Vernon ISD

Due to the varsity football game being played on Thursday, our JV game and Middle School games are being played on Wednesday. The JV game will begin at 5 p.m., Wednesday at Leo Brittain Field at Lion Stadium. Tickets for the JV game must be purchased online at https://www.vernonisd.org/page/ticket-purchases
The Middle School games are being played in Idalou, with the 7th grade game starting at 4:30 p.m. and the 8th grade game to follow. Tickets in Idalou are purchased at the gate; however, it is CASH ONLY.

As they work to prepare for the UIL Marching Contest, the Roarin' Lion Band will be performing at several festivals and clinics. Last Saturday, they performed at the Burkburnett Review Marching Festival and Clinic. After their performance, the judges came onto the field and worked with the students on performance, marching and musicality. The band received excellent comments and feedback from the judges that members will use as they continue to work on their contest routine.

The Vernon Lions collected their first shutout of the season Friday night with a 17-0 victory over Iowa Park in the 2026 Homecoming Game. Earning Player of the Game honors for defense were lineman Justin Rejino and linebacker Bowie Eakin. Justin collected 5.5 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Bowie racked up 8 tackles, including 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. The Offensive Player of the Game was running back Tyce Payne. Payne rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries and had 1 reception for a 79 yard touchdown.

Earning our Student of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 21-25 were: 6th Grade -- Sophie Adams & Winston Whittington; 7th Grade -- Nillianna Hines & Xavier Gomez; and 8th Grade -- Bryleigh Owens & Logan Ware (not pictured). Outstanding work!! Congratulations!!

Selected as our VES Students of the Week for the week of Sept. 21-25 were: 2nd Grade -- Wilaford Hamer; 3rd Grade -- Elijah Grimes; 4th Grade -- Jayvion Maytubbie (not pictured); and 5th Grade -- Emori Koch (not pictured). Congratulations!! Great job! Keep up the good work!!

Ms. Garnett's Human Growth and Development classes are starting a new unite on Prenatal Care and on Friday they had a guest speaker. Dr. Donna Holland, a VHS alum, gave a presentation that included what type of tests and health care fall under the prenatal care umbrella and why prenatal care is important. Dr. Holland lives in Arizona where she works in a hospital as a pediatric and internal medicine physician.

Congratulations to our 2026 Homecoming King Nicholas Whatley, who was crowned during our Homecoming Pep Rally Friday afternoon. During the ceremony our king nominees were escorted by our queen nominees. Members of the King's Homecoming Court were Will Castleberry, Bowie Eakin, Adrain Felton, Cameron Najera, Luis Perez, Kayson Sanders, and Jamerion Willie.

Congratulations to Mia Martinez who was crowned our VHS 2026 Homecoming Queen during halftime of Friday night's football game. Mariana Ortega, the 2025 Homecoming Queen, presented Mia with her crown, sash and roses. Members of the Homecoming Queen's Court were Alyssa Adams, Lily Beam, Sarah Black, Leah Delagarza, Lily Maxwell, Maylana Moralez, and Brek Payne. Penelope Johnson was the flower girl, while Titus Rosales was the crown bearer for the festivities.

Our Vernon Lions are 3-2 following their 17-0 homecoming victory over Iowa Park and this week we will be on the road in Idalou taking on the Wildcats. Idalou is 5-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state's Class 3A, DII poll. Remember the game is being played on Thursday. VISD will operate on it's early release schedule Thursday and will have a regular school day Friday. Game tickets are sold at the gate, however it is CASH ONLY.

This is Game Day and the Homecoming Week Dress-Up Theme was -- of course -- Maroon and White Day!! It was a sea of maroon and white wherever you went on our campus today!!

This morning, the Lions Football Leadership Council and VHS Cheerleaders visited the Vernon Head Start campus for a Homecoming Parade. The preschoolers marched to the fight song and beat drums, while high-fiving our athletes and wishing them luck tonight. The youngsters had also made signs. The athletes stayed for a few minutes and played with the younger children before heading to their own classes.

VISD students will get a day out of school Tuesday, as it is Parent-Teacher Conference Day. Parents should have received information from their child's campus about conference day. We ask that parents please schedule an appointment to visit with their child's teacher/teachers. Scheduling a visit makes it easier on both the parents and the teachers. While we will not turn a parent away, if a visit is not scheduled, the parent may have to wait until their teacher/teachers have an opening and can visit with them. Vernon ISD encourages parents to take advantage of these opportunities to become involved in, and ask questions about, their child's education.

Man, some of our students sure did age overnight from Wednesday to Thursday!! It was "Babies vs. Senior Citizens" for Thursday's Homecoming Week dress-up theme, and the majority of our students went for the senior look.

It's Homecoming Friday!! Our Lions will be hosting the Iowa Park Hawks in tonight's 2026 Homecoming Game at Leo Brittain Field at Lion Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. General admission tickets must be purchased online at:
https://www.vernonisd.org/page/ticket-purchases
Single game, reserve seat tickets may be purchased until NOON today at the Vernon ISD Administration Building. The Homecoming Pep Rally will begin at 3:15 p.m., in D.O. Fulton Gym. The Homecoming King will be crowned at the pep rally, while the Homecoming Queen will be crowned during halftime ceremonies at the football game. Good Luck Lions!! Pluck The Hawks!!

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!
Our Lions Roar Homecoming Tailgate Party will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in front of the Vernon Elementary School!! Come on and join in the community fun!! There will be plenty of games to play and delicious food to try from the different food trucks! When the party closes down, head across the street and cheer on the Lions as they battle the Iowa Park Hawks in the Homecoming Game!! And, witness the crowning of the 2026 Homecoming Queen during halftime ceremonies!!

Today, students in Ms. White's and Mrs. Craighead's 5th Grade Science class learned about mixtures and solutions. To help them better understand these concepts, they made a candy salad. Students brought a small pack of candy and then in class the students mixed all the candies together to create a colorful candy mixture. This showed the students how different substances can be combined without changing what they are. Each type of candy stayed its own part of the mixture. During class students enjoyed a small bag of the candy.

Yesterday, our 2nd graders celebrated the end of their Ancient Greeks: Live, Tradition, and Government unit by celebrating with the Olympics. The students participated in the Javelin Throw (pool noodle); the Discus Throw (frisbee), and a Marathon (26 meters instead of 26 miles). Their reward was not a medal. Instead it was some (Greek) Gogurt!!

Vernon ISD is conducting a Stakeholders Survey and we need your help. If you are a parent of a VISD student, an employee of VISD, a student, or a community resident, we ask you to please take a moment to complete our survey. The survey is anonymous. However, every survey is important to us and all comments will be read. Your comments help us determine our areas of strength, and the areas where there is room for improvement. Please follow this link https://bit.ly/visdsurvey2026 or scan the QR code below to complete the quick 5 to 10 minute survey.

Our Lady Lions are hitting the road this evening for a District 6-3A battle in Henrietta!! The JV matches will begin at 5 p.m., with the varsity match scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Good luck Lady Lions!! Trap those Lady Bearcats!!!

McCord's Homecoming Week theme yesterday was "Baseball vs. Soccer" and we had a lot of representatives from both sides!!