On November 7, Gilbert Community School District voters will go to the polls to vote on a variety of things, one of them being the Bond Referendum offered by the school district.

The proposed $35 million bond would include a new elementary school, as well as additions and renovations to our other three buildings — the intermediate, middle school, and high school — as well as the addition of a new practice track and field to replace the old track currently at the intermediate.

There are a number of ways voters can find information on the Bond Referendum and have their questions answered, including by clicking HERE to view our Bond Information website.

In addition, Superintendent Dr. Christine Trujillo will host several community informational meetings leading up to the vote. Those dates can also be found by clicking HERE.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before — we have amazing educators here at Gilbert Schools, and we celebrate them every chance we get.

And this week, the entire state celebrated two of our own as well.

We are so happy and proud to inform you that Gilbert Middle School eighth-grade Language Arts teacher Lauren Stephens and district librarian Lynne Reid were both honored with prestigious awards from the Iowa Council of Teachers of English (ICTE) at the organization’s fall conference in Johnston on Thursday.

Stephens received the Middle School Teacher of Excellence Award, while Reid accepted the Friends of Literacy Award.

As you can guess, both were thrilled.

“Winning this award is an honor knowing it comes from a community of educators who have supported me in every stage of my career,” Stephens said. “I’m so lucky to have incredible students who challenge me to be a better version of myself and I’m so grateful for the excellent educators I get to work with every day.”

“This award means so much to me,” Reid said. “Gilbert Community Schools has given me the opportunity to create and implement new programs, the flexibility to work with students and teachers in all grades, and the encouragement to investigate other ideas and programs.”

The Middle School Teacher of Excellence Award presented to Stephens is given to a middle school Language Arts teacher who utilizes a carefully planned and rich curriculum, implements innovative philosophies in the classroom, and actively participates in professional collaboration.

Stephens actually nominated Reid for the Friends of Literacy Award, which is presented to a non-classroom educator who encourages exploration and engagement in literacy pursuits by removing barriers for students and providing resources to help them grow as readers and writers.

Congratulations again to both of our award-winning educators. Your dedication, hard work, and support of our students is noticed on a daily basis. And now educators from across the state understand what we get to see every day.

Alice Zhang, National Merit Scholar Semifinalist.

It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

We are thrilled to announce that Gilbert High School senior Alice Zhang, 17, recently learned the exciting news that she is among the less than 1 percent of high school graduating seniors in the Class of 2024 nationally to make the cut as a national semifinalist for the prestigious scholarship.

Alice received the news in front of the entire senior class early last week during a meeting in the auditorium. High School instructional coach Jen Schnormeier made the announcement, and the entire class applauded Alice’s achievement.

“To have a National Merit Semifinalist is exciting,” Gilbert High School Principal Cindy Bassett said. “Gilbert High School has a lot of pride in Alice, and her peers are genuinely excited for her. She’s a hard worker, she cares greatly for academics, and she loves to learn.”

Alice earned her spot in the semifinals with her performance on the PSAT test — she scored a 1,500 — during her junior year. She will now submit an application and essay in the hopes of advancing to the finals. Students must also take and score well on the SAT or ACT to advance. Alice certainly has that part already covered; she scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.

The finalists will be announced in February.

Alice says she’s still weighing her options on her college choice, but says she wants to study mathematics.

“I think I would enjoy being a statistician, but there are some other areas I could pursue as well,” Alice said.

We would like everyone to join Gilbert Schools in congratulating Alice on this tremendous accomplishment, and we wish her luck as she attempts to become a National Merit Scholar Finalist. We’re all cheering you on, Alice!

It started with four simple words scrawled on a piece of notebook paper that sat on Gilbert Superintendent Dr. Christine Trujillo’s desk.

“The Power of We.”

For several weeks over the summer, Dr. Trujillo spent time each day thinking about the message she wanted to convey to the district staff members at the school’s annual Back To School Kickoff Rally in August, and with those four words on a yellow sheet of paper, the message began to take shape.

“The Power of We.”

It’s simple, really. At Gilbert Schools, we believe We is so much more important than Me. It also conveys a philosophy centered on working together to achieve our district-wide goals. We are not four separate buildings with singular goals; we are one connected school district focused on all aspects of our students and their needs.

When we work together, collaboratively, the possibilities are endless.

Dr. Trujillo’s message — you can watch our video focused on the Power of We HERE — resonated with our staff members, and following the Back To School Kickoff Rally it was suggested that T-shirts centered around that message needed to be created.

And that’s where Prairieland Homes entered the picture.

Looking for a way to pay for shirts for all staff members, Dr. Trujillo called Prairieland Homes co-owner Jake Hanson, who immediately and enthusiastically agreed to donate to the cause.

“One of our core values is to support our community and give back to our community,” Hanson said. “The school is a big part of Gilbert and the Gilbert community, and we are blessed with the opportunity to provide homes for a lot of the students and their families. So to be able to give back to the school that helps bring people to Gilbert is a great opportunity for Prairieland Homes.”

Prairieland Homes donated approximately $1,600 for the production of nearly 300 T-shirts adorned with the Power of We logo the district created for Dr. Trujillo’s Back To School Kickoff Rally presentation.

“I’m so grateful to our entire community for always supporting the Gilbert Community School District,” Dr. Trujillo said. “Prairieland is a great example of the support and partnership we receive a daily basis. It’s a perfect example of the Power of We for our students, staff, and community.”