COPPERAS COVE – Copperas Cove ISD is proud to announce a new achievement in its schools, with two of its campuses receiving national recognition.
This week, Capturing Kids’ Hearts named Crossroads High School and Copperas Cove Jr. High School as National Showcase Schools, which recognizes the outstanding school administrators, teaching staff, and faculty for producing exemplary outcomes with the Capturing Kids’ Hearts process.
“We are proud to serve as a model in how we address positive relationships in our district, and both Crossroads and Cove Jr. High should be incredibly proud of this honor,” said Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins. “These efforts have made a profound difference in the lives of our students and it’s paid off in our academic performance, as well, as our district has shown improvement with stricter standards from the State.”
Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a program designed to build relational skills for students in an age-appropriate way, while also enhancing staff-student relationships. CCISD implemented the program ahead of the 2023-24 school year at all four secondary campuses, and three of the four campuses were nominated for this honor.
In the first year of implementation, Crossroads HS, led by principal Pat Crawley, saw a 90% decrease in office referrals during the first six weeks of the school year, while CCJHS saw a 60% decrease in the fifth six weeks of the school year.
Both campuses saw attendance improvements, with Crossroads HS graduated more than double the number of students as in any previous year.
At Cove Jr. High, led by principal Jeff Shannon, the impact on staff retention was profound. Ahead of the 2024-25 school year, the campus only had to replace three teachers, fewer than in any previous year. The same was true at S.C. Lee Jr. High, with both principals crediting the implementation of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts model.
The National Showcase School evaluation looks a measurable improvement in attendance, academic performance, discipline referrals, a positive change in school culture and ensuring the majority of a campus’ teachers have gone through the foundational training.
In April, the CCISD Board of Trustees approved the renewal of Capturing Kids’ Hearts for all four secondary campuses for the 2025-26 school year.
Copperas Cove ISD tracks the quality of relationships between students & staff through surveys, which are included in the district’s strategic plan, Vision 2029.
“Our district is just getting started with our efforts with Capturing Kids’ Hearts to improve the climates in our schools,” Hawkins said. “We look forward to all four of our participating campuses soon joining the best of the best in Capturing Kids’ Hearts as our wonderful teachers and staff continue to implement these principles and work to not only educate students academically, but forge lasting relationships that will encourage students for the rest of their lives.”