elijah Peak, 3rd place – Rockwall-Heath High School
- Floor Exercise: Elijah Peak, 2nd place – Rockwall-Heath High School
Board Approves Naming Marines Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps area at the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy after Former Marine and Rockwall High School Principal Trustees approved the following resolution designating the name of the Marines Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps area at the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy after Former RHS Principal and Marine Service Member, James Randolph Jr.
Resolution of Honor
Whereas, James W. “Jim” Randolph Jr. has been a devoted and respected member of the Rockwall, Texas, community, with a legacy of distinguished military and educational service;
Whereas, born in Shanghai, China, in 1940 and enduring the hardships of a Japanese concentration camp during his early years, Jim answered the call to serve by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps at age 17, participating in major operations including Operation Totem Pole in Alaska and a peacekeeping tour in South Africa before receiving an honorable discharge in 1962;
Whereas, following his military service, Jim earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s in Education from Northwestern State University and dedicated over 39 years to the field of education as a teacher, coach, and administrator, including a remarkable decade as Principal of Rockwall High School from 1994 to 2004;
Whereas, under Jim’s leadership, Rockwall High School rose from “Acceptable Campus” in 1995 to “Exemplary Campus” by 1999, earning the highest recognition from the Texas Education Association;
Whereas, Jim’s legacy is rooted in his steadfast belief that educating children is the cornerstone of our democracy, and that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive, contribute, and succeed;
Whereas, his service and achievements have been recognized through numerous accolades, including being named Region 10 Secondary Principal of the Year in 1998 and later serving as a National Association of Secondary Schools trainer for school reform;
Now, Therefore, be it resolved in grateful appreciation for his outstanding service to the United States Marines Corp, to public education, and to the Rockwall community, the Board of Trustees of the Rockwall Independent School District does hereby name the Marines Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps area at the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy to be forever known as Randolph Jr. Hall. This designation honors Jim’s distinguished service in accordance with the proud tradition of the United States Marine Corps to designate such facilities as a “Hall”.
Rochell Elementary School Principal Named for 2025-2026 Dr. Ashlee Graham has served students and staff in public education for nineteen years. Most recently, Dr. Graham has provided leadership in Sunnyvale ISD as a campus principal. She has also served in Frisco ISD as an associate principal and in Coppell ISD as an assistant principal. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Doctorate in Education Leadership from the University of North Texas. Dr. Graham succeeds Paige White, who served as principal of Rochell Elementary School and has accepted a central administration position in another school district.
Dr. Graham’s professional experiences include:
- Eight years of campus leadership experience;
- Extensive experience leading the Professional Learning Community process, building strong teams, and leading campuses in academic excellence;
- Strong track record for developing systems including positive behavior intervention support (PBIS) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS);
- Demonstrated success in improving student outcomes; and
- Extensive experience leading campuses in a variety of special programs.
Approval of Auditor to Perform an Efficiency Audit in Accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 11.184 House Bill 3, Eighty-sixth Legislature, 2019, requires the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) to establish guidelines for a school district’s efficiency audit. The legislation added Texas Education Code, Section 11.184, which requires the board of trustees of a school district to conduct an efficiency audit before seeking voter approval to adopt a tax rate for the maintenance and operations (M&O) of the district. Statute defines an efficiency audit as an investigation of the operations of a school district to examine fiscal management, efficiency, and utilization of resources. The Administration has contacted the external audit firm that performs the District’s annual financial audit to solicit a proposal to provide the necessary services to perform an efficiency audit in accordance with the metrics developed by the Legislative Budget Board.
Cost of the efficiency audit is $15,000.00 The Board of Trustees approved the proposal from Weaver to perform an efficiency audit in accordance with the guidelines established by the Legislative Budget Board.
Approval of Updates to Hazardous Area Policy for Student Transportation The Board of Trustees approved the recommendation to amend the Hazardous Area Policy for the 2025-2026 school year. The last update to the Hazardous Area Policy was for the 2021-2022 school year. This update is based upon assessing the continuous improvements to the infrastructure across the county and District and the most recent updates to the school attendance zone boundaries. The Hazardous Area Policy grants eligibility of transportation services to students living within two miles of a school campus in areas determined to be unsafe or hazardous.
The following is a summary of the updates:
Clarifications
- Linda Lyon ES – Map and narrative updated to include additional walk zone due to continued build out of Heath Golf & Yacht development.
- Stevenson ES – Map and narrative updated to include additional walk zone due to continued build out of Woodcreek development.
- Cullins Lake Pointe ES – Map and narrative updated to include additional walk zone due to continuous sidewalk constructed at south end of previous walk zone boundary.
- Jones ES & Rochell ES– Boundaries updated per approved attendance boundary change
Additions – New Facilities
- Rakow MS – Added map and narrative for hazardous zone at new campus.
- Rockwall Heath High School Ninth Grade Campus – Added map and narrative for hazardous zone at new campus.
- Rockwall High School Ninth Grade Campus – Added map and narrative for hazardous zone at new campus.
Approval of Contract Award for Staff Laptops and Cases at Rakow Middle School The Board of Trustees approved a contract award to Dell Technologies in the amount of $102,198.00 for staff laptops and cases for Rakow Middle School and 2025-2026 growth across the District. Costs will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond Authorization.
Approval of Contract Award for Cain and Williams Middle School Access Points for Renovated Areas The Board of Trustees approved a contract award to Riverside Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $100,334.09 for Access Points for Cain Middle School and Williams Middle School renovated areas. Costs will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond Authorization.
Approval of Contract Award for AV Upgrades at GBCCA, Cain MS, Utley MS, Williams MS and Rakow MS The Board of Trustees approved a contract award to Lockstep Technology Group in the amount of $625,298.70 for AV Upgrades and Installation Services for Cain Middle School, Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy, Rakow Middle School, Utley Middle School, and Williams Middle School. Costs will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond Authorization.
Approval of Contract Award for Desktops and Laptops at GBCCA, Cain MS, Rakow MS, Utley MS, and Williams MS The Board of Trustees approved a contract award to Global Asset in the amount of $899,252.00 for desktops, laptops, monitors, and peripherals and to Riverside Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $87,212.70 for laptops for Cain Middle School, Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy, Rakow Middle School, Utley Middle School, and Williams Middle School. Costs will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond Authorization.
Date, Time and Location for 2025-2026 Budget and Proposed Tax Rate Hearing Set The Board of Trustees set the date, time and location for the 2025-2026 budget and proposed tax rate hearing for Monday, June 16, 2025, 6:00 pm, in the Rockwall ISD Administration Building Room 600, 1050 Williams Street, Rockwall, Texas.
Press release submitted by Luci Mouton, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News. Courtesy photos.
Update from the Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees meeting of Monday, May 19 added by Melanie M on
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