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Castleberry ISD highlights spring 2025 fine‑arts achievements
Summary
Castleberry ISD trustees heard a presentation recognizing choir, theater, band, mariachi and visual arts student achievements, including region and state-level honors and large participation counts across programs.
Castleberry Independent School District trustees on Oct. 11 heard a presentation celebrating spring 2025 accomplishments across the district’s fine‑arts programs, including choir, theater, band, mariachi and visual arts achievements.
The fine‑arts team told the board the district’s programs have grown and earned honors this spring. “Our mission is to represent Castleberry ISD with the spirit of excellence,” Desiree Daffern, representing CISD Fine Arts, said. She and student representatives summarized awards and participation counts across schools.
Why it matters: the presentation documented student participation, competition results and community engagement that district leaders said reflect broad extracurricular involvement and district recognition at regional and state contests.
The district reported the combined fine‑arts enrollment has grown to almost 250 students this school year. The CHS Lion Choir and Irma Marsh Middle School ensembles advanced members to Region 30 all‑region choir; two students—Isaac Marquez and Leila (surname given in transcript)—were recognized as 14th and seventh chair, respectively. Castleberry High School theater advanced as a company at district contest and received second place at both zone and district contests, with multiple individual acting and technical awards announced. Daffern asked students who won individual awards at UIL One‑Act Play district or by‑district contests to stand for recognition.
Band representatives said Irma Marsh Middle School (IMMS) had 12 students advance to the Region 30 all‑region band, hosted a community concert with nearly 400 middle‑school band participants including about 200 beginner students, and earned first‑division ratings at the Pride of Texas Festival. CHS bands earned sweepstakes recognition at the UIL concert and sight‑reading contest and the wind ensemble performed at the UIL State Wind Ensemble Festival at the University of Texas at Austin; the presentation noted only 15 bands statewide advanced to that state festival.
The mariachi program reported 18 IMMS and 20 CHS students advanced to all‑region mariachi bands; varsity Mariachi Los Leones received individual outstanding performer awards at the state UAL mariachi contest and was invited to perform at the Texas Association of Mariachi Educators competition.
Visual arts presenters said more than 600 student artworks were displayed in the district art show hosted by House of Neuville Gallery, and CHS reported 61 students earned perfect scores at a TAEA contest, with six advancing to state‑level competition; one elementary student, Sergio Rico of Joy James Academy of Leadership, had artwork displayed at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Board president Tolliver and Superintendent Smith Faulkner acknowledged teachers and directors for their work; the presentation closed with staff and students taking photographs and being dismissed.
The presentation was informational; no formal board action or vote was taken on the fine‑arts items during the meeting.
