CISD celebrates, remembers “golden” times

CISD celebrates, remembers “golden” times
If you happen to
District,” Superinten- passed, and when the
see a golden shimmer dent Dr. Marc Walker county school board
glistening off the roof- said. “There’s a sense officially approved
tops or radiating from of pride that comes
the voter’s desire on
the hallways of one of with celebrating such November 12, it conthe 16 schools in the
a significant date. The solidated eight comComal Independent
CISD has had a posimon school districts in
School District this
tive impact on a lot of Comal County — Bulfall, don’t
verde,
worry, it’s
Danjust a sign
ville,
of the
Davtimes.
enport,
The
Fischer,
CISD is
Goodcelebratwin,
ing its
Moungolden
tain
The Goodwin Rural School (pictured here in 1955) was
anniversary, one of eight common districts that merged to form the
Valley,
and offiSherComal County Rural High School District.
cially turns
wood
50 years old on
lives over the years,
and Solms. The CoNovember 12, 2006.
and we expect that
mal County Rural
The district celebratrend to continue for a High School District
tion will run from No- long time to come.”
was officially formed.
vember 2006 through
At first, the school
August 2007.
The creation of a
district had a county
“It’s definitely
school district
superintendent, M.H.
an exciting time for
Specht. Bill Sevier,
everyone who has
In October 1956,
who was previously
ever been associan election was held
the principal at the
ated with the Comal
to establish a rural
Goodwin Rural
Independent School
high school district. It School, was named
Bill Sevier
M. H. Specht
the first district superintendent in 1959.
Over time, the eight
common school districts merged into four
schools — Bulverde,
Comal, Goodwin, and
Sherwood. The Danville, Davenport and
Canyon High opens in 1959 and more great CISD memories
Solms school buildRuehle
ings were moved to
Bundick, a
the present Comal El- 1960 Canyon
ementary School site. High graduThe first official day ate who marof school for these
ried fellow
students in the new
’60 graduschool district was
ate Larry
Sept. 1, 1957.
Bundick in
The site of Goodwin 1962. “Being
Rural High School,
the first class
where the current
at Canyon
Canyon Intermediate
High School
School sits, was chowas wondersen to be the location
ful. There
The first Canyon High graduating class in 1960
of the district’s new
were only 34
high school. After
kids in our senior
renovations were com- class, and we were
plete, the school ofall friends with evficially
eryone
opened
in every
its doors
grade.
as CanThere
yon
were no
High
cliques;
School
we were The Comal County Rural High School District trustees in
1960 included (Top row) (l-r) Clifton Sahm, Ronald Erben,
in the
the coun- Fred Voges, Robert Halm, Monroe Wetz. (Bottom row)
fall of
try kids Alvin Calmbach, Lorraine Rose, Ben Wolle (Pres.), and
Ben Hardy
Erhardt Kanz.
1959 and
and we
graduated its first class all had so much fun
graduated from Canclasses that were at
in 1960. The name
together.”
yon High,” she said.
Canyon High when
Canyon High School
Bundick, whose
“Most of us are still
we graduated in 1960.
was suggested and ap- daughter Kay Preiss is friends and do things
One of our classmates
proved because it was a teacher at Rebecca
together. I’ve been
has a place on the
very close to the time Creek Elementary
here all my life and I
river, and everyone
Canyon Lake was cre- School, said many of
think it’s really special brings food and we
ated.
those friendships have that so many people
always have a big
“We got to pick
lasted as long as the
still live here.
turnout.”
out red and white
CISD itself.
“We have reunions
Wesley Odell was
colors and the Cougar
“We had kids that
every five years, and
a 1962 CHS gradumascot,” said Joyce
grew up together and
we invite all four
ate who went on to
2
Members of CHS’ first graduating classes remain close today
teach and work 38
recently retired
years in the Comal
as the district’s
ISD. He shares Ruehle career and techBundick’s fond mem- nology coordinaories of the early years tor. He added it’s
of the district.
hard to go any“When they opened where in town
the new high school,
without running
I was a sophomore
into someone
and my sister was a
with CISD ties.
junior,” Odell said.
Charlene
“Any time you change Neugebauer
schools you’re pretty
Soechting was
nervous, and we didn’t the valedictoknow what to expect. rian of CHS’ 1960
As it turned out, once graduating class.
we got there it was a
“It was such an
lot of
honor to
fun bebe named
cause it
valedicwas like
torian
one big
because
family.
I came
“Stufrom the
dents
small
today
town of
don’t
Shereven
wood,
know
Charlene Neugebauer where we
all the
only had
people in their own
a little one-building
class because there are schoolroom,” Soechtso many kids, but we
ing said. “I thought
had fewer than 300 in there were people who
the whole school so it had traveled and done
was a unique experimore that would be
ence knowing everyahead of me, but I felt
one.”
very privileged to be
Odell taught agriranked first.”
culture science for
Soechting, who
22 years at CHS and
went on to work 26
1960 CHS Commencement Program
years in the CISD before retiring in 1998,
said people still bring
up her accomplishment from time to
time.
“Every once in
awhile someone will
move in to town and
one of my friends will
tell them I was the
first valedictorian at
Canyon High,” said
Soechting, whose
daughter Laure was
CHS’ salutatorian in
1980. “They’ll say,
‘How great!,’ and I’m
still honored by it.
“Every year when a
new class graduates it
brings back memories.
When I see the graduating classes with
200, 300 or even 400
or more students in
them, and see just how
much the curriculum
has changed over the
years, I know just how
much the valedictorian really had to work
for it.”
Incredible memories from Bill Sevier,
district’s first
superintendent
Sevier, who was
named the district’s
superintendent in
1959, has fond memories of the early days
of the district.
“The kids were all
really proud of the
high school,” he said.
“We had fantastic
backing from all the
parents. We couldn’t
afford a football sta3
Stories and memories from the early years
Bill Sevier takes a moment to pose with two students
during the early days at Canyon High. Sevier, CISD’s
first district superintendent, looks back on that time
with fond memories.
dium at the time, so
we wanted to build
a gymnasium. When
the bids came in, the
lowest was five dollars per square foot,
and we said there’s no
way we’re going to
pay that much which
seems funny now, but
we got it built.
“There was so much
school spirit back in
those early days when
we’d play volleyball
or basketball, which
were our mainstay
sports. That gym
would just be packed.”
Sevier added that
4
CISD Board of Trustee Presidents
1956-2006
1956-59 Ben Wolle
1960-64 Alvin Calmbach
1965-66 Fred M. Voges
1967-68 Wilbur W. Lawler
1969 Cameron P. Wiley
1970 Wilbur W. Lawler
1971-73 Cameron P. Wiley
1974 Milton Erben
1975 Dr. J.D. Norris
1976-79 Leroy Goodson
1980-83 Dr. Kenneth Wunderlich
1984-87 Leroy Goodson
1988-89 Carter Casteel
1990-91 Lee Roy Ikels
1992 William Hays, Jr.
1993-95 Jim Middleton
1996-99 Dan K. Krueger
2000-01 John Clay
2002 Dan K. Krueger
2003-04 Dora Gonzales
2004 Nick Nichols
2004-present Dan K. Krueger
the day the school
hired Tommy Dunn as
the district’s first driving instructor in the
early 1960s was “big
stuff back
then.”
The district didn’t
have a parent-teacher
association,
but instead
had parent-teacher
clubs that
sponsored
fundraisers
Joyce Ruehle
for events
and also
Larry Bundick
“Musical Bus” one of the early-day CISD creations
sparked some intracounty rivalries.
“There would
always be a rivalry
between the Sherwood and Bulverde
mother’s clubs to
see who would
have the best roast
beef dinner at the
fundraiser each
year,” Sevier said.
“I always thought it
was Sherwood’s, but I
never told anybody.”
Sevier also recounted an amusing
story about one of the
school’s top basketball
players that showed
up one fall with sideburns all the way
down the side of his
face.
“Ben Hardy, the
high school principal,
and I shaved them off
for him,” Sevier said.
“A guy came up to the
school a few days later
and asked where the
superintendent was.
Now this guy was at
least 6-foot, 6-inches
tall and looked more
like 10-feet tall to me
— he blocked out the
light — and he had
sideburns all the way
down his face.
“He was looking for
and paint it yellow. We used that
as transportation
around the lake
for awhile.”
That wasn’t
the only creative
bus-ride solution
the district came
up with in the
early days.
“It was tough
1967 Canyon High Student Council
for the kids in Bulan explanation about
lake, so our agriculverde coming over on
what happened to his
ture teacher Tommy
boy, and I told him,
Zipp got a motor boat such a long bus ride to
Canyon High,” Sevier
‘You probably want
from the Army Sursaid. “So one of our
to go down the hall
plus store,” he said.
and talk to the coach.’ “We were going to run employees, Sherman
West, who also drove
After that, our motto
them back and forth
a bus, went to a junk
was, ‘Play hard, play
across the water, but
yard and bought up a
fair, win, and get a
before school started
bunch of car radios to
shave.’”
another couple of
Sevier remembered families moved in. Be- put in our buses. The
the initial game plan
lieve it or not, we had radio stations in San
the school district had to buy a station wagon Antonio would take
requests from the kids
to get kids
from the
far side of
Canyon
Lake to
the high
school.
“We
couldn’t afford another bus route
to go pick
up the kids
all the way
across the
Members of the 1967 Canyon High “German Band” included (left
to right) Johnny Friesenhahn, Danny Kelley, Rocky Tays, Bobby
Arndt, Braden Dreibrodt, Raymond Shockey, and Robert Hahn.
5
Comal ISD name adopted in 1968
in the 11th and 12th
grades, which would
keep the younger ones
settled down.
“We got a big write
up in the newspaper
about the “Musical
Bus.” The bus drivers
were all teachers back
then and every one of
them knew every one
of the parents. It was a
total team effort.”
Another sign the
times were different
back then was the fact
November 16, the first
day of hunting season,
was a school holiday.
“It had to be, everyone hunted” Sevier said. “We had a
problem at first with
someone on the school
board whose husband
was not a hunter. I had
to explain to her that
there was so much
hunting going on in
New Braunfels I was
afraid to have the
buses on the road that
day. I also found an
obscure German musician that was born on
that day, so after that
we didn’t have any
problems because she
loved the arts.
“We gave out a trophy to the student that
6
got the
biggest
buck
that
day,
and the
number of
contestants
was
1976 Smithson Valley High Marching Band
usually
equally
divided between the
girls and the boys.”
Sevier, who left to
become Judson’s superintendent in 1968,
said it was a wonderful time to be associated with the CISD.
“It was a fantastic
experience,” he said.
“You would look
forward to getting up
and coming to work
every day, and we
had a wonderful staff
who all got along. I
still stay in touch with Billy Dornburg was the first principal at scenic Smithson Valley High, which opened in 1976.
many of the students
and staff to this day.”
A bond election for was thereafter known
$847,353 passed in
as the Comal IndepenThe late ‘60s and
1965 for the construc- dent School District.
‘70s — CISD contion of Canyon Junior The change meant the
tinues to grow
High, Bulverde Junior district could hire its
from its infancy
High, and Comal Elown superintendent
ementary School.
instead of being govSeveral key bond
An election April
erned in part by a
elections shaped fur23, 1968, created the
(continued on page 11)
ther growth.
school district that
Comal ISD schools, a history in the making
Canyon
Intermediate
Opened in
1997 (was the
former Goodwin Rural
High School,
Canyon High,
and Canyon
Middle).
Bill Brown
Elementary
Opened in Aug.
1991. Renovations
completed in October
2000.
Canyon High
School
Original Canyon
High was built in
1950 as Goodwin Rural High School and
contained grades 1-9.
Bulverde
In 1959, it became
Elementary
Canyon High School,
In 1966, the school holding grades 9opened as Bulverde
12. In 1966, it was
Junior High for
changed to Canyon
grades 7-9. In 1973,
High School with
it became Bulverde
grades 10-12. Current
Middle School with
site on IH 35 opened
grades 6-8. In 1988,
in 1973.
it became Bulverde
When the new CanElementary with
yon High opened
grades 3-5.
on the interstate,
A 1999 bond issue the old CHS
provided new classbecame Canyon
rooms and renovaMiddle School
tions. It now conwith grades 6-8.
tains grades 3 and 4
Expansion and
and is part of the Rahe renovaBulverde Elementary tions completed
complex.
at the current site
in July 2004.
Canyon
Lake
High School
Under construction; funded by 1999
bond issue; opening
August 2007
Canyon Middle
School
Canyon Jr. High
opened in 1966 and
is currently Frazier
Elementary; in 1973,
it was moved to the
old CHS that is now
Canyon Intermediate. Expansion at the
current site completed
in 2003. Current site
on FM 1101 opened
in 1987.
Comal Elementary
Opened in the
summer of 1957. The
school was a converted mess hall. The
Danville, Davenport,
and Solms schools
were moved to the
present site. Present
building opened in
1965. Most recent
expansion completed
in March 2002.
Comal Leadership
Institute
Opened in 1995.
Frazier Elementary
Opened in September 1966 as Canyon
Junior High containing grades 7-9.
In 1973 it became
Frazier Elementary
School containing
grades 3-5.
7
(Left) Canyon High
senior officers in
1962 were (l-r) Bob
Terrell (president),
Minnie Ewald, Wesley Odell (vice president) and Edward
Lenz.
Nov. 12, 1956
Eight common school districts in
Comal County — Bulverde, Danville,
Davenport, Fischer, Goodwin, Mountain Valley, Sherwood and Solms —
are consolidated. The Comal County
Rural High School District is formed.
Fall 1959
Canyon High School officially
opens its doors at the current
Canyon Intermediate site.
Spring 1960
Canyon High honors its first
graduating class, which includes
34 students.
April 23, 1968
An election creates the school district that is
now known as the Comal Independent
School District.
1973
Construction of the new 125,000-square foot
Canyon High School is completed on 50 acres
of land originally purchased for $1,500 per
acre. The school, which sits just off Interstate
35 in New Braunfels, is built for $2.4 million.
Sept. 1, 1957
First day of school in the
Comal County Rural High School
District.
1966 CHS Volleyball Team
8
1999
1994
District voters pass a $17.6 million bond issue for construction of
Arlon Seay Intermediate, Canyon
Intermediate and Mountain Valley
Intermediate.
Fall 1976
A $141 million bond election passes
to help finance improvements and
expansions as well as the building of
Hoffmann Lane, Specht and Rebecca
Creek elementary schools, and Canyon Lake High. The district’s student
enrollment numbers have grown
to 10,310, a more than 80 percent
increase in a 10-year span.
Smithson Valley High School officially opens
with approximately 500 students. SVHS is
built on a beautiful 60-acre piece of land
on FM 311 overlooking the peaks known
as Twin Sisters. The land is purchased for
$250,000 and the high school is built for just
under $9 million.
December 2005
The largest bond in
CISD history, $189
million, is approved by
voters.
1981-82
CISD celebrates its 25th anniversary. The
district’s enrollment is 4,021 students.
June 2004
Ground is broken on third
high school in CISD. Canyon Lake High will open in
August 2007.
2006
Members of the CISD board of trustees in 1986 included
(Top row) (l-r) Erwin Lehmann, Jr., Lee Ikels, Tom Potter,
Clay George. (Bottom row) Carter Casteel, Leroy Goodson (president), and William Hays Jr., (vice president).
Smithson Valley High (518)
and Canyon High (358) each
honor a record number of
graduates in May. The CISD
has more than 14,000 students
by August, and that number is
projected to grow to more than
17,000 by the year 2010.
Comal ISD schools, a history in the making
High School. In
1959, it became Bulverde School with
grades 1-8.
In 1966, it became
Bulverde Elementary
and, in 1988, it became Bulverde Primary. It is now part
of the Rahe Bulverde
Elementary complex
with grades PreK-2 in
1958 Goodwin Graduates
its building.
Goodwin Primary
ementary and Middle Rebecca Creek
Goodwin Elemen- schools were renamed Elementary
tary School was built Mountain Valley ElOpened in August
in 1959 containing
ementary with grades 2002.
grades 1-8. In 1966,
EC to 4th grade. RenGoodwin Elementary ovations completed in Arlon Seay
contained grades 1-6. Jan. 2001.
Intermediate
In 1973, it became
Opened in JanuGoodwin Primary
ary 1997. Additions
Mountain Valley
containing EC-2. In
completed in March
Intermediate
1999 Goodwin Pri2000.
School
mary was remodeled
Opened in Decemand rededicated.
Smithson Valley
ber 1996. Additions
High
completed in Dec.
Hoffmann Lane
Established in
1999.
Elementary
1976 at the present
This school later
Opened in August merged with Mt. Val2002.
ley Elementary and is
now called Mt. Valley
Mountain Valley
School.
Elementary
Opened in 1974
Rahe Primary
as Mountain Valley
School
School containing
In 1945, the school
grades 1-8. In 1986,
was built and opened
Mountain Valley Elas Bulverde Rural
10
site of Smithson Valley Middle; the new
campus opened in
1988. Expansion and
renovations completed in October 2002.
Smithson Valley
Middle
In 1988 the original Smithson Valley
High became the
middle school. Renovations completed in
October 2002.
M.H. Specht
Elementary
Opened in August
2002.
Spring Branch
Middle
Opened in March
1998. Additions completed in November
2000.
Students and teachers alike have great Ranger recollections
in New
county superintenBraunfels,
dent. It also meant the was built
district would have
for $2.4
to raise its own taxes
million.
for schools, and deal
In
directly with the state 1974-75,
in matters pertaining
a $4.9
to the running of the
million
schools.
bond isIn 1969, the board
sue fiMembers of the 1977 CISD school board included (Top row) (l-r)
accepted plans to
nanced the Charlie Kuhn, Roy Klossner, Harry Heimer, Elmer Grosser, J.D.
expand Bulverde
construcNorris. (Bottom row) Adele Luckett, Leroy Goodson, Ralph Stapper,
Elementary and Good- tion of the and Moe Schwab.
win Primary, and build district’s
apparent a new high
The early days at
a new Canyon High
second high school at school was needed
that scenic SVHS
School. A Central
Smithson Valley, and
to accommodate the
location, which is
Office/Administration a school that included students in the hill
now Smithson Valley
building was complet- grades kindergarten
country.
Middle School, mirror
ed in 1971.
to eighth in Sattler
A beauThe new 125,000(Mountain Valley). It
tiful 60square foot Canyon
also allowed for imacre piece
High School was
provements to Comal, of land
completed in 1973,
Goodwin and Frazier
on FM
on 50 acres of land
elementary schools,
311 overoriginally purchased
and the Canyon and
looking
for $1,500 per acre.
Bulverde middle
the peaks
The school, which sits schools.
known
just off Interstate 35
as Twin
The late
Sisters
‘70s — A was purnew high chased for Smithson Valley High cheerleaders
team up with school board members at
school in $250,000 an event in 1977.
the hills
and the
(continued from page 6)
Bill Kretzmeier
With the
increased
growth all
around the
district, it
became
high school was built
for just under $9 million. Smithson Valley
High School officially
opened in the fall of
1976 with approximately 500 students.
the ones in the early
1960s enjoyed at Canyon High.
Nancy Cobb,
CISD’s associate
superintendent, was a
coach at SVHS when
11
Smithson Valley High opens in beautiful hill country
Roy Linnartz was an assistant principal at Smithson
Valley High from 1976-79. He’s been employed by
CISD for 37 years.
it first opened and authored the alma matter
and co-authored the
school’s fight song.
“The first day we
opened the school was
so exciting for those
kids in that area,”
Cobb said. “They
had such pride in that
school, and we had a
phenomenal first year.
We picked the colors
red, white and blue
because it was America’s Bicentennial.
Every time we saw
somebody flashing the
colors and celebrating the Bicentennial,
we felt like the whole
12
country was recognizing SVHS’ opening,
too.”
Cobb said it was
the perfect timing for
a high school in the
area.
“It was the right
school, at the right
place, at the right
time,” she said. “It
was like all the stars
lined up and everything went off without
a glitch. I have very
fond memories of
those times. Whether
you were watching
the sun rise on one
side of the school or
set on the other, it was
a sight to
behold.”
Bill
Kretzmeier
was SVHS’
head choir
director and
assistant
band director from
1976-87.
“It was
the best
place I ever
taught,”
Kretzmeier
said. “The
Two of SVHS’ 1976-77 student counstudents
cil leaders at the school’s dedication.
were all
country
kids’ parents.”
kids that knew each
Other distinct
other, hung out togeth- memories stick out for
er and went to church Kretzmeier.
together. And all the
“I also remember
teachers knew all the
having the best caf-
A member of the community
takes time to sign the SVHS
dedication guest book.
eteria in the
world,” he said.
“We had some
great cooks that
would actually know what
each and every
kid wanted and
liked. On Tuesdays they served
Mexican food,
and would bring
out a big platter
of homemade
rolls with butter
The Comal ISD keeps growing at a rapid pace
and honey. You could
have all you wanted.
“The kids were also
very well disciplined.
About the only discipline problem we had
those first few years
was getting the guys
to take their cowboy
hats off at school.”
Kretzmeier said the
setting was also something that drew people
to the school.
“It was anything but
an urban setting,” he
said. “You could see
deer walking around
everywhere and eating
on the football field. I
imagine you still can.
“It was just a great
place. It’s an experience I’ll always cherish.”
Roy Linnartz, who’s
been employed by
CISD for 37 years,
was an assistant prin-
A new Smithson Valley High School opened off Hwy 46 in 1988. It was a sign of
the tremendous growth in the CISD that continues still today.
cipal at Smithson Valley High from 197679.
“There was a definite need for a high
school in the hill
country so the kids
wouldn’t have to drive
so far to school,”
Linnartz said. “They
couldn’t have done a
better job. To be able
CISD Superintendents
1956-1959 M.H. Specht
1959-1968 William Sevier
1968-1977 Norman Whisenant
1977-1982 James Richardson
1982-1985 Dr. Edgar O. Wilhelm
1985-1990 Bill Brown
1990-1993 Joe Rogers
1993-2001 Dr. Jerry Major
2001-2003 Dr. James Grunert
2003-2005 Nancy Fuller
2005-present Dr. Marc Walker
to look out and see
“It seemed like we
the hills and the Twin spent every waking
Sisters all the way in
moment there and we
Blanco — it was just
all loved it. I guess
such a beautiful venue we were sheltered
and the kids loved it.” compared to how big
Kretzmeier’s daugh- everything’s gotten
ter, Ruth Kretzmeier
today, but the exLansing, graduated
perience absolutely
from Smithson Valley
High in 1980,
the first class
to attend all
four years at
the school.
“Life was
so different
back then
— we were
a family,”
Kretzmeier
Lansing said.
Dr. Marc Walker
13
Bond issues keep district in step with growth
Smithson Valley High’s 1986 prom king Tommy
Manitzas and queen Melanie Hoekstra pose for
a photo on the festive night. The prom’s theme
was, “An Evening in Paris.”
class at Smithson Valley High.
“We had wonderful teachers and it was
different because there
were so few students
there early on,” Sparkman said. “But it was
a small, comfortable
school that was growing very rapidly. I
think by my junior
year we had doubled
in size, and by my
senior year we had
added another couple
of hundred students.”
Linnartz said he’s
amazed to see what’s
become of the district
he works in today.
“The whole district
had fewer than 1,000
students in 1969,”
Linnartz said. “It’s just
phenomenal what it’s
turned into today. No
one would have ever
dreamed it was even
possible back then.”
The ‘80s to the
present — The
CISD keeps growing — and growing, and growing…
New industries and
people continued to
move into the county,
and by the 1981-82
school year, when the
CISD celebrated its
25th anniversary, the
district’s enrollment
stood at 4,021 students. Five years later,
that number was more
than 5,400 students.
shaped the person I
High, was also in
am today.
the 1980 graduating
“I’m not one to stay
in touch with people
on a real regular basis,
but I know there’s at
least a dozen people I
could call from high
school 30 years ago
that would be there
for me right now if I
needed them. It’s an
experience that never
went away for a lot of
us.”
Walter Sparkman,
the current band director at Canyon
2006 Canyon High State Band Solo/Ensemble Qualifiers
14
Comal ISD designated a Chapter 41 district in 2004
$17.95 million bond
election that funded
Spring Branch Middle
School, and classroom
additions to Smithson
Valley Middle, Smithson Valley High, Canyon High and Canyon
Middle schools.
By 1999, the district’s student enrollment numbers had
grown to a whopping
10,310, a more than
80 percent increase in
Smithson Valley High principal Chris Trotter congratulates SVHS
a 10-year span.
Homecoming Queen Laura Hall and King Brandon Boggess during
halftime of the Rangers’ game against San Antonio Roosevelt
In May 1999, a
Sept. 22, 2006.
$141 million bond
In 1995, a $19.96
issue passed in 1989
elementary in Sattler
election passed to help
million bond issue
and opened its doors
to become one Moun- finance improvements
was passed to fund
in 1991.
tain Valley School.
and expansions as
renovations to the
In 1994, district
The Comal Leader- well as the building
district’s nine existing voters passed a $17.6 ship Institute opened
of Hoffmann Lane,
campuses and build a million bond issue for for students in 1995 as Specht and Rebecca
new Smithson Valley
construction of Arlon the district’s alternaCreek elementary
High School, which
Seay Intermediate,
tive learning center.
schools, and Canyon
opened in January
Canyon Intermediate
Also in 1995, votLake High School.
of 1988 off Texas
and Mountain Valley
ers continued to show
In 2004, CISD
Hwy 46. In 1987, a
Intermediate, which
their support for the
became a Chapter
new Canyon Middle
later merged with the
CISD by passing a
41 property-wealthy
School
school district unopened
der the state’s school
on FM
Members of the 2006
1101. Bill
CISD board of trustees
Brown
include (Back row) (l-r)
ElemenBill Swint (treasurer),
Frank Baker (vice presitary was
dent), Dan Krueger
part of a
(president). (Front row)
$6.9 milLaura Kistner (secretary),
lion bond
Donna Holmes, Carol
Keller, and Charles Burt.
15
The Comal ISD’s future certainly looks bright
funding formula. Each
year since, CISD has
sent $4 -7 million to
the state for distribution to property poor
districts.
In December 2005,
a $189 million bond
issue passed. Six
new elementary
schools will be built
and Mountain Valley
School and Canyon
Intermediate will become middle schools,
all of which will occur
by 2009.
Today, the Comal
ISD is also the largest
full-time employer in
Comal County, with
more than 1,700 employees. It covers 589
square miles in five
counties — Comal,
Hays, Guadalupe,
Bexar and Kendall.
What began as a
consolidation of rural
schools has
turned into
one of the
fastest growing school
districts in
the state.
During
the 2005-06
school year,
Smithson
Valley High
had a record
CISD school board member Donna Holmes proudly hands
518 graduates 2006 Smithson Valley graduate Kevin Hensley his diploma.
Both SVHS (518) and Canyon High (358) had a record number
and Canyon
of graduates in ‘06.
High had an
jected to grow to more
Current CISD stuall-time high
than 17,000 by the
dents consistently
358 graduates. A far
thrive in the field of
cry from the combined year 2010.
In August 2007,
academics, athletics,
total of 64 graduates
Canyon Lake High
and the arts.
that walked the stage
School will open north
“I couldn’t be more
the first year the two
of Canyon Lake. It
proud of the students
schools graduated a
will alleviate overand staff we have in
class.
crowding at Smithson this school district,”
As of the fall of
Valley High School
Dr. Walker said. “We
2006, the CISD curand will be another
know what kind of
rently has more than
jewel for our proud
growth we’ve experi14,100 students, and
district to display.
enced in the past and
that number is prowe know what is pro(Left) The CISD is add- jected for the future. It
ing six new elementary
wouldn’t be possible
schools under Bond
for us to go through
2005. Mountain Valley
School and Canyon
these changes without
Intermediate will begreat people helping
come middle schools,
us at every level along
and Arlon Seay Interthe way.”
mediate will become
an elementary school.
Produced by the CoHere, students help
mal ISD Communicabreak ground at the
tions office, Nov. 2006.
FM 1101 elementary
www.comalisd.org.
location in May 2006.