MISD Announces MHS Renovations, Receives Sports, Music, and C&T Updates

MONTGOMERY, TX -- In an ongoing effort to make Montgomery ISD schools better, the Board of Trustees, in their March gathering approved pricing for renovations to Montgomery High School. This comes on the heels of MISD’s move to bring the curriculum more in line with possible career opportunities that students will encounter in the future. The district continues to perform well as judged by websites like Niche.com, which rates based on student surveys that provide an in-depth picture as to how school districts are performing.

During the meeting on the 19th, trustees approved the guaranteed maximum price of $26.2 million for the renovations at Montgomery High School. The Board vowed to continue to focus on transparency on projects such as the renovations, and share updates as they come about on the progress until completion. The high school renovation project is funded by the 2022 bond election.

“We are very excited to begin these renovations at Montgomery High School,” said Board President Laurie Turner. “These improvements will positively impact the learning environment at the school and allow our teachers and staff to support the needs of our students for years to come.”

MISD Athletic Department, Athletic Director Clint Heard, reported on the state of the district's athletic programs, their highlights and accomplishments across the 32 sports that are represented across the secondary level.

“While we are incredibly proud of the achievements of the student athletes who participate in our programs, we are equally proud to share about their performance in the classroom,” said Heard. “We had 123 students earn academic all-district honors this year, and 31 who earned academic all-state honors.”

Heard also noted that the district had 33 student athletes who have committed to pursuing their athletic endeavors at the collegiate level next year.

The trustees recognized the district’s ongoing bond to music education, by acknowledging ‘Music In Our Schools’ month. MISD has a proud tradition of exemplary music programs across all secondary campuses, and they heard a performance from the newly formed Men’s ‘A capella’ group from Montgomery High School, under the direction of Heather Orr and Emma Cockerham.

In addition, the trustees acknowledge ‘Career & Technical Education’ month, where board members recognized students from the district’s Robotics Programs, along with their sponsors Russell Reid from MHS, and Eric Moons from Lake Creek HS.

MISD has been making strides in giving students more academic alternatives in regards to possible career choices for the 2024-25 school year. They are adding courses available to students that will be relevant to their interests and post-graduation goals while also providing an expanded opportunity to meet a variety of academic needs. The initiative was launched last fall, as a routine review of improving academic opportunities for students to remain pertinent to ever changing technologies.

“One area we have worked to improve in MISD is the master scheduling process at the secondary level,”said Amy Busby, then interim MISD Superintendent, in a fall press release. “Starting this process for next year allows students and families to start thinking ahead in terms of their desired courses and also provides campus leadership teams with the ability to start planning ahead as it relates to looking at staffing and other items to meet the needs of our students.”

Courses entailing Artificial Intelligence, American Sign Language, Interpersonal Studies (Faith and Community Services), Music Appreciation (starting at 6th grade), are just the start. New course pathways into Construction, Transportation Systems, Automotive technology, Welding, and Oil & Gas Production, are all coming on-line to give MISD students better opportunities for more technical fields than ever before.

MISD is building a program that students will be interested in taking advantage of the educational resources and make them accessible for students devoted to making a difference in the technological world of the future. And the renovations of Montgomery High School will be there in time to see successful students be ready for the next step in their academic careers.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net

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