Photo by Jim Epperson Former Superintendent Jim Wright retired earlier this year and was replaced by Keith Bryant. As is the City of Bullard on the move, so is the Bullard ISD, which has seen a jump in enrollment and preparing for it with future construction. Here some important stories you may have missed.

School leader leaves legacy of teamwork

A few years ago the superintendent of Bullard Independent School District received a call in the middle of the night.

Water flooded the library. The maintenance crew had already started cleaning it up. Instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, Superintendent Jim Wright worked four hours to prepare for classes the next day.

"That's his style," Bullard ISD Technology Director Lee Stewart said. "He's hands on in that if there's a job to be done, he will stay and do it until the job is done. He models what he wants his employees to do by his actions.

This is the type of leadership that friends and employees cited as the reason why Bullard ISD is a successful school district.

Wright, who has a teamwork and team-building leadership style, will retire in July from Bullard ISD after 11 years of service.

New ISD leader appointed by board

A new decade is upon the school board. They hired new superintendent Keith Bryant of Bullard ISD Monday night.

Bryant brings 15 years of experience in the education field where he wore many hats. He was a teacher, vocational director, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. For the last four years, Bryant has been superintendent of Lamesa ISD.

The board unanimously voted Bryant into his new position which will start in July. Bryant was selected among 40 applicants and was the first person interviewed for the position.

"We like what we saw," school board president Michael Roy said. "When we interviewed him, he came off as having the same values as Mr. Wright."

Roy said the board thought Bryant could continue the school district's academic successes.

"We felt like we got a good man here," Roy said. "We think he will be good for the school and the kids."

Superintendent: Seek the peaks Bryant address teachers in district-wide meeting

New Superintendent Keith Bryant said teaching is like hiking a mountain.

At first the trail to the top is visible and easier to walk. But the higher on the trail one is to go, the more difficult the trail becomes.

Bryant introduced himself to the Bullard school employees at a district-wide meeting this week. He used an analogy of hiking a 14- thousand-foot mountain from his own life experiences.

"There was one point where we had to figure out where to put our hands and feet because the trail was so steep and rigid," he said. "And you began to think, Can we get to the top?"

Bryant laid out his vision and goals for the district as

the new leader of Bullard ISD. He said he wants everyone to apply excellence one student at a time.

"We want to move from mediocrity to excellence," Bryant said. "Not to say we are mediocre now… it's what we need to do on a day to day basis."

Bullard finishes 'classy' theater at high school

Senior Amanda Abernathy has spent the first three years at Bullard High School performing for the theater department in a cafeteria at the Middle School.

When cueing the lights for plays, Abernathy said they would use a light switch on the wall. The actors would dress in their costumes in a small bathroom. Props would not fit very well backstage because the cafeteria did not have a backstage.

"We are so excited," she said.

Abernathy and the other 40 or so theater students have good reason to be excited. Bullard's new theater, that sits more than 700 people and has state of the art equipment, is finished.

Bullard school district wins safety award

Claims Administrative Services (CAS) announced that Bullard ISD, one of more than 470 school districts participating in the CAS workers' compensation Association Plan, recently received the Best 3-Year Loss Ratio Award for achieving an average loss ratio of 0 percent.

Bullard ISD Superintendent, Jim Wright was recognized by CAS at its 17th Annual TASA Mid- Winter Luncheon in Austin.

The award, a $500 scholarship that the district can assign to a worthy student, was presented for success in implementing safety programs designed to prevent employee injuries in the workplace.