Sunday, May 19, 2024
With growth comes change, and change at Lipan ISD includes hiring experienced facility workers, adding a high school volleyball team, and increasing enrollment.
History was made last year when the school created its first volleyball team. Beginning the inaugural year, the team consisted solely of junior high girls. However, the program is set to grow as it moves up with last year’s 8th graders now forming the 9th grade team. In other words, next year ninth and 10th grade girls can participate, and by 2025, Lipan will have a full varsity team. Currently, the ninth-grade team plays a JV schedule, including three tournaments and weekly games versus JV and freshman teams, as well as occasional 1A varsity teams. Each of our teams are understanding the game and continuing to succeed week by week and practice by practice. The first couple of years are steppingstones to what is hoped to be a great program. Head Coach, Aaron Callaway, looks forward to the program’s growth and fulfilling this year’s goals.
“We are just trying to learn and grow and lay the foundation for the future of Lady Indians Volleyball,” Coach Callaway said.
We are continually impressed by the hard work our students do inside and outside of the classroom. This month we want to feature our goal-oriented, driven, cross-country teams. For the past two years, our teams have been unable to qualify for regionals, something our athletes see as a motivator, not a setback. With the difficulty of the district and regional meets, our teams must put in the work each and every day. However, this is not a problem for our students, because of their push to deliver. The upperclassmen feel it is their time, and with their leadership and the eager freshman class, success seems just around the corner. Motivating teenagers to get up early every morning for long runs is not usually an easy task. However, our athletes do a great job at pushing one another, setting personal goals, and working hard to surpass their potential. An important goal for the coaches this year is the expansion of the program. As of right now, we see tremendous numbers in our high school teams but less in our junior high participation. Recently-hired boys’ head coach, Ty Johnston expressed he would like to see more involvement with the junior high. Girls Coach Misty Little agreed with Johnston about the desire for numbers to grow.
“I am hoping that the younger ones will see the success and want to be a part of it,” Little said.
The work athletes put forth may be tough, but ultimately the effort produces several personal benefits, as well as experiences for team bonding.
As the semester begins, we are excited for what this year holds and look forward to seeing how the fall teams progress. In addition, there are several exciting festivities such as Fall Festival and Red Ribbon Week to anticipate in the next couple months.
Lipan ISD new hires include:
Shannon Brown, Elementary SPED
Kathryn Snow, Pre- K
Taylor Harris, Kindergarten
Sadie Johnson, 1st Grade
Lexi Beam, 4th-5th Math
Kylee Harris, 4th-5th Reading
Kaitlyn Howard, 4th-5th Writing
Steven Bailey, JH Science, Coach
Brennan Harris, JH Math, Head Baseball Coach
Jameson Ash, Band
Ty Johnston, HS Math, Coach
Mikella Mims, HS English, Spanish
Bill Shaw, HS Science
Casen Bullock, Aid
Callie Ervin, Aid
Kloe Pasket, Aid
