It was one year ago that Superintendent Dr. Christine Trujillo delivered the message to staff members that our district is stronger when we are together, and that’s when “The Power of We” was born.

The Power of We isn’t going anywhere, it’s still a necessary component to our long-lasting success. And the idea of Every Student, Every Day will always remain at the core of everything we do.

Now, through Dr. Trujillo’s message to our staff members at the kickoff rally earlier this month, we sprinkle in another idea that will continue to allow our district to thrive.

Inspiring Greatness.

By asking good questions and by truly listening to the answers, we all have the opportunity to inspire greatness in those around us — students, staff and community members, and our own family. That’s the message Dr. Trujillo delivered when she spoke to the staff, and you can learn more about that vision by watching THIS VIDEO.

Clark Builders believes in that message.

A custom home building business that has been in the Ames area since 1949, Clark Builders has its own successful history with Gilbert Schools. Four generations of the Clark family have already graduated from Gilbert, and a fifth generation is on the way.

To support the school, Clark Builders recently donated $1,945 to Gilbert Schools to pay for t-shirts with the Inspiring Greatness logo on the front. The t-shirts were given out to all staff members at the kickoff rally as a way to show unity and support for Dr. Trujillo’s vision across the district.

“We did this because it’s a way for us to give back to the entire staff to show how much we appreciate all that they do for students,” Carrie Clark said. “We believe in family and we believe in this district and the people that are here. This is one way we could say thank you.”

We cannot thank Clark Builders and all of the local businesses that partner with Gilbert Schools enough for their unwavering support.

The countdown to the start of the 2024-25 school year is on! The first day of classes for the 2024-25 school year will take place on Friday, August 23.

Prior to that, Gilbert Schools will hold its annual Back To School event in each of its four buildings to give students a chance to see their classrooms and meet their teachers.

Gilbert Elementary and Intermediate will hold their Back To School events on Wednesday, August 21, from 3-6 p.m. In addition, our elementary and intermediate students will have their school pictures taken during this time.

Elementary and Intermediate families, AFTER information on homeroom teachers is released on Monday, Aug. 5, please sign up for a time slot to visit your classroom and get your school picture taken — elementary HERE and intermediate HERE. Links to sign-up can also be found in the Picture Day flyer below, and you will be receiving an email from your building with sign-up information as well.

Preschool families, a parent only meeting in your student’s assigned classroom will take place on Wednesday, August 21, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Gilbert Middle School will hold its Back to School event for sixth-grade students on Tuesday, August 20, from 6-7 p.m., and for seventh- and eighth-grade students on Wednesday, August 21, from 6-7 p.m. Students may tour the building and place supplies in their lockers during those times.

Gilbert High School will welcome families and students for Back To School night on Wednesday, August 21, from 6-7 p.m. A freshman and new student orientation will take place, and parents are encouraged to attend. All 9-12 students can visit with teachers, walk through schedules, and drop off supplies at that time.

All of this information can also be found in the photos below.

REGISTRATION REMINDER

If you haven’t yet registered your child or children for school, we encourage you to do that as soon as possible. For our elementary and intermediate students, teacher assignments will be released on Monday, August 5. That information will not be available to you until your child is registered.

If you have a returning student or students, you will need to log into your parent portal to complete your registration HERE.

If you have a new student or students to the district, please click HERE. You will get credentials to log into Infinite Campus after your registration is approved.

We look forward to seeing many of our students at these events, and all of our students on the first day of classes!

Gilbert Girls Track and Field Coach Led Tigers to 2 State Titles, 5th-Place Team Finish at State

Jodi Hurn knows how lucky she was to coach a team that oozed depth and talent this past spring. Without both, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to celebrate her own accomplishment earlier this week.

Following a spring track and field season in which Hurn led the girls team to a fifth-place finish in Class 3A at the state meet, the Gilbert head coach was named a 3A At-Large Coach of the Year by the Iowa Association of Track and Field Coaches on Tuesday. Hurn was joined by four other recipients from across the state, and ADM head girls coach Bart Mueller was named the overall 3A Coach of the Year.

“It’s a special (award) because it was such a special season, and it has a lot of meaning because of that,” Hurn said after learning of her much-deserved recognition. “From day one, the girls bought in. They were willing to do the work day in and day out, so it’s their commitment and their hard work that allowed me to win this award.”

Just how special of a season was it for the Tigers? Let’s start with the regular season where Hurn’s crew won seven meet championships and finished second in two others. Gilbert captured the top spot at a 3A State Qualifying Meet and was the runner-up to ADM at the Raccoon River Conference meet. ADM went on to win the 3A crown in late May.

Gilbert took 12 events to state and celebrated a pair of state championships from the 4×800 and distance medley relays. The 4×800 group — Clare Stahr, Sophia Bleich, Keira Andersen, and Sarah Feddersen — won a second straight state gold medal and set a school record in the process. The distance medley — Taylor Banning, Keaton Hanson, Feddersen, and Emee Dani — also set a new school record en route to the gold.

And that was a theme throughout the season for the Tigers. They set — count ‘em — six new school records in the seven relay events. The quartet of Banning, Hanson, Laurel Mizerak, and Gretchen Mizerak set new records in the 4×100, 4×200, and sprint medley relays. Rebecca Schrader, Bleich, Andersen, and Feddersen etched their names on the record board in the 4×400.

In all, Hurn guided the Tigers to seven medals at the state meet. Gilbert was in contention for the 3A team crown late into the final day of competition and eventually placed 5th overall.

In addition to the talent of the student-athletes, Hurn also knows how lucky she is to lead such a dedicated staff of coaches. Laura Kautman and Allison Hilleman served as her assistants, and she also received plenty of help from the boys coaching staff.

“As much as this award speaks to the girls, it also speaks to all of the work of the assistant coaches,” Hurn said. “Laura and Allison are absolutely amazing at what they do and building relationships with the girls. A million percent, it speaks to the amazing staff that I have.”

Congratulations to Coach Hurn and her entire staff. There’s no doubt the team was one of the state’s best, but it’s the coaches that provided the necessary push and allowed that talent to shine.

2006 GHS graduate excited to get started

Nate Graves knows what it’s like to wrestle with the red and black G on his chest. And now he’ll have the opportunity to build his own program under the Tigers’ grappling umbrella.

A 2006 Gilbert High School graduate and an assistant coach with the Tigers’ wrestling program since 2018, Graves was officially named the new head coach of the Gilbert girls’ wrestling program earlier this month.

Graves takes the reins from Scott Auderer, who served as the head coach of the girls and boys teams over the past two seasons. Auderer will maintain his role as the head coach of the boys program.

A valued Gilbert assistant coach for six seasons, Graves worked primarily with the girls throughout the 2023-24 season, which made him a natural fit to take over in a head coaching capacity.

“I’m really excited,” Graves said of his ascension to a leading role. “I’ve kind of hoped and envisioned over the years that it might happen in some fashion, and the girls have been really fun to work with over the past few years. I’ve got daughters of my own who are growing up and getting into the sport, so it’s exciting to build something they might fit into someday.”

Iowa became the 34th state to officially have girls wrestling when the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sanctioned the sport prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, and Graves has played a key role in one of the state’s bigger programs over the past two seasons. Gilbert’s first official team housed 20 wrestlers, and that number increased to 25 this past winter.

Gilbert has sent three girls to the state tournament over the past two seasons. Alex Harswick was a fourth-place medalist in 2023.

The numbers have been fantastic, and Graves is hopeful the enthusiasm will continue to grow. The sport is new to many Gilbert student-athletes, but he enjoys the teaching aspect that comes when working with inexperienced wrestlers.

“I’ve always enjoyed the teaching side of it and it’s cool when you get to see a lot of those lightbulb moments,” Graves said. “It’s fun to see a lot of these girls get into it. Most of these girls the past few years, it has been their first time on the mat and so it’s been a lot of focus on the basics and working on core concepts.”

Graves and his wife, Laura, have three children. Daughters Scottie, 7, and Izzy, 4, will attend Gilbert Elementary in the fall; Scottie will be in the second grade, while Izzy will be in preschool.  The couple also has an infant son, Gable.

Congratulations to Nate and the entire Graves family. We look forward to seeing him flourish in his new role with the Gilbert girls wrestling program.