Van Independent School District
After High School Comes Opportunity
🚌✨ LEARNING IS ON THE MOVE AT VAN MIDDLE SCHOOL! ✨🚌
Who says descriptive writing has to happen at a desk?! Our 5th graders took their learning aboard the STEAM Bus for a hands-on lesson that put their senses — and their adjectives — to work!
Led by Brittany Rose, along with Van High School students Keeley Walker, Bradley White, Annabelle Reed, Jayse Wilson, Tiler Williams, and Brock Bostick, students rotated through three interactive stations, practicing descriptive writing every step of the way.
📦 Station 1: Mystery Boxes
Stick your hand in... if you dare! 😳 Students reached inside without looking and then used adjectives to describe exactly what they felt.
🐉 Station 2: Taste Testing
Lunch meat, dragon fruit, pomegranate, pork rinds, and potato chips were all on the menu! Students tasted their way through some familiar — and not-so-familiar — foods while putting words to the flavors and textures they experienced.
🥽 Station 3: VR Adventures
Students strapped on the headsets and took off on virtual adventures, using their experiences to fuel even more descriptive writing!
What an awesome day of taking concepts from the classroom and bringing them to life through hands-on, engaging experiences aboard the STEAM Bus! ❤️
Sometimes the best learning happens when we get out of our seats, try something new, and experience the lesson for ourselves!
#WeAreVan #HandsOnLearning #STEAM #LearningInAction #VandalPride #VandalAdVANtage
Who says descriptive writing has to happen at a desk?! Our 5th graders took their learning aboard the STEAM Bus for a hands-on lesson that put their senses — and their adjectives — to work!
Led by Brittany Rose, along with Van High School students Keeley Walker, Bradley White, Annabelle Reed, Jayse Wilson, Tiler Williams, and Brock Bostick, students rotated through three interactive stations, practicing descriptive writing every step of the way.
📦 Station 1: Mystery Boxes
Stick your hand in... if you dare! 😳 Students reached inside without looking and then used adjectives to describe exactly what they felt.
🐉 Station 2: Taste Testing
Lunch meat, dragon fruit, pomegranate, pork rinds, and potato chips were all on the menu! Students tasted their way through some familiar — and not-so-familiar — foods while putting words to the flavors and textures they experienced.
🥽 Station 3: VR Adventures
Students strapped on the headsets and took off on virtual adventures, using their experiences to fuel even more descriptive writing!
What an awesome day of taking concepts from the classroom and bringing them to life through hands-on, engaging experiences aboard the STEAM Bus! ❤️
Sometimes the best learning happens when we get out of our seats, try something new, and experience the lesson for ourselves!
#WeAreVan #HandsOnLearning #STEAM #LearningInAction #VandalPride #VandalAdVANtage
🦺🍉 HANDS-ON LEARNING AT VAN HIGH SCHOOL! 🍉🦺
What do PPE, teamwork, rubber bands, and a watermelon have in common? In Mrs. Caffey’s class, they made for one memorable lesson! 😂
Students used the popular watermelon-and-rubber-band experiment as an opportunity to practice properly putting on their PPE, working together as a team, and completing a project from start to finish.
The goal? Work together to wrap an extraordinary number of rubber bands around a watermelon until... BOOM! 🍉💥
Well... the watermelon needed a little extra “trauma” before it finally gave in. 😂 But the end result was just as sweet!
✅ We suited up.
✅ We worked together.
✅ We practiced important skills.
✅ And we even enjoyed a few bites of watermelon when it was all over! 🍉
Learning doesn't always have to happen from a textbook. Sometimes it looks like safety gear, teamwork, problem-solving, fresh air, a whole lot of rubber bands — and a watermelon that refuses to cooperate! ❤️
Hands-on learning is happening at Van High School, and our students are engaged in the process!
#WeAreVan #HandsOnLearning #VandalPride #LearningByDoing #VandalAdVANtage
What do PPE, teamwork, rubber bands, and a watermelon have in common? In Mrs. Caffey’s class, they made for one memorable lesson! 😂
Students used the popular watermelon-and-rubber-band experiment as an opportunity to practice properly putting on their PPE, working together as a team, and completing a project from start to finish.
The goal? Work together to wrap an extraordinary number of rubber bands around a watermelon until... BOOM! 🍉💥
Well... the watermelon needed a little extra “trauma” before it finally gave in. 😂 But the end result was just as sweet!
✅ We suited up.
✅ We worked together.
✅ We practiced important skills.
✅ And we even enjoyed a few bites of watermelon when it was all over! 🍉
Learning doesn't always have to happen from a textbook. Sometimes it looks like safety gear, teamwork, problem-solving, fresh air, a whole lot of rubber bands — and a watermelon that refuses to cooperate! ❤️
Hands-on learning is happening at Van High School, and our students are engaged in the process!
#WeAreVan #HandsOnLearning #VandalPride #LearningByDoing #VandalAdVANtage
Congratulations to our VMS Vandal of The Week Students! ❤️
Keep up the good work! 🏆
#WeAreVan
Keep up the good work! 🏆
#WeAreVan
🐣 THE CHICKEN CHRONICLES | DAY 1 🐣
Are you following our Chicken Chronicles at J.E. Rhodes?! 🐔❤️
Today felt a little like Christmas morning in the first-grade hallway because the countdown has officially begun!
🥚 Day 1 of 21.
Our first graders are beginning an incredible hands-on study of the life cycle of a chicken, which is part of our first-grade TEKS. Today, a representative from each first-grade class carefully placed an egg into our incubator, which is housed in the library so our students can watch, wonder, ask questions, and experience the process together.
And this isn't just a 21-day lesson. Our chickens are staying at J.E. Rhodes! 🐥
That means our first graders won't just study the life cycle in a book—they'll experience it right here at school. They'll watch their chicks hatch, grow, and change throughout the year. By the time these students are getting ready to move on to second grade, the tiny chicks they're waiting on today will be growing up right alongside them—and eventually laying eggs of their own! 🐔🥚
But our favorite part of Day 1 might just be the curiosity and wonder on their faces. ❤️ That spark—the excitement to see what happens next, the questions already being asked, the anticipation of discovering something new—is where some of the very best learning happens.
This is science they can see, touch, experience, and remember.
A special thank you to Brian McCawley for being on hand today to help us get our Chicken Chronicles started!
Now we wait... 20 days to go! 🐣⏳
#ChickenChronicles #Day1 #HandsOnLearning #JERhodesElementary #WeAreVan #VandalProud #VandalAdVANtage
Are you following our Chicken Chronicles at J.E. Rhodes?! 🐔❤️
Today felt a little like Christmas morning in the first-grade hallway because the countdown has officially begun!
🥚 Day 1 of 21.
Our first graders are beginning an incredible hands-on study of the life cycle of a chicken, which is part of our first-grade TEKS. Today, a representative from each first-grade class carefully placed an egg into our incubator, which is housed in the library so our students can watch, wonder, ask questions, and experience the process together.
And this isn't just a 21-day lesson. Our chickens are staying at J.E. Rhodes! 🐥
That means our first graders won't just study the life cycle in a book—they'll experience it right here at school. They'll watch their chicks hatch, grow, and change throughout the year. By the time these students are getting ready to move on to second grade, the tiny chicks they're waiting on today will be growing up right alongside them—and eventually laying eggs of their own! 🐔🥚
But our favorite part of Day 1 might just be the curiosity and wonder on their faces. ❤️ That spark—the excitement to see what happens next, the questions already being asked, the anticipation of discovering something new—is where some of the very best learning happens.
This is science they can see, touch, experience, and remember.
A special thank you to Brian McCawley for being on hand today to help us get our Chicken Chronicles started!
Now we wait... 20 days to go! 🐣⏳
#ChickenChronicles #Day1 #HandsOnLearning #JERhodesElementary #WeAreVan #VandalProud #VandalAdVANtage
🎾 MATCH DAY! 🎾
Vandal Tennis is headed to Tyler on Thursday to take on Tyler Legacy! ❤️🎾
📅 Thursday, September 3
📍 Tyler Legacy High School
⏰ 4:00 PM
Good luck, Vandals! LET’S GO! 🔥
#VandalTennis #MatchDay #WeAreVan #VandalProud
Graphic Design: Valeria Sanchez, VHS iTeam
Vandal Tennis is headed to Tyler on Thursday to take on Tyler Legacy! ❤️🎾
📅 Thursday, September 3
📍 Tyler Legacy High School
⏰ 4:00 PM
Good luck, Vandals! LET’S GO! 🔥
#VandalTennis #MatchDay #WeAreVan #VandalProud
Graphic Design: Valeria Sanchez, VHS iTeam
🎉 Make Plans to Join the 2026 Vandal Homecoming Festivities! ❤️🤍
Theme: Huntin' for a Vandal Victory!
🏆 HOMECOMING PARADE
📅 Wednesday, September 23rd
🕢 7:00 PM
Have a group that wants to participate? Apply here:
https://tinyurl.com/4rx6z7am
📌 Parade applications due FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19.
✅ Once accepted, parade passes and lineup info will be emailed.
🚫 No walkers — floats only.
🎤 COMMUNITY PEP RALLY & 🔥 BONFIRE
📍 Field across from the Van ISD Administration Building (end of parade route)
Questions: grace.moseley@vanisd.org
🏐🏈 HOMECOMING GAMES
📅 Friday, September 25th
Lady Vandal Volleyball vs. Mabank – 4:30 PM
Vandal Football vs. Atlanta – 7:30 PM
There's no place like Vandal Land! ❤️🤍
#WeAreVan #VandalPride #VandalAdVANtage
Theme: Huntin' for a Vandal Victory!
🏆 HOMECOMING PARADE
📅 Wednesday, September 23rd
🕢 7:00 PM
Have a group that wants to participate? Apply here:
https://tinyurl.com/4rx6z7am
📌 Parade applications due FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19.
✅ Once accepted, parade passes and lineup info will be emailed.
🚫 No walkers — floats only.
🎤 COMMUNITY PEP RALLY & 🔥 BONFIRE
📍 Field across from the Van ISD Administration Building (end of parade route)
Questions: grace.moseley@vanisd.org
🏐🏈 HOMECOMING GAMES
📅 Friday, September 25th
Lady Vandal Volleyball vs. Mabank – 4:30 PM
Vandal Football vs. Atlanta – 7:30 PM
There's no place like Vandal Land! ❤️🤍
#WeAreVan #VandalPride #VandalAdVANtage
🏈 HOMECOMING FOOTBALL PROGRAM ADS 🏈
Homecoming is coming, Vandal Land! ❤️
Friday, September 25th vs. Atlanta
If you currently have an ad in the Vandal Football program and would like to change or update your ad for the Homecoming edition, all updated ads must be submitted by:
📅 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Please email updated ads to Jeanette Germany in the VHS Journalism Department at:
📧 jgnuffsaid@yahoo.com
Homecoming is coming, Vandal Land! ❤️
Friday, September 25th vs. Atlanta
If you currently have an ad in the Vandal Football program and would like to change or update your ad for the Homecoming edition, all updated ads must be submitted by:
📅 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Please email updated ads to Jeanette Germany in the VHS Journalism Department at:
📧 jgnuffsaid@yahoo.com
Reminder: Friday, September 4th, will be an early release day. School will be dismissed three hours before regular dismissal time.
Monday, September 7th, is a school holiday.
Classes will resume Tuesday, September 8th.
Happy Labor Day, Vandals!❤️
#WeAreVan
Monday, September 7th, is a school holiday.
Classes will resume Tuesday, September 8th.
Happy Labor Day, Vandals!❤️
#WeAreVan
🚨THURSDAY SCHEDULE UPDATE 🚨
Vandal Football fans, Dallas Carter will only have one team competing Thursday, so our JV Vandals will play at HOME in Van at 6:00 PM.
🏈 JV vs. Dallas Carter
📍 HOME | Mal Fowler Stadium
⏰ 6:00 PM
Please note: There will be NO Freshman game this week.
Vandal Football fans, Dallas Carter will only have one team competing Thursday, so our JV Vandals will play at HOME in Van at 6:00 PM.
🏈 JV vs. Dallas Carter
📍 HOME | Mal Fowler Stadium
⏰ 6:00 PM
Please note: There will be NO Freshman game this week.
We had some special guest welcome our Vandals this morning! Van Basketball boys kicked off our first Dudes at the Door for this school year!! 🎉🏀
Thank you Coach Wingo for letting us borrow your players for the morning!!
Thank you Coach Wingo for letting us borrow your players for the morning!!
🎙️📺 LIVE FROM VAN HIGH SCHOOL! 🎬
Our CTE Principles of Arts students took their learning from the classroom to the “studio” today!
After studying the history and evolution of talk shows in the television industry, students put what they learned into action by creating and performing their own live talk shows. They also learned the behind-the-scenes side of production, including how to film their shows so they can be shared with other classes. 🎥
From being on camera to working behind it, our students are gaining hands-on experience while exploring the many skills and careers that make the television and media industry possible.
We love seeing our Vandals learning, creating and doing! ❤️🎬
Big Opportunities. Small-Town Relationships. Ready for What Comes Next.
#WeAreVan #VandalProud #CTE #VanHighSchool #VandalAdVANtage
Our CTE Principles of Arts students took their learning from the classroom to the “studio” today!
After studying the history and evolution of talk shows in the television industry, students put what they learned into action by creating and performing their own live talk shows. They also learned the behind-the-scenes side of production, including how to film their shows so they can be shared with other classes. 🎥
From being on camera to working behind it, our students are gaining hands-on experience while exploring the many skills and careers that make the television and media industry possible.
We love seeing our Vandals learning, creating and doing! ❤️🎬
Big Opportunities. Small-Town Relationships. Ready for What Comes Next.
#WeAreVan #VandalProud #CTE #VanHighSchool #VandalAdVANtage
🏐 HOME COURT WIN! ❤️🤍
We took care of business tonight with a 3-0 SWEEP over Chapel Hill! 🧹🔥
NEXT UP ➡️ WHITEHOUSE
📅 Friday
⏰ 4:30 PM
📍 Whitehouse
#VandalVolleyball #WeAreVan #VandalPride
We took care of business tonight with a 3-0 SWEEP over Chapel Hill! 🧹🔥
NEXT UP ➡️ WHITEHOUSE
📅 Friday
⏰ 4:30 PM
📍 Whitehouse
#VandalVolleyball #WeAreVan #VandalPride
Congratulations to junior Kaylee Scoskie for being named the VHS Vandal of the Week!
Get to know Kaylee:
-Kaylee is a junior at VHS and the daughter of Keith and Amber Scoskie.
-She participates in track and is a competitive dancer.
-Her favorite teacher is Mrs. Caffey, because “She always helps me with my work, and I can always talk to her. She is also extremely supportive.”
-After high school, Kaylee hopes to attend Baylor University and become a physical therapist.
-Her favorite thing about being a Vandal is the atmosphere and how everyone is nice.
What Kaylee's teachers say about her:
"Kaylee shows up to school every day with a positive attitude. Her positive attitude is infectious to others, and even if she is having a bad day she makes sure to invest in her classmates and ensure they are having a great day. She is a hard worker, and if she sees someone else is struggling or just needs a word of encouragement, she is there to help." 💖
#WeAreVan #AfterHighSchoolComesOpportunity #VandalAdVANtages
📷:Melody Hooks VHS iTeam
Get to know Kaylee:
-Kaylee is a junior at VHS and the daughter of Keith and Amber Scoskie.
-She participates in track and is a competitive dancer.
-Her favorite teacher is Mrs. Caffey, because “She always helps me with my work, and I can always talk to her. She is also extremely supportive.”
-After high school, Kaylee hopes to attend Baylor University and become a physical therapist.
-Her favorite thing about being a Vandal is the atmosphere and how everyone is nice.
What Kaylee's teachers say about her:
"Kaylee shows up to school every day with a positive attitude. Her positive attitude is infectious to others, and even if she is having a bad day she makes sure to invest in her classmates and ensure they are having a great day. She is a hard worker, and if she sees someone else is struggling or just needs a word of encouragement, she is there to help." 💖
#WeAreVan #AfterHighSchoolComesOpportunity #VandalAdVANtages
📷:Melody Hooks VHS iTeam
💛 Grandparents Day Lunches Are Coming! 💛
We are excited to welcome our wonderful grandparents and special guests to celebrate Grandparents Day with lunch at our schools!
📅 Please refer to the schedules pictured below to find your student’s class and scheduled lunch day/time.
Because of the size of our cafeterias and the number of special guests we are excited to welcome, our Grandparents Day lunches will be spread across several days:
🍎 Littles (Pre-K–1st Grade): Lunches will take place over two days (Sept 14th & 15th).
📚 Bigs (2nd–3rd Grade): Lunches will take place over four days (Sept 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th).
Spreading our celebrations out allows us to comfortably accommodate our students and all of the grandparents and special guests joining us!
During your student’s scheduled time, you are welcome to bring lunch for yourself and your child, join them for lunch, or simply come sit with them, enjoy some conversation, hear about their day, and spend this special time together. ❤️
⏰ Please allow extra time to check in at the office before lunch. For the safety of our students and staff, each adult visitor will need to be checked in through our Raptor system before joining us for lunch. Following lunch, students will head to recess. Grandparents and guests will not be able to join students on the playground for recess.
We can’t wait to celebrate the grandparents and special people who mean so much to our students! 💛
We are excited to welcome our wonderful grandparents and special guests to celebrate Grandparents Day with lunch at our schools!
📅 Please refer to the schedules pictured below to find your student’s class and scheduled lunch day/time.
Because of the size of our cafeterias and the number of special guests we are excited to welcome, our Grandparents Day lunches will be spread across several days:
🍎 Littles (Pre-K–1st Grade): Lunches will take place over two days (Sept 14th & 15th).
📚 Bigs (2nd–3rd Grade): Lunches will take place over four days (Sept 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th).
Spreading our celebrations out allows us to comfortably accommodate our students and all of the grandparents and special guests joining us!
During your student’s scheduled time, you are welcome to bring lunch for yourself and your child, join them for lunch, or simply come sit with them, enjoy some conversation, hear about their day, and spend this special time together. ❤️
⏰ Please allow extra time to check in at the office before lunch. For the safety of our students and staff, each adult visitor will need to be checked in through our Raptor system before joining us for lunch. Following lunch, students will head to recess. Grandparents and guests will not be able to join students on the playground for recess.
We can’t wait to celebrate the grandparents and special people who mean so much to our students! 💛
Students of the week!
🏃♂️🏃♀️ FIRST MEET DOWN! ❤️
A great start to the season for Vandal Cross Country at Mineola last week!
The first meet always comes with a few nerves, but now we’ve got that one behind us. We are incredibly proud of the effort, determination, and fight our athletes showed on the course!
More importantly, we got our first look at some of our district competition. Now we know where we stand, we know what we need to work on, and it’s time to TRAIN HARD & RUN THEM DOWN! 💪🔥
One meet down. Plenty of work ahead. Let’s keep getting better!
📍 NEXT UP: SULPHUR SPRINGS
🏃 High School | Friday
🏃♀️ Junior High | Saturday
#VandalCrossCountry #WeAreVan #VandalProud
A great start to the season for Vandal Cross Country at Mineola last week!
The first meet always comes with a few nerves, but now we’ve got that one behind us. We are incredibly proud of the effort, determination, and fight our athletes showed on the course!
More importantly, we got our first look at some of our district competition. Now we know where we stand, we know what we need to work on, and it’s time to TRAIN HARD & RUN THEM DOWN! 💪🔥
One meet down. Plenty of work ahead. Let’s keep getting better!
📍 NEXT UP: SULPHUR SPRINGS
🏃 High School | Friday
🏃♀️ Junior High | Saturday
#VandalCrossCountry #WeAreVan #VandalProud
🎨❤️ GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
Our students are creating. They’re thinking. They’re expressing themselves. They’re engaged in ART!
Four of our talented Studio Art seniors recently created these incredible mixed-media collages, each designed as a self-portrait. Through layers of different materials, textures, images and techniques, each student created a piece that tells a little bit of their own story.
This is what learning can look like—creative, personal, hands-on and meaningful.
We love seeing our Vandals discover their talents, find their voices and create something that is uniquely their own. 🎨
#WeAreVan #VandalProud #PublicSchools #ArtsInEducation #VandalAdVANtage
Our students are creating. They’re thinking. They’re expressing themselves. They’re engaged in ART!
Four of our talented Studio Art seniors recently created these incredible mixed-media collages, each designed as a self-portrait. Through layers of different materials, textures, images and techniques, each student created a piece that tells a little bit of their own story.
This is what learning can look like—creative, personal, hands-on and meaningful.
We love seeing our Vandals discover their talents, find their voices and create something that is uniquely their own. 🎨
#WeAreVan #VandalProud #PublicSchools #ArtsInEducation #VandalAdVANtage
🏐❤️ GAME DAY IN VANDAL LAND! ❤️🏐
We’re back on our HOME court Tuesday night as we take on Chapel Hill! 🔥
📅 Tuesday, September 1
📍 Van High School
⏰ JV1 & JV2 | 5:00 PM
🏐 Varsity | To Follow
Come pack the stands, bring the energy and help us defend our home court! 📣❤️
LET’S GO VANDALS!
#VandalVolleyball #GameDay #WeAreVan #VandalProud
Graphic Design: Eme Hinch, VHS iTeam
🎉🎉 Congratulations to our Vandals of the Week & our Music Award!! Keep up the great work, Vandals! ❤️🎶
💛 WEAR YELLOW FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS 💛
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and on Wednesday, September 2, we’re asking Vandal Land to WEAR YELLOW. 🎗️
For us, this fight is close to home.
On Wednesday, let’s fill our campuses with yellow as a visible reminder that no child fights alone. We wear yellow to support every child fighting cancer, stand with their families, and raise awareness for all those impacted by childhood cancer.
💛 Vandal Land stands together.
🎗️ Wear Yellow. Raise Awareness. Support the Fight.
#ChildhoodCancerAwareness #WearYellow #VandalStrong #WeAreVan
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and on Wednesday, September 2, we’re asking Vandal Land to WEAR YELLOW. 🎗️
For us, this fight is close to home.
On Wednesday, let’s fill our campuses with yellow as a visible reminder that no child fights alone. We wear yellow to support every child fighting cancer, stand with their families, and raise awareness for all those impacted by childhood cancer.
💛 Vandal Land stands together.
🎗️ Wear Yellow. Raise Awareness. Support the Fight.
#ChildhoodCancerAwareness #WearYellow #VandalStrong #WeAreVan
