It's a great time to be a part of #TeamVISD! On Monday, every staff member in Van ISD came together to kickoff the new school year at pep-rally-styled Convocation. This year's theme was "GAME CHANGERS. Since 1929." This was driven by the idea that every employee is a game changer in Van ISD. Every teacher, aide, bus driver, custodian, cafeteria worker, maintenance staff member, office support staff, and administrator are a critical member of #TeamVISD.
It was a day full of Vandal Spirit from start to finish! First thing in the morning, each campus participated in "Spirit Challenges" to determine the most spirited campus. These challenges included dressing staff members as football players, designing spirit posters for the pep rally, dressing their principal up as a referee, painting staff members' faces, and the crowd favorite - Build-A-Vandal! Each campus selected one staff member to act as their "Build-A-Vandal". They were told to dress this person up in a costume that best displayed their Vandal Spirit! The winner of the spirit challenges received the Vandal Spirit Stick to display in their building for the 2023-2024 school year.
Convocation was full of surprises and fun staff performances! First up, our superintendent, "Coach Dunn", officially welcomed back our staff and kicked off the 2023-2024 school year!
He then introduced the emcees for the day, Nathan Daniels and Kevin Reed. Mr. Bill Giles stole the show when he came out dressed as the newest Vandal football player, pleading with Coach Moffatt for a spot on the Varsity team!
We had our very own version of the TV show, "The Masked Singer", as VHS teacher, Mr. Krouse, dressed in the Vince the Vandal mascot uniform and performed "I Love Vandal Land" to the tune of "I Love Rock & Roll".
The spirit levels and participation from the audience were HIGH all throughout the pep rally! Van Middle School's team won the ring toss competition, getting three rings onto the field goal post first.
Shortly after, Coach Ryan Hinch and his wife Liz surprised the audience with a special performance that kept the whole crowd laughing.
Next, the Build-A-Vandals all made their way to the stage. Rebecca Harrison (JER), Brian Thompson (VIS), Tambi Daugherty (VMS), Shannon Williams (VJH), and Mitchel Bailey (VHS) were all great team players for their campuses!
Finally, it was time to crown the winner of the Vandal Spirit Stick! J.E. Rhodes Elementary was determined the WINNER of the Spirit Challenge! Principal Jason Johnson and Assistant Principal Joanna Stewart accepted the spirit stick on stage.
Any Vandal Cheerleader alumni in attendance were invited on stage to do the traditional "Good Luck, Vandals" cheer.
Lastly, VHS Band Director, Mr. Nick Moore, played the school song, as we do to wrap up every Vandal pep rally!
It was a day full of fun and celebration for our Game Changers here at Van ISD. We love our staff, and understand the importance of what they do every day for our students. They deserved to be celebrated and have a few laughs! We are excited for our students to join in on the fun next Thursday, August 17th. Over the next week and a half, #TeamVISD will work hard to prepare for the arrival of students on their campuses. This was a perfect start to the 2023-2024 Van ISD school year! Let's go, Vandals!
Visit https://bit.ly/VISDConvocation2023Photos for more fun photos from the day!
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