Iola ISD: Bulldog Pride Podcast

15 - Top of the Class: Valedictorian & Salutatorian Celebrate Success

This week on the Bulldog Pride Podcast, we're celebrating academic excellence! Host Amanda Rollert sits down with Assistant Principal and Girls Athletic Director - Miss, Valedictorian - Shaylee McKown, and Salutatorian - Ava Bessette, during the final week of school to honor these remarkable seniors. Miss reflects on watching these young women grow up through volleyball camps, Little Diggers, and PE since sixth grade. Both Shaylee and Ava are all-state volleyball players who helped bring home the state championship this year while maintaining top academic standing. Miss shares how she's seen them study on the bus with lights on after games, working hard to excel in both athletics and academics. Shaylee and Ava share their journeys to the top of their class, emphasizing high standards, strong role models, and incredible support systems. They discuss their biggest challenge: time management and balancing schoolwork with club sports, school athletics, organizations, and friendships. Their solution? Planning out entire weeks in advance and prioritizing academics first, even when it meant studying on the bus or sacrificing social time. The young women give heartfelt shout-outs to teachers, coaches, family, and friends who supported them along the way. They reflect on how they've pushed each other throughout high school, going back and forth academically while motivating one another to be their best. Looking ahead, both are Texas A&M bound! Ava will attend Mays Business School pursuing business administration, while Shaylee will major in kinesiology with plans for medical school. This summer, they'll coach opposing teams in Miss' new summer volleyball league while also starting jobs—Shaylee at The Physician Centre in College Station. Graduation is Friday at 7:00 PM in the high school gym. Congratulations, graduates! Learn more about Iola ISD on their website HERE [https://www.iolaisd.net/] Follow Iola ISD on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/iolaisd] Got a tip, tale, or shoutout? Email us at podcast@iolaisd.net [podcast@iolaisd.net]

14 - Leading with Heart: Elementary Leadership Reflects on the Year

This week on the Bulldog Pride Podcast, we're wrapping up the school year with Iola Elementary's leadership team! Host Amanda Rollert sits down with Principal Hollie Guillbeau and Assistant Principal Lauren Sanders during their final week of school to reflect on an incredible year. These dedicated leaders share how they focused on celebrating students as individuals and bringing back beloved traditions like Grandparents' Breakfast, Vocabulary Parade, Color Run, and fun national days. They created a culture where families feel welcome and students feel valued. Ms. Sanders reflects on her inaugural year and shares their innovative approach to STAR testing—sending students on field trips to the park, movies, and zoo to create a calm, focused environment for those taking the big test. Ms. Guillbeau highlights celebrating staff through monthly teacher awards and newcomer recognition. She shares exciting news about implementing a new aligned K-5 curriculum next year that will raise the bar and better prepare students for their futures. Their message to students: Be safe, make memories, find rest, and renew your spirit. To everyone: Find one thing you love to do this summer and do it every day. School starts back August 12th with Meet the Teacher on August 10th.  Learn more about Iola ISD on their website HERE [https://www.iolaisd.net/] Follow Iola ISD on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/iolaisd] Got a tip, tale, or shoutout? Email us at podcast@iolaisd.net [podcast@iolaisd.net]

13 - Little Bulldogs, Big Hearts: PreK - 5th Student Spotlight!

This week on the Bulldog Pride Podcast, we're hearing directly from the students! Host Amanda Rollert and Elementary Principal Ms. Guilbeau sit down with one representative from each grade (Pre-K through 5th) to hear what makes being an Iola Bulldog so special. Meet our student panel: Pre-K student - Ramsey Gillis, Kindergartner - Cameron Jolly, 1st grader - Rhys Abbott, 2nd grader - Josiah Smith, 3rd grader - Everly Jackson, 4th grader - Eve Hurst, and 5th grader - Kolman Barksdale. These young Bulldogs share what they love about Iola. They reveal their favorite subjects (spoiler: lots of mathematicians in this group!), what they're learning in class—from telling time and shapes to volume and rectangular prisms—and how their teachers make learning fun. The conversation gets personal as students share favorite foods (asparagus was a surprise!), what they play at recess (football, kickball, freeze tag, and monkey bars), and special talents like rodeo goat tying and UIL competitions in oral reading, writing, and chess strategy. Students also share how they help keep their school clean and safe: picking up trash, bringing reusable water bottles, setting good examples, and helping friends up when they fall. Their special memories from this year include field trips to the Waco Zoo and Texas A&M basketball games, the Color Run with teachers and Officer Montgomery throwing colors, and Friday game days in class. From Pre-K to 5th, these students show what Bulldog Pride looks like at every age. 🐾❤️ Learn more about Iola ISD on their website HERE [https://www.iolaisd.net/] Follow Iola ISD on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/iolaisd] Got a tip, tale, or shoutout? Email us at podcast@iolaisd.net [podcast@iolaisd.net]

12 - Elementary Special Teams: Where Every Kid Shines

This week on the Bulldog Pride Podcast, we're celebrating Iola ISD Elementary's Special Teams! Host Amanda Rollert sits down with PE teachers - Ryanne Jolly and Coach Jayme Timm, Art/Music teacher - Gayla Blenden, and Library/GT teacher - Kylie Hammack to discuss how they build relationships, foster creativity, and help every student discover their unique gifts. These dedicated educators share how they connect with students they see on rotation—through movement in PE, creativity in art and music, and discovering new worlds through reading. Coach Timm emphasizes teaching lifetime sports like pickleball and tennis because "you can't pay somebody else to exercise your body for you." Coach Jolly highlights the joy of seeing kids try new activities and share their stories daily. Memorable moments include: a student who struggled with confidence now embracing "the power of yet," fifth graders audibly gasping during a World War II novel study when pieces clicked together, and daily excitement from kids asking "Is it art day? Is it music day? Where do we get to travel to today?" This episode celebrates the educators who teach kids that movement matters, everyone is creative in their own way, and reading opens infinite possibilities. Learn more about Iola ISD on their website HERE [https://www.iolaisd.net/] Follow Iola ISD on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/iolaisd] Got a tip, tale, or shoutout? Email us at podcast@iolaisd.net [podcast@iolaisd.net]

11 - Keeping Iola Running: Meet the Maintenance Team

This week on the Bulldog Pride Podcast, we're going behind the scenes with the crew that keeps Iola ISD running smoothly! Host Amanda Rollert sits down with Maintenance Director Mr. Anthony Marks and team members Mr. Michael Evans and Mr. Rudy Galvan. These dedicated team members share what their day looks like—arriving before students and staff, responding to urgent issues with an "all hands on deck" approach, and handling everything from AC repairs and door closures to mowing fields and retrieving tennis balls from rooftops! The crew shares projects they're especially proud of: building a wheelchair-accessible ramp and covered porch, remodeling an entire building, expanding the elementary playground, and transforming the baseball and softball fields with maroon dirt that makes the white lines pop like a professional field. They share an important reminder for students: simple habits like picking up trash and cleaning up after yourself help keep the campus beautiful and teach lifelong skills. When they're not maintaining the school, you'll find them deer hunting, fishing, chasing grandkids to games, working cattle ranches, or caring for horses! This episode celebrates the people who work tirelessly to make Iola ISD a clean, safe, and welcoming place every single day.  Learn more about Iola ISD on their website HERE [https://www.iolaisd.net/] Follow Iola ISD on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/iolaisd] Got a tip, tale, or shoutout? Email us at podcast@iolaisd.net [podcast@iolaisd.net]