AISD Insights: Dec. 2023 Vol.2

The Abilene ISD Board of Trustees announced Monday night that it has hired Dr. James M. Largent to serve as the district’s interim superintendent upon AISD Superintendent Dr. David Young’s transition to emeritus superintendency in January 2024. Largent brings 21 years of superintendent experience and 31 years of service in Texas public schools to AISD. He is currently the founder and CEO of Largent Consulting, LLC, and works in that capacity to support schools and corporate partners in executive searches and superintendent mentorship. Dr. Young announced in September that he would transition to the emeritus role in January, and then will retire as the superintendent at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Click here to read more about Dr. Largent.

Board Meeting update: The AISD Board of Trustees also approved the 2024-25 school calendar at Monday night’s meeting. The board adopted “Calendar A,” which provides for a school year start date of Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. The fall semester includes a three-day weekend in October, a week off for Thanksgiving, and the end of the semester on Friday, Dec. 20. The spring semester will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and features Spring Break from March 10-14, a three-day weekend for Easter, and the end of the school year on Thursday, May 22. Graduation ceremonies will be on May 23 (Abilene High) and May 24 (ATEMS and Cooper) at Shotwell Stadium. You can see the entire calendar here. … To see other items from Monday night’s board meeting, click here to watch the recap video.

Last Friday, the University Interscholastic League released its Reclassification and Realignment numbers ahead of February’s much-anticipated biennial realignment. Abilene High School – with an enrollment of 2,026 on Snapshot Day earlier this fall – will remain in Class 5A Division I, which has an enrollment range of 1,903-2,274. Cooper High School – which had an enrollment of 1,777.5 – will remain in Class 5A Division II, which has an enrollment range of 1,315-1,902. With those numbers decided, the intrigue in Abilene now centers on where teams in the far west (El Paso region), Panhandle (Lubbock and Amarillo), the two Abilene ISD high schools, and Wylie High School (1,520 students) will be aligned for the next two years. All of those questions will be answered on Feb. 1, when district alignments in football and all other sports will be announced. … Other schools of interest in the Abilene area include Midland Legacy (3,570.5), Midland High (3,478), San Angelo Central (3,018), Frenship (3,384), Lubbock Coronado (1,944.5), Lubbock Monterey (2,130), Lubbock High (1,893), Lubbock Cooper (1,893), Amarillo High (2,169.5), Amarillo Caprock (2,138), Amarillo Tascosa (2,208), Wichita Falls Legacy (1,933), Wichita Falls Memorial (1,641), Amarillo Palo Duro (1,900), and Plainview (1,425). … The Wichita Falls ISD is closing Wichita Falls High School, Wichita Falls Rider High School, and Wichita Falls Hirschi High School, and combining those three schools into two new high schools: Legacy and Memorial. … Legacy will probably move up to Class 5A Division I, while Memorial will be in Class 5A Division II. … Aledo, which knocked Abilene High out of the Class 5A Division I playoffs in the quarterfinals on Dec. 1, turned in an enrollment number of 2,267, eight students short of moving up to Class 6A (starting at 2,274). … Unless they choose to play up to Class 6A, both Highland Park  – coached by former Cooper head coach Randy Allen – with 2,165 students, and DeSoto (2,127 students) will drop to Class 5A Division I. … Allen High School remains the largest school in Texas with an enrollment of 6,947 students. The rest of the top 10 most-populated high schools are these: Plano East (5,346), Plano West (5337.5), Odessa Permian (4905), Duncanville (4,710.5), Galena Park North Shore (4535.5), Plano (4,493), Arlington Sam Houston (4,400), Coppell (4,364.5), and Odessa High (4,238.5).

Christmas Season in Abilene: The weather might not make you feel like we’re nearing Christmas, but it’s only 10 days away. And if you’re looking for ways to get into the Christmas spirit, Abilene has plenty of activities to help you prepare yourself for the Christmas season. Here are just a few of the ways you can enjoy what Abilene has to offer during the Christmas season:

CHRISTMAS LANE
When: Dec. 7-26 (Sunday-Thursday, 6-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 6-10 p.m.; Dec. 24-26, 6-9 p.m.)
Where: Abilene State Supported Living Center (2501 Maple St.)
Admission: Free (donations accepted)

Now in its 34^th year, Christmas Lane at the Abilene State Supported Living Center opens this weekend and will be open through the evening of Dec. 26. Admission is free, and those who attend drive through the streets of the ASSLC, which are lined with outdoor Christmas displays that are sponsored by local individuals, businesses, schools, and churches. Inside, children can take photos with Santa (from 6:30-8:30 p.m. each day), try the North Pole Hotline, and take advantage of the concession stand. All donations and concession sales are used to improve the quality of life for residents of the ASSLC. Christmas Lane is open from 6-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The hours are 6-9 p.m. from Dec. 24-26.

UNITED WAY WINTER LIGHTFEST
When: Weekends through Dec. 29-30, 6-9 p.m.
Where: 2250 E.N. 10^th St.
Admission: Purchase tickets here

The United Way of Abilene, in partnership with Christmas Décor by Lone Star Electric, is bringing the Winter Lightfest back to Abilene and the Big Country for a fifth year. The Winter Lightfest will be open each weekend from 6-9 p.m. through Dec. 29-30.

The Winter Lightfest features a paved ¾-mile walking path through nearly three million lights with numerous photo opportunities, Santa Claus, a scavenger hunt, hot chocolate, s’mores, and more. Proceeds go to the 25 partner agencies that are supported by United Way of Abilene. Parking at Winter Lightfest is free, and parking lots open at 5:30 p.m.

Thanks to the generosity of local donors and businesses, every elementary student in the Abilene ISD has received a ticket to the Winter Lightfest, which will be good for any night. Each student will receive a letter that has a QR code specific to their school that they can use for entry into the park. Elementary students must be accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Discounted tickets can be purchased online here for $12 (adults) and $7 (youth). Entrance to the park for children aged 2 and under is free. Tickets at the gate are $15 for adults and $10 for youth. All ticket prices and packages can be found online here.

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD FESTIVAL
When: Thursday, Dec. 14, 5-8 p.m.
Where: The Grace Museum (102 Cypress Street)
Admission: Free

Join The Grace Museum and connect with the community at our FREE holiday event for families! Make crafts, learn about holiday traditions around the world with a presentation by Elizabeth Kahura, and visit with Santa. At 6:30 p.m., Kahura, from the African Safari Program is a storyteller, performer, singer, and educator from Kenya. Learn about Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Hanukkah through this exciting and interactive performance for all ages!

MATERA GARDENS CHRISTMAS MARKET
When: Saturday, Dec. 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Matera Gardens (101 Oak Street)
Admission: Free

Join your fellow Abilenians on Saturday, Dec. 16, to grab unique handcrafted gifts for the whole family or treat yourself this season! More than 30 vendors will be on hand, and visitors will be able to enjoy live music, drinks, and great food upstairs by Matera Bar & Grill.

SELFIES WITH SANTA
When: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 3-5 p.m.
Where: Express ER (4157 Buffalo Gap Road)
Admission: Free

Enjoy refreshments in the lobby and take selfies with Santa Claus!

Members of the Abilene High School and Cooper High School bands competed in the Class 5A All-Region 6 auditions on Saturday, Dec. 9, at Abilene High School, and 20 members of each band qualified for the all-region band. Those 40 band members will play with other all-region band members at the all-region band concert Jan. 12-13 at the Wagner-Noel Performing Arts Center in Midland. The members of the bands who earned all-region honors are as follows:

Abilene High
Oboe – Stephen Griffith, Hazel Samuels
Bassoon – Colt Moreland
Clarinet – Hilari Alvarez, Renee Barber, Natalie Bowman, Sydney Spell
Bass Clarinet – Cooper Wagner, Ethan Atkins-Contra
Alto Saxophone – Gabby Trujillo
Bari saxophone – Cole Elders
Trumpet – Cory Rodriguez
French horn – Ethan Palmer, Lianna Pfrimmer
Trombone – Anson Cobarruvias
Euphonium – Trevor Martin, Adi Pilit
Tuba – Corbin Barbarick
Percussion – Corbin Barbarick, Zach Vann

Cooper
Trumpet – Zaire Balanciere, Derek Crespo, Houston Holden
Trombone – Zoe Egelhoff, Kenneth Heck, Broderick Jones
Alto saxophone – Isiah Lima, Brendan Moore
Flute – Kayleigh Garcia, Isabella Gonzalez, Angela Lozano, Isis Salazar
Clarinet – Lauren Chen, Rylan Murray
French horn – Anthony Moore, Aaron Reece
Oboe – Tristan Tardiff
Tenor saxophone – Ben Walter
Baritone saxophone – Tristan Gonzalez
Euphonium – Joseph Langford

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.

Abilene ISD Sports Roundup: The Abilene High boys’ basketball team is off to a 12-4 start to the season after knocking off Odessa High, 69-63, Tuesday night in Odessa. … The Eagles will be back in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. against Brownwood, and will then begin District 4-5A play Tuesday night (Dec. 19) against Lubbock Monterey at Eagle Gym with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. … The Cooper boys are 5-10 after another hard-luck loss Tuesday night against No. 8 Argyle. The Cougars led by three with six minutes left but ended up on the losing end of a 42-37 score. The Cougars are off this weekend as they prepare to open District 4-5A play Tuesday night (Dec. 19) when they host Wylie at Cougar Gym at 7:30 p.m. … Cooper has lost four games by one possession and two others by seven points or less. … The Abilene High girls’ basketball team is 10-7 overall and 0-1 in District 4-5A play after starting district Tuesday night with a 59-43 loss at Wylie. … The Lady Eagles are back in action tonight when they host crosstown rival Cooper at 7:30 p.m. at Eagle Gym. After hosting the Lady Coogs, Abilene High will host Lubbock Monterey at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Monterey features junior guard Aaliyah Chavez, who averages 37.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Chavez is the top-ranked player by ESPN in the Class of 2025 and is one of just 23 Five Star recruits in the country. … The Cooper girls’ basketball team is 7-10 overall and 0-1 in district play after a 75-34 loss Tuesday night at No. 22 Lubbock Cooper, the defending Class 5A state runner-up. … The Lady Coogs will play at Abilene High tonight at 7:30 p.m. before returning home on Tuesday (Dec. 19) to host Wylie at Cougar Gym at 7:30 p.m. … The high school soccer season is nearing its start, and all four teams are in action over the next few days with tune-up scrimmages. The Cooper boys and girls are both in action with the boys scrimmaging at 6 p.m. at Burkburnett while the girls are at Weatherford. The Abilene High boys are scrimmaging tonight against Midland Legacy, while the AHS girls are at Midland Legacy next Tuesday, Dec. 12. … The regular schedule for the AHS boys will start on Dec. 29 with a 2 p.m. match at Wichita Falls Rider. … The other three district teams won’t start until early January as the AHS girls host Wichita Falls Rider at 6 p.m. on Jan. 2, while the Cooper boys are at Odessa High at 7:30 p.m. The Cooper girls will open their regular season on Jan. 4 at the AISD Tournament against Royce City at 11:30 a.m.