The Montgomery High School Varsity Chorale Women have been named a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Invited Choir, chosen to perform at the TMEA Convention on February 9^th in San Antonio, Texas.   

The achievement is part of the growing legacy of the Montgomery High School Choir Program. The Chorale Women are one of six high school choirs selected to perform at the TMEA Convention and the only 5A Women’s Choir invited. This is the fourth time this group has been selected to perform at the state level. With additional performances at the divisional and national conventions, this will mark the group’s eighth appearance at a Music Educators Association Event.

The group is directed by Mrs. Heather Orr. She is in her 23rd year leading the Choir Department at Montgomery High School. 

“This is such an honor and we are so thrilled to perform at the Texas Music Educators Convention,” Orr said. “This is definitely a life changing experience and the girls have worked so hard to inspire and bring joy to our audience. We can’t wait! I am so proud of them!”

Held annually, TMEA is a four-day event at San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and is the largest music education convention in the nation. With over 29,000 attendees, the event provides opportunities for current and future music educators at every level and discipline and features performances by ensembles at every grade level.”

“Being invited to perform at the TMEA Convention is one of the highest honors bestowed on a public school band, choir or orchestra in the state of Texas,” MISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin said. “We are so excited to share this talented MHS choir with music educators and students from across the state.”

The Chorale Women will preview their TMEA performance at a concert in the Montgomery High School auditorium Monday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m. 

 

Trustees also approve Guaranteed Maximum Price for Career and Technical and Agricultural-Science Centers

During the January school board meeting, Montgomery ISD trustees approved the district’s academic calendar for the 2024-25 school year.

Montgomery ISD sought input on next year’s calendar via a community-wide survey last October. The calendar was developed by a district advisory committee comprised of MISD staff, parents and community members who met several times to study survey feedback and recommend a final version of the 2024-25 calendar to the Board of Trustees for their approval.

“Each year, the school calendar is an item on which we receive a great deal of community input and feedback,” Board President Laurie Turner said. “As a Board, it’s important to us that there is a strong calendar development process in place, and we thoroughly appreciate the work of the District Advisory Committee to create the 2024-25 calendar,” Board President Laurie Turner said. “This process began in the fall semester and the committee members carefully considered the preferences of our MISD community and ensured the recommended calendar was aligned with state requirements.”

For a link to the approved 2024-25 academic calendar, click here.  

“The district advisory committee members did a great job developing a calendar that reflects the feedback we received from the community survey and from the groups they represent,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Ruffin said.  “We received positive feedback from parents and staff members about the fall break in our current calendar, so the committee built that into next year’s calendar, too. This calendar strikes a great balance between ensuring strong instructional time for students and identifying breaks and professional development and planning time for staff.”

The first day of school for MISD students will be Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Also during the meeting, MISD trustees were acknowledged as part of School Board Appreciation Month.  Each January, school districts across Texas honor the community volunteers who serve on local school boards. 

“The additional recognition bestowed on the trustees during School Board Appreciation Month is so well-deserved,” Dr. Ruffin said. “They exemplify the very best of strong, locally elected leadership. They are rooted in this community and committed to our students, staff, families and taxpayers. The MISD trustees are united in their desire to see our students succeed, and they make informed, thoughtful decisions accordingly. They volunteer for the huge responsibility of governing and moving our school district forward.  We are grateful for their servant leadership and dedication to making sure Montgomery continues to be a great place to raise a family.”

With an intense focus on transparency and community engagement, the MISD school board was instrumental in developing a strategic plan for the district in 2021 and calling a successful bond election in May 2022, to address future growth in the district.  The trustees have also dedicated resources to enhance school safety, including the expansion of the MISD Police Department to allow for at least one police officer at every MISD campus.  In 2023, the MISD school board was recognized by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) as an Honor Board, one of the top five school boards in the state.  

“During the 88^th Texas legislative session this past spring, MISD trustees engaged frequently with our state delegation to advocate for the interests of our school district and community,” Chief of Staff and Communications Justin Marino said. “This included many meetings with our elected officials and visits to the state capitol to address MISD’s funding challenges with state legislators. This level of engagement goes above and beyond what is typically expected of a school board member and demonstrates their remarkable commitment to this community. The Montgomery community is blessed to be served by this incredible group of leaders.”  

Finally, trustees heard an update on projects funded by the district’s 2022 bond campaign and approved the guaranteed maximum price for the CTE & Ag Science Center, slated to open for the 2025-26 school year. The facility will be located along Lone Star Parkway between Buffalo Springs and Plez Morgan Drive. 

“Through our efforts with our partners at Huckabee Architects and Stewart Builders, we are working to maximize the value of this facility,” Chief Facilities & Operations Officer Kris Lynn said.  “We plan to move forward with constructing the CTE Center as a two-story structure. This finished space will provide some flexibility as the district grows and eliminate the need for future construction at the site. Additionally, the building will include a full kitchen facility that can be utilized for district events. We are also planning to connect the covered areas in the Ag-Science area. These decisions translate to an additional 30,000 square feet of usable space, at a price approved by our community in the 2022 bond election.”

The $61.61 million centralized CTE facility will serve both Montgomery High School and Lake Creek High School as will the $21.31 million centralized agricultural science center. The total building square footage for the CTE center is proposed at 127,000 square feet. The agricultural center will be 62,000 square feet, not including the additional 17,000 square feet for animal pens.