Volume 2, Issue 14: 3/21/25
by Superintendent's Blog
Posted on March 21, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 14: 3/21/25
Greetings Bulldogs! Happy Friday.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Spring Break and is ready to take on the Spring! With extracurricular events daily, STAAR/EOC testing, and end of year ceremonies on the horizon, it is going to be fast and furious!
TISD Community Involvement Committee:
This month, we held our final Community Involvement meeting, focusing on the High School! Members had the opportunity to hear from high school students and Mr. Betak, gaining valuable insight into student experiences and campus initiatives.
A huge THANK YOU to our Community Involvement members for dedicating your time to learning more about Thorndale ISD this year. Your commitment and feedback mean so much!
Also, thank you to Mrs. Ensor and her Culinary/FCCLA team for the delicious breakfast—you always take great care of our group!
If this is something you would like to be a part of, please be on the lookout for information in August to join the 25-26 committee!
Thorndale Strategic Planning:
Over 20 staff, parents, community members, and even students have come to evening meetings throughout this school year to help develop the long-range Thorndale ISD District Strategic Plan. The plan is grounded in our 6 board-adopted district goals.
The team has created a “Crest” or image that defines the valued character traits that support our mission and vision for all stakeholders; students, staff, parents/community, and leaders.
Additionally, the team used the 6 district goals to define specific “metrics” or look-for that would demonstrate the success of each goal. This list of metrics is LONG as one would expect because schools/students do much more than just provide academic instruction. From there, the team defined “good”, “better”, and “best” for each metric. That way we as a team of 8 could measure progress as a continuum vs. a subjective pass/fail. Finally, we identified our current reality for each metric.
We will be presenting this plan to the board in April for final revisions/approval before making it public for all to see.
I must say, I am VERY excited about the work of this committee and the products they have produced. This is going to be a great guiding light for the growth and improvement of the district for years to come.
Thorndale Featured Alumni - Melanie Towery Kunkel:
March January Alumni Spotlight: Melanie Kunkel, Thorndale Class of 2002
Thorndale ISD takes great pride in celebrating the accomplishments of our alumni, and this month, we shine the spotlight on Melanie Towery Kunkel, a proud Class of 2002 graduate who has made a significant impact in the field of education.
High School Years & Community Involvement
During her time at Thorndale High School, Melanie was actively involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including Girls Athletics—participating in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track. She was also a
cheerleader and a dedicated member of 4-H, National Honor Society, Student Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), One Act Play (OAP), and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Melanie was also a freshman on the first varsity softball team in Thorndale history. While the team faced challenges, they made it to a district playoff game for a chance to advance further. Though they did not win, she cherishes the experience of being part of the inaugural team and the foundation it laid for future athletes.
Educational Journey & Career
After graduating from THS, Melanie attended Texas A&M University, where she immersed herself in several organizations, including Aggie Access, Aggie Coaches & Kinesiology Teachers, Alpha Phi Omega, and Kids Klub. In 2007, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology and returned to Thorndale ISD to substitute teach in the spring of 2008.
Following her marriage to her husband, Michael, Melanie moved to Comanche and began her teaching and coaching career at Brownwood ISD. She coached and taught at both the junior high and high school levels before taking a break from coaching in 2014 after welcoming twins, Klein and Claire.
In 2016, Melanie and her family moved closer to home, where she joined Gatesville ISD as a teacher and coach. Her passion for education led her to pursue a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Angelo State University, which she completed in 2018. She then transitioned into her current role as a high school counselor at Gatesville High School.
Life Beyond the Classroom
Outside of work, Melanie stays actively involved in her children's activities, coaching them in multiple sports. She also serves as a parent volunteer for their local 4-H club and is a dedicated member of the Coryell County Go-Texan committee.
A Lasting Connection to Thorndale
Melanie cherishes the deep-rooted support of the Thorndale community, which she feels even after moving away. “I still feel very welcome when I come back and always have a hard time leaving,” she shares. With deep family ties and lasting friendships, she returns to Thorndale frequently and takes great pride in seeing her sister, cousins, and friends raising their children in the same supportive environment. “It is a blessing to be a member of a community that cares so much for its children and their futures.”
Favorite THS Memories
When asked about her favorite memories at THS, Melanie immediately reflects on her time in Thorndale Girls Athletics, where she learned invaluable life lessons from her coaches: Coach Dickerson, Coach Betak, Coach Richardson, Coach C (now von Gonten), and Coach Stuard. She credits them with teaching mental toughness, teamwork, and perseverance—values that have carried her through life.
Melanie also fondly recalls her years in Mrs. Culp’s class, where high expectations were set, and strong relationships were built. She remembers her as “silly, but stern,” always pushing students to never limit themselves.
Words of Wisdom for Current Students
Melanie encourages current THS students to set high expectations for themselves in all areas of life. “When you do the bare minimum in life, you reap the bare minimum,” she advises. Her message is simple yet powerful: Find your niche and get involved!
She also reminds students to put the phones & technology down. “Go make memories with your families & friends. You will not get these days back, and you’ll want to have good, core memories to look back on. Do not waste your life away by staring at a screen!”
Thorndale ISD is proud to recognize Melanie Kunkel and her dedication to education, athletics, and community involvement. She embodies the spirit of what it means to be a Thorndale Bulldog, and we wish her continued success in all she does!
Nominate a TISD alumni for an upcoming highlight by scanning the QR code or visiting https://forms.gle/fxupqaC6yLNd1M6n8.
TISD State Champion Powerlifter - Jordyn Stutts:
To say that Jordyn Stutts had a great powerlifting performance (again) at state would be an understatement. She has now earned BACK TO BACK state championships and represented TISD very well.
2025 awards:
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Squat 415 (New State Record)
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Bench 275 (New State Record)
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Deadlift 325
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Total 1,015 (New State Record)
Other Awards
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Best Squat on Light Platform
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Best Bench on Light Platform
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Best Overall Lifter on Light Platform
Boys’ Powerlifting:
The boy's powerlifting schedule is delayed compared to the girls. So last blog I didn't get a chance to let you know that we had EIGHT boys make Regionals:
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Jett Frei
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Marcus Shaw
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Jacob Beardsley
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Luciano Legon
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Nick Markle
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Deven Cuba
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Zach Smith
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Jose Macias
All of the boys completed well, with Deven and Marcus earning a trip to State!
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Deven Cuba – 1st Place, 275 lb weight class
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Marcus Shaw – 2nd Place, 165 lb weight class
Regional Record Breaker – Deven Cuba 
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Squat: 670 lbs
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Bench: 450 lbs
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Total: 1650 lbs
Other Regional Results:
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Jett Frei – 11th Place, 148 lb weight class
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Luciano Legon – 3rd Place, 165 lb weight class
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Nick Markle – 9th Place, 198 lb weight class
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Zach Smith – 6th Place, SHW weight class
One Act Play:
One Act Play competed on March 4th at the district competition. While they did not advance, they put on an amazing show and several cast members received awards. Please congratulate them, and also watch for details for the upcoming public performance.
Best Technician
Honorable Mention All Star Cast
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Juan Acosta
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Zachary Smith
Please join us TONIGHT for a Public performance:
Thorndale FFA Has Been BUSY:
Thorndale FFA competed in Caldwell today at the Floral, Nursery Landscape, and Vet Science CDE contest!
On March 6th, members of TISD’s FFA competed at the Bellville Invitational CDE contest. Teams included Land, Homesite, Floral, Nursery Landscape, and Livestock Judging.
Thorndale FFA is at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo horse-judging CDE contest earlier this month. The team placed 12th overall and Hestin placed 18th out of over 440 contestants!
Next up, our teams travel to Klein to compete!
THS freshman Bradley Werner was chosen to be a "Page for a Day" at the State Capitol in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 5th. Bradley was sponsored by Representative Harris Davila. Congratulations to Bradley for representing Thorndale!
Track & Field:
The Lady Dogs and Bulldogs competed in their first track meet of the season at Rogers ISD. All teams did well, with the Varsity Lady Dogs finishing third overall. For full results, check the track meet link: https://bit.ly/43j7k1a
Next, The junior high and high school track teams competed this week in Holland! Check out the results here:
Junior high hosted a track meet Monday here in Thorndale and JV/Varsity hosted Thursday night. Congrats to all the runners, jumpers, and throwers!
Texas A&M Bluebonnet High School Invitational:
Two New Records Broken at the Donald Beard Relays in Thorndale:
Congratulations to Jaime Llanas and Bethany Preusse for breaking school records today!
Jaime now holds the record for the 3200 with a time of 10:32.68!
Bethany broke her own record again in the discus with a throw of 148-8.
Baseball Updates:
Baseball is on a roll. A little while back, the Bulldogs defeated Mumford 7-0 in game 1 and then beat Texas Wind HomeSchool Academy 2-1 before falling to Huntsville Alpha Omega 7-4 in the Brazos Christian Classic at Edible Field in Bryan.
On March 4th the Bulldogs defeated Burton 18-8. Then on the 6th they entered the Abbott Classic tournament where they beat Hamilton 20-0, then Malakoff Crossroads 16-0. The boys finished out the tournament with a 10-5 win in the championship game vs. Abbott.
Next up, the bulldogs started district play against Rosebud-Lott. JV won 13-2 and varsity won 7-3. Then against Granger, the JV won 15-4 and the Varsity won 12-1.
On Tuesday, the Varsity beat Bartlett in a tight 7-6 win.
Softball Updates:
After having to skip a tournament due to weather and then the game vs. Chilton being canceled, the Lady Dogs kicked off the season with two great wins; 11-0 against Rosebud-Lott and then a clutch 6-5 win against Granger. With 2 outs, 4 runners were batted in at the end of the game!
Basketball All-District:
Additionally, Case McDaniel and Braden Pickel were named TABC 2A Region IV all Region team!
Golf:
The Thorndale Girls golf team took 2nd place at the Rosebud-Lott tournament on March 18th and Marisol Schaller won the 1st place medalist. Congrats to Marisol and the other members of the team Hestin Ellington, Rhynn Bigan, Karsyn Bland, and Madison Espinoza.
The boy's team did well shooting a combined score of 390. Members are Cooper Gray, Jacob Jackson, Case McDaniel, Hunter Brantley, and Wyatt Betak.
Tennis:
Bulldog Tennis battled the wind in China Spring at the start of March and came out strong! Good luck Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs!
Spring Sports Schedules:
The busiest time of the year for our Lady Dogs and Bulldogs is here! Stay updated with all the schedules online and right here on social media.
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Most sincerely,
Zack Kleypas
Superintendent
Thorndale ISD
#TISDStrivingForExcellence
“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”
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