Mr. Rick Kogelschatz
Today we celebrate an incredible leader who goes above and beyond to support our students, staff, and families every single day. Your dedication, positivity, and commitment to excellence make a lasting difference in our school community.
Thank you for inspiring us, guiding us, and creating a place where everyone feels valued and encouraged to succeed. We appreciate all that you do, today and every day!
#PrincipalsDay #CrackerTrailElementary #ThankYouPrincipal #SBHC
The first Friday in May is dedicated to the incredible men and women who make our cafeterias—and our schools—a better place to be! 💛
What was your favorite school lunch? Do you remember the smiling face who served it to you? Those moments matter more than we realize!
At CTE, we are so grateful for our amazing cafeteria crew who work hard every single day to serve over 700 students and 70 adults with care, kindness, and a smile. You truly are heroes to our Mustangs! 🐎✨
Thank you for all that you do to keep our school fueled and happy!
#SchoolLunchHeroDay #LunchHeroes #ThankYou #CTEMustangs #MustangPride #Grateful #SchoolFamily #ServingWithHeart #EveryChildMatters
Get ready for an evening full of creativity, energy, and amazing performances! Join us for Mustangs Got Talent tonight - April 30 at 5:30 PM - as our talented students take the stage to showcase their incredible skills. 🌟
From singing and dancing to unique acts you won’t want to miss, our Mustangs are ready to shine! 🐴💫
We invite all families to come out, support our students, and enjoy a fun-filled night together. Let’s pack the house and cheer on our performers! 👏🎶
#MustangsGotTalent #CTEMustangs #StudentShowcase #FamilyNight #MustangPride #SupportOurStudents #ShineOnMustangs
🎤✨ Mustangs Got Talent Tomorrow Night! ✨🎤
Get ready for an evening full of creativity, energy, and amazing performances! Join us for Mustangs Got Talent on April 30 at 5:30 PM as our talented students take the stage to showcase their incredible skills. 🌟
From singing and dancing to unique acts you won’t want to miss, our Mustangs are ready to shine! 🐴💫
We invite all families to come out, support our students, and enjoy a fun-filled night together. Let’s pack the house and cheer on our performers! 👏🎶
#MustangsGotTalent #CTEMustangs #StudentShowcase #FamilyNight #MustangPride #SupportOurStudents #ShineOnMustangs
Our Mustang community showed up in a BIG way—thank you for your incredible generosity and support! In honor of our beloved Mrs. Patsy Martinez, “Mama Patsy,” we are proud to share that we donated 242 pounds of food and supplies to help animals in need. 🐶🐱💛
A special thank you to Mrs. Lee and Lilah for delivering all of the donations to the Humane Society of Highlands County—we appreciate you going the extra mile!
Because of YOU, Mrs. Patsy’s legacy of kindness and compassion continues to make a difference. 💙
🐎 Let’s set our sights even higher… can we beat 242 pounds next year? We think our Mustangs are up for the challenge!
#PawsForPatsy #CTEMustangs #MustangPride #CommunityStrong #GiveBack #KindnessCounts #HonoringHerLegacy #BeatTheGoal
🌟 2026–2027 School Year 🌟
We are so excited to welcome our newest Mustangs! 🐴💙
To help make registration smooth and quick, we can only accept complete registration packets at the time of submission.
📂 Please bring ALL required documents:
• Original Student Birth Certificate
• Proof of Residency (utility bill—electric, water, cable, etc. OR lease/mortgage statement)
• Parent/Guardian Photo ID
• Florida Immunization Record
• Physical Exam (dated 8/11/25 or later)
📅 Registration Begins: Monday, May 4, 2026
🕖 Office Hours: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
💙 We appreciate your help in keeping the process organized and efficient. We can’t wait to welcome our new Kindergarten families to an amazing school year!
Today, we proudly celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Day and give a heartfelt thank you to the incredible individuals who safely transport our Mustangs to and from school each day!
Our bus drivers and bus attendants are often the first smile our students see in the morning and the last friendly face they see in the afternoon. Their commitment to safety, patience, and care does not go unnoticed. Rain or shine, they go the extra mile to ensure every child arrives safely—and that means the world to our school community.
To our amazing transportation team: thank you for your dedication, kindness, and the important role you play in our students’ lives each and every day! 💛
#BusDriverAppreciationDay #ThankYouBusDrivers #StudentSafety #MustangPride #SchoolFamily #Gratitude #EveryRideCounts
Mrs. Ashton’s 5th grade class has been hard at work reviewing key concepts that will be addressed on next month’s Florida 5th Grade Statewide Science Assessment (SSA)!
As part of their learning on living organisms, students took a deep dive into avocados—bringing science to life through a fun, hands-on project. From exploration to observation, these Mustangs are making meaningful connections that will stick with them beyond the test!
All of our 5th grade teachers have been preparing students all year long, building knowledge, confidence, and skills every step of the way.
🐎 Our Mustangs take on the SSA on Thursday, May 14… are they ready?
We know they are—because our incredible teachers have prepared them well! 💙
#CTEMustangs #ScienceInAction #HandsOnLearning #SSAReady #MustangPride #FutureScientists #5thGradeStrong
What a fantastic evening at the Highlands County School District Art Show! It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend, and we are so grateful to everyone who came out to support our talented student artists. The turnout was incredible, and it was especially heartwarming to see some of our “graduated” Mustangs back enjoying the event! 💙
A huge thank you to our own Mrs. Sebring for the beautiful setup of CTE’s display—your hard work truly showcased our students’ creativity and talent in the best way.
We also appreciate Everglades Seasoning for providing refreshments and South Florida State College for hosting such a wonderful event.
It was a night full of art, community, and Mustang pride—we loved every moment!
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #StudentArtists #ArtShow #SupportTheArts #CreativeKids #CommunityStrong #FutureArtists
Today is the last day to see our Mustangs’ incredible artwork on display at the Highlands County School District Art Show at South Florida State College Gymnasium! Their creativity, talent, and hard work are truly something to celebrate.
✨ Join us TONIGHT (THE LAST NIGHT) from 4:00–6:00 PM
🏆 Elementary Awards Recognition at 5:30 PM
Come out and support our talented student artists, view their amazing work, and check out a special visual representation of our newest tile wall! You won’t want to miss it!
A huge thank you to Mrs. Sebring for her dedication and hard work in getting our students’ artwork displayed so beautifully—we appreciate you! 💙
#CTEMustangs #StudentArtists #ArtShow #MustangPride #CreativeKids #SupportTheArts #FutureArtists #HighlandsCountySchools
Mrs. Carter’s 2nd grade class recently took a deep dive into the world of polar animals! ❄️🐧
After reading The Very, Very Far North and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, students became curious about animals that live in the polar regions. Each student selected a polar animal and worked together to research using books, videos, articles, and a child-friendly search engine.
Students gathered important facts, organized their information, and created slideshow presentations to teach their classmates about what they learned. We love seeing our Mustangs building research, writing, and presentation skills while exploring the amazing animals of the Arctic and Antarctic!
#CTEMustangs #StudentLearning #SecondGrade #PolarAnimals #FutureResearchers
Mustang Families,
Our Mustang Miles program has officially come to an end for this school year! Over the course of 27 running days, our students showed incredible dedication, perseverance, and school spirit.🐎🖤💛
Throughout the program, students were encouraged to run at least 10 laps (1 mile) each day. We are proud to share that any student who met this goal will receive the Mustang Marathon Award (26.2 miles) at the end of the year—an amazing accomplishment!🏃♀️🏃♂️
We also tracked our top 5 runners in each grade level, as well as the top 10 runners across the entire school. Many of these students consistently went above and beyond, averaging an impressive 2+ miles each day. Some were even running 3+ miles each day. 🥇
We are incredibly proud of all of our Mustangs—not only for participating, but for pushing themselves to exceed their daily goals. Thank you for supporting your children and helping make this program such a success!🖤👏
With Mustang Pride,
Coach Clogston
#PEROCKS #MUSTANGPRIDE
✨ And that’s a wrap on Mustang Magic! ✨
Yesterday was an unforgettable day! Our Cracker Trail Elementary Mustang Chorus took the stage for FOUR amazing Lion King performances—two shows for our students and two incredible evening performances for our families and community. 🐴🦁🎶
From start to finish, our Mustangs brought the energy, talent, and heart—truly making it a magical “Circle of Life” experience for everyone who attended! 🌅
A HUGE thank you to our Gold Level Sponsor Advent Health and our Silver Sponsors, Glades Electric, Alan Jay Automotive Network, & the Champion for Children Foundation of Highlands County, for helping make this production possible. Thank you to AMC Theaters for donating their delicious popcorn to our concession stand. We are so grateful for your support! 💙
We also want to thank our wonderful families and dedicated staff who jumped in to help behind the scenes, in the audience, and everywhere in between. It truly takes a herd to make something this special happen! 🐎
We are so proud of our students and thankful for a community that shows up and supports the arts at CTE! Until next time… the magic lives on! ✨
#CrackerTrailElementary #MustangMagic #ThatsAWrap #MustangPride #HerdStrong #ThankYouSponsors #SchoolShow #CommunitySupport #WonderingWhatsNext #StayTuned
🐴✨ Happy Administrative Professionals Day to Our Fabulous Office Crew! ✨🐴
Today we’re tipping our cowboy hats to the incredible team who keeps our Mustang herd running strong every single day! From guiding the wagon train with precision to making sure every Mustang is cared for, supported, and on the right trail — Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Smythers truly do it all. A huge Thank You to our guidance office team member as well - Mrs. O'Berski! 🤠💼
Your hard work, warm smiles, and steady hands & minds keep our herd moving forward no matter what comes our way. Whether it’s wrangling schedules, helping families, or jumping in wherever needed, you are the heartbeat of our campus. 💙
Thank you for being the trailblazers behind the scenes who help our Mustangs ride toward success! We appreciate you more than words can say! 🐎
#MustangStrong #AdministrativeProfessionalsDay #HerdHeroes #WagonTrainLeaders #ThankYou #MustangPride #BehindTheScenesMagic
Our Cracker Trail Elementary Mustang Chorus has already wowed the crowd—our first two performances for students are complete, and the show is incredible! 🐴🦁
Now it’s your turn to experience the magic tonight! This unforgettable performance features songs and dances inspired by The Lion King—it’s a wild ride from start to finish! 🎶💃🕺
📅 Tonight - April 21
⏰ 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM
🎟️ Tickets just $5 at the door (concessions available)
Come out tonight, bring your friends and family, and don’t miss this Circle of Life celebration! 🌅
#CrackerTrailElementary #MustangMagic #LionKingVibes #SchoolShow #FamilyFun #LivePerformance
Our Cracker Trail Elementary Mustang Chorus is bringing the roar to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! 🐴🦁
Our stage is about to come alive with an unforgettable performance featuring songs and dances inspired by The Lion King — it’s going to be a wild ride from start to finish! 🎶💃🕺
📅 April 21, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM
🎟️ Tickets just $5 at the door (concessions available)
We can’t wait to see you there—bring your friends, bring your family, and don’t miss this Circle of Life celebration! 🌅
#CrackerTrailElementary #MustangMagic #LionKingVibes #SchoolShow #FamilyFun #LivePerformance
Earlier this month we were proud to celebrate our March Herd of Honor students! March’s character trait was Resiliency — the ability to bounce back after challenges or setbacks. 💪✨
These outstanding Mustangs showed what it means to keep going, stay positive, and never give up, even when things get tough. We are so proud of the perseverance and strength they demonstrated each and every day!
Our Herd of Honor included:
Naomi Menzie
Julian Fabian-Castizo
Elara Graham
Christopher Peyton
Dawson Rosenberg
Franco Hernandez Luna
Izaiah Harris
Chloe Anderson
Aeson Bone
Sophia Mahoney
Kennedy Wallace
Clayton Crofton
Savannah King
Oaklan Graham
Noah Rivera
Nolan Watson
Alice Martinez
Jaxson Lyons
Anastasia Schoolcraft
Journey Smith
Cynthia Henson
Levi Murphy
Jacqueson St.Fleur
Rowan John
Sophia Gonzalez
Tanner Peoples
Myles Marthas
Jazmine Torres Prieto
Natalie Clarida
Aiyana Wilbur
Allie Bodeck
Evelynn DeOca
Elijah Elia
Alex Folkes
👏 Congratulations to our March honorees for being shining examples of resilience! Keep leading the herd with courage and determination!
#CTEMustangs #HerdOfHonor #CharacterCounts #Resiliency #MustangStrong 🐴💙
Recently our amazing PTO cheesed the day with a delicious Nacho Bar, and let’s just say… it was nacho ordinary lunch! 😄
We are so grateful for the tasty treat and the constant support you show our hardworking staff. You really know how to taco ‘bout appreciation! 💛
#CTEMustangs #NachoAverageSchool #PTOAppreciation #FueledByNachos
🐔✨ 2nd Grade Mustangs Had a Cluck-tastic Visitor! ✨🐎
Our 2nd graders at CTE had a special visit from Ms. Alexis Cooper, our Highlands County 4-H Program Assistant, and let’s just say… things got a little egg-citing! 🥚😄
Students learned all about chickens—from how they grow to how they help our communities. We’re pretty sure a few future farmers were hatched today! 🐣💛
Thank you, Ms. Cooper, for bringing hands-on learning to life and giving our Mustangs something to crow about! 🐓👏
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #EggcellentLearning #4H #HandsOnLearning #FutureFarmers #WhatCameFirstTheChickenOrTheEgg
