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The Velma Freeman Gillespie and Zelma Freeman Root Foundation was established in 1995 by Mrs. Gillespie’s family to honor a deserving teacher at the end of each school year.  Velma Freeman Gillespie and Zelma Freeman Root were twin sisters who both taught in the BISD system for over twenty-five years each.  Mrs. Root came to Borger in 1944. Mrs. Gillespie came to visit her from Arkansas in 1946 and never went back. Mrs. Gillespie taught in Borger Junior High School for 25 years.  Mrs. Root taught at Borger High School for 26 years.  Both retired in 1971.  After retiring from BISD, Zelma Root taught at Frank Phillips Junior College for five years.  Mrs. Gillespie had two sons, Dr. Hamp Gillespie and Dr. Mike Gillespie, who both graduated from Borger Independent School District.  After Velma Gillespie passed away in October 1994, her sons wanted to honor their mother and aunt by establishing the foundation.   The award is given to a deserving teacher in the academic field who possesses the following:  A concern for students and the capability to inspire them. The ability and willingness to work cooperatively with colleagues. A drive to initiate activities that improve instruction for students. An ability to work effectively with different groups in the community. The desire to stay informed of current educational theories and practices” An ability and willingness to make meaningful contributions to education.  Examples of innovations started in the nominees’ classrooms.  The 2019-2020 campus nominees included:  Brandi Moore, Kindergarten Instructor at Paul Belton Elementary; Melissa Fite, First-Grade Instructor at Gateway Elementary; Emilie Poe, Third-grade Instructor at Crockett Elementary; Cynthia Hipolito, Fifth-grade Social Studies Instructor at Borger Intermediate; Judy Riggle, Seventh-grade Math Instructor at Borger Middle School and Maureen Martinez, Borger High School Spanish Instructor. This year, the Root-Gillespie award went to Judy Riggle. Ms. Riggle was recognized at Convocation. She will receive $750 to spend in her classroom. Each campus nominee will receive $250 for their classroom.   Ms. Riggle brings the real world to the math classroom by offering real-world experiences even when they can’t physically be in the classroom. One example of real-world learning is the slope lesson.  Students found examples in their worlds of different types of slope and created videos.  Ms. Riggle also served as the UIL Coordinator for the middle school this year.  This is an extremely demanding job and she did it with pride and grace.   Ms. Riggle has a passion to learn new ways to engage students.  She attends training with enthusiasm and spends time at home researching and gaining new information.  When she finds something amazing, she is more than willing to share that information with her team.   Ms. Riggle has her students set goals and congratulates them when they achieve their goals, but she does something for those who don’t too.  She shows them that goals are met in steps, not always all at once, and gives them advice on how to meet it next time.    Judy Riggle truly shows Bulldog Pride in everything that she does!  
Posted by rebecca.calder  On Aug 11, 2020 at 3:16 PM
  
Borger ISD Community, We are aware there are many concerns and questions concerning the construction projects in progress in Borger ISD. We would like to address some of the concerns. The additions and renovations at Borger Middle School and Intermediate Schools are almost complete. Landscaping and a punch list still need to be completed. A punch list is a list of smaller items in need of completion, but which typically would not be a barrier to using the building. Sometimes this can include things like repainting, minor repairs, or system adjustments. Borger High School is approaching completion. We know it doesn’t look like it from the outside. However, except for the library, most of the work inside is complete or nearing completion. The older classrooms, bathrooms, front office, and security system have been updated and we have added a new Freshman Wing in addition to remodeling the library. The Contractor states that BHS should be completed, except for the punch list, by August 14. As you can see, the courtyard is not yet complete. Our maintenance staff has been working to clear away weeds in the high school parking lot and courtyard. When asked for a completion date for the BHS courtyard, the Construction Manager, HB Construction, was not able to give a completion date. This is unacceptable to us and so we will be meeting with the Contractor, the Architect, and the Bonding company in the next few weeks to decide upon a solution. The district received a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the high school project, and we are working to meet that price. The School District contracted with the Construction Manager at Risk for a Guaranteed Maximum Price. A Guaranteed Maximum Price is a ceiling on the cost of building an agreed upon project. If the projects changes, for example, if square footage is added or if the district decides to upgrade something from the agreed upon project scope, then the Guaranteed Maximum Price would increase to pay for that improvement. We expect the project to be done for no more than the Guaranteed Maximum Price. We understand the frustration the community feels. The BHS courtyard has been addressed at board meetings over the last several months. According to our Architect the Courtyard was and always has been a part of the project and so we expect the Construction Manager to complete the work. No excuses. The Architect designs the project and the Construction Manager is supposed to build the project as it was designed for the guaranteed maximum price. We believe our community will be extremely pleased with the interiors of the intermediate, middle, and high schools just like we have all been pleased with Bulldog Stadium. We can’t wait to show off these schools! We consider the high school courtyard to be sacred ground, and our expectation is that the Construction Manager will construct a courtyard that meets the standards of our community for the agreed-upon price. Budget and construction updates are given at each board meeting every month. Please feel free to attend and find out the facts of what is going on in your school district.
Posted by rebecca.calder  On Aug 05, 2020 at 2:15 PM