Connect with Katie.3.27.2026.Issue30 by Lovejoy ISD

Connect with Katie

DECEMBER 18, 2025 MARCH 27, 2026

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

LovejoyCommunity,

WelcomebackfromSpringBreak,Leopards!Ihope you had the opportunity to enjoy meaningful time with family and friends and are returning rested andrejuvenatedasweheadintoastrongfinishfor thespringsemester.

Our amazing students continue Lovejoy ISD’s Legacy of Excellence. Senior Teni Segun made program history as Lovejoy’s first individual State Champion in powerlifting! Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team on earning the title of Area Champions. The team advances to the semifinal matchthisevening,andweareallcheeringonour Leopards.

STEMFest:Saturday,March28th10:00amtonoon

STEM Fest is here! Join us for a fun-filled, hands-on event designed for the whole family, packed with engaging activities that spark curiosity and excitement for learning.

MatildatheMusical

Our production of Matilda the Musical has been rescheduled for next week. We invite youtojoinusandbringyourfamilyandfriendstoenjoythisoutstandingperformance by our talented Lovejoy High School students; see page 9 of the newsletter for showtimesandticketinformation.

BloomandBelong

WewarmlyinviteourLovejoyISDSilverLeopardsandcommunitymembersage65and oldertojoinusfortheBloomandBelongBreakfastonWednesday,April1at9:00AMat Sloan Creek Intermediate School. All senior community members are welcome. This special event is designed to connect and celebrate our senior community members. Enjoy breakfast, build connections, and celebrate the relationships that help our Lovejoycommunityflourishandthrive.

CongratulationsonYourRetirement,Dr.Tinsley!

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Laurie Tinsley, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, on her upcoming retirement after morethan30yearsineducation.OverthepastfiveyearsinLovejoyISD,Dr.Tinsley’s leadership has made a lasting impact on teaching and learning, strengthening curriculum,supportinginnovation,andadvancingstudentsuccessacrossthedistrict. Wearedeeplygratefulforherdedicationtoourstudents,staff,andcommunity,and herlegacywillcontinuetoshapeLovejoyforyearstocome.Formoredetails,please seepage10ofthenewsletter.

Wishingyouaweekendfilledwithloveandjoy.

ThereisonlyONELovejoy,andweareALLLeopards!

LovejoyProud,

KatieKordel Superintendent

Two Lovejoy women’s powerlifters represented the district at the THSWPA State MeetthispastweekendinEdinburg,Texas.

Senior Teni Segun made program history as Lovejoy’s first individual state championinpowerlifting.Competinginthe148-poundweightclass,sherecorded a 1,050-pound total, including a 385-pound squat, 230-pound bench press, and 435-pound deadlift. Her performance earned first place overall and the top deadliftinahighlycompetitivedivision.

SophomoreHarperSmithalsodeliveredastrongshowing,placingseventhoverall intheun-equippeddivisionwitha740-poundtotal.

LovejoyISDextendsitsappreciationtocoachesChrisSmithandBrandonMurdock fortheirleadershipanddedicationtotheprogram.

PERSONNEL UPDATE

We would like to share an important leadership update regarding the upcoming retirement of Dr. Laurie Tinsley, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Aftermorethan30yearsdedicatedtoeducationandstudent success, Dr. Tinsley will conclude a distinguished career marked by meaningful impact and lasting contributions to teachingandlearning.

Forthepastfiveyears,Dr.TinsleyhasservedasLovejoyISD’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, where where her leadership has strengthened instructional practices and supported student achievement across the District. During her time in Lovejoy, Dr. Tinsley hasbeeninstrumentalinadvancingcurriculumalignment,supportinginnovative instructional practices, strengthening leadership development, and enhancing programstomeetthediverseneedsofalllearners.

PriortoLovejoyISD,Dr.Tinsley’sprofessionalcareerincludedrolesasateacher, assistant principal, principal, and district leader, serving students and staff in TerrellISD,CrandallISD,andFriscoISD.

Lovejoy ISD extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Tinsley for her exceptional service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to students, staff, and the community.HerlegacywillcontinuetoshapeLovejoyISDforyearstocome.

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

DISTRICT CALENDAR

This morning, Puster Elementary was filled with excitement as our youngest learnersgottoenjoy"ReadingwiththeLeopards!"StudentsfromLovejoyHigh School’s baseball, softball, golf, track, volleyball, and orchestra teams visited classrooms,sharingtheirloveofreadingwiththekids.Itwasaheartwarming morning of connection, big and little Leopards alike inspiring each other throughstories.

Hart Elementary students in the “Lunch Bunch with a Purpose” program recently took on a Leadership Escape Room, and rose to the challenge. Studentsdemonstratedstrongleadershipbyencouragingoneanother,taking turnsreadingclues,andworkingcollaborativelytosolveeachtaskasateam.

LedbyschoolcounselorMrs.Wallace,LunchBunchcontinuestoprovideafun and engaging environment where students build meaningful friendships and developimportantleadershipskills.

To date, more than 100 students have participated in “Lunch Bunch with a Purpose.” The program remains open to all students, with additional groups forming through the end of the school year, continuing to build leaders and friendships,onelunchatatime.

Fourth graders recently brought science to life with a hands-on lesson on the phasesoftheMoonusingOreocookies.Astheymodeledeachphase,students exploredthepatternsandchangesvisiblefromEarthwhileenjoyingafunand memorablelearningexperiencewithatastytwist.

The Willow Springs Middle School Concert, Philharmonic, Symphonic, and Chamber Orchestras participated in the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation on March 12 at the Allen High School Performing Arts Center, earningthehighestpossibledistinction.

All four ensembles received superior ratings from all six judges, securing SweepstakesAwardsforexcellenceinbothconcertperformanceandsightreading.

Studentsperformedthreepiecesandwereevaluatedontone,technique,and musical understanding. The Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras performed high school-level programs, showcasing an exceptional level of musicianship. In sight-reading, students prepared and performed an unfamiliar piece in just minutes.

Judgespraisedthegroupsfortheirpassion,confidence,andmusicalmaturity, notingtheirabilitytobringmusictolifeandperformatalevelcomparableto manyhighschoolensembles.

Lovejoy High School powerlifters Ty Smith and Ben Sussman secured their spotsattheTHSPAStateMeetfollowingstrongperformancesattheDivision1 Region6meetheldatKellerCentral.

Sussmanrecordedapersonalbesttotalof1,525pounds,includinga600-pound squat,425-poundbenchpress,and600-pounddeadlift.

Smith claimed his second consecutive Regional Championship with an impressive 1,775-pound total, highlighted by a 700-pound squat, 475-pound benchpress,and600-pounddeadlift.

Bothathleteswillcompeteforastatechampionshipintheirrespectiveweight classesattheTHSPAStatePowerliftingMeetinAbileneonSaturday,March28.

LastFridaynight,thevarsitygirlssoccerteambeatWhitehouseinthebi-district roundoftheplayoffs5-0.GoalswerescoredbyBrennaWallace,AnnsleyDercks, and Ella York (hat-trick). Assists were by Ella York, Lainey Pierce, and Kenzie Lavender. Emma Jarbe and Mickey Wideman were in goal for the team's 23rd clean sheet of the season with help from defenders Morgan Suder, Cam Newhouse,BrennaWallace,

OnTuesdaynight,inthearearoundoftheplayoffsthevarsitygirlssoccerteam beat Frisco Lone Star 2-1. The opening goal was scored by Ella York and assistedbyKenzieLavender.ThewinninggoalwasscoredbyKinleyShortand assistedbyIzzyBrodelius.

Varsity soccer’s next game will take place tonight, March 27, at 6:00 p.m. at Highlander Stadium at Highland Park High School. The Lovejoy community is encouragedtocomeoutandsupporttheteam;astrongpresenceinthestands makes a meaningful difference. Let’s show our school spirit, fill the stadium, andcreateanexcitingatmosphereforourstudent-athletes.

TheVarsityGuardkickedoffspringbreakbycompetinginatwodaycontestin Mansfield,themostcompetitiveeventsofthewinterguardseason.Followinga strongperformanceinpreliminaries,theteamadvancedtofinalsonSunday,an impressiveaccomplishment.LovejoyVarsityultimatelyplaced13thoverallout of36schools,withonly18teamsadvancingtofinals.

Congratulations to the Varsity Guard on an outstanding performance. The JV Guardalsodeservesspecialrecognitionforvoluntarilyattendingbothdaysto supporttheteamandserveasfloorcrew.Theircommitmentreflectsthestrong cultureofsupportandkindnessthatdefinesthecolorguardprogram.

A special thank you to Ms. Garcia for her leadership and dedication to these students.

The Leopard Fishing Team was on the water at Lake Ray Roberts over Spring Break competing in their last regular season tournament with Texas High SchoolBassAssociation(THSBA). LeopardFishingshowedupandtheydidnot disappoint! They brought home a 2nd place finish with Team of the Tournament.

With 188 boats on the lake for the tournament, Leopard Fishing had 13 boats participating with 9 teams weighing-in fish. Congratulations to Joel Knight forwinningBigBassofthetournamentwitha7.67bass.

OwenQuinlanandNickRowe

18.06lbswith4fish-9thplace

GusCurryandFinnMonda 17.10lbswith5fish-10thplace

JoeKnightandEvanWheeler 7.67lbswith1fish -BigBass MacCurryandCohenMonda 3.68lbswith1fish

AndyTurnbowandEvanWyatt 3.54lbswith2fish

TeddyTaylorandTannerWammack 3.33lbswith2fish

CooperDelaneyandCharlieDelaney 2.82lbswith1fish

GavinQuinlanandLiamQuinlan 2.53lbswith1fish

SuttonGriffinandPriceRiggins 2.39lbswith1fish

CongratulationstoourMiddleSchoolFishingClubwinnersofourSpringVirtual Tournament. These anglers put in the time between March 1 – March 22 to catchtheirTHREElargestbass.Eachanglercancatchandreleaseasmanyfish astheywantduringthistimebutonlytheir3largestgetsubmittedfortheir3 BassBag.WaytogoAnglers!!

1 place JaseCherry–11.87lbs st

2 place HunterArmijo–6.79lbs nd

3 place NolanDale–6.7lbs rd

DearLovejoyCommunity,

As a Board, we are committed to strong and proactive communication with our community. Part of this commitment is sending an email invitation to our community prior to Board Meetings with a sincere desire for you to be involved andfullyaware,sowecancometogetherasacommunityforourchildren.

March30,2026PublicNoticeWebsite

You may find the full agenda with supporting documentation on our district's BoardBookPremierwebsiteHERE.

Sincerely,

Julie McLaughlin, President

Jeff Wood, Vice President

Marvin Bobo, Secretary

TheLovejoyISDBoardofTrustees

Aubrey

Stock, Trustee

Mark Wheelis, Trustee

Jason Jaynes, Trustee

Barrett Owens, Trustee

LEOPARD LIFE WEBSITE

LovejoyISDhasanunparalleledsenseofcommunityandconnectioncenteredon student opportunity. In support of this collective commitment, the Leopard Life websiteshowcasesawiderangeofevents,activities,andfundraisersorganizedby boosterclubs,PTOs,athletics,finearts,individualcampuses,andmore! Leopard Lifeisprominentlyfeaturedacrosscampusanddistrictwebsites,highlightedinall newsletters,andeasilyaccessiblethroughtheLovejoyISDmobileapp.

Thisweek'sfeaturedflyersare:

Flats4Bats

CommunityNews

Please note: the information featured in the "Community News" section is submitted by local community members. Lovejoy ISD is not affiliated with the organizationsanddoesnotclaimtoendorsethem.

Lovejoy ISD Libraries are excited to host the second annual Bookmark Design Challenge! Bookmarks should celebrate reading and center around the theme of "Wild About Reading"-think jungle, animal prints, nature, or other creative ways to express what Wild About Reading means to you. Use the theme to jumpstart your ideas; be creative!Twowinnersfromeachgrade level (PreK-12) will have their bookmark printed and available at every Lovejoy ISD school, admin building, and library. We can't wait to seeyourdesignsandsharetheloveofreadingonebookmarkatatime!Getstarted here--->t.ly/GR1Wo

Lovejoy ISD is committed to creating strong connections and providing clear communicationwithourLovejoyparentsandfamilies.Belowyouwillfindlinksto the most recent newsletters from each campus. Sign up for weekly Principal Newslettersheretostayinformed!