Thorndale ISD

Volume 3, Issue 17: 4/24/26

 

Greetings Bulldogs! Happy Friday.

Save the Date:

Whether you have come to all of the facilities meetings or none at all, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear more about plans for Thorndale ISD and to share your opinion from the start!

 
PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE: Due to a cascading of schedule changes in the district, we moved the event back one week to May 13th so that we do not conflict with the FFA banquet.

Bond Updates:

Thorndale High School is looking good, inside and out!

(Update) New High School Peek Inside:

As you have probably heard me say many times, the new high school is on time and on budget for an early July completion. Well, here is a sneak peek at the progress:

(Check out the 50-foot flag pole and the nearly complete front entrance!)

(The front office reception area with the completed glass entrance)

(A look down the main office hallway and into the reception desk area)

(the serving line area, kitchen, and back of house areas with cooler, freezer, and pantry)

(cafeteria area - the wood wall will be transformed into a fully glass window and door area leading to the outdoor seating area)

(Typical classroom space with drop ceilings, flooring, and two giant windows for natural light)

(science classroom coming together with cabinets and tables)

(Science prep room and closet to chemical storage)

(Staff work room and break room)

(Student restrooms)

(A hallway view looking out into the student parking lot - to the left is athletics and to the right is band/fine arts)

(hallway view -turned around from prior view - looking all the way down the hallway to CTE)

(hallway view - facing cafeteria, then athletics and band/fine arts - to the right is the student bathrooms and to the left is the front office)

(hallway view - to the right is art and science classrooms, to the left is tech storage, credit recovery, and a few classrooms - note the end of the hallway will be a glass exit)

(hallway view - to the left is a “mini - commons area”, the rest of the hallway is a teacher break room and numerous classrooms)

(hallway view - looking out towards the CTE building)

Alumni Spotlight - Tamicka Ruscio (Cook):

April Alumni Spotlight: Tamicka Ruscio (Cook), Class of 2013

Thorndale ISD is proud to highlight Tamicka Ruscio (Cook), whose time as a student-athlete left a lasting mark on our school community. During her years at TISD, Tamicka was actively involved in volleyball, basketball, track & field, softball, and NHS, consistently representing Thorndale with dedication, competitiveness, and pride. Her leadership, work ethic, and commitment to her teammates and coaches helped set the standard for those who followed.

After graduation, Tamicka continued her athletic and academic journey at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she was a member of the women’s basketball team. Even after her time on the court, she remained involved through intramural sports and campus life. She worked in the Center for Academic Excellence and contributed to programs such as Cru Camp and Transfer Connection, supporting both incoming freshmen and transfer students as they adjusted to college life.

Tamicka earned her Bachelor of Science in Sport Management with a minor in Business Administration and later completed her Master of Science in Education – Sport Administration. Her passion for athletics and education has come full circle, as she now serves as the girls’ athletic coordinator at Jarrell Middle School and participates in the R.O.C.K. Coaching Mentor Program, continuing to mentor and lead the next generation of student-athletes.

She and her husband have a 7-year-old daughter, and their family recently moved to Jarrell, Texas, where she continues to make a positive impact both on and off the field.

Favorite Memory:

“My senior year basketball season—everything about it meant so much. From the family mentality we had to our amazing coaches, to the heartbreaking loss in the Regional Finals in the last five seconds. If you were there, you know.”

Advice to Students:

“You don’t need to have it all figured out—just don’t stand still.”

Final Thoughts:

“I had some of the best experiences of my life at TISD. I met lifelong friends and coaches who are now colleagues. These are stories I still share with my family today. Enjoy the chaos and the mess, because in the end it will all be worth it.”

Tamicka’s journey is a reflection of the values and spirit of Thorndale ISD. We are incredibly grateful for the impact she made during her time here and are proud to see the continued difference she is making in the lives of others.

To read more please visit - TISD Alumni Spotlights

Nominate a TISD alumni for an upcoming highlight by scanning the QR code or visiting Alumni Spotlight Nomination Form.

May Lunchroom Menus:

THS NHS Induction Ceremony 2026

We are proud to celebrate and congratulate our newest National Honor Society inductees. These students have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, service, and integrity. Their dedication to both inside and outside the classroom reflects the core values of the National Honor Society. Congratulations!

Jake Fisher, Jax Turner, Taylor Faske, Steven Leatherwood, Colby McAnulty, Bradley Werner, Nadia Gonzalez, Reagan Cooper, Katie Hejl, Sydney Owen, Cameron Quebe, Cheyenne Stevenson, Hadley Wagner, Alayna Ramirez, Karley Breithaupt, Jaycee Cruz, Jenna McClurg, Maryetta Owens, Audryna Vega 

FCCLA Success:

2026 State FCCLA Conference in Dallas! 19 chapter members competed in 10 events including:

          Proficiency Events:

Serving Up Success - Level 3

• 3rd Place at STATE - Wyatt Betak
• Competitor: Lance Pesl

Knife Skills - Level 2

• Competitor: Jamie Llanas

Cupcake Presentation - Level 3

• Competitor: Hadley Wagner

                                 STAR Events:

Entrepreneurship - Level 3

• * Kohl Palmer
• * Jax Turner
• * Chance Collins

Food Innovations - Level 2

• * Myla Stokes
• * Morgan Shoemake
• * Addison Suchomel

Food Innovations - Level 3

• * Logan Ferguson
• * Bethany Pruesse

National Programs in Action - Level 3

• * Kenedi Moore
• * Jayden Gonzales

National Programs in Action - Level 3

• * Brilee Mulligan
• * Lyla Patin
• * Kennedy Robinson

                           Spotlight on Projects:

Stand Up: Competitor

• * Brooklynn Gamble
• * Rileigh Schaller

Connection Team - Brooklynn Gamble

Rose Legacy Recipient - Kenedi Moore

Please congratulate these students on their efforts for the 2026 competitive event season!

FFA:

Our students performed well at STATE this week. As a reminder, FFA competes across all school sizes, 1A - 6A!

Thorndale FFA Land Judging and Homesite Evaluation teams competed at State Contest on April 23rd in Stephenville, TX after qualifying through the area contest. Both teams represented our chapter in an outstanding manner. They competed with the top five teams from each area in the state of Texas for a total of 60 teams in each contest.

Homesite Evaluation

16th Place Team

• Bradley Werner (10th High Individual)
• Steven Leatherwood
• Colton McDonald
• Landon Tallas

Land Judging

14th Place Team

• Kenzie Hobbs (11th High Individual)
• Isaac Biar
• Carter Stoecklein
• Alfred McDaniel

Good Luck - Thorndale High School UIL Academics:

We have 13 students advancing and competing in a variety of events, including Science, Accounting, Editorial Writing, Spelling, Computer Science, Social Studies, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Number Sense.

(Reminder): Thorndale Summer Sports Camps

Open to incoming 2nd–9th grade students

We look forward to a great summer of skill-building and competition.

• Cost: $40 per camp

Please bring the completed form and payment to your first camp

• Print form here: Sport Camps Forms

For questions, please contact the Athletic Director, John Kovar, or the coach listed

Baseball & Softball:

Baseball is playing Holland tonight at 4:30 here in Thorndale. Come out and check out the team as tonight we celebrate Senior Night!

Softball fell to Johnson City in game one of their playoff battle but will rally Saturday at noon at Copperas Cove.

Art - Junior Vase Excellence:

All 13 entries that entered for the JR Vase received 4’s, placing at the region level. Additionally, we received 3 to place with a platinum (MS version of State!)

-DIVISION 2-

• Addison Ferguson (platinum)

-DIVISION 1-

• Ava Vargas
• Paisley Lozano
• Sophia Torres
• Kamden Rowe
• Lilly Martin
• Molly Shoemake (platinum)
• Aspen Schneider
• Bridget Weber (platinum)
• Kinsley Davis
• Kaisley Heji
• Mallory Franklin
• Jimmie Leigh Williams

TISD Track:

Congratulations to the following athletes advancing to the Regional Meet:

Lady Dogs

• Bethany Preusse – Area Champion, Discus; Area Champion, Shot Put
• Riley Shock – 2nd, Discus
• Raven Sandoval – Area Champion, 3200; Area Champion, 1600; Area Champion, 800
• Skielee Bear – 2nd, 3200; 4th, 1600; 4th, 800
• Nadia Gonzalez – 3rd, 3200; 2nd, 1600
• Scarlett Young – 3rd, 200

Bulldogs

• Jamie Llanas – Area Champion, 3200; Area Champion, 1600 (School Record – 4:46.63); Area Champion, 800
• Jose Macias – 3rd, 3200
• Ethan Schramm – Area Champion, Triple Jump; 3rd, Long Jump
• Case McDaniel – Area Champion, High Jump; 3rd, 800
• Jake Fisher – 2nd, Pole Vault
• Will Cloud – 4th, 300m Hurdles

Congratulations and good luck at Regionals!

TISD Tennis:

We had 9 tennis players represent Thorndale High School over the past 3 days at the Regional Tennis Tournament in Corpus Christi. 

Heavy rainfall kept the play limited to 2 indoor courts on Monday. On Tuesday, we started inside again, then by mid-morning the weather improved, so we moved the play outside to finish up the competition through the semi-finals.  

Ethan and Garrett Schramm went on to compete on Wednesday and lost out to a tough Evadale boys' doubles team to finish 4th place. Congrats to all tennis players on an amazing season!! 

Spring Sports:

Spring sports are in full swing! Stay up to date on game times and locations by visiting the schedules below:

•  Golf
•  Softball
•  Tennis
  •  JH Tennis: Located on the 2nd tab of the HS Tennis schedule
•  Track
•  Baseball
•  JH Track

In case you missed out on the previous Superintendent’s blogs and want to look back at any issue, here is where you can find them: Thorndale ISD Website

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Most sincerely,

Zack Kleypas
Superintendent
Thorndale ISD
#TISDStrivingForExcellence

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”