Horns Up Half Hour: Recent Episodes
Michael Sudhalter
We caught up with Cedar Hill High School Associate Principal Idol Mallard, who oversees the Early College Academy (ECA) Program at CHHS to discuss how scholars can hone their academic skills over the summer break.
We caught up with Cedar Hill High School Recruiting Coordinator Marcus Hutchins, who played offensive line for the University of Texas and the Seattle Seahawks (pre-season) and former Texas A&M Commerce Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Kyle Williams, who played cornerback at Kansas State and later coached at KSU and USC. We discussed their perspectives on the college athletics recruiting process.
We caught up with three of the Cedar Hill ISD STEM Teacher of the Year Finalists - Barimah Amoo-Asante (Permenter Middle School), Kennedy Lemons (Collegiate High School) and Carlece Walker (Bessie Coleman Middle School).
Cedar Hill High School senior LeKeldrick Bridges signed a football scholarship to the University of Montana on December 20, 2023.
Cedar Hill ISD Police Officer Lolita Rabon discusses why she chose law enforcement as a career and what makes working in CHISD so special.
Cedar Hill High School senior football player Zhaiylen Scott had already established himself as one of the top defensive ends in Texas. This season, he's showed his skills at running back as well.
Cedar Hill ISD Police Chief James Hawthorne discusses safety and security on the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast.
Lee Joffre is the Principal at Cedar Hill High School. He made his "Horns Up Half Hour" Debut on Friday, August 31, 2023, sharing why he's enjoying his leadership role at CHHS and why he's pursuing a doctorate in education.
Kids At Heart Pediatric Denistry Dr. Ashla Martin, Tag Team Tutoring co-owners Reg and Danielle Samuel and Trinity Church Pastor Becky and Pastor Boyer discussed being part of the 2023 Cedar Hill ISD Back to School Rally as title sponsors.
Cedar Hill head football coach Nick Ward graduated from the University of Miami. He was glad to provide some advice to Collegiate High School Class of 2023 Graduate Matthew Mitchell, who will be a freshman at Miami this fall.
Dr. Mikos Smith of Cedar Hill ISD's Dr. Peggy M. Wilson STEM Center visited the podcast to discuss visiting engineering colleges around the country and future STEM plans in his Engineering and Robotics courses.
Cedar Hill ISD Class of 2023 Valedictorians Kennedy Board (CHHS) and Victor Uche (Collegiate) and Salutatorians Dionn Megginson (CHHS) and Elijah Duncan (Collegiate) joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast last week.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast to discuss the April 17, 2023 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill High School's Holly Brookman, Lake Ridge Elementary's Matthew Gaines and Plummer Elementary's Terri Harris are finalists for the Cedar Hill ISD STEM Teacher of the Year for the second consecutive year. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 20.
Aspiring podcasters at Cedar Hill High School and High Pointe Elementary already have some great ideas for their respective podcasts!
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discussed the March 20, 2023 Board Meeting.
Collegiate Prep Elementary Teacher Christian James turned 20 years old earlier this month. He graduated from Collegiate High School in 2021.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discussed the February 21, 2023 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD hired Nick Ward as Cedar Hill High School's head football coach on Monday. Ward has played and coached at the professional level and previously coached at CHHS as a cornerbacks coach in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the January 23, 2023 Board Meeting.
The Cedar Hill High School Theatre Department will perform "Beauty and the Beast" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Cedar Hill High School Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Bray Elementary Parent Amy Basinger talks about her experience as a volunteer with the campus' Fine Arts Program.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" for a recap of the December 2022 Board Meeting.
Longtime Cedar Hill citizen/Cedar Hill All-Pro Dads President John Mays shares the story of how the group has grown significantly in Cedar Hill and how it's impacted Cedar Hill ISD Scholars and Families.
Cedar Hill High School senior linebacker Kylan Salter will graduate at semester and enroll at TCU where he'll join the Horned Frogs Football Team.
Salter talks about the decision to attend TCU, what it's been like to watch the Frogs' success this season and what the future holds in Fort Worth.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and CHISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims joined the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast earlier this month.
Cedar Hill High School senior Marion Smith is a Graphic Design Scholar who has competed in the SKILLS USA Competitions.
Cheryl Hurst has taught at Waterford Oaks Elementary since 1998. She shares what it's been like working in the district and why she's currently pursuing a Master's Degree.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the October 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Board of Trustees President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the September 19, 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill High School Class of 2012 Graduate Raven Catholic is the new Band Director at Bessie Coleman Middle School.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the 2022 CHISD Bond and VATRE.
Cedar Hill ISD Police Chief James Hawthorne discusses School Safety on the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discussed the June 20, 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Police Lieutenant Carlos Below discussed the annual Youth Summit, which took place earlier this month. The Youth Summit introduces scholars to information about law enforcement and public safety. More than 90 scholars attended this year's three-day Youth Summit.
Cedar Hill ISD Valedictorians (Carah Allen and Wendy Beltran) and Salutatorians (Brennan Casey and Juliet Amadi) joined us on the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the May 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Executive Director of Special Education Derica Turner and Cedar Hill City Council Member Chad McCurdy joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" to recognize Autism Awareness Month.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discussed the April 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Specialist and published author LaShonda Henderson discusses her role with the district and how she became a published author.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the March 28, 2022 Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Board Vice President Gayle Sims joined the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast.
We welcome Waterford Oaks Elementary Principal William Davis and his wife, Bray Elementary Teacher Lyndsie Davis to the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast to discuss Valentine's Day and what it's been like as educators and parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims discussed the January 18, 2021 Board Meeting.
We caught up with Cedar Hill Theatre Director Bethany Kennedy and Assistant Theatre Director Chad Moore about the "SpongeBob: The Musical" performance that will run from January 20 through January 22 at the Cedar Hill High School Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Here is the link to purchase tickets:
https://cedarhill.booktix.com
Cedar Hill High School CTE Teacher Kevin Graham shared his inspiring journey with the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast.
Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast to discuss the December 13, 2021 Board Meeting.
We introduce Cedar Hill ISD Teen Superintendent Skylar Wesley and speak with CHISD Board President Robert Riggs.
Three U.S. Military Veterans who work at Cedar Hill High School discuss their military experience and how it prepared them to become Cedar Hill ISD Educators.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the October Board Meeting.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs shares the highlights from the September 20, 2021 Board Meeting.
Plummer Elementary Second Grade Teacher Inass Barnes was born in Beirut, Lebanon. She and her family fled the country during the Lebanese Civil War. She didn't know English when she arrived in the United States, but she eventually learned it and became the Cedar Hill ISD Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
Listen to here inspiring story and find out why she has so much empathy for refugees from Afghanistan.
Three new Cedar Hill ISD Principals, Dr. Amanda McCarther (Bray Elementary), Dr. Shanta Mackey (Plummer Elementary) and Dr. Xavier Lewis (Collegiate Prep Elementary) joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast for this special episode.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Vice President Gayle Sims discuss the Blueprint 2.0 - the district's plan for addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic and other items.
Cedar Hill ISD Director of Health Services Shentrell Morris discusses health and safety in Cedar Hill ISD for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.
Cedar Hill ISD Board President Robert Riggs and Trustee Cheryl Wesley join the Horns Up Half Hour Podcast for a June Post-Board Podcast.
We interviewed Cedar Hill High School Valedictorian Ariel Awuwoloye and Salutatorian Jolie Sanders, and Collegiate High School Valedictorian Paula Gallegos Perez and Salutatorian Donna Duong.
Newly elected Cedar Hill ISD Trustees Dr. Denise Roache-Davis and Dr. Jeremiah Martin joined the Horns Up Half Hour for the May Post-Board Meeting Recap.
We catch up with Lake Ridge Elementary Pre-K Teacher Jamie Crow to discuss the importance of Pre-K in terms of scholar development.
Cedar Hill ISD Trustee Dr. Keisha Lankford joins us on this episode to discuss the April 19, 2021 Board of Trustees Meeting.
We spoke with UNT Dallas Early Childhood Professor Yolanda Graham about how parents and guardians can prepare their children for Pre-K.
We discuss the Texas A&M Commerce partnership, the delivery of Chromebooks for all scholars, National Reading Month and more with CHISD Board President Cheryl Wesley.
Highlands Elementary School Principal Candice Griffin had the unique challenge of being a first year principal during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cedar Hill ISD Board Vice President Robert Riggs and Board Secretary Gayle Sims joined the "Horns Up Half Hour" for the first edition of the Post-Board Meeting Recap. We will continue the post-Board recap podcasts each month.
We visit with Cedar Hill High School Cheer Coach Chantoinae Phillips and senior leaders about the team's season this year.
We visit with Cedar Hill ISD Board President Cheryl Wesley and CHISD Board Vice President Robert Riggs, as part of National School Board Appreciation Month.
We welcome Katy Times Sports Editor Dennis Silva to discuss Saturday's UIL Class 6A Division II State Championship Game between Cedar Hill and Katy.
"Horns Up Half Hour" host Michael Sudhalter counts down the Top 10 Longhorn Newsroom stories of 2020.
We welcome Chris Curtis, Rockwall ISD Sports Marketing and Media Coordinator, to discuss Saturday's UIL Class 6A Regional Football Final between the Cedar Hill Longhorns and the Rockwall Heath Hawks.
Be sure to listen to the entire episode as both Michael Sudhalter and Chris Curtis share their predictions for the big game.
We catch up with Cedar Hill High School Theatre Director Bethany Kennedy and Orchestra Director Elizabeth Judd to discuss how they've been preparing for the January 28-30 production of "The Wiz" during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
We visit with Dr. Courtney Jackson, CHISD Director of Counseling Services on the ways the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected scholars, teachers and families. Dr. Jackson discusses resources and how the Counseling Services office has been helping during this difficult time.
Cedar Hill High School senior quarterback Kaidon Salter joins the "Horns Up Half Hour" Podcast to discuss Friday's Homecoming Game vs. De Soto and his future at the University of Tennessee.
Our first guest -- in July 2020 -- was CHISD Superintendent Dr. Gerald Hudson, who discussed planning for the start of school. We discussed the CHISD Blueprint - the plan to open our schools up.
Melanie Benjamin was promoted to Director of Athletics last spring, after serving as Interim Director of Athletics. She's faced challenges that none of her predecessors have in the past, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Benjamin discusses the measures that CHISD Athletics has taken with regards to COVID-19. We also discuss the various CHISD Fall Athletic Programs and the CHISD Alumni who are excelling at the collegiate level.
We had a chance to speak with CHISD Director of Special Education Alva Walker about the ways that the Special Education Department has adapted to serve scholars during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We also spoke about their future plans and discussed the fact that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Cedar Hill ISD Class of 2005 Graduate Dr. Jessica Edwards is a family medicine physician in New Braunfels, Texas. She is also a health policy advocate and op-ed writer who recently started "Straight Facts, No Chaser", a podcast about social justice.
We visited with Cedar Hill Mayor Stephen Mason, a Class of 2000 Cedar Hill High School Graduate and a current CHISD parent. We discussed several topics including Mayor Mason's time as a CHISD scholar, the strong partnership between CHISD & the City of Cedar Hill, social justice, COVID-19 and more.
On this episode of the "Horns Up Half Hour", we visit with Cedar Hill ISD Education Foundation (CHEF) Executive Director Denise Root and CHEF Board President Monica Kinney. We discuss their recent fundraising efforts, future plans and the strengthening of CHEF's relationship with CHISD.
Cedar Hill High School Head Softball Coach Jennifer Davis graduated from CHHS in 2004 and was a leader on the Lady Longhorns' best softball team in school history. They reached the Regional Championship Game in the spring of her senior year. Davis earned a Division I softball scholarship to the University of Texas-El Paso.
Sixteen years after graduating from CHHS, Davis has returned to Cedar Hill as the head softball coach and business teacher.
Our first guest is CHISD Superintendent Dr. Gerald Hudson, who is approaching his one year anniversary with the District. Dr. Hudson and his Cabinet have been busy planning for the upcoming school year. While that is usually a challenging task, the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic has made it exponentially more difficult. We will discuss the CHISD Blueprint - the plan to open our schools up.