In the midst of a society where school is not necessarily the safest of places anymore, I wanted to take this time to express my appreciation to the Mesquite Independent School District. I want to not only thank the administration, faculty, and staff for their hard work and support during my years in Mesquite, but to recognize the exceptional quality of education that I received.

I continued on to Kimbrough Middle School where I found my niche in athletics. I played volleyball, basketball, and ran track both years while participating in numerous clubs and extracurricular activities. I never felt pressured to pick one activity or the other. In fact, my experience was quite the opposite. Teachers and administrators encouraged me to try as many different organizations as possible so that I would have a well rounded education. I also began to learn time management between my athletic activities and school work.

The culmination of my MISD education occurred when I entered Ralph H. Poteet High School. By then I had given up track, but continued to play volleyball and basketball all four years. I was in every AP class except for math, and those classes challenged me to the limit each day. All my teachers truly had a passion for teaching; they wanted me to succeed and achieve feats greater than I ever imagined. Concepts were not just presented, they were introduced with such excitement that they became impossible to forget. The coaching staff took time to help me understand the nature of the game, and emphasis was beyond simply winning.

The educational challenge at the time was tiring and grueling, but now that I look back I appreciate those very same lessons greatly. I could write pages about all the amazing memories I have from classroom and athletic functions, but will refrain from this and simply state that Poteet exemplifies the highest standard and quality of education, all while encouraging and fostering confidence on multiple levels to students.

I am a proud graduate of the Poteet High School Class of 2002 and went on to play basketball at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. I was a kinesiology major and biology minor, and although some of the classes were overwhelming at times, I feel like the education I received through MISD prepared me better than most for the college experience. I understood the importance and had the skills for adequate time management, proper ways to study, and how to conduct research. I recently graduated from Southwestern in May 2006 with a GPA of 3.5 and the title "Kinesiology Student of the Year" and will be moving on to obtain my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. This program is one of the top ten in the nation and my experiences at MISD were truly the building blocks of a satisfying career.

THANK YOU to everyone that contributed!

Julie H.
Ralph H. Poteet Class of 2002
Southwestern University Class of 2006