Week 5: February 2-6, 2026
We skipped right over Week 4 thanks to all the winter weather we’ve been dealing with across Henderson County. We miss our Eagles so much and can’t wait to have them back on campus!
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep all of our Eagle families connected to what’s going on around campus, to deliver important information, and to have a place where everyone can come to get the information they need.
Want to see something different in the newsletter? Email Katie Rogers.
Important Dates
| Date | Event | Impacted Groups |
| February 2-6 | School Counseling Week | — |
| February 5 | Q3 Midterms Available | All Students |
| El Paso Spirit Night (Main St Location) | Open to the Community | |
| February 14 | Saturday School | Students Needing Attendance Recovery |
| February 18 | Senior Cap & Gown Portraits | All Interested Class of 2026 Students |
| February 19 | HCPSing All-County Chorus Concert | Open to the Public (St. James Episcopal Church) |
| February 20 | No School – Required Teacher Work Day | All Students |
| February 26 | ACT Testing | 11th Graders |
| East High’s Got Talent Show (6pm) | Open to the Public | |
| February 28 | Saturday School | Students Needing Attendance Recovery |
*New* Choice Board (Added 2/1/26)
Due to the continued use of remote learning days to help us manage the time away from school due to weather, please find the new choice board posted in each grade-level Google Classroom and linked below. All choice board work should be turned in to the students’ 1st period teacher either in person upon return or via email. If the student does not have a 1st period teacher, they may turn it in to the teacher they have first during the day.
Now Hiring – Tennis Coach
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| East Henderson Athletics is hiring for a boys tennis coach for the upcoming spring season. If you or someone you know is interested in this position, please fill out an online application through the district application site and reach out to Athletic Director, Elizabeth Pippin via email or phone (697-4768). Go Eagles! |
Important Tardy Policy Changes & Attendance Reminders
As we begin a new semester, we want to take a moment to emphasize how critical strong attendance and punctuality are to student success. Being present, on time, and engaged every day truly matters—academically, socially, and emotionally.
First and foremost, thank you. The overwhelming majority of our students and families consistently do an excellent job getting to school on time and attending regularly. We are very grateful for your commitment and partnership, and it does not go unnoticed.
Please note the following important reminders and updates regarding tardies and attendance:
- Students must be in class for at least one full hour in order to be counted present for that class. Anything less will result in an absence.
- If a student arrives late to school, their driver may sign them in to excuse the tardy and they will not have lunch detention, as long as the sign-in occurs within the first five minutes of the school day.
- If the student is signed in after five minutes the student will receive lunch detention.
- These procedures are being enforced consistently to ensure fairness and accountability for all students.
As a reminder, attendance expectations apply for the entire semester. In any class where a student accumulates six or more absences that are not recovered, the student will receive an F for that course due to attendance, in accordance with district policy.
We appreciate your continued support as we work together to help students develop responsibility, strong habits, and a successful academic foundation.
Talent Show Auditions — NEW DATES!
Congratulations to the Cast of Frozen The Musical!
Before the winter weather, students auditioned for our spring musical, Frozen, which will run April 9-11. Maybe it was Elsa who brought all this cold and snow…?? Please congratulate the following actors and musicians:
- Anna- Jade Morales
- Elsa- Elizabeth Isley
- Olaf- Alexis Gish
- Kristoff- Blake Burroughs
- Hans- Dalton Halford
- Oaken- Nessa Luelen
- Pabble (Papa Troll)- Braylen Patterson
- Bulda (Mama Troll)- Bella Barr
- Queen Iduna- Julie Smithson
- King Agnarr- Jude Satterfield
- Weselton- Wilson Quinn
- Sven- Sam Sherlin
- Young Elsa- Alice Maynard
- Young Anna- Paola Patino
- Ensemble – Piper Adair, Estrella MartinezNavarro, Bridgette Kelly, Vanessa Dillingham, Jayden Thompson, Kelsea Thompson, Teagan Anderson, Ella Maynard, Josilen Lane, Mackenzie Ward (Dance Captain), Ivy McCoy, Olivia Huntley, Shamila Basilio, Hailey Cuevas, Nicki Mejia, Kloe Dickinson, Shaniya Weed, Natalie Drake, Rose Messinger, Jasmine Cunningham, Zocea Highfield, and Jade Ogletree
Freshman Academy Students of the Month – Nov & Dec
Although a little behind, the Freshman Academy is thrilled to announce our students of the month for November and December.
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| Ariam continuously works hard, has a respectful attitude, and always displays good decision-making. Thank you, Ariam, for being a positive role model to all of Freshman Academy. | Steel is an exemplary student in every way. He is always prepared at the beginning of the class – looking at the board to see what supplies he needs. He stays locked in and gets his work done in a timely manner. He is very polite and has a great personality with a wide variety of interests which makes him fun to talk to. He contributes to classroom discussions and is a joy to have in the classroom. |
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| Isabella is an outstanding student. She is proactive about absences, always communicating ahead of time with her teachers and is diligent about turning in missed work in a timely fashion. She is always respectful and prepared for class with a positive attitude. | Denise has a very sunny disposition and is always kind. She works very hard on her assignments and always strives to be better. She contributes to our classroom conversations, has a great attendance record and is a model student that we enjoy seeing walk into our classes. |
Community Prom Dress & Formal Wear Event
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| From Becca’s Closet at Poplar Springs Baptist Church: We wanted to make you aware of an opportunity for students to receive free prom dresses and formal wear from Poplar Springs Baptist Church’s Prom Dress Closet on Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7. We would like to provide formal attire for students for their prom and formal needs. Poplar Springs Baptist Church (Shelby, NC) is an official chapter of the national prom dress charity, Becca’s Closet. We will be hosting a prom dress distribution at the Poplar Springs Baptist Church Family Life Center (1106 Poplar Springs Church Road) on Friday, February 6, from 3 PM to 7 PM, and Saturday, February 7, from 8 AM to 12 PM. Becca’s Closet, based out of Florida, seeks to provide free prom dresses to high schoolers. Poplar Springs has been hosting this event for several years, and we are thrilled to be able to have another season of helping! No proof of need is requested or asked for at any point in time. At the event, dresses are arranged according to size for easy access and browsing. With dressing rooms and floor-length mirrors provided, students can try on as many gowns as they like. Hundreds of dresses (including some jumpsuits) will be on display in a range of sizes (sizes 0-22), styles, colors, and shapes. The dresses are gently worn, and many are brand new. We will have some men’s suits and sports jackets. Our goal is to provide an inviting space and a positive experience for students. Everyone deserves the perfect dress! We are still accepting donations and will continue doing so throughout the prom season. Donations can be brought to Nicole Hamrick (Youth Minister) at Poplar Springs Baptist Church Office on Mondays to Thursdays (9 AM to 3 PM). |
Congratulations on 100 Wins, War Eagles!
| As an extra special bonus during the Mountain 8 Conference Wrestling Tournament, hosted at East Henderson on January 24th, three of our War Eagles earned their 100th varsity win. This is a huge accomplishment for any wrestler, and to have three celebrate on the same night is very impressive. Congratulations to Mia Roberson (junior), Colton Riddle (senior) and Gabe Jones (senior). Go Eagles! |
HCPSing All-County Chorus Concert – Save the Date!
Baseball Tryouts
Any athlete wishing to try out for baseball or any other spring sport must have a current physical on file on Dragonfly Max. Email Coach Noble with questions.
Eagle of the Week
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| Give it up for this week’s standout Eagle, Availy Herrera! Whether it’s offering encouragement or taking the time to help out a classmate, Availy goes the extra mile to make sure everyone feels supported at East. This week in Mrs. Reisz’s class, she jumped right in to help someone who was stuck, showing true leadership and compassion. We love seeing Eagles lift each other up. Way to go, Availy! |
Semester 2 Attendance Recovery
Attendance matters. Please make every effort to be at school every day. Missing school means missing valuable instruction. Should a student go over 5 absences for one or more classes, they will have the following opportunities for attendance recovery throughout the semester.
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Saturday School will be offered this semester on the following dates:
NOTE: Dates were changed due to the disruption in the calendar due to weather. Saturday School requires advanced sign-up and costs $20 per Saturday. Students may earn up to 6 hours of attendance recovery per Saturday. |
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Morning Attendance Recovery will be offered twice per week this year on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6:45-7:45am in Mr. Rotton’s room (B-2). Morning recovery begins March 9th. No advanced sign-up is necessary, and no students will be let in after 6:45am. Please make sure you have things to work on during this time. Each morning recovery session recovers one absence. |
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After School Tutoring will be offered three days per week starting March 9th – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – from 3:15-4:15pm. Transportation will not be provided, so please make arrangements to be picked up at 4:15pm if attending. Each after school tutoring session recovers one absence. IMPORTANT: While attendance recovery is awarded for this time, students must be present for tutoring and academic work. |
Last Week in Eagle Country
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| Before the ice and snow, our War Eagles were able to host the Mountain 8 Conference Tournament right here at East. Please congratulate Mia Roberson, Marybeth Blackwell and Gabe Jones for capturing the Mountain 8 Conference Title in their respective weights. 2nd place was Logan Hudson. 3rd Place was Colton Riddle and Stella Medina. | |
Go Eagles!
#WeAreEast #OnTheRise #GoEagles2K26