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Belton ISD spotlights more than 90 students in Penguin Project, honors district performers and teams
Summary
Belton ISD opened its May 18 board meeting with a student showcase featuring the Penguin Project’s Madagascar Jr., recognized dozens of students and coaches for arts, athletics and academic honors, and celebrated robotics teams that qualified for state and international competition.
Belton Independent School District opened its May 18 board meeting with a student showcase highlighting the Penguin Project’s production of Madagascar Jr., which the district described as the program’s fourth annual production and the largest cast in program history with more than 90 student performers and two casts.
The meeting then moved into recognitions. Communications staff introduced student pledgers Kobe Bailey and Hadley Brewer and thanked peer mentors. Board members congratulated Belton New Tech and Lake Belton High School robotics teams for qualifying for the VEX Robotics State Competition, and noted that one Belton New Tech team earned a second consecutive trip to the world championship.
Trustees also recognized a wide range of student achievements across athletics and the arts, including academic all-state qualifiers in soccer and swimming, UIL orchestra and theater-design state qualifiers, Texas Dance Educators Association all-state performers, and several state- and national-level placements for dance and drill teams. Coaches and teachers named on stage included Jessica Purscil, Steven Tyer, Coach Carlo Mosin (sic listed in transcript), Janie Ferguson, Jordan Wedmire and others who the district identified as supporting these student accomplishments.
In addition to performance and competitive recognitions, the board honored educators and staff: Coach Cat Coburn was recognized as the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 2026 Girls Middle School Coach of the Year, Neil Flemens was introduced as the new principal at Belton New Tech, and the human resources department was thanked for supporting more than 2,000 employees and numerous substitutes.
The district emphasized that many honors began as student-driven initiatives, citing the Penguin Project’s role in building confidence for students with special needs and the robotics and fine-arts programs’ role in creating post-secondary opportunities. The recognitions portion of the meeting concluded with sustained applause and board encouragement for families and staff who supported the students.
The board moved on to its business agenda following the recognitions.
