District Admin to Recommend Board Change Hays HS Mascot

Based on student, teacher, and community feedback, the Hays CISD administration will recommend that the Board of Trustees vote to change the Hays High School rebel mascot. The mascot of a high school is supposed to serve as a unifying symbol and a rallying-point for school pride – a way for all students to collectively celebrate their academic, athletic, and fine arts accomplishments and cheer on their teams. When nearly 60 percent of the students, and more than 70 percent of the teachers and staff members, show little to no comfort with the current mascot, it ceases to serve its intended purpose. When more than a quarter of the students, and nearly a third of the teachers and staff members, are very uncomfortable with the current mascot; that mascot fails in its objective. When a mascot mires the school in political controversy and pits students, families, and community members against each other; it is time to change.

Ginn Named New Dahlstrom MS Principal

Hays Consolidated Independent School District (Hays CISD) Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright announced Monday that Dedrah Ginn, current Dahlstrom Middle School assistant principal, will serve as the new principal for the campus beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. The announcement followed approval by the Board of Trustees at its June business meeting. Ginn brings with her more than a decade’s worth of experience in teaching and campus leadership.

Morales to Lead Lehman Mariachi Program

Hays Consolidated Independent School District (Hays CISD) Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright is pleased to announce the selection of Alondra Morales as the director of the award-winning Lehman High School mariachi band program, which includes the ensembles Mariachi Los Lobos, Mariachi Azul y Plata, Mariachi Luz de Luna, and Mariachi Primaria. She brings with her a combination of teaching and professional performance experience.

A Message from Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright: We Are Stronger Together

Nine days ago, nearly nine heartbreaking minutes were captured on video. In those minutes, George Floyd was murdered. Today, all four of those responsible were finally criminally charged. Mr. Floyd’s murder has opened, yet again, a suffering in America that continues to wound our collective soul. Following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his close confidant and Civil Rights Movement icon in his own right, former Atlanta Mayor and UN Ambassador Andrew Young, has said, “We were never concerned with who killed Martin Luther King, but what killed Martin Luther King" – an observation that still haunts us more than 50 years later. It is my hope and commitment that, this time, we can all do our part to unite in the cause of love and healing. Silence on the matter is no longer acceptable, because it is tantamount to complicity.

Dr. Watson Tapped to Lead Simon MS as Principal

Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright announced Friday that Dr. Michael Watson, current Dahlstrom Middle School principal, will serve as the new principal for Simon Middle School beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. Dr. Watson joined the Hays CISD team in 2014, as the principal of Live Oak Academy and led that campus to stellar success, doubling the number of graduates at the campus in prior years to nearly 200. In 2017, Dr. Watson became principal of Dahlstrom Middle School and helped that campus move from a “B” grade to an “A,” with distinctions.