SERVING UP A NEW YEAR
Fri, 2016-08-19 05:00
News Staff
CCISD convocation brings district employees together
By DAVID J. HARDIN
Cove Leader-Press
“Every Child Deserves a Champion” was the theme for this year’s Copperas Cove Independent School District 2016 convocation.
It was a rainy but cooler Monday morning weather wise in Copperas Cove as teachers, staff, administrators, and trustees filled the seats of the Lea Ledger Auditorium at Copperas Cove High School. As with the start of each school year, the CCISD district employees all gather for friendship, inspiration, direction and pride in their jobs and their schools.
This year’s theme “Every Child Deserves a Champion”, was accompanied by Olympic sports where educators can reach for gold. Each and every day teachers can help students win “gold” in the classroom.
Students came on stage representing athletes in various sports that are part of the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, archery, swimming and cycling.
After all of the athletes came on stage, there was one more thing left to do and that was to light the torch.
A group of Special Olympic athletes went on stage and was met with a standing ovation and cheers from the audience. Fairview/Miss Jewell 4th grader Giovanni Echevarria lit the torch, and announced that the 2016 convocation was open.
Following the introduction there were several speakers, the first being CCISD Board of Trustees president Joan Manning. She shared some words of wisdom.
“I see an auditorium full of champions,” Manning said, then quoted the late Muhammad Ali. “Champions aren’t made in the gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside of them, a desire, a dream, a vision, and they have to have the skills, and the will, but the will must be stronger than the skill.”
Manning ended by saying that “every child needs a champion, and have a great year.”
Superintendent of Copperas Cove ISD, Joe Burns, gave a speech about faith.
“Teachers are the profession that makes all other professions possible,” Burns said. ““Faith is critically important in life, because faith is an expectation that things in life will get better.”
Burns added that he wants to challenge everyone at CCISD to “work on their faith, and remember that we are all family.”
“We have two families one at home, and one at work, and the priority is to your wife and kids at home, and if we are spending more time at work than we do with our family at home then we are in trouble. Make family first.”
One of the last things Burns shared with is that they cannot be a champion for (CCISD) kids if they were not a champion for their kids.
Catherine Sharbeno is entering her 10th year teaching, all of which have been with CCISD.
“I love convocation each and every year, and I’m excited about the upcoming school year as my 6th grade students at Copperas Cove Junior High School have already started working on projects that will hopefully be represented at next year’s National History competition,” Sharbeno said.
Amber Wilson has been a teacher for 12 years, and six have been with CCISD. She teaches at House Creek Elementary School and teaches the gifted students in K-5th grade.
“It is always fun to see what each convocation brings, and this ear’s Olympic theme was great, Wilson said.
Christina Newberry is entering her first as teacher at CCISD, and previously worked at the Grace United Methodist Church “We Care Program”. She will be teaching the second grade at Halstead Elementary.
“Convocation really filled my heart, and the kids put a lot of effort and fun into it,” Newberry said. “Dr. Burns’ words are very inspiring.”
Tracy Thompson will teach 2nd grade at Clements/Parsons Elementary this year. She has been teaching 13 years, all of them with CCISD.
“Convocation and its message was very encouraging and it was well done.”