Congratulations to the Abilene High boys’ cross country team, which captured the District 4-5A championship Thursday morning at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock. The Abilene High girls – the defending district champion – finished a close second to Lubbock Monterey. The Cooper girls were fifth, and the Cooper boys were seventh in the final standings.
On the boys’ side, Abilene High senior Andruw Villa won the second district title of his career after not running at last year’s District 4-5A championship meet because of injury. Villa – who finished second at the District 2-6A championship meet as a freshman in 2000 and then won it the next year as a sophomore – covered the 5000-meter course in 16 minutes, 07.29 seconds Thursday to win the race by 30 seconds over Lubbock Monterey’s Tripp Gray. The Eagles had six runners in the top 21 finishers to beat Monterey for the team title with 41 points to Monterey’s 55.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Eagles narrowly missed defending their district championship, finishing with 49 points to 46 for the district champions from Lubbock Monterey. Senior Marin Murray was fifth (20:17.16 over 5000 meters), followed by junior Zoe Vann in sixth, junior Mason Murray in eighth, sophomore Emily Brumley in 12th, junior Jazlyn Ortiz in 18th, sophomore London Woodard in 23rd, and junior Caroline Bessent in 26th.
Cooper’s Lila Murillo finished seventh (20:31.56) to qualify for the Region I-5A championship meet on Monday, Oct. 23, at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock. The girls’ race will go off at 9 a.m., followed by the boys at 9:30 a.m. The AHS girls qualified for the state championship meet last year for the first time since 1999 and only the fifth time in program history (1992, 1995, 1996, and 1999 are the other times). The AHS boys, meanwhile, have never qualified its team for the state championship meet.
You only have two chances left to see the Abilene High Theatre production of its Fall Show: Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Abilene High’s troupe will perform its final two shows on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Abilene High Auditorium. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased at the door upon arrival. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” centers on a Scottish lord convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife will do anything to support him in his plans of seizing power.
The AISD Memorial Park honors the memory of deceased AISD students and staff who honorably served in the United States Armed Forces. The park is located on the grounds of Dyess Elementary School and includes a Veterans Memorial Wall commemorating the names of those who served. If you want to nominate a loved one who has passed away for memorialization on the district’s Veterans Memorial Wall, please click here to submit their information. If you’d like to search the AISD database for the 77 names that already have their names etched onto the wall, click here.
Fine Arts Roundup: The Abilene High School and Cooper High School orchestra programs will each host their Fall Concerts next Thursday, Oct. 19, at their respective auditoriums. The Cooper program will be from 7-8 p.m. at the Cooper Auditorium and the AHS program from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the AHS Auditorium. … Three middle school choirs will perform next week as they each host their annual Fall Concerts. The Clack Middle School Choir will perform on Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 7-8 p.m. in the sanctuary at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church (701 S. Pioneer Drive), while on the same night, the Craig Middle School Choir will perform from 7-8 p.m. in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church (1333 N. 3rd St.). Two nights later, on Thursday, Oct. 19, the Mann Middle School Choir will perform from 7-8 p.m. in the Mann Auditorium (2545 Mimosa Dr.). … At the Madison Auditorium, the Madison Middle School Choir performed its Fall Concert on Thursday, Oct. 12. … Abilene ISD Fine Arts Coordinator Brady Sloane-Duncan will be honored next Wednesday at the Celebrate the Arts luncheon for her volunteer work with the Abilene Education Foundation’s Young Masters Program. Sloane-Duncan has been the conduit between AEF volunteers and art teachers, ensuring effective communication. During her time working with Young Masters, the program has grown in numbers and has provided more opportunities to art students.
The Abilene High School Band had quite a busy couple of days last weekend. It performed last Friday night in Amarillo as the AHS football team played Amarillo Caprock in a District 2-5A Division I game at Dick Bivins Stadium. The band then made it home at about 3:45 a.m. before meeting back at the AHS Band Hall just a few hours later to compete in the Big Country Marching Festival at Abilene Wylie’s Hugh Sandifer Stadium. The Eagle Band had a good day, finishing as the Class 6A-4A Grand Champion with a Division One rating. AHS also had the Most Outstanding Guard (Class 6A-4A) and Most Outstanding Percussion (Class 6A-4A).
The Cooper High School Band also had a busy weekend, performing last Friday night at home as Cooper hosted Wichita Falls Rider in a District 2-5A Division II game at Shotwell Stadium. The band then got up early and went to San Angelo to compete in the Concho Classic at San Angelo Stadium. The Awesome Cooper Band received a Division One rating from all judges and Outstanding Drumline.
The Abilene High and Cooper High School bands will compete on Monday, Oct. 16, in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) East Zone Marching Contest at Shotwell Stadium. AHS and Cooper are the only two Class 5A bands of the 13 bands entered in the competition that will perform for a chance to advance to the Area UIL Band Marching Contest. Cooper will perform at approximately 8:15 p.m., with AHS set to follow at about 8:40 p.m. Any band that receives a Division One rating will advance to the area contest on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Lowrey Field in Lubbock. Both bands have gone to the Area round in each of the previous three years. Beginning this fall, all bands can advance to the state contest. The UIL has moved away from the every-other-year model that has been in place since 1992. Good luck to both bands on Monday!
The Abilene High Eagles will be back at Shotwell Stadium Friday night (Oct. 13) for their biggest game of the season as they host the Lubbock Cooper Pirates in a contest for first place in District 2-5A Division I. The Eagles – coming off a 55-0 blowout of Amarillo Caprock last Friday – are 5-2 overall, 3-0 in district play and winners of three straight games. The Pirates, meanwhile, are 4-2 and 2-0 and coming off a 49-19 blowout win over Amarillo High. The Eagles have three games left in the regular season as they search for their first district championship since 2016: Friday vs. Lubbock Cooper, next Friday (Oct. 20) at Lubbock Coronado, and Friday, Oct. 27, at home against Amarillo High. You can watch and listen to Abilene High’s game against Lubbock Cooper here or here.
The Cooper Cougars will be in Amarillo tonight to take on Amarillo Palo Duro in a near must-win game for the Cougars as they pursue a spot in the playoff for the 17th straight season. The Cougars are 1-5 overall and 0-1in District 2-5A Division II after a 42-21 loss to Wichita Falls Rider last Friday night. The Dons from Palo Duro are 3-3 and 1-0 and have won two straight with victories over Canyon Randall (45-27) and last week over Lubbock High (58-24). Cooper is 4-0 all-time against Palo Duro, including a 50-14 win last year in Amarillo. After Friday night’s game, Cooper has three games left on the regular-season schedule: next Friday against Plainview at Shotwell Stadium, Thursday, Oct. 26, at Lubbock High, and the regular-season finale against Wylie on Friday, Nov. 3. You can listen to the Cooper-Palo Duro game here, or you can watch the Amarillo live feed here or here.
Suppose you’re looking for a way to get into shape, shed a few extra pounds, or just a place to work out. In that case, the AISD’s insurance provider – BlueCross BlueShield of Texas – is offering a special deal that eliminates the $19 enrollment fee for new members who sign up for its Fitness Program in October. Members will be asked to enter a coupon code OCTOBERWAIVED at checkout to qualify for the waived fee. The Fitness Program offers four flexible gym options from $19 to $99, convenience, and access to a nationwide network of participating facilities so members can work out whether traveling, at home, or work:
- Members can select a plan option that suits their lifestyle based on location and facility access.
- Once they join, they’ll have access to all locations within the purchased plan and in any of the lower-priced options.
- Access thousands of digital fitness videos and live classes through an online platform, including cardio, boot camp, barre, yoga, and more. Digital access is included with Base, Core, Power, and Elite memberships.
For more information on enrolling in the program, please see the flyer here.
Influenza (flu) viruses typically spread in fall and winter, with activity peaking between December and February. Getting vaccinated now can lower your chances of getting the flu. Influenza viruses cause flu and can lead to serious illness requiring hospitalization. Every flu season is different, and the substantial health impacts can vary widely from season to season, with some flu seasons being worse than others. Your best defense is vaccination, which protects you from the flu and its potential complications. The FDA approves the flu vaccines for the prevention of influenza disease and to protect against four different virus strains of influenza. The CDC recommends that adults and children older than six months of age receive a flu vaccine annually.
Abilene ISD will offer the flu vaccination to employees starting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at their home campus. We will not be giving immunizations to spouses or children this year. We are partnering with James McCoy’s Drug Store for the vaccines. When you sign up below, you will be asked for your insurance information to pay for the vaccine. If you pay cash, it is $45.00.
If you would like to get the flu vaccine at your home campus, you will need to complete the Google form at the following link:
The deadline to register is Monday, October 16, 2023.
Abilene ISD Sports Roundup: The Abilene High School fall team tennis season ended Tuesday (Oct. 10) with a 10-2 bi-district loss against Amarillo High at the Lubbock High Tennis Courts. The Eagles finished the year with a 20-8 overall record and qualified for the postseason for the ninth straight season. The Sandies, meanwhile, continue their push for a second straight Class 5A state tennis championship with an area-round match Friday against El Paso Bel Air in Midland. … Both Abilene High and Cooper volleyball suffered tough losses earlier this week, with the Lady Cougars dropping a 3-0 decision Tuesday night at Wylie, while the Lady Eagles went to Lubbock Monterey and lost 3-2 Tuesday night. … AHS is back in action tonight (Oct. 13) against Lubbock High at 5 p.m. at Eagle Gym, while the Lady Coogs are off Friday. Both teams will be in action on Tuesday, Oct. 17, as the chase for a playoff spot heats up with just three district matches remaining. AHS will be at Lubbock Coronado in a key match, while Cooper will host Lubbock Monterey at 6 p.m. at Cougar Gym. … Abilene High will close out its regular season on Friday, Oct. 20, with a home match against first-place Lubbock Cooper, while Cooper will be on the road that night to take on Lubbock High. Cooper will close its regular season with an Oct. 24 home match against Lubbock Coronado at 6 p.m. at Cougar Gym. … 
AHS is in third place in the district with three matches remaining, one game ahead of fourth-place Lubbock Monterey and 2 ½ games ahead of Lubbock Coronado. The Lady Eagles will clinch their second straight playoff berth with wins over Lubbock High and Lubbock Coronado. … The Lady Coogs, meanwhile, are 1-8 in the district and clinging to playoff hopes. But Cooper must win out and get a lot of help from other teams in the district to return to the playoffs. … In Abilene High’s 3-0 win at Cooper last Friday (Oct. 6), junior libero Kinzley Cantu collected her 1,000th career dig.
