Orangefield Bobcats School Highlights on KOGT.com

OISD Website

School Board
Stephen Patterson, Supt.
Donna Gail Ford
Jack Smith
Bo Henley
Wanda Woods
Donavan Weldon
Jesse Fremont
Brad Frye

2012-13 School Highlights

Luke Johnson was named Mr. OHS and Macy Hamilton was named Miss OHS at the senior awards ceremony.

21-3A All-District baseball team here.


Haleigh Turley, senior 3rd baseman for the Orangefield Lady Bobcats, was selected by the Texas Girls Coaches Association to represent OF in the 3A State All-Star game. Her coach, Amy McLaughlin, was also selected to be the head coach of the All-Star team. Haleigh and Coach McLaughlin are the first state all-star player and coach in OF softball history. The game will be played on Friday, July 12 at the University of Texas softball field.

21-3A All-District Softball Team MVP – Cierra Roby- Silsbee- Sr.- Pitcher OFFENSIVE MVP Haleigh Turley- OF-Sr.- 3rd Annelise Borg- BC- DP/2nd- Sr. DEFENSIVE MVP Kellyn Cormier- BC- So.- Pitcher NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR Hannah Carpenter- BC- Fr. -SS Team

Orangefield's Kacey LeBlanc announced Wednesday that she will be playing volleyball at San Jac Junior College. The All-District performer and All-KOGT member was also named Most Athletic Girl at the Bobcat Sports Banquet Monday night.

Braving the cold temps and gusty winds in Austin, the Orangefield Lady Bobcat golf team climbed from 11th to finish 9th at State.

The Orangefield Lady Bobcat golf team is headed to State after a third place finish at Regionals Tuesday. From left: Megan Burton, Macy Hamilton, Ashton Gautreaux, Rylie Granger, Maggie Hebert and Coach Brandon Prouse. The State Tournament is May 2-3 at the Jimmy Clay Course in Austin.

21-3A Track Results Area Track Results

	Orangefield's Haleigh Turley has been selected to represent the East Team for the 1st Annual Southeast Texas Softball ALL-Star Games to be held June 13th at Port Arthur Memorial HS.

The Orangefield Varsity Tennis team represented well in the district tournament this week. The tournament was held in Vidor on Friday and Saturday. The Bobcats nabbed 9 medals with four qualifying for the regional tournament which will be played in Bryan, Texas on April 15th and 16th. Kacey LeBlanc and Levi Shores captured the district title in the mixed doubles division. Shelby Fincher and Priscilla Garza placed second in the girls doubles. Third places medalists were Cameron Childers and Tyler Vayon in the boys doubles, Rebekah Newell in the girls singles and Shane Granger in the boys singles. Jake Quarles placed fourth in the boys singles.

The OF girls golf team qualified for Regionals with a second place finish at the 21-3A Tournament at Wildwood. Cameron Duhon of OF also qualified individually for Regionals. Silsbee won the tournament.

Here are your 2013-2014 Orangefield Sophisticats
Captain- Kayla Lozano
Lieutenant- Haley Abshire
Lt.- Claire Trawhon
Lt.- Ceci Wilson

Molly Anthony
Cameron Armstrong
Jennifer Bolen
Carly Counts
Naomi Fells
Abby Gautreaux
Emily Graffagino
Savannah Grant
Reanna Hanks
Rebecca Marlow
Emily McCall
Randah Monceaux
Taylor Morgan
Cassidy Schiefelbein
Macy Tapp

Orangefield's Rylie Granger made it official Thursday, signing a scholarship to play volleyball at Blinn Junior College in Brenham. Blinn won the JC Championship two years ago and made it to the Region Tournament this past season. Granger, sitting with her teammates behind her, was a member of the All-KOGT Volleyball team and the District 21-3A MVP.

Here's A First

David Rainey, a senior at Orangefield HS signed a scholarship to play soccer at Oklahoma Wesleyan. Orangefield doesn't have a soccer team. OF AD Josh Smalley said, "It is a testament to David, his parents, their hard work, and willingness to travel to Sugarland in order for David to be seen and play with some top quality programs." Rainey was the placekicker for the Bobcats football team last season.

The Orangefield High School Sophisticats attended the Danceline State Championship competition at Montgomery High School on February 23. The Sophisticats earned sweepstakes award and best in category for jazz, novelty, prop and pom. They also received a first runner up for their lyrical routine. Sophisiticat Captain Leilah Peveto, received he prestigious Anita Jefferson Conley award for excellent leadership. The team also received a judges choice award for lyrical, a Danceline Gold award for pom, and a production award for their novelty routine. Sophisticats won GRAND CHAMPION in their division and were crowned Ring of Champions for being one of the top three scoring teams overall. The Sophisticats are directed by Jillian Morris and Suzanne Ogden

Three ladies that attend Orangefield High School all placed in the Texas High School Rodeo Association Queens Contest in Athens, Tx. for the honor of representing Region V as Rodeo Queen for the 2013-2014 year. Categories included modeling, impromptu speaking, speech, personality, & horsemanship. Region V spans from Winnie to Carthage. Keeley Gray, center, was crowned queen. Bailee Ackerman, right, was first runner up and Lori Bailleaux finished as the 2nd runner up. All three are also members of the Orange County Youth Rodeo Association. They will advance to compete in June at the State High School Finals in Abilene for Miss Texas High School Rodeo Queen.

Lamar University punter Kollin Kahler and defensive lineman Logan Moss were both named to the Southland Conference All-Academic Football Team, the league office announced Tuesday. A former standout at Orangefield High School, Moss has a 3.71 grade point average in nursing. Moss played in all 12 games for the Cardinals as a redshirt freshman in 2012, registering 13 tackles with nine solo stops.

The Coaches 21-3A All-District Football Team here.

Orangefield High School held its Winter Formal on Saturday.

Elizabeth Newell was crowned the queen and Reagan Ficken was named King.

This is the last week for local schools before the Christmas break. Scroll down to see the Christmas schedule for all schools.

The Orangefield Bobcats won the Championship of the Goodrich Christmas Classic on Saturday night by defeating the Liberty Panthers 48-38. Cody Angelle led the way for the Bobcats with 19 points and 14 of those came in the 4th quarter. Levi Shores also added 12 points. Earning all tournament for the Bobcats was Carl Wiley and Levi Shores and Cody Angelle was named Tournament MVP.

		Orangefield's Rylie Granger (far left) and Kacey LeBlanc were two of 40 players across the state to be named to the 3A Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State Team. Granger will also play in the All-Star game. Orangefield senior Rylie Granger was named the 21-3A All-District Volleyball MVP. Best Setter- Corlee Means, Sr.; HJ, Best Middle Blocker-Morgan Moss, Sr; OF, Best Outside Hitter-Taylor Thomas, Sr.; HJ, Best Defensive Specialist-Kacey LeBlanc, Sr; OF, Newcomer of the Year-Taylor Benoit, Jr.; OF. Check out the full team here. You can find more volleyball pictures in the KOGT Photo Gallery.

OFISD 1	Early Vote	Total	OFISD 3	Early Vote	Total
Juan Gonzalez		437	Nancy Ashworth-i		517
Van "Bo" Henley		1010	Jesse Fremont		947
OFISD 6	Early Vote	Total	OFISD 7	Early Vote	Total
Johnny Dorman		613	Richard Durkin		499
Ronnie Risinger		845	Brad Frye		804
			Jason Guidroz		133

12-0!

Orangefield's Sammi Burgess goes over the top for a point Tuesday against Bridge City's Jessi Glover.

OF defeated BC 25-16, 25-21,
25-10.

The District Champ Bobcats finish with an 12-0 record and they only lost one set (36-1)

After a first round bye, and beating Stafford in straight sets in the second round, OF was upset by Liberty in straight sets in the third rd.

Friday night Orangefield principal Ben Petty crowned Macy Hamilton as the Bobcats Homecoming Queen for 2012. The Bobcats also won the game, beating H-J 19-14. Photo by Terri Newell

Two more candidates filed for the Orangefield school board. All four of the positions are contested with only one of four incumbents running. Richard Durkin and Jason Guidroz will be running against Brad Frye for the Place 7 seat. Incumbent Thad Angelle did not file. All three of those candidates are newcomers to board politics. The school board election will be November 6, the same day as the general election for federal, state and county offices. Other school districts in the county had elections in May. Candidates in the race for other positions are Juan Gonzales and former board member Bo Henley for the Place 1 seat currently held by Donna Gail Ford, who is not running. Board president Nancy Ashworth is the only incumbent on the ballot as she seeks re-election to her Place 3 seat. She is facing Jesse Fremont. Former board member Johnny Dorman will run against Ronald Risinger for Place 6 now held by Susan Gunstream.

These Orangefield Elementary School PTA moms raised money to build a new playground by allowing a reality show to follow them and their families. The show never appeared on a network, but Leftfield Pictures paid them for their effort. Nitia Smith, Natasha Garrett, Amber Wrinkle, Amanda Reynolds and Melissa Garrett posed at the new playground Wednesday after a dedication ceremony. Story


	Orangefield has hired Meagan Adams as the schools new volleyball coach. The former Lamar standout is from Bastrop. This is her first head coaching position. Her fiancé' is former Lamar standout and Atlanta Braves minor leaguer Colin Delome from Buna.

The Orangefield school board Friday hired Katie Sanders as the new girls basketball coach for Orangefield High School. Sanders is a 2006 graduate of Orangefield and played basketball at Sam Houston State University. She received her bachelor's degree from Texas State University. She has been the coach at Kelly High School in Beaumont and previously coached at Westbrook High. Her parents Becky and Keith Sanders, along with her sisters, nephew and niece attended the special board meeting.

The new principal for Orangefield High School is Ben Petty, who has been an assistant principal at Klein Oak High School, a 5A school near Houston. The school board Monday night hired Petty to replace Shaun McAlpin, who has been promoted to director of curriculum and instruction. Also, the board hired Deena Van Pelt as assistant high school principal. She has been diagnostician at the school. In other business, the board decided to have pre-kindergarten classes last a half day instead of a full day for the upcoming school year. The board agreed to keep the 20 percent homestead exemption for school property taxes. Hank Hargraves was moved from the junior high to OF Elementary School Principal.

Orangefield Varsity Cheerleaders spent last week at UCA Cheer Camp in Galveston and came home with numerous awards. Pictured back row (l to r) Brittney Ashworth, Jessica Carpenter, Heather Stout, Ashlyn Edwards, Haley Woods, Paige Laughlin, (sponsor) Olivia Gravett. Front row: Aaliyah Johnson, Chloe Breaux, Kirsten Wolfford, Logan Hayes, Asla Tran, Lindsay Caswell

Orangefield School Board Member Jack Smith returns Josh Smalley's shirt to him Monday after he was hired as the Bobcats new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. When Smalley left OF as an assistant coach in 2008, he gave the shirt to Smith with the tongue-in-cheek promise that if he ever returned, Smith would have to give it back. Smalley, 36, graduated from Bridge City in 1994. After graduating from Lamar he has been an assistant coach at BC, OF, Vidor, and LCM. "I'm excited," Smalley told KOGT. "I appreciate the opportunity and responsibility to run the Bobcat program. I know we have our work cut out for us but we have a good start because Orangefield kids have always been hard workers and the community is behind the school." Smalley will turn his attention to completing his coaching staff, which includes hiring a new head girls basketball coach and volleyball coach.

After five years as principal of Orangefield High School, Shaun McAlpin has been promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Schools. His duties will include overseeing the districts finances. "We're excited to promote Mr. McAlpin who has an incredible work ethic," said school board president Nancy Ashworth. "He is an Orangefield graduate that has proven his leadership abilities. He has spent his 12 year career here, working his way up through the ranks."

Dr. Stephen Patterson, an Orange native who has been director of curriculum and instruction for Orangefield, will become the school district's next superintendent. The Orangefield school board in a late afternoon meeting Friday voted unanimously 6-0 to name Patterson as the lone finalist for the vacant job. State law requires a district to have a lone finalist for 21 days before the official hiring. The board last month hired a consulting firm to lead the search for a new superintendent. Board President Nancy Gray Ashworth said the firm sent out questionnaires for the school staff and community to answer about what they wanted for a superintendent. She said the survey showed people wanted a superintendent who came from within the district. "The voice of the community and staff was very important to us," she said. She asked the consulting firm about the costs for promoting within the district. "The fee dropped drastically," she said. "We decided to interview Dr. Patterson." Patterson is a 1990 graduate of West Orange-Stark High School. He earned bachelors and master's degrees from Lamar University and has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University. He taught math at West Orange-Stark Middle School and later for the Beaumont school district at Austin Middle School and Ozen High. His career at Orangefield started 10 years ago when he became assistant high school principal and he was principal from 2005-2007. He became the director of curriculum and instruction in 2007. He is married and his wife, Candi, is a counselor in the Vidor school district. They have two children who both attend Orangefield schools. Mack is in the seventh grade and Meara is in the sixth grade.

2011-2012 School Highlights

Robert Ehrlich is the Valedictorian at Orangefield High School, graduating number one out of 108 students. Ehrlich was the President of the Student Council, Vice President of the Interact Club, Class President, and a member of the National Honor Society, TAFE Club, and the Library Club.

Jenna Cook is the Salutatorian at Orangefield High School. Her senior year she was the President of the National Honor Society, President of the Uprising Christian Organization, Class Vice President, and Treasurer of the Art Club.

Allie Sherwood and Robert Ehrlich were selected as Mr. & Mrs. Orangefield High School for year 2012. Robert plans to attend Lamar University in Beaumont pursuing a degree in Engineering. Allie plans to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi pursuing a degree in Nursing and eventually Medical School.

Coaches 21-3A All-District_Baseball Team.

21-3A Coaches All-District Softball Team

The carousel continues at Orangefield. Girls basketball coach and girls activities director Chris Jost announced he is leaving to take the same position at Marble Falls HS after five seasons with the Bobcats. OF made the playoffs all five seasons. He joins Hd. Football/AD Brian Huckabay and volleyball head coach Kristin Holbrooks who have also left. Jost's wife Jennifer was the Bobcats tennis coach and will be leaving. She did not coach the team this season because she was on maternity leave.

The Orangefield FFA held its yearend banquet and FFA member received awards for their hard work and participation throughout the year. The 2011-2012 FFA officers were retired, and the 2012-2013 FFA officers were installed. The new Orangefield FFA officers are as follows; President- Tanner Jenkins, Vice President- Jacob Buckles, Secretary- Bailee Ackerman, Treasurer- Lanna Harrison, Reporter- Dylan Howard, Sentinel- Jerrod Watkins.

Brian Huckabay has announced his resignation as Orangefield's Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. Huckabay told the school board that his recent knee replacement surgery will possibly require some extra months of rehab and he didn't want it to effect the start of football season. He was 16-14 in three seasons with the Bobcats.

Orangefield named its 2012 Male & Female Athletes of the Year taken at their Sports Banquet. Selected were Ty Johnson and Rebecca Higginbotham.

This year’s Orangefield ISD Teachers of the Year: Elementary – Cheryl Linscomb (left), Junior High – Donna Thomas, High School – Jennifer Rumsey. Linscomb, a veteran first grade teacher at OE, was recently awarded the Reaud Teacher of the Year award. Mrs. Linscomb has been an educator for 31 years, nearly all of them with OISD. She received her Bachelor’s degree (1979) and Master’s degree (1984) from Lamar University. Over the course of her stellar career, she has taught Special Education classes, Kindergarten, and 1st grade. She has been a fixture as a first grade teacher in Orangefield since 1981. She was honored with a plaque and a check for $10,000 at a dinner on May 3 at Lamar University.

Nancy Christine “Chrissy” Hickman, 35, of Silsbee died Sunday, April 1, 2012, at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth in Beaumont. Chrissy was a lifelong resident of Silsbee. She was Salutatorian of the Silsbee High School graduating class of 1995, and was finance director for Orangefield Independent School District. She is survived by her husband, Hiawatha Hickman; son, Alex Hickman; parents, Bobby and Nancy Biddle; brother, David Biddle and his wife, Amanda; “brother” Davey Stephens; and “sister”, Angela Stephens all of Silsbee; best friend, Charlotte Jungen of Beaumont; mother and father-in-law, Iva Jones, Sr. and Linda Jones; and numerous other family and friends. Chrissy is preceded in death by her son, Nate Hickman. Her funeral service will be 4:00 P.M. Wednesday, April 4, 2012, at Broussard’s, 490 Cemetery Road, Silsbee with burial to follow at R. S. Farmer Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will be Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at Broussard’s.

Jackson Calhoun and Haley Permenter were crowned Prom King and Queen at Orangefield High School Saturday night. You can see more pictures in our KOGT Photo Gallery. photo by Teri Newell

Haley has had a great weekend! Sunday she won the Stark Reading Declamation Contest and classmate Kirsten Wolfford won the Interpretive Contest.

Congressman Kevin Brady announced that Hunter Puckett of Orangefield HS will represent the Eighth Congressional District at the 2012 Congressional Art Competition held in Washington, DC. Hunter’s award-winning artwork, Just Five More Minutes, Mom, was named Best of Show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. “Our district is home to some very talented and accomplished young artists," said Brady. "I couldn't be prouder that Just Five More Minutes, Mom will hang in the U.S. Capitol so thousands of Americans will get a glimpse of what life is like in our very special corner of Texas.” Winners from each congressional district get to have their artwork displayed at the nation’s capitol for an entire year, and Hunter and a guest will be flown to Washington where they will attend a reception. The Congressional Art Competition requires that all artwork be original in concept and design and that all artists be high school students.

2012-2013 Orangefield High School Sophisticats-Naomi Fells,Carly Counts, Haley Abshire, Macy Tapp, Molly Anthony, Cameron Armstrong, Emily McCall, Ceci Wilson, Randah Monceaux, Claire Trawhon, Reanna Hanks, Brianna Teague, Jennifer Bolen, Taylor Morgan, Lieutenant~Kayla Lozano, Haley Kibodeaux, Captain~Leilah Peveto, AmberDeramus, Lieutenant~Kaitlan Crew. The Sophisticats are directed by Jill Morris and Suzanne Ogden

	District Champs It was truly a team effort Tuesday as the Orangefield boys and girls swept the 21-3A District Golf Tournament. Neither team had an individual place in the top two. For the ladies at Wildwood Golf Course, the team of Ashton Gautreaux (212), Megan Burton (219), Jordan Worthy (243), Maggie Hebert (248), and Macy Hamilton (251) combined for a two day team score of 922. Silsbee followed with 937, Hamshire-Fannett 958, Hardin-Jefferson 963, Bridge City “A” 1062 and Bridge City “B” 1198. Claire Trawhon shot a two day score of 247 as a medalist. The Lady Bobcats will compete at Regionals April 16-17 at The Village Golf Club near Conroe. Individually, David Hearn of Bridge City finished second (173) and will head to Regionals.


Bobcat athletes stand in line late Tuesday night to hug Orangefield Athletic Director Brian Huckabay after the school board voted 3-1 with 2 abstains to keep the coach. more

Boys 21-3A Basketball Team.

	Kristin Holbrooks has resigned and left the Orangefield School District. As the head coach of the volleyball team she lead the Lady Bobcats to the playoffs in four of her five seasons. Holbrooks, an LCM grad, told KOGT she is taking a job in north Texas in corporate communications.

Kay Karr, a retired educator who moved to Orange 10 years ago to be near grandchildren, will be the interim superintendent of the Orangefield school district. The school board hired her after meeting two hours in a closed-door executive session. The move comes after Phillip Welch notified the board president on Thursday that he was resigning-retiring. More than 50 people crowded into the board room and out in the hall hoping to speak to the board about Welch's sudden resignation. The crowd included teachers, retired teachers and former board members. But the school board did not allow any comments. The board unanimously voted (Donna Gail Ford was absent because of illness) to hire Karr and didn't introduce her. Board members Jack Smith and Thad Angelle quickly left the meeting room and the building as some school patrons asked for at least an introduction to their new interim superintendent. Karr, who had been sitting at the board table, was standing and began telling people her background. She was born and raised in West Texas and been an educator for 47 years. She has taught at all grade levels before becoming an administrator and superintendent. In addition, she worked for the Texas Education Agency as a monitor and conservator in different school district. She said she moved to Orange in 2002 because her daughter married someone from here and she wanted to be near her grandchildren. Board President Nancy Ashworth said she hopes to have a new superintendent hired for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Before Tuesday's school board meeting, Orangefield School Board President Nancy Ashworth released this statement to KOGT concerning the retirement of Supt. Phillip Welch.

	Orangefield Superintendent Phillip Welch has told his faculty that he will be resigning after five years and will announce it at the next school board meeting which will be Tuesday. Welch, who has been with the district more than 20 years, stated he was eligible for retirement and that in his opinion, "it is the best thing for OISD at this time."

		Orangefield senior Ashton Wagner (left) and OF junior Kacey LeBlanc were named to the Coaches 21-3A All-District Basketball Team.


The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation congratulates the students of Orangefield High School that participated in the Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation. On Thursday, February 16, 2012, students took part in the local level contest at the Orangefield Elementary campus. In declamation, Haley Permenter (left) took first place with Declaration of Conscience by Margaret Chase Smith, and in interpretive reading, Kirsten Wofford (2nd from right) won first place with her interpretation of Katherine Mansfield's The Singing Lesson. Second place went to Kirby Clayton and Kathryn Petry in declamation and interpretive reading, respectively, and they receive $1,500 in scholarships for their efforts. In addition, all participating students received a certificate for competing in the contest from Orangefield High School principle Shaun McAlpine. The two first place winners, Permenter and Wofford receive $2,000 in scholarships and will go on to compete in the County Final contest at the Lutcher Theater on April 29, 2012.

Senior Ashton Wagner hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to give Orangefield a 43-42 lead. But Giddings took over in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lady Bobcats 20-9 and winning 62-52 in the Area round playoff game played in Huntsville Thursday, Feb. 16. Wagner finished with 14 points, Kacey LeBlanc scored 12, and Morgan Moss added 11. OF was hindered by 41 turnovers and they were called for 27 fouls compared to 9 for Giddings. OF ends the season 20-14 while Giddings (32-5) will play Hardin-Jefferson.

Orangefield standout Ty Johnson will be playing football at the next level after signing Wednesday with Texas Lutheran, located in Seguin. The Bulldogs play in the Division III American Southwest Conference and were 5-5 a year ago.

21-3A boys		21-3A girls		20-4A boys		20-4A girls
H-Jefferson* Silsbee* H-Fannett WOS Orangefield Bridge City	9-1 9-1 4-6 4-6 4-6 0-10	H-Jefferson* H-Fannett* Orangefield* Bridge City WOS Silsbee	10-0 8-2 6-4 4-6 1-9 1-9	Nederland* Central* Ozen* LCM* Lumberton Livingston PNG Vidor	12-2 12-2 11-3 8-6 2-13 6-8 4-10 1-13	Ozen* Central* Vidor* Lumberton* Livingston LCM Nederland PNG	14-0 12-2 10-4 7-7 6-8 5-9 2-12 0-14

Orangefield graduate Nathan Reeves, 28, who has been the offensive line coach at Lamar University, has been hired by new A&M coach Kevin Sumlin to be the offensive quality control assistant.

21-3A Football Team

All-KOGT Football Team

Academic All-State Football Team

Bobcat Choir member, Daryl Broussard, earned a place in the All State Mixed Choir. In head to head competition, he competed against students from the Orange area to the greater Houston area to make the top choir in the state of Texas.

Two Orangefield High School students excelled in the 2011-2012 Voice of Democracy Oratory and Essay contest. Orange Area winners were Carrie Grace Henderson, 2nd place, and Kirby Clayton, 3rd place. Carrie Grace Henderson also place 2nd in the District 2 level of competition.

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce presented Mr. Shaun McAlpin, High School Principal with the Orangefield Independent School District as the Employee of the Month at the January monthly Networking coffee hosted by Orangefield High School and presented at the Orangefield-Cormier Museum located on FM 105 in Orangefield. Steadfast, dependable, conscientious, high-energy, fair, consistent and a good Christian role-model for young people, those are the words that describe Mr. Shaun McAlpin this months recipient. Shaun McAlpin has deep roots in Bobcat Territory. He worked summers for the district in their work program between his junior and senior year of high school, served as an office aide his senior year, and was a 1996 OHS graduate. He received Orangefield’s highest athletic honor where he received the Ed Peveto Scholarship which helped him start his degree at Lamar University. He was often named to the Dean’s list on numerous occasions, and received his degree in 2000. Shaun has been an educator for the past twelve years; after graduating from Lamar, he returned to his home turf to become a trainer for the OHS athletic department that gave him his start. He was a trainer and health teacher for three years, and then became the Assistant Principal at Orangefield Elementary School, where he served for two years in that capacity. He next moved to the high school where he served another two years in the Assistant Principal capacity. He is now in his fifth year as principal of OHS, and in March of 2011 he was selected by TASSB (the organization for administrators in Texas) as “High School Principal of the Year”. Mr. McAlpin is everywhere, actively involved with the students, faculty and staff. He is a very visible principal and he is great with his one-on-one relating to teens and their experiences. He is a very real person and his genuine concern for the students comes across in his interactions with them. He is a team leader, leading by example and with a “hands on” approach to what needs to be accomplished. He is a gentleman and is a rare privilege to work with for. His daily announcements end each day with “OHS, ONLY THE BEST” and he lives by that motto. Mr.McAlpin is married to wife, Lindsey, and they now have two beautiful children. His son Rylan will be 4 years old at the end of March, and his daughter Ainsley is 9 months old. He is actively involved in his church and is a man that “walks the walk” and doesn’t just “talk the talk” in his interactions with his faculty and young people. Orangefield High School is very blessed to have Shaun McAlpin as its educational leader. We are proud of him and of his many accomplishments and are glad to recognize him as employee of the month.

Orangefield's Kaitlyn Henson will become the first Bobcat volleyball to play at the collegiate level. Monday she signed to play with North Central Texas College in Gainesville.

Orangefield High School held its Winter Dance on Saturday, December 10. Vivian Luong and Mason Ousley were crowned Queen and King.

The Orangefield Bobcats won the Evadale Tournament. They defeated Deweyville 71-43, Hamshire-Fannett 54-39, and Vidor, in the championship, 59-47. Steele Bolton was named the Tournament MVP and Levi Shores was also named to the All Tournament Team. The Bobcats went 4-0 last week to move their record to 5-2 on the year. They will travel to Nederland on Tuesday and host the Bill Tennison Memorial Tournament on December 8-10.

Orangefield's District (21-3A) Volleyball Picks. Top (left to right): Rebecca Higginbotham-2nd team, Morgan Moss-1st team, Jennifer McManus-1st team, Allie Sherwood-2nd team. Bottom (left to right): Kaitlynn Henson-Outstanding Outside Hitter, Kacey LeBlanc-Outstanding Libero, Ashton Wagner-Honorable Mention. Henson, McManus and LeBlanc also made the All-KOGT Volleyball Team.

21-3A volleyball All-District Team.

21-3A Volleyball
(1)Silsbee 8-2	(2)Orangefield 6-4
(3)Bridge City 6-4	H-Fannett 3-7
WOS 6-4	H-Jefferson 1-9

Principal Shaun McAlpin crowns Ashley Ehrlich as the 2011-12 Homecoming Queen at Orangefield High School Friday night.

The Bobcats also won the game, beating Jasper 47-37.

There will be two new administrators at Orangefield Junior High School for the 2011-2012 school year. Preston Clark (left) is a 1987 graduate of Orangefield High School will be principal. Mr. Clark had been an assistant principal at Vidor High School for two years before becoming the principal of Evadale High School last year. Hank Hargraves is the new assistant principal. Mr. Hargraves had been a teacher/coach at Hardin Jefferson, East Chambers and Bullard. Mr. Hargraves had been an assistant principal at Higgins Elementary at Whitehouse ISD for the past two years.

The 2011-12 Orangefield Varsity Cheerleaders are at camp this week preparing for the upcoming school year. Front row: Jenna Worthy, Ashla Tran, Logan Hayes, Hannah Walles, Brianna Graffagnino. Middle: Ashley Ehrlich, Lindsay Caswell, Lexi Bonin, Chloe Breaux. Back row: Jaycie Willis (mascot), Kacey LeBlanc, Ashlyn Edwards, Haley Permenter, Lauren Smith (mascot). re.

Orangefield High Junior Varsity Cheerleaders for the 2011-12 school year. Front row: Jessica Carpenter, Geri Jackson, Bailey Berry, Kirsten Wolfford, Destiny Stidham. Back row: Brittany Ashworth, Aailyah Johnson, Emilee Bellow, Kortnie Frazier, Madison Ousley, Macy Edgerly, Haley Woods.