More than 1,000 staff, parents, and community members filled the halls of Lytle High School on Wednesday, May 14, from 4–6 p.m. for the 8th Annual Showcase of Student Work. The event highlighted the incredible learning journey of our students — spanning from Pre-K all the way to seniors who graduate with Associate’s Degrees.

The energy was electric as students shared their projects with visitors. Everyone agreed — the best part of the evening was hearing directly from the students themselves, who confidently presented their work and explained what they had learned. Their passion and knowledge made a lasting impression on parents, teachers, and community members alike. Read the full article. Lytle ISD Student Showcase 5-14-2025 photos by Jada Vega https://photos.app.goo.gl/QAH21bcuxHtkC3LF6

Our 2024 Lytle ISD Showcase of Student Work is an incredible demonstration of our students' learning from Pre-K through to our students who earn Associate's Degrees as seniors in high school. This was our seventh annual event and more people than ever came to hear from the kids themselves - as they are the BEST presenters of their projects and learning!

Lytle High School UIL One Act Play cast and crew performs WONDERFULLY at Regional competition and earns third place, which is an Alternate to State. This means they are in the top twelve 3A schools for theatre in the entire state of Texas! 

Theater Director Randee Nelson is proud of this history-making achievement of entire cast and crew, including these students with several individual Regional awards:

•  All star crew: Camila Vega

•  Honorable mention all star cast: Stefan Emery

•  All star cast: Micaela Heath

•  Best performer: Gillian Haltom

Ms. Clyde’s Art Students enjoyed a successful spring Art Show, hosted by Haywire Ranch Productions on Lytle’s Main Street. Students sold 13 pieces and many prints were ordered to benefit the Art Club. See the show pieces and receptions in the photo albums.

Art student, Cristobal Lara created a wonderful abstract portrait of Tupac Shakur, and it sold at one of the two community gallery shows. The couple that purchased it liked it so much that they requested a companion piece of Biggie Smalls! We congratulate Cristobal on his very first commission as an artist!

Primary teachers and students, in partnership with 4H (our local Ag Extension office) were thoroughly engaged in their chick-hatching project! Our Littlest Pirates learn about the Life Cycle as they observe a bunch of unhatched eggs. Students record their daily observations and as their studies conclude, they delight in watching their chicks hatch. Mrs. Galindo says, “They were were absolutely giddy holding their precious baby chicks.”

Elementary Rodeo Day is a 15-year tradition that brings students from all campuses together with rodeo-loving, farming and ranching community members.

UIL Academics

• Five 1st place Regional Qualifiers (Literary Criticism, Social Studies, Calculator Apps, Computer Science, Math Team, Science Team, and Spelling)

• State Alternate in Social Studies and Copy Editing

UIL One Act Play

• State Alternates, top 12 in 3A schools

• Tech awards, Honorable Mentions, All-Star cast, Best Performer

UIL Young Filmmakers

• Documentary wins State

• Animation places 4th at State

UIL Robotics

3rd place at First Tech Challenge Competition

Band

• Area Finals

• Sweepstakes six years running

• Select students made State for Solo/Ensemble

High School Skull Studios sponsor, Mr. Andrew Oser announces that his student documentary film team's project, Caiden's Hope, placed first in combined conferences 1-3A. This is the second year a Lytle documentary received the championship award. The animation team's project, Reminiscence, placed fourth. Mr. Oser thanks the digital media team, Adam Leyva, Lorrianne Migura, Dale Mather and Robert Mumme. He thanks administrators and the transportation department for allowing students to travel to complete productions and get to contests safely.  Finally, he thanks the high school teachers for allowing students the extra hours to get their video projects ready for competition. Enjoy watching these award winning projects.

At Lytle Junior High, students are excelling through cross-curricular projects that combine subjects like history, science, and language arts. In one project, they worked together to explore the social studies topics, blending research, scientific analysis, and writing skills. This collaborative approach not only deepens their understanding but also builds teamwork and critical thinking, preparing them for future challenges. Lytle CTE Director, Jennifer Criswell who is in this picture taken during a classroom observation says, "The students were able to communicate with each other both written and verbally.  It was amazing to see how they use academic language with each other.  All the students in the group were confident and articulate in sharing their ideas."

At the Robotics First Tech Challenge Competition, High School Robo Pirates finish fourth out of 37 teams and Junior High finishes second out of 37 teams. Both advance to Area competition and the High School team ends their season with a third place in State UIL competition.

The Junior High Techno Pirates dominated at their second league competition, winning every match and walking away with a first-place league ranking. At the Harmony Science Academy they win the first match of the competition with the highest score of the meet - 102 points.

Since their last outing, builder Sarai Calvio added a component to the robot that launches a paper airplane to add 30 points in three of the matches. Programmers Elyssa Beazer and Weston Cook refined the team's autonomous program since the last competition. Running strong, the team takes six of the meet's top ten match scores.

To address a few setbacks, builder Abril Perez quickly repairs the airplane launcher after breakdown. Driver Isaiah Valdez scores with the robot while avoiding penalties. When Lytle partners with other teams, a few mishaps are penalized by the judges. One of Lytle's alliance partners was given a 50-point penalty, but Lytle scores big and earns both teams a win, 81-89.

After their November fourth place league ranking, this meet pushes the Lytle team to a first place ranking among 18 schools.

Read her “Why America Inspires Me" essay. Watch the video with her Lytle Love message:

In December 2022, Lytle Elementary hosted eight schools for the UILDistrict Meet. Competition was fierce between Encinal, Ramirez-Burks, Lorenzo De Zavala, Benito-Juarez, Dilley, Hondo, Natalia and Lytle. Our students practiced hard and preparation paid off! In 28 events, 45 students placed, and 13 teams received top three honors - racking up enough points to take the Elementary Literary Sweepstakes Award for District 28-AAA.

For 14 years, the Elementary Rodeo has been a great example of Lytle's Engaged, Well-Rounded Students. Watch the video to see how community partners along with High School, Junior High and Elementary students work together to create important learning experiences!

This video recap of the 2023 Elementary Rodeo is a great example of Lytle's engaged, well-rounded students and wonderful community partnerships. In doing some quick research using Artificial Intelligence https://chat.openai.com/, I am delighted to report that this fabulous rodeo exceeds AI's summary of "what you can learn at a rodeo." See the AI generated copy below that is MISSING any mention of learning about FOOD at the rodeo. Our Lytle culinary students cooked using a Dutch Oven (official State Cooking Implement of Texas) and they served samples of Pan de Campo (the State Bread of Texas!) Also, AI doesn't mention a thing about students teaching students, which educators know adds so much magic to the learning experience! 

Enjoy more photos of the 2023 Rodeo Day in these albums:

• Elementary Rodeo Day 2-10-2023 album 1 of 2

• Elementary Rodeo Day 2-10-2023 album 2 of 2

According to AI, students can learn these things at a rodeo, including:

1. History - Students can learn about the history and evolution of rodeos in America and how they have become an important part of the western culture.

2. Animal Science - Students can learn about different breeds of animals used in rodeos, including horses, bulls, steers, lambs and rabbits. They can also learn about the care and handling of these animals.

3. Rodeo Events - Students can learn about different events in a rodeo, such as barrel racing, calf roping and bull riding. They may learn about the tools and equipment used in farming and ranching, such as tractors, plows, and combines.

4. Physical Fitness - Students can learn about the importance of physical fitness and the athleticism required to participate in rodeo events.

5. Safety - Students can learn about the importance of safety in rodeo events for both the animals and the participants.

6. Sportsmanship - Students can learn about the importance of good sportsmanship in rodeo events, including respect for fellow competitors and animals.

Overall, a rodeo can provide a fun and educational experience for students of all ages, allowing them to learn about western culture, animal science, physical fitness, safety, and sportsmanship. 

Watch the award winning documentary and the exciting night of awards!