Wimberley Chamber hosts WISD State of the District
Last week at the Chamber’s State of the School District luncheon, Superintendent Dr. Greg Bonewald spelled out the achievements of the Wimberley Independent School District in three measurable areas: academics, career readiness and extracurricular activities. He told listeners how the district is focused on developing student character with the Texan Roots program, and acknowledged the substantial role that the community, especially the business community played.
Over the last decade, WISD enrollment has grown. There are 2,700 students on four campuses – Wimberley High, Danforth Junior High, and Blue Hole and Jacob’s Well primary schools. The district feeds students breakfast and lunch, and serves more than 1,300 meals per day, making it one of the largest food services in the community. Buses travel over 1,100 miles a day, taking students to and from school. That travel does not include extracurricular activities.
In terms of academic success, both Danforth and Wimberley High placed number one in all other school districts their size in our region. The high school’s Speech and Debate team won both district and regional championships this year. Two years prior, they won the state championship and last year, they came in second. The program is so strong that students have had the opportunity to compete at Harvard last year and last week in Taiwan, at the Taipei American school. Record- setting fifth graders at Danforth won the state championship in the Destination Imagination competition.
The district also excels in career readiness. College-bound students can earn college- level credit through advanced placement classes. “This is a very powerful program in the Wimberley ISD,” said Dr. Bonewald. “We had more students take the program’s challenging exams than ever before.”
For students who are not college bound, the district has a robust practicum program in which students spend two hours a day in area businesses to experience different professions. It also allows students to gain certifications while still in high school. Two years ago, 173 students graduated with an industrybased certification. This year it grew 53% to include 265 students. According to Bonewald, “This is a huge accomplishment.”
When it comes to extracurricular successes, WISD is an impressive winner. This year, the high school won The Lone Star Cup, topping 218 school districts across the state of Texas who have populations between 600 and 1300 students.
“Although we’re on the small end at 850 students,” said Bonewald. “We won first in the entire state. Our volleyball team won the state championship last year, and could be number one in the state this year. In girls soccer, the team made its first state championship appearance, losing in penalty kicks in a dramatic game. Our baseball team competed in their first-ever state championship game last year.
Our football team was the state semifinalist last year as was Team Tennis. Boys track came in second in the entire state and Boys Basketball went to the state quarterfinals. Texan Softball went three rounds in the playoffs.”
“That much success in one year is not typical,” Bonewald continued. “It doesn’t happen without an extreme work ethic and dedication and support from students, teachers, coaches, directors, parents and the community.”
The district is also focused on developing student character with the Texan Roots program. The letters of the word Texan provide a guideline to follow. T stands for thoughtful decision making; E stands for “each other,” about learning important interpersonal skills; X is for the X Factor that recognizes the uniqueness of each person and the personal genius that they offer. A is for achieving goals and aspirations and S is for setting goals, creating a plan and then working toward the goals.
Bonewald said the partnership between the school district and the Wimberley community is critical, naming some of the many ways that businesses and local organizations contribute to the district’s achievements. The Civic Club, the Rotary Club, the Fire Department, Freedom Canines, Deer Creek, Wimberley Players, Camp Community, Schoolyard Dogs, Ace Hardware and many others play important roles. Part of that support comes in the form of scholarships. In 2024 WHS seniors accepted over $2.65 million in offered scholarships, $287,000 of which came from local organizations.
Before concluding, Bonewald updated listeners about the progress of the 2025 School Bond program passed earlier this year, saying the district is in the deep stages of the planning process.
