StingEmALTO

Thanks! The lighting was one of the things most folks mentioned when they went into the building the first time! Goodwin-Lasiter-Strong did a nice job.....down to the little details like lighting and the countertops in the offices!

Hi @RHSeaglefan , just wanted to say hello and you might think about checking your own house before you start throwing stones. At least 4 fights in Rusk this week alone and a starter booted off the baseball team….. Generally my rule is that if you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut. I know not everyone in this day and age of the keyboard warriors can do that. I try. I don’t generally talk about family business/drama on social media…..that’s handled in house where it belongs. Yes, there have been some issues at Alto HS but better days ahead. Being in portable buildings for 3 years has been a challenge. Not many other schools can relate. Kids having to travel from that portable campus through the parking lot to cafeteria, ag building, field house, gym, library. It’s been kind of a logistical nightmare with everyone spread all over, battling the elements and having more freedoms than are normal. We did the best we could do under the circumstances. We dedicated our new high school building on Tuesday and kids are finally HOME in our brand new, state-of-the-art facility starting tomorrow (Monday). This is an incredible positive. And what a night of celebration we had Tuesday with close to 1,000 folks in attendance! Our superintendent, who has been in the district for 25+ years, is a hero. A few folks (very few…a handful actually) have bashed her, but she has absolutely handled these situations (from tornadoes to death to public forums) with grace, love, and determination along the hard road. She did not have to schedule any forums at all. There are public meetings once a month in the form of board meetings and do you know how many folks have spoken in community comments prior to the forums? The answer is zero this year. In the last 10 years, there have been 5 times when someone has spoken. And the majority of those were POSITIVE comments. She scheduled forums to LISTEN to the concerns. She had 3 forums, one for each campus for convenience sake….not because things were so bad that it took 3 forums. Really, everything that was said could’ve been said at one forum in one night. Basically the same couple people spoke at each forum. The news people picked up the story (I’m sure they got a call) after the first one and ran with it, casting the district in the worst possible light. That’s what the news does. It’s how they generate interest and get clicks on their sites. You mentioned that “about 100 kids from the entire district have transferred out to Rusk, Wells, ext., hence the drop to small 2A.” I checked on that and you are wrong. 30 kids total district wide are transfers OUT (including home schoolers) while 29 kids total are transfers IN. I hate that any kid would transfer out because we have a great school district but that is a far cry from the 100 you state. I’m excited about our future. As was stated at our dedication ceremony last week, our future is now in the form of this beautiful new facility. We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our rich history and tradition last week, and now we look to our future….ALTOgether. The athletic department launched the #goldstandard meeting the same night and the highest expectations have been set. Great days ahead for sure! We also dedicated the new coliseum and the court was named after Vonte: the Devonte Mumphrey Memorial Court. How fitting!! AND his dad got to sink the first free throw that night. It was amazing and special to celebrate Vonte’s memory and our new facility. Here are a few links about our dedication to check out! Good to see that news stations do POSITIVE features also! https://www.ktre.com/2022/05/11/alto-isd-dedicates-new-buildings-wake-devastating-tornado/ https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/alto-isd-unveils-new-buildings-names-basketball-court-after-student-who-passed-away/ https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/alto-community-continues-to-remember-high-school-basketball-player/501-d53a139c-2136-472b-b999-3ae0020149ad https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/news/the-wait-is-over-alto-isd-dedicates-3-new-school-buildings/article_e78a14dc-d0c9-11ec-afa4-af35d0a223c7.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1UDDXobLEFMIouw5CWVnEUXgstG8KH8XPt8rGhyvfGrbr6Toz9YpLxrQc

Yeah right.

Not so fast my friend. Lol

This was a surprise to me. All the best to Coach Horn!

Anyone know the timeline? I imagine they are in pretty good hands still since Coach Steubing is still in the district. Glad we have them back in the schedule! Week 5.

Yes sir! District finale, too! Could be for the district championship….although Tenaha (and the others) may have something to say about that. Lol We play them at The PIT Week 2 of district. Kids are working hard and the continuity of a system the kids are familiar with is good. Looking forward to the coming season!

Coach Grigsby was the offensive coordinator at Alto for 3 years and then at Center for 1 year. I never had access to the headsets to know who was calling what but I know that Coach Meeks had a lot of faith in Coach Grigsby, enough to bring him to Alto with him as a young assistant and then take him to 4A Center. You know, I understand that you and some other outsiders may find this hire intriguing. I get it. Coach Meeks was the first hire outside our program in quite a while that had not been a head coach. Generally over our history we have either hired a coach with head coaching experience OR a well deserving assistant coach who has been promoted. This is as close to that situation as could be. EVERYONE at Alto LOVED Coach Grigsby when he was here. My son, who was in 7th grade at the time, came home after the first time he met this man and all he could do was talk about him and his energy and what he said or what he did. For three years this man coached and mentored these kids and built relationships with all of them. They would absolutely run through a brick wall for him and I do not know one person with anything negative to say about him. So when this position came open, and certainly with the devastating loss of Vonte, it made sense to hire Coach Grigsby. For such a time as this…..these kids need this man. He has been there to not only be their coach, but to love on them while they have been hurting, to minister to them in their time of need. And not just current players, but former players, too. The kids are over the top excited to have him back and the timing is perfect. Parents, admin, teachers, community….WE are behind him. 7-0 board vote and a big WELCOME BACK meet and greet Wednesday night with over 50 folks in attendance. Everyone is excited, and it is palpable. We are pressing on with faith in our future, looking forward to Coach Grigsby’s leadership. As we like to say around here, we are ALTOgether. Hope this helps you to understand a little bit why Coach Grigsby was THE CHOICE for our AD/HFC. We believe in him.

For someone who calls himself “Mr. Clean” that sure was a messy post. What you said is simply not it. Period….as the kids say. And the next one who comes in will get full support just like the last one did. And the one before him and the one before him etc… Get yourself some 409 or Fantastic, a Clorox wipe, or whatever you need, Mr. Clean, and have yourself a good day!

Last night Alto played at Beckville in a baseball scrimmage. The Beckville baseball team wore t-shirts that honored Vonte Mumphrey and our Alto family. Such a nice tribute. The teams gathered after the scrimmage and took a knee, arm in arm to pray for the Mumphrey family. The scripture on the back of the shirt was 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on your guard. Stand firm in your faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” Also the front of the shirt read “WE ARE SMALL TOWN TOUGH” with the Beckville and Alto logos. So true. THANK YOU BECKVILLE BEARCATS!

Coach Gamble resigned Monday, February 7th. Not sure where he is headed but I spoke with him after he resigned and thanked him for everything. That’s really all there is for me to say. I wish him and his family all the best in their next endeavor.

More tributes to Vonte and much appreciated. Hemphill basketball honored his memory by wearing Alto t-shirts they had made with “13” on the back. I thought that was really something, especially for senior night. Also, at the Alto baseball game last night, Garrison wore black and gold ribbons on the sleeve of their baseball shirts. I didn’t get a pic. Douglass girls basketball also wore t-shirts they had made during their warmups at the playoff game vs. Overton. It was a week ago yesterday that it happened and let me tell you….last night and all day yesterday it was weighing on my mind as time ticked down. Continued prayers appreciated.