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April 17, 2025

Dear Bobcat Families & Staff,

I hope that each of you has an opportunity to enjoy the Easter holiday with family and friends. I’m certainly looking forward to spending Easter Sunday enjoying great food and quality time with those I love most. District schools and buildings will be closed on Friday, April 18, and class will resume on Monday, April 21. 

We’ve officially kicked off STAAR season in Hempstead ISD and across the state. Our students have begun taking the RLA portion of the test, and I want to thank them for staying focused and working hard. I also want to thank our incredible teachers, who have been working tirelessly to prepare our students for these important assessments. As a reminder, STAAR testing will continue throughout April and into May. Please continue encouraging your students each morning, they truly carry those words of encouragement with them as they face these high-stakes exams.

Congratulations to our Hempstead High School Dairy Judging Team, who are heading to state. Our FFA teams continue to excel, and we want them to know how proud we are of them. We also have several athletes advancing to Regionals in Track and Field, and I know they will represent Hempstead ISD with pride.

Additionally, our UIL One Act Play cast and crew continue to shine. Last week, they were named Area Champions and swept the individual awards. Special congratulations to Tristan Allen, who was named Best Performer. They will compete next week at Regionals at Blinn College in Brenham.

We also recently celebrated the newest cohort of the Hempstead Early College High School during last Thursday’s induction ceremony. I’m excited about this new group of students and the journey they’re beginning toward earning both a high school diploma and an associate degree in just four years. I must also acknowledge Cohort 1, many of whom attended the event. Their confidence, poise, and energy showed just how much growth one year of focused preparation can create.

I want to personally invite you and your family to the Bobcat Stadium Track & Field Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at Bobcat Stadium. I can’t thank the community enough for your investment in this much-needed improvement. Our construction partner, Symmetry, delivered a stadium we can be proud of for years to come. A special shoutout goes to our Operations team, who have worked hard making additional cosmetic upgrades to ensure the entire facility looks great.

We are finalizing the design and specifications for the new Hempstead Early Childhood Education Center, which will be located at 9th and Shepherd. Once the design is complete, we will open bidding for construction. We anticipate completion in time for a Fall 2026 move-in.

As we move through the spring semester, I ask parents to help us finish the year strong. Please remind your students of the small things that lead to a great finish: being present daily, arriving to class on time, responding appropriately to staff, treating peers with respect, and, of course, always smiling and showing kindness. Respect and kindness are both core beliefs in our five-year strategic plan. Let’s do this together as we continue rising to #HigherHeights.

With Bobcat Pride,

Herbert O’Neil
Superintendent of Schools
Hempstead ISD

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