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!

GHS Agriculture Students have Industry Credentials Opportunities through Grant

In his role as an agriculture instructor at Gilbert High School, Adam Davis is constantly asking himself one question: What more can I do to prepare my students for the professional world?

After all, there is a high demand for careers in both agriculture and manufacturing in the state of Iowa. Mr. Davis works extensively with students who have incredible technical skills, and many of these students have long-term goals of working in the agriculture industry.

It’s Mr. Davis’s job to help prepare his students for their future careers, and he’s always — always — wanting to do just a little bit more.

He’s taken a big step in an attempt to do just that.

In February, Mr. Davis applied for “Credentials to Careers,” a competitive grant through the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) that was designed to help high school students earn industry-recognized credentials (IRC). And in April, the GHS instructor received the good — no, scratch that, great — news.

The Iowa DOE awarded GHS $138,175 to go toward aiding students in achieving their IRC, whether it be with new equipment purchases or other materials.

“It’s really exciting, and it will totally change what we’re able to offer students,” Mr. Davis said. “The goal is to get kids valuable experiences that make for an easy transition and relevant transition into the workplace, whether that’s working in the trades for the summer, or if they’re interested in going to a technical school, or just pursuing a full-time career.”

In all, the Iowa DOE awarded more than $1.7 million to 20 school districts across the state through the Credentials to Careers program.

A significant portion of the funds GHS received from this grant will go back to the students. For the first time, Gilbert will now be able to offer technical certifications free of cost to the students. And the agriculture education welding program is being recognized as a licensed educational institution through the American Welding Society, which opens the doors to students to earn up to 14 credential opportunities worth more than $7,500.

One piece of equipment students will have the opportunity to work with as a result of the grant is the cutting edge Miller LiveArc Welding Performance Management System. This state-of-the-art piece of equipment allows both novice and advanced students the chance to get a hands-on experience welding through an AI program before they strike the arc. It gives real-time feedback on proper techniques throughout the process. Once students are comfortable, they can begin live welding with the same constant real-time feedback, including a composite score on a scale of 1-100 upon completion of a task.

These new teaching techniques will be invaluable, Davis says.

“I think this is going to be a fantastic bridge because sometimes kids are a little intimidated with things like the sound, the heat, and the sparks,” he said. “With this machine, they can see how they’re going to do with all of those (variables) removed. It’s cutting edge as far as what it’s able to provide … it’s able to tell you things that I can’t actually tell them myself, like structural integrity.”

Mr. Davis consulted with a number of businesses such as M.H. EBY, John Deere, Vermeer Corporation, Lane Trailer Manufacturing, and Sargent Meal Fabricating throughout the grant writing process. He says he knew early on how important it was to become familiar with local connections and their processes and equipment, which will help students to attain their IRCs.

“What we quickly realized is we need to update some things and then also make it industry relevant,” Mr. Davis said. “When our kids go into the workforce, are we providing relevant education for them? Because that’s always the goal.”

GHS Principal Cindy Bassett lauded Davis’s efforts, not only with securing funds from the grant, but for putting the best interests of his students at the forefront of his teaching philosophy.

“This grant leads to more opportunities and experiences in our (agriculture education) department,” Mrs. Bassett said. “Funds will help implement training and equipment to prepare GHS students for a variety of pathways. Thank you to Adam Davis for seeking out ways to grow our program!”

Mr. Davis’s communication with EBY not only helped to serve as a reference for the grant, but it also provided an avenue for the company to play a role in the education of our students. He says EBY has already provided a $15,000 aluminum push-pull welder and buckets of material to practice with. The company is also providing a professional welder to help with individual lessons for students in advanced welding courses.

“That was unexpected, but a very welcomed opportunity,” Mr. Davis said. “The goal is to get kids career opportunities, and what better way than working with kids one on one?”

Let’s end this the way we began with Mr. Davis’s question: What more can I do to prepare my students for the professional world?

Mr. Davis, you have certainly answered your question.

Tigers one of only two Iowa schools to be recognized

On the field, inside the classroom, and out in the community — members of the Gilbert football team excel in all three environments.

Don’t just take our word for it. Listen to the National Football Foundation (NFF).

On Wednesday, the Gilbert Community School District was pleased to learn the Tigers’ football program received a 2023-24 NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award. Presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, this award goes to the top academic football teams from each state, and service work in the community is also factored into the winners. The initiative is designed to inspire and foster a culture of academic excellence in high school football teams throughout the nation.

Gilbert and Van Meter were the only two Iowa schools to receive the award. Only 56 schools nationally were honored.

“The neatest thing about this is being able to celebrate all of the things that people don’t always think about,” Gilbert head football coach Graham Lundt said. “It’s cool this foundation is doing this because they get to recognize a program. Winning and losing is important, but it’s not the only important thing.”

Eligibility requirements for the award include:

• A minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• A superior academic application and performance.
• A successful football season.

The Gilbert football team compiled a 3.61 GPA with four of its players owning a 4.0 GPA. In all, 27 of the 31 juniors and seniors were named academic all-district this past fall, and eight players were honored with academic all-state status.

In the community, members of the football team routinely offer help to families who are moving, and they are the featured attractions at the Kids Camp that occurs over the summer, complete with a homemade Slip N Slide.

Gilbert put together a 6-3 season on the field in 2023. The Tigers won their opening six games of the season and were ranked as high as No. 2 (Class 4A) by some publications.

Lundt pointed out that many of the things celebrated in this award – the academic success, the leadership success, the community outreach success – took place prior to the start of the 2023 season. At that time, Gilbert had won only one of its previous 19 games.

“We want to go undefeated in everything we can control, and this is something we can control,” Lundt said, referring to the classroom and off-the-field success. “Every single person in the program can be a part of it because every single person can contribute to academic success, to leadership success, to growing as an individual.”

Each state high school coaches association selects its respective state’s winners from the pool of nominees. A selection committee, assembled and led by the NFF, will be responsible for choosing the one school as the recipient of the Hatchell Cup as the best team in the nation.

The winner of the Hatchell Cup will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 6, and it comes with a $10,000 donation.

This NFF program began in February of 2021. The awards represent the first nationwide recognition honoring individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom and community.

The Grundy Center High School football team was the national award winner in 2022-23.