Graham ISD Community,

What an exciting time to be a part of Graham ISD! There are so many amazing things happening in our school district this time of year; I couldn’t be more proud of our students and staff. During my time so far as Superintendent, I have enjoyed visiting with students, staff, parents and community leaders, learning more about our wonderful district.

On Tuesday of this week, I gave a State of the District update at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. The support from our business community is so very important to the ongoing success of GISD. Many of our graduates will work in the Graham community and contribute to the overall economic development and workforce.

The Chamber presentation was followed by our School Board meeting on Wednesday, where we took the time to recognize some outstanding students, approve professional employee contracts for the 2025-2026 school year and hold a budget workshop. You can read more about all of these activities right here in the April edition of the TeleGRAHAM.

I want to thank everyone who has been participating in our Strategic Planning process. We’ve held several meetings and the discussion has been helpful and meaningful. In May, the committee will reconvene to help finalize a Draft Strategic Plan. The Board will consider this plan at the June meeting, which will serve as a springboard for our work in 2025-2026 and beyond. I hope you will take a few moments to watch the video about this process provided below.

Thanks for your support of Graham ISD. I am looking forward to finishing this school year out strong, together.

Dr. Mary Johnston

Superintendent

Graham ISD voters will have the opportunity to vote in the Trustee election during the early voting period April 22-29. GISD voting by personal appearance takes place at the Young County Annex, 417 Second Street. Early voting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 22-25 and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 28-29.

The district has four candidates vying for three places on the May 3 ballot. Voters will determine their choices for Trustee in Places 3, 4 and 5. Elected individuals will serve three-year terms.

Place 3: Ellen Morris and Lauren Mahaney

Place 4: Chris Blanton

Place 5: Jason D. Smith

The last day to register to vote in the May election was April 3. To check your voter registration status or to register to vote, visit the Voter Registration Website. Election day voting will be on Saturday, May 3.

Graham ISD is now hiring excellent employees to support our amazing learners! Open Positions include:

GISD

Graham High School

Graham Junior High

Woodland

Pioneer

The Graham High School One Act Play (OAP) Company recently competed in the District 6-4A OAP Contest! They advanced to the Bi-District Contest.

GHS District Individual Awards include:

We also want to recognize the group for their Bi-District Awards:

At Bi-District, they were named as the Alternate Play to Area.

Congratulations to our students and thank you to our amazing OAP directors, Katie Huitt, Kay Berru, and Tracy Pippens!

Pioneer Elementary School students recently learned about the importance of water safety! Representatives from Remembering Wyatt Dale Water Safety, the Brazos River Authority and Texas Game Wardens teamed up to speak to Pioneer Elementary School students about wearing life jackets and what to remember when they are near water. Thank you for teaching our students each year about water safety and providing our students with access to life jackets!

Sounds of a new space! Our Graham Junior High School band students are enjoying their new band hall and its acoustics. We’re excited to welcome the community to our ribbon cutting ceremony on April 22 at 10:45 a.m.!

School Bus Driver Appreciation Day is Tuesday, April 22! Thank you to all of our GISD bus drivers who prioritize the safety of transporting our students each and every day. We appreciate each of you! Be sure to thank your bus driver on Tuesday, the 22nd!

GJHS Student Council recently volunteered at the Young County Humane Society! Way to go!

Kudos to Mrs Kidd for her diligence in supporting the students of Graham High School. Mrs. Kidd serves students in Algebra II and Pre-AP Algebra II classrooms while also serving as a Dual Credit instructor with NCTC for College Algebra and Elementary Statistics. Yet, on Wednesday she was on the bus, bright and early, for UIL Academic Contest and was one of the last two adults at the contest who transported the final Academic competitions home. Thursday, Mrs Kidd taught classes in the morning, then supported the Wind Ensemble at their Region 7 Concert and Sightreading Contest, after which, Mrs Kidd quickly shuttled band students involved in One Act Play to Stephenville for District OAP rehearsal. On Friday, Mrs. Kidd was back in Stephenville supporting our OAP students as they competed in the District 6-4A OAP contest. Mrs Kidd is a phenomenal Math teacher and supporter of the Arts! Thank you, Sarah Kidd!

- Principal Joe Gordy

In addition to being a fantastic Science teacher, Mrs. Pippins does a great job of coordinating UIL Academic contests for GHS. Wednesday, Mrs. Pippins was on the bus at 7:15 am headed to Brock for District 6-4A Academic Contest with all students and coaches prepared. She arrived home late as she and Mrs Kidd brought the last group of Mathematics students home after sending the majority of the students home by bus midafternoon. Thursday, Mrs Pippins ensured her classes were prepared and well-taught while coordinating logistics for the OAP contest. Friday, Mrs Pippins traveled to Stephenville as UIL Coordinator and a supplementary director with Mrs. Huitt, Mrs. Berru, and the OAP Company. Graham OAP qualified as an advancing play, and competed at Bi-District contest. Mrs. Pippins constantly leaps the bar in excelling at all of her various responsibilities, supporting her students, and ensuring those students are prepared in multiple AP classes she teaches. She is a great model of the educators we have in Graham ISD!

- Principal Joe Gordy

From time to time, Graham ISD schools may place a campus on Hold, one of five Standard Response Protocols or safety SRPs used by Texas public schools. During a Hold, students are simply held in their classrooms until a campus situation is resolved and regular schedules can resume. The Hold could be ordered so first responders can tend to an individual allergic reaction or health emergency, to resolve an altercation between students or to give maintenance staff the opportunity to clean up a water or vomit spill. 

Typically in a Hold, there is no imminent threat or emergency to the students or staff in the building. The Hold SRP merely gives the administration or first responders the opportunity to address a situation or need without student and staff pedestrian traffic crowding the hallways. Often, the Hold lasts only a few minutes and may or may not warrant an email communication to all parents. If you ever have questions about any of the district’s SRPs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your campus principal. Watch, too, for #GrahamSafe announcements through the ParentSquare mobile app.

Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Fireman’s Park. Enjoy the fishing tournament, free life jackets, water slides, games and more!

The 20th Annual Run for the Children is Saturday, April 26. Register for a 1K, 5K or 10K online today. The deadline for a guaranteed t-shirt is Monday, March 31.

400 Third Street | Graham, TX 76450

940-549-0595

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