🐎💙 Cracker Trail Elementary Mustangs 💙🐎
🍓✨ 1st Grade Strawberry Day Treats! ✨🍓
A huge THANK YOU to our amazing 1st Grade Team for hosting Strawberry Day with sweet treats for our staff today! 🍓💖 From the delicious goodies to the thoughtful touches, it was the perfect way to brighten everyone’s day and make our team feel so appreciated.
1st Grade was on the move today! Some of our amazing team members aren’t pictured because they were hard at work behind the scenes setting up our exciting animal rotation stations.
We are so grateful for your creativity, generosity, and Mustang team spirit. 💛🐴
Thank you, 1st Grade!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTEStaffEats #StrawberryDay #MustangStrong
🐎🐾 1st Grade Animal Adventures! 🐾🐎
Our 1st grade Mustangs wrapped up their Animal & Habitats unit with a farm-tastic Rotation Day, and what an unforgettable experience it was! Students had the opportunity to see and learn about animals and discuss living & non-living things up close and face to face.
A huge thank you to:
• Highlands County Ag Extension for bringing live reptiles and sharing their expertise.
• Cuda Bear's Rescue for introducing students to pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigeons, and Larry the Goose.
• Julia Hart & Meredith Reser for bringing their goats.
• Our very own Mrs. Lee for sharing her chickens: Big Bertha & Red Lady!
We are so thankful to each of these presenters for taking the time to visit our campus and help bring learning to life. Our students absolutely loved the hands-on experience and the chance to connect classroom lessons to real animals!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #1stGradeLearning #AnimalUnit #HandsOnLearning #CommunityConnections #LearningComesAlive 🐴💙
We are so proud of our talented CTE Art Club members and their sponsor, Mrs. Sebring, for helping out Sebring High School during their highly successful “Soup Up The Arts” event! 🥣🖌️
Our students jumped right in to serve drinks throughout the evening, representing CTE with leadership and community spirit. “Soup Up The Arts” not only celebrates the arts but also helps support local families in need — making the night even more meaningful.
Events like this showcase the power of collaboration and the importance of keeping the arts thriving while giving back to our community.
Way to go, Mustangs — thank you for being such wonderful ambassadors for our campus and our community! 💛
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTEArtClub #MustangPride #SoupUpTheArts #SupportTheArts #CommunityConnections #SebringFL
Annabell P.-B. painted a special tile to honor her favorite bus driver, Mrs. Sharon Sanders! 🚌💙
What a wonderful way to recognize the caring adults who help our Mustangs start and end each day safely. It’s moments like this that truly show what it means to be pART of our school community!
Come see the construction of the Tile Wall and explore our 5th grade students’ amazing Science Fair projects on March 5, 2026 from 5:00–7:00 PM.
We can’t wait to see our Mustang families there! 🐎✨
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTETileWalls #IAmpArtOfThisCommunity
We’re so excited to celebrate Mrs. Juliano’s class! Every student has officially completed their very own tile for our upcoming "I Am pART Of This Community" Tile Wall. 🎨✨
Their creativity, teamwork, and Mustang spirit truly shine through each design. We can’t wait to see these tiles become part of a beautiful, permanent display at our school!
Way to go, Mustangs! 💙🤍
Want to see these tiles put in place on our new tile wall? How about seeing over 125 student science projects from our 5th grade students? Art/Science Night is on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 5 - 7 PM. Plan to be in attendance!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #MustangART #TileWallProject #CreativityInAction #ElementaryExcellence #IAmpARTOfThisCommunity #CTEMILab #CTEKindergarten
We’re so excited to celebrate Mrs. Quinn’s class! Every student has officially completed their very own tile for our upcoming "I Am pART Of This Community" Tile Wall. 🎨✨
Their creativity, teamwork, and Mustang spirit truly shine through each design. We can’t wait to see these tiles become part of a beautiful, permanent display at our school!
Way to go, Mustangs! 💙🤍
Want to see these tiles put in place on our new tile wall? How about seeing over 125 student science projects from our 5th grade students? Art/Science Night is on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 5 - 7 PM. Plan to be in attendance!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #MustangART #TileWallProject #CreativityInAction #ElementaryExcellence #IAmpARTOfThisCommunity #CTEMILab #CTEKindergarten
CTE Mustang Ella C. proudly painted a special tile in honor of her grandfather, longtime Mustang and current P.E. volunteer, Coach Berard! 💙🐎
What a beautiful way to celebrate family, service, and the strong Mustang spirit that connects generations here at Cracker Trail Elementary. We love seeing our students recognize the people who make our school community so special!
To see our newest tile wall built in real time come be a pART of Science/Art Night on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 5 to 7 PM! 🎨✨
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTETileWalls #IAmpArtOfThisCommunity
We’re so excited to celebrate Mrs. V-W’s class! Every student has officially completed their very own tile for our upcoming "I Am pART Of This Community" Tile Wall. 🎨✨
Their creativity, teamwork, and Mustang spirit truly shine through each design. We can’t wait to see these tiles become part of a beautiful, permanent display at our school!
Way to go, Mustangs! 💙🤍
Want to see these tiles put in place on our new tile wall? How about seeing over 125 student science projects from our 5th grade students? Art/Science Night is on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 5 - 7 PM. Plan to be in attendance!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #MustangART #TileWallProject #CreativityInAction #ElementaryExcellence #IAmpARTOfThisCommunity #CTEMILab #CTE4thGrade
We’re so excited to celebrate Mrs. Carter’s class! Every student has officially completed their very own tile for our upcoming "I Am pART Of This Community" Tile Wall. 🎨✨
Their creativity, teamwork, and Mustang spirit truly shine through each design. We can’t wait to see these tiles become part of a beautiful, permanent display at our school!
Way to go, Mustangs! 💙🤍
Want to see these tiles put in place on our new tile wall? How about seeing over 125 student science projects from our 5th grade students? Art/Science Night is on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 5 - 7 PM. Plan to be in attendance!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #MustangART #TileWallProject #CreativityInAction #ElementaryExcellence #IAmpARTOfThisCommunity #CTEMILab #CTE2ndGrade
🐎💙 Celebrating 30 Years of Service! 💙🐎
Last week, our very own Mrs. Sharon Riley was honored at the School Board meeting for 30 years of dedicated service to the district! What an incredible milestone!
Ms. Riley is a longtime Mustang who makes a difference each and every day at Cracker Trail Elementary. She was also selected by her peers as CTE’s Support Person of the Year for the 2020–2021 school year, a true reflection of the respect and appreciation she has earned from our staff.
Her commitment, kindness, and steady support help keep our school running smoothly and our students cared for. We are so proud to call her one of our Mustangs!
Mrs. Kristin Wolfhope, one of CTE’s 4th Grade teachers added this about Ms. Riley: “You can't help but smile when you think of Sharon Riley. She will do whatever it takes to make the students and the staff happy. I have known Sharon as a co-worker, and as a friend, since 2006. She works hard day in and day out. She puts her heart into everything that she does.”
Congratulations, Mrs. Riley, and thank you for 30 amazing years of service to our students and community! 💙✨
A heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Michelle Backus and Mrs. Elsa Kahn for generously donating this beautiful painting of the Florida Cracker Trail Riders during one of their historic journey across our state.
This stunning piece was hand painted by the late Mrs. Alice Hansen, and it perfectly captures the spirit and tradition of the ride from one side of Florida to the other.
Also included was a written description of the painting by the Honorable Raymond McIntyre, current Highlands County Property Appraiser, adding even more depth and local significance to this treasured artwork.
We are grateful to have this meaningful piece of history displayed at Cracker Trail Elementary for our students, staff, and community to enjoy for years to come. 💙🐎
🌟 Science Fair & Art Showcase 🌟
📅 Thursday, March 5th
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM
✨ Art Gallery in the Cafeteria
🧩 Grade-level sponsored science activities
🎭 “Living Portraits” 5:45–6:15 PM (Cafeteria)
🧱 Community tile wall installation
Come learn how we:
🔎 Use art and observation to foster curiosity
🤝 Build a strong school community through art
🧠 Promote inquiry and problem-solving through science
📚 Align and grow science learning at every grade level using state standards
We can’t wait to see our families there! 💚💛
We love seeing family connections shine in our Mustang community! 💛
Mrs. Menzie, one of our amazing 1st grade teachers, and her sister, Mrs. Prendergast — former CTE teacher and current Chief Executive Officer of Champion for Children’s Foundation of Highlands County — enjoyed painting their tiles together for our I Am pART of This Community Tile Wall.
What a special moment celebrating family, service, and community all in one place!
✨ Come see their beautiful tiles — and all of the incredible creations — during our 5th Grade Science Fair
📅 Thursday, March 5, 2026
We can’t wait to celebrate our students and the strong community that supports them!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTETileWall #IAmpArtOfThisCommunity
Today, we were honored to welcome the Cracker Trail Riders to Cracker Trail Elementary as they continued a treasured tradition that has spanned 30+ years on our campus.
Our Mustangs loved seeing the riders and horses and learning about this historic Florida journey. We are incredibly appreciative of the group taking time to stop by and keep this long-standing tradition alive for our students and community.
Thank you for sharing your time, history, and heart with CTE! 🐎💙
#CTEMustangs #CrackerTrailTradition
Mrs. Menzie’s 1st grade class has been learning all about the concept of community! Students designed posters and presented their information to one another, building confidence, communication skills, and understanding of how we work together.
There was lots of great work on display, and we are so proud of our Mustangs for their effort and creativity. Way to go! 💙📚
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTECommunity #1stGradeRocks
After those chilly mornings two weeks ago, it’s great to see our older students enjoying the fresh air while continuing to build important skills through this fun and fast-paced activity. Cup stacking strengthens hand-eye coordination, reaction time, focus, and teamwork—all while keeping our Mustangs active and engaged.
A huge thank you to Coach Clogston & Coach Perez keeping our Mustangs stacking and smiling! 💙💛
Our annual visit from the Cracker Trail Riders is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 at around 10:00 AM!
This is a special tradition we look forward to each year, and our Mustangs love seeing the riders and horses on campus!
👢 Students are welcome to wear their best Western attire to celebrate the day! 🤠
Parents who plan to attend:
• Please arrive early
• Bring a valid photo ID for check-in
We can’t wait to welcome this historic Florida tradition back to Cracker Trail Elementary! 🐎💙
As we shared last month, we are extermely thankful for the new flooring for our Gaga Ball pit - our students love it!
We’d like to give a special shoutout to some Sebring High School NHS members for volunteering their time to come out and lay the rubber mats and put the Gaga Ball pit back together. It was a long, hot Sunday afternoon and these kids worked hard. Students present were: Abner D., Keegan L., Jamareah W. (CTE Alumni), Hopelynn C. (CTE Alumni), and Javony A. (CTE Alumni).
We are so grateful for our school community and all the ways you support our students. 💙🐎
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #GagaForCTE #ThankYou #SnowconesForEquipment
❤️🐎 Happy Valentine's Day from Your Cracker Trail Mustangs! 🐎❤️
Our Student Leadership Team was excited to sponsor our annual “Spread the Love” initiative again this year!
During ❤️ Spread the Love 2026 ❤️ students wrote a kind message of appreciation to a CTE teacher or staff member.
Students taped their hearts on the staff member's door.
Our campus was filled with kindness and appreciation! 💕
Thank you, Mustang Leadership Team!
❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day!
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTELovesOurStaff
Students stayed warm indoors while working on following directions and building hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and bilateral proficiency through this fun and fast-paced activity.
A huge thank you to Coach Clogston, Coach Perez, and Action Jackson for keeping our Mustangs active, engaged, and smiling—even on cold mornings! 💙💛
