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COUPLAND — Even as the new Coupland Middle School rises from the prairie, talk about a future high school has sparked memories of a predecessor shuttered in the 1940s.
Coupland Independent School District Superintendent Earl Parcell told the school board at a May 8 meeting the time has come for Coupland’s five-year plan to include a new high school.
Coupland students today who graduate from the eighth grade at Coupland School have to enroll in nearby districts to finish their education.
Parcell said he wants to add the high school so students can stay in Coupland ISD. The issue of a new high school may be discussed during the next trustees’ meeting 6 p.m. Thursday, June 12, in the Coupland School library, 620 S. Commerce St.
Coupland did have a high school that closed in 1946. In 2012, Carolyn Lowry, the district’s technology information director, headed an effort to add a high school, but it did not succeed.
Meanwhile, the eighth grade took a field trip May 17 to iFly, an indoor skydiving facility in Austin with wind tunnels.
The instructors praised the Coupland students for their “great manners and attitudes,” teachers said, showing the public the “Coupland Way.”
May 17 also marked the school’s annual field day.
Thirty-three students graduated from eighth grade May 22.
Valedictorian is Jaqueline Valdes, salutatorian is Ignacio Meza-Jaimes, historian is Gavin Stinnett and fourth-in-class is Hunter Bollinger.
Other accolades also have been handed out.
Assistant Principal Kate Knapek said, “Congratulations to our Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Briana Larson. Thank you for all you do for the students of Coupland ISD.”
Knapek also noted students accepted to Taylor Independent School District’s Legacy Early College High School including Valdes, Evelyn Grimm, Meza-Jamies, Aiden Prinz, Bollinger and Nicholas Mancusi.
The school will hold a 2025 Cowboy Summer Camp for current Coupland students from first to seventh grades 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. June 16-20.
Activities will include fun with food, technology (robots and drones), fishing, recycled art, music and bridge building.
Lunch will be provided.
TIDYING UP
The city held Clean Up Days on May 17 and May 31 starting at 8 a.m. and ending when full dumpster capacity was reached. Prohibited items included hazardous materials and explosives.
ST. PETER’S CHURCH OF COUPLAND
On June 16, St. Peter’s Church of Coupland will welcome its new pastor, the Rev. Dr. Burt Burleson and his wife, Julie.
They have been married for 42 years and have two adult children, Abby and Brandt, with one granddaughter and another on the way.
The church is at 108 Wathen St.
There will be a welcome tea for Julie Burleson 4 p.m. June 22 in the home of Cynthia Wittliff.
The Men’s Brotherhood sponsored the Second annual Classic Car Show May 17 at the church. Admission and car registration were free and tours of the historic church were available.
Trophies provided by Old Car Revival went to four winners. Participation increased from 30 cars last year to 57 this time, officials said.
The Men’s Brotherhood sold sausage wraps and drinks, and the Ladies’ Circle sold baked goods, with proceeds funding special projects at the church and in the community.
The Community Senior Luncheon May 20 saw 54 church and residents attend, with master chef Peter Wabbel providing the meal –– pork schnitzel. Following the luncheon, attendees played bingo and 42 dominoes, while students from Coupland School helped serve and clean up.
Each Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., St. Peter’s hosts Community Connections with coffee and visiting in the conference room.
A Coupland Community Dance Fitness Class hosted by St. Peter’s, meeting upstairs, will be 7-8 p.m. June 16 and continuing Mondays.
A free summer program 9 a.m. to noon for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will include crafts, music and lunch. Registration forms are at the back of the church, but parents or guardians are asked to fill these out in advance.
St. Peter’s sermons and special music are on the St. Peter’s Facebook page, facebook.com/stpeterscoupland.
A monthly newsletter is found on the website at StPetersCoupand.org. Email is StPetersCoup-land@ gmail.com, and the office phone is 512856-2433.
NEW SWEDEN CHURCH
New Sweden Church, 12809 New Sweden Church Road in Manor, holds several Bible studies.
• The ladies Bible study is the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
• Bible study with Rev. Hans Lillejord is the second and fourth Tuesday at 10 a.m.
• The Sunday Morning Adult Bible Class is at 9:30 a.m. In May, the class began a 12-week study on the book of Proverbs.
Game Days at New Sweden are the second, third, fourth, and fifth Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. All are welcome to join in the fun and fellowship.
New Sweden hosted the fourth annual Bicycle Blessing on April 12.
Volunteers donated Swedish treats and helped with the blessing. There were about 140 cyclists this year.
April 26 marked what organizers termed another successful New Sweden Heritage Day that featured a traditional Swedish meal and a program — “Swedish Homes on the Prairie.” Visitors toured the historic Manda School and the Heritage Center.
The Father’s Day Breakfast is 9 a.m. June 15.
The 78th Swedish Midsummer Reunion is 5 p.m. June 19 the SPJST Hall, 702 Texas 95 in Elgin. The event includes music, maypole, country store, Swedish bakery and humorist Dennis Swanberg.
The church is starting a program called Homesteading and Everyday Living, which will offer monthly classes for church members and friends.
All the classes will be listed on the website, newswedenelca.org, and announced each Sunday. For information, call the Evangelism Team’s Gayle Anderson at 512-6706945.
Classes will cover bread making, auto repair, raising animals, gardening, making candles, health, teaching CPR, and much more.
For more, visit the church website at newswedenelca.org. It includes sermons by Pastor Hans Lillejord, calendar events, and newsletters.
