“Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world. There was no choice but to be pioneers; no time to be beginners.”
—Margaret Hamilton

One of the best parts of December are the end-of-year, best-of lists, whether it’s books, movies, music, magazine articles, or major moments. As we spend the holiday season with friends and family, and Winter Break offers a chance to take a mid-year breather, this month also gives us a chance to reflect. Before the year ends, we’d like to share some first semester highlights.

As you would expect, our Cobras shone academically. 23 seniors – more than two-thirds of the class – received School Recognition from the College Board. On top of that, 3 seniors were named National Merit Commended Students and 4 twelfth graders were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists; that’s nearly one quarter of the class. Keystone’s Model UN team won the most awards it has ever earned at a conference during the Austin Model UN conference in September while fourth grader Jack won the State International Geography Bee regional competition. Locally, regionally, and nationally, Keystone students excel in their intellectual pursuits, and we are proud of them.

To support our students’ writing, Ms. Ramirez opened the Writers’ Hub in North Hall while a faculty/staff art project expressing appreciation for our students was installed outside the Gym. As the number of our extra-curricular activities has grown, we have identified the need for even better ways to transport our Cobras around town and the Lone Star State, so we purchased a new bus.

Whether it was in the Keystone gym or the Majestic Theater, students grew in their appreciation of others and the ways that literature and the arts connect.  Earlier this semester, Lower and Middle School students learned a little about what it’s like to have a special need during Discovering Disabilities Day.  To further their understanding of S.E. Hinton’s literary classic,  7th graders saw “The Outsiders” production at the Majestic Theatre after reading the book in English class and conducting a mock trial inspired by the book.  Kudos to a group of ninth grader varsity volleyball players who created a skills clinic for younger student-athletes.

In athletics, we expanded our competitive soccer program to first grade while the varsity team advanced to the state quarterfinals where they lost in penalty kicks. Congratulations to the 7th/8th grade soccer team who repeated as league champs. We introduced cross-country in middle school while the high school team sent eight runners – 2 girls and 6 boys – to the state meet. The varsity volleyball team had a rebuilding year, losing in a play-in game at the end of the season while both middle school volleyball teams finished second in their district tournaments.

A number of events and efforts went into strengthening the Keystone community.  We held an enjoyable alumni event in Dallas, while parent participation in the Annual Fund campaign came in at a remarkable 97%.  The Upper School Medical Interest Club raised $1,000 for charity by selling paletas on a hot summer day, and the second edition of the Pink Out Varsity volleyball games raised $1,200 for breast cancer research. Keystone joined other independent schools in a virtual lecture series featuring authors Lisa Damour, Jonathan Haidt, and Prof. Laurie Santos of the Yale Happiness Course.

All four of the school’s divisions celebrated Gratitude Week in a variety of age-appropriate ways before we left for Thanksgiving, and I was fortunate to moderate an education panel at the Invest SA conference at the Tobin Center. While the below accolades are certainly nice, the ultimate proof of our good and hard work is the success of our students in a variety of areas.

• Keystone ranked #1 in five categories on Niche.com:
  • #1 K-12 Private School
  • #1 Best College Preparatory Private School
  • #1 Best Private STEM School
  • #1 Most Diverse Private K-12 School
  • #1 Most Diverse Private High School

As we look back on the previous five months, we have much to be thankful for. To our students, families, faculty/staff, alumni, and Board of Trustees, we say “good work” and “Thank you” for all you have done to make the first half of the 2025-2026 school year so productive and enjoyable.  We hope you have a wonderful break, and we look forward to seeing you in January, 2026!  Go Cobras!