BEST SIXTH-GRADE SWEETHEARTS: New Dragon Football head coach Riley Dodge and his wife Alexis met in sixth grade while both living in Southlake and attending Carroll ISD. Sure, they were friends, but it wasn't until their junior year of college that the two reconnected. The couple got married in 2013 and now have two beautiful boys who love cheering on their dad during Dragon games.
BEST DYNAMIC DUO: Fifth grade Dragon Youth Football players Beckett Ruiz and Spencer Stables leave everything on the field. Beckett is legally blind and Spencer relies on Cochlear implants to hear, but they don't let that stop them. Spencer has proudly stated that he “tackles everyone so Beckett can do his thing.”
BEST NEW WHEELS: Carroll ISD showed off their new school buses a few weeks before the new school year. The new vehicles, which were purchased as part of the 2017 Bond Program, are equipped with new seat belts, making them compliant with Texas' new safety legislation. The Bond Builders, who loaded up on the buses while sporting their green hardhats, were the first to try out the new CISD vehicles on July 9. The district plans to continue rolling in these buses over the next five years.
BEST SCHOOL PUBLICATION: The second edition of Inside Carroll won the “Best of Category” award at the Star Awards Celebration at the Texas School Public Relations Association annual conference. The publication, a collaboration between Carroll ISD and Southlake Style, strives to give the community an inside look into the district, highlight student and staff achievements and show readers what it really means to be a Dragon!
BEST RECORD BREAKER: Stanford freshman and Carroll grad Jack Levant broke SC Junior Nationals records last December in the men's 500 freestyle. Now, he's a member of Team USA for the 2018-19 season and is set to attend the 2019 World Championships in South Korea. It's safe to say this Dragon can swim.
BEST HISTORY MAKER: Varsity soccer standout Madison Martin will go down in the books as the first ever Dragon varsity female football player. The two-sport star was also the first female to score for Dragon Football in Carroll history. As one of three kickers, Madi proved that she could keep up with the boys and contribute some necessary PATs during games.
BEST DRAGON PILE: Dragon Baseball clinched the 5-6A district championship in
April and went on to take home the state title. In all the excitement of the win, the varsity team ran out and created a dogpile in the middle of the field. The celebrations continued when they returned home from Round Rock and were honored at a community rally.
BEST ACTRESS: Dallas Summer Musicals recognized several students during their High School Musical Theatre awards in May, one of which was Devan DeLugo who was up for Best Actress for her portrayal of Dainty June in Carroll Senior's “Gypsy.” The senior, who was also named one of our Five Ones To Watch, will continue to pursue her craft as she continues on her educational career.
BEST COACH ADDITIONS: We had a lot of homecomings this year, and we're not talking about the kind with mums. Former Dragon quarterback Riley Dodge returned to Southlake as head coach of the football team. New Lady Dragons head basketball coach Robyn McCoart spent her fair share of time playing on a Dragon court. Teresa Dunn, the new Lady Dragon head volleyball coach was never a student in CISD, but her hiring was a homecoming nonetheless as she was an assistant varsity coach for the Lady Dragons in 2016. As the saying goes, once a Dragon, always a Dragon.
BEST TEACHERS: Every year, one teacher from each CISD campus is awarded the Teacher of the Year. After all 11 schools have named their recipient, the district gives one elementary and one secondary teacher the highest honor by awarding them the CISD Teachers of the Year. Tercel Herreman, Old Union Elementary, and Allison Loftin, Carroll Senior High, were the 2017-2018 winners.
BEST ARRIVAL IN STYLE: A few local elementary students made a lavish entrance on the last few days of school by riding in on a Southlake fire truck. The firefighters picked up the participants, whose parents won the department's donated rides in PTO or nonprofit auctions, loaded them into the fire truck, gave them a SFD T-shirt and drove them to school. After the firefighters turned on the lights and started bumping the sirens, the students' classes met them outside to welcome them.