Kaitlin Troutman has loved teaching pretty much her whole life. Her grade school years were spent doing whatever she could to help her teachers. She was an educator in training hoping to follow in the footsteps of her favorite teachers.
For the Love of Students
In 2016, her dreams became a reality when Troutman became the music teacher at Central Elementary in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Though her hard work, dedication, and love of music, she has impacted the lives of countless students in CFBISD.
“Within the classroom, teachers need not be afraid to pour their hearts and souls into their work for fear of, “…rocking the academic boat”. Teachers should teach what needs to be taught in order to prepare our students not for standardized assessments but for their lives,” said Ms. Troutman.
She added, “As teachers, administrators, and students, we need to be the ones to create change in our world. Change occurs first within the classroom, second within a school, third within a community, and lastly within a nation.”
Teacher of the Year
On Monday, May 6 at a special celebration, Ms. Troutman was named Elementary Teacher of the Year for CFBISD. Troutman was one of three finalists for this honor. The other finalists were Abigail Gunn, teacher at Freeman Elementary, and Quynh Tran, teacher at Blanton Elementary. Troutman is now eligible to compete for Teacher of the Year at the regional level.
Good luck to Ms. Troutman. All of CFBISD will be rooting for you.
The Newman Smith High School Orchestra has earned Sweepstakes at UIL for the 33rd year in a row. The Sweepstakes designation is the designation for an orchestra that receive a 1st division in both concert and sight-reading. A 1st division rating is the best rating that can be received. There is a 3 member panel of judges for both the concert room and the sight-reading room and a at least two of the three have to give a 1st division to reach that level. In this case, all three judges in both rooms gave the Newman Smith Orchestra a first division.
CFBISD has been named to the 2019 Best Communities for Music Education by the 
On Feb. 12, students at 
In honor of Youth Art Month, the CFB Fine Arts department invites the public to an Art Show and reception hosted by BaylorScott and White Medical Center in Carrollton. Art from students across the district, grades K-12, will be on display Feb. 23 – Mar. 17 in the hospital lobby.