Carthage ISD

09/01/2026

🥁🎶 WELCOME TO CARTHAGE ISD, MR. DIOSDADO! 🎶🎺

Carthage ISD is proud to welcome Mr. Danny Diosdado as our new Director of Bands and Director of the Carthage High School Battlin’ Bulldog Band!

An East Texas native, Mr. Diosdado brings more than a decade of experience in music education, fine arts leadership and successful program development to Carthage. Throughout his career, his programs have experienced tremendous growth while earning recognition at the regional, state and national levels.

Mr. Diosdado believes a successful band program is about much more than performances and trophies. It is about helping students develop discipline, perseverance, responsibility, teamwork and leadership while creating experiences and memories that last long after their final performance.

“There is an incredible amount of pride in Carthage, and I felt that almost immediately. Our students want to be successful, our community wants to see them succeed, and there are people throughout the district who genuinely care about this program.”

Mr. Diosdado and his wife, Alicia, are also excited to return home to East Texas with their three children, Ian, Andrew and Elena.

We’re excited to welcome the entire Diosdado family to Carthage and can’t wait to see what is ahead for the Battlin’ Bulldog Band! 🎺🥁🎶

🔗 Meet Mr. Diosdado and read the full story: https://www.carthageisd.org/article/3105984

09/01/2026

STRONGER TOGETHER. BRIGHTER TOMORROWS.

There are a lot of good things happening in Carthage ISD every day that do not always get seen.

Sometimes it is a student getting help with an assignment before falling further behind. Sometimes it is a weekend food bag, clean clothes, hygiene products or school supplies. Sometimes it is an attendance check-in, a lunch group, a family being connected with resources, or simply a caring adult taking the time to ask a student how they are doing.

That is the work of Communities In Schools of East Texas, and it is making a real difference for students and families across CISD.

Through academic support, attendance and behavior intervention, social and emotional support, basic needs assistance, family engagement and college and career readiness, CIS helps remove barriers that can get in the way of student success.

Just as important, this work is built on partnership.

Our students benefit every day from the support of educators, families, local businesses, churches, community organizations, volunteers and donors who are willing to step up and invest in kids.

That is one of the things that makes public education so powerful. When schools and communities work together, good things happen.

Good people. Strong partnerships. Positive impact.

Read more about the work Communities In Schools is doing in Carthage ISD:
🔗 FULL ARTICLE: https://www.carthageisd.org/article/3104731

Another example of the good things happening every day in Carthage ISD. ❤️🐾

09/01/2026

9/11 WALK OF REMEMBRANCE

The Carthage Fire Department invites our community to come together as we remember and honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

📅 Saturday, September 12, 2026
⏰ 9:30 AM
📍 Panola County Courthouse

As we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we remember the lives lost, the bravery of first responders, and the strength and unity shown in the days that followed.

Everyone is invited to join us as we walk together in remembrance.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

08/31/2026

Thank you for all you have done for students! Enjoy those grandbabies!

❤️ Celebrating a Career of Service, Strength & Heart: Mrs. Rhonda Gradberg

Today, on her final day with Carthage High School, we are honored to commemorate the retirement of Mrs. Rhonda Gradberg and celebrate an incredible 30-year career in education, including 13 years serving the students and families of Carthage ISD.

Mrs. Gradberg spent four years at Baker-Koonce before making Carthage High School home for the next nine years, serving one year as an English I & III teacher and eight years as a CHS counselor.

Mrs. Gradberg’s career is about so much more than titles, years, or job descriptions. For her students and coworkers, she has been a source of comfort, strength, trust, and unwavering positivity. She has always had a remarkable ability to find the light at the end of the tunnel, to find the right words when someone needed to hear them most, and to bring a sense of calm when everything around her seemed chaotic.

Whether it was a mountain of paperwork, an office in distress, a coworker having a difficult day, or a student simply needing a safe place and a trusted adult, Mrs. Gradberg was there. Every day. Every time.

She listened. She encouraged. She advocated. She reassured. And most importantly, she cared.

Her students knew they had someone in their corner. Her coworkers knew they had someone they could trust. And our campus was better because of the compassion, wisdom, patience, and steady presence she brought with her each day.

For 30 years, Mrs. Gradberg poured herself into others. She worked tirelessly for her students, believed in them through difficult moments, celebrated their successes, and helped countless young people navigate some of the most important years of their lives. The true impact of that kind of work cannot be measured in numbers. It lives on in the people whose lives were made a little better, a little calmer, and a little brighter because she was there.

Mrs. Gradberg, thank you for every conversation, every encouraging word, every problem you helped solve, every student you fought for, every coworker you lifted up, and every moment you reminded someone that things were going to be okay.

As you close this chapter today, Carthage High School will miss your presence more than words can adequately express. We are incredibly grateful for the legacy you leave behind and excited for the chapter ahead.

And we have a feeling those grandbabies are about to receive a whole lot more attention, love, and spoiling. ❤️

Congratulations on an incredible career and a retirement that is so well deserved, Mrs. Gradberg. Thank you for being a light for so many.

🐾 Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog.

08/31/2026

💡 DID YOU KNOW?

School meal info is always just a few clicks away!

🍎 Check menus for every Carthage ISD campus:
https://menus.healthepro.com/organizations/3387/

💳 Check your child’s meal account, view the balance, or add funds:
https://payschoolscentral.com/

And we can’t talk about school meals without giving a huge shoutout to our amazing food service partner, Opaa! ❤️

From tasty, nutritious meals to the friendly faces serving them, the Opaa! team helps make mealtime a great part of the school day for our students and staff.

We appreciate everything they do for Carthage ISD!

08/30/2026

📣 THIS WEEK IN CARTHAGE ISD
August 30 – September 5, 2026

There’s a lot happening across CISD this week! From progress reports and campus meetings to volleyball, football, cross country, and the Belles Clinic, our Bulldogs are staying busy. ❤️🤍

🎟️ ATHLETIC TICKETS
Home athletic tickets are available online at carthageisd.org/tickets.

📅 MONDAY, AUGUST 31

🏈 Varsity Home Football Tickets Go On Sale at 10:00 AM

Tickets may be purchased:
• Online at carthageisd.org/tickets
• In person at the Bulldawg Stop

⚠️ Please note: Bulldawg Stop ticket sales are for varsity home football games only.

📅 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

📄 Progress Reports Sent Home — All CISD campuses

🛠️ CHS TSA Meeting
• Room B1
• 6:00 PM

🏐 HS Volleyball vs. Garrison
• JV — 4:30 PM
• Varsity — 5:30 PM

📅 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

🏈 9th/JV Football at Pine Tree
• 9th Grade — 5:00 PM
• JV — 6:30 PM

🏈 JH Football vs. Pine Tree
• Games begin at 4:30 PM

🏐 JH Volleyball at Pine Tree
• Games begin at 4:30 PM

📅 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

🏈 Varsity Football vs. Pine Tree
• 7:30 PM

🏃 HS Cross Country
• Texas High Tiger Invitational

🏐 HS Volleyball at Tyler Legacy
• Varsity — 4:30 PM
• JV White & JV Red — 6:00 PM

💃 Belles Clinic
• CHS Gym
• 5:00–6:00 PM

📅 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

🏃 JH Cross Country
• Lufkin Hudson Invitational

🇺🇸 LOOKING AHEAD: LABOR DAY
Carthage ISD will be closed Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day holiday. There will be no school, so enjoy the three-day weekend!

📲 Stay connected!
Be sure to follow your child’s campus on social media and save campus contact information so you never miss an important update. Campus social media and contact information is also pinned at the top of the CISD page.

❤️🤍 We’re ready for another great week in Carthage ISD. Good luck to all of our students, teams, organizations, coaches, sponsors, and staff representing CISD this week!

Carthage Independent School District
Where Champions Are Educated
www.carthageisd.org

08/28/2026

🎶 CHS Band Headed to Texas A&M!

This year, members of the Carthage High School Band will have the opportunity to travel to Texas A&M University for a special educational experience centered around one of the nation’s most renowned collegiate military marching bands.

This elective trip will give our students a firsthand look at the tradition, discipline, musicianship, and pageantry of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band in action.

We are grateful to the Carthage Band Boosters and Carthage ISD for helping make this opportunity possible, and we extend a special thank you to KGAS and the entire Carthage community for their continued support of our band program.

Want to help support our students? Community members and businesses interested in sponsoring or donating toward trip meals can contribute here:

https://carthage-band-boosters.square.site/

Thank you for continuing to invest in experiences that allow our students to learn, grow, and represent Carthage with pride! 🎺🥁

08/28/2026

👨‍🔬 👩‍🔬

08/28/2026

🥹

𝑴𝒔. 𝑽𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒏'𝒔 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 has adopted a sweet resident from Winkler Court Assisted Living! Throughout the year, the students will put their writing skills to work as they write special letters to their new friend. 💌✏️

What a wonderful way to make a difference while learning the importance of compassion, connection, and community!
❤️🐾

08/26/2026

FINAL CALL FOR RESERVED SEASON TICKETS

Friday, August 28 is the last day to purchase any remaining reserved seating for the 2026 football season.

We know there’s a lot of ticket information out right now with this week’s Henderson game, so we want to make sure this deadline doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Important reminder: The silver bench-back seats are reserved seating. Any remaining bench-back seats must be purchased as part of a season ticket package and will NOT be available for purchase at the gate on game nights.

If you’re planning to grab reserved seats for the season, make sure you get them before sales close Friday.

🎟️ Season Tickets: carthageisd.org/tickets