The Student Heroes program recognizes Texas public school students in prekindergarten through high school who do an outstanding volunteer service that benefits their fellow students, schools, or their communities. Only 15 students from each SBOE district in the state of Texas are selected for this award. Jerry was nominated by his assistant principal, Crystal Aparicio for his community service as a Junior Firefighter with the VFD. Way to demonstrate Taft Pride in all that you do, Jerry!
Attendees can enter the side door (near media center) to access the JH cafeteria for the meeting.
Debris continues to be hauled off from the demolition site. District officials met with SpawGlass to discuss planning and funding for the next phase of the new high school. New furniture came in for the new media center at Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School and has been set up in the space.
Demolition continues moving to the softball field on Friday afternoon! Debris from the previous demo work continues to be hauled off to continue to prepare the work site for the new high school. In addition, the barrier fence was adjusted to allow access for EMS vehicles to the stadium as we prepare for our home opener this Friday. We ask all community members and ISD employees to observe the barrier fencing that is in place and not go into areas where only workers are allowed as it is dangerous with debris that is not always clearly visible.
Work continues at the baseball and softball fields with concrete work to establish sidewalks between the fields and parking lots. Perimeter fencing for the complex is also beginning to go up in these areas also. Now that concrete pads and plumbing has been completed in the home dugouts, masonry has begun to construct these areas.
A kickoff meeting was also held this week with contractors for the new tennis courts, district administration and project managers to discuss the conceptual plan for this layout as well as needs to move the project forward.
Administrators and clerical staff from Taft High School, Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School, Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School and Taft Greyhound Athletics met on Wednesday this past week to update their new campus websites which will be released in the near future! During the work session, staff learned from and supported each other to ensure all staff were included, photos were updated and critical information for students and parents were uploaded to their respective sites so the transition will be smooth when the switch is made.
Anyone wanting to download the Taft ISD app can either go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) to download the app for free. On the app, you can find district/campus events, school menus, staff information and news shared on the live feed. The app is live and more news to come with the upcoming transition!
Concrete and electrical work continue at both softball & baseball fields for players & fans to be able to access different areas. Hellas has also installed the backstop netting on both fields with netting also going up on the batting cages at both fields. They are have started working on both ticket booths.
At Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School, the new doors have been installed in the renovated band hall and instruments/student furniture has been moved in.
Demolition continues at the site for the new Taft High School with all of the buildings now down. Workers will continue to demolition the foundations of buildings and haul away debris. Work continues to progress as the new school year began this week! Go Hounds Go! #TPND
Taft ISD Communication Device Policy for 2025-2026
Taft ISD, along with all Texas school districts, are implementing policies in response to Texas House Bill 1481 which prohibits use of communication devices in schools during the instructional day. We ask parents to talk to their children about this new policy to prepare for the upcoming school year. Parents can contact administrators at Taft High School, Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School or Woodroe Petty Elementary for questions about this policy.
Teachers and staff were all smiles as they were surprised by a back-to-school shopping spree!
At district convocation, all staff members for the district were loaded on buses and taken to Wal-Mart in Portland to shop for items that can be used in their school spaces to support students and instructional practices. Maintenance and custodial employees were driven to Academy to purchase shirts that could be used at their work sites and then treated to lunch at A-1 Steakhouse. Employees at Wal-Mart were also provided with a Chick-Fil-A meal to nourish them after a surprise shopping trip. Special thanks goes out to our THS cheerleaders, Greyhound Band drumline, board members (Manuel Banda, Miranda Benedict, Johnny Carvajal and Nicole Garza), KIII-TV (Sumiko Lara) and KRIS-TV who came out to show their appreciation for our staff! Also, huge thanks to Wal-Mart in Portland for working with this to make this surprise work!
Taft Independent School District officials used this opportunity to thank employees as they prepare for their first day of school with much-needed essentials while allowing employees choice to decide what would be most effective for them to start off the school year on the right foot. #GoHoundsGo #TaftPrideNeverDies
Taft ISD Bond 2024 Update (Aug. 9. 2025)
Demolition continues with the old JH gym, old Boys & Girls Club building and old Junior High taken down to foundations. Debris removal will continue for these buildings as demolition has started on the auditorium as of Friday.
Work continues at the softball fields with concrete being poured for the dugout pads and electrical being completed on the pressbox. Some of the furniture has been delivered for the Ricardo L. Treviño Junior High School library/media center as well.
As we prep for the new school year, several construction projects are continuing to run on schedule simultaneously.
2025-2026 Taft ISD Student Dress Code
The State Board of Education (SBOE) recognizes the 2025 Student Heroes, an inspiring group of Texas public school students who demonstrate exceptional character, kindness and service to others. These students have engaged in numerous acts of service and shown remarkable compassion and leadership in their respective communities. The SBOE adopted a resolution in their honor during the June general meeting.
Taft High School senior, Jerry Chien, was one of 15 students throughout the state who received this honor. Jerry was recognized for volunteering over 300 hours as a junior firefighter with the Taft Volunteer Fire Department, actively giving back to his community through his service as a first responder.
To learn more about the Student Heroes Award and view past recipients, visit the State Board of Education’s webpage at https://sboe.texas.gov/state-board-of-education/sboe-news/state-board-of-education-celebrates-2025-student-heroes .
