Murray Middle and Murray High competed in the Jingle and Jam Speech Tournament at Daviess County High School. The Murray Middle School Speech Team took third place overall in the middle school portion of the tournament. SCAPA (Lexington) claimed first, and Calloway, second.
Murray Middle students placed in the following events:
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
2nd - DeeDee Shastri
HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION
3rd - Henry Mallory
IMPROMPTU SPEAKING
2nd - DeeDee Shastri
POETRY
3rd - DeeDee Shastri
STORYTELLING
3rd - Althea Hultman
5th - Claudia DeBonis
The Murray Middle Speech Team is coached by Michael Robinson and Jennifer McCafferty.
The Murray High Speech Team took 3rd place overall in the high school portion of the Jingle and Jam Tournament. Signature School from Evansville took first and Daviess County took second. Murray High students placed in the following events:
DECLAMATION
4th - Chyanne Miller
5th - Aidan Cothran
DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION
2nd - Faith McCafferty
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
4th - Ali Yarali
HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION
2nd - Faith McCafferty
3rd - Emma Bailey
IMPROMPTU SPEAKING
1st - Ali Yarali
POETRY
3rd - Vanessa Oster
PROGRAM ORAL INTERPRETATION
6th - Alexis Ray
7th - Lyla Holliday
PROSE
5th - Zelda DeYeso-Danz
6th - Vanessa Oster
STORYTELLING
1st - Laney Like
2nd - Khush Patel
The Murray High Speech Team is coached by Michael Robinson with assistant coaches Jennifer McCafferty and Drew Thompson.

BOONE COUNTY TOURNAMENT RESULTS -
DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION
4th - Faith McCafferty
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
2nd - Ali Yarali
POETRY
4th - Anastasia Arkova
HIGHLANDS TOURNAMENT RESULTS -
HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION
3rd - Faith McCafferty
STORYTELLING
3rd - Laney Like
The Murray High Speech Team is coached by Michael Robinson with assistant coaches Jennifer McCafferty and Drew Thompson.
#murrayschools

Murray Elementary and Murray Middle school fifth and sixth grade students rode buses over to be a part of the regional and community Education Day Celebration.
Dr. David Meinschein, Ed.D., MISD Superintendent, joined the students to celebrate the blue and gold. MSU Lady Racers defeated Memphis in a 85-57 victory.
During half-time the Murray Elementary School kindergarten students sang Christmas Carols to the audience.
A great day to be a Racer and Tiger-in a community sharing in all our successes! #murrayschools
The following Murray High School students were selected to represent our program in this prestigious ensemble: Arlo Vance-2nd chair flute, Miranda Mathis, 3rd chair flute, Olivia McLaughlin-first chair oboe, Sumin Park-4th chair clarinet, Nobu Tomonaga-first chair alto sax, Bentley Gile-2nd chair alto sax, Jacob Ridley-1st alternate alto sax, Jonathan Clements-1st chair tenor sax, Brandon Draper-3rd chair tenor sax, James Duffy-1st alternate tenor sax, Dwi Marjadi-1st alternate bari sax, Luke Sloan-5th chair trumpet, Megumi Tomona-10th chair trumpet, Susie Todd-11th chair trumpet, Jeremiah Miller-3rd chair french horn, Analise Renfroe-8th chair french horn, Stella Swaggart-1st chair trombone, Aiden Castleberry-3rd chair euphonium, Ginny Chipman-6th chair tuba, Anna Wilson-1st chair mallets, Sasha Patel-2nd chair snare, Sophia Smith-2nd alternate snare.
These students will participate in the All-District Symphonic Band event on January 8, 9, and 10, with the culminating concert to be held at Paducah Tilghman High School on January 10th.
#murrayschools

The following Murray High School students were selected to represent our program in this prestigious ensemble: *Lydia Smith-5th chair flute, *Miranda Mathis-1st alternate flute,*Andrea Morales Cano, 2nd alternate flute,* Kailyn Lutz-8th chair clarinet, Carley Bell-9th chair clarinet, Rae Rogers-ast alternate clarinet, *Ethan Peng-1st chair alto sax, *Nobu Tomonaga-Alto Sax Recommendation, *Jacob Ridley-Alto Sax Recommendation, *Kenny Vu-1st chair tenor sax, *Bentley Gile-Tenor Sax Recommendation, *Selvam Antony-1st chair bari sax, *Dwi Marjadi-1st alternate bari sax and bass clarinet, *Edward Utgaard-1st chair trumpet, *Tyler Marcum-3rd chair trumpet, *John Robert Ross-4th chair trumpet, and Brooke Burgess-6th chair trumpet,* Vinny D’Ambrosio-1st chair french horn, *Thomas Bucy, 2nd chair french horn, *Mila Hicks, 6th chair french horn, Jeremiah Miller, 2nd alternate french horn,* Cabot French,, 2nd chair trombone,* Stella Swaggart-2nd alternate trombone,* Logan Rader, 1st chair bass trombone and Tuba Rec., *Sam DeBonis, 1st Alternate Eu[phonium, *Wes Shelby, 1st chair tuba,* Millie Donnely, 2nd chair tuba,* Noble Kieffer, 1st chair mallets, *Zayne Iglesias, 2nd chair mallets,* Allison Hall, 1st Alternate Mallets, *Benny Mehta, 1st chair snare, and *Kapri Phelps, 3rd chair snare. (*Denotes All State Recommendation).
These students will participate in the All-District Symphonic Band event on January 8th, 9th, and 10th, with the culminating concert to be held at Paducah Tilghman High School on January 10th.
#murrayschools



We are thrilled to recognize our Tiger Pride winners for November, nominated by their peers. A huge thank you to our sponsors, Los Portales and American Fidelity, and to Sonic for joining us with tokens of appreciation!
Staff Member of the Month – Mr. Walter Arnold, Murray High School
Walter goes above and beyond every day—supporting staff and students, stepping in wherever needed, and always bringing a positive, respectful, and helpful attitude. He truly makes Murray High a better place, and we are grateful for his dedication and heart!
Educator of the Month – Mrs. Beth Myers, Murray Middle School
Beth inspires students and colleagues alike with her passion, humility, and dedication. Her innovative teaching makes math accessible, encourages critical thinking, and builds confidence in every student. Her impact is lasting, and her quiet leadership sets an example for our whole school community.
Thank you, Walter and Beth, for being shining examples of Tiger Pride! 🐯💛
#murrayschools
At last night’s MISD Board meeting, the Board of Education officially approved the 2026–2027 school calendar. Important dates can be found here.

Congratulations to Murray High School cross country senior, Jade Green, signing with Thomas Moore University in Crestview Hills Kentucky. Green signed a letter of intent inside the MHS Library with her mom, Michelle Downey, step-father, Stephen Downey, and sister, Sydney Downey, and brother, Jacob Downey. Green's teammates were also present, along with other MHS staff and students.
Emily Chipman-MHS Cross Country Coach who has coached Green the past seven years, said Jade is dedicated, hardworking and consistent
. Green's ccomplishments include:
• Varsity runner since seventh grade
• 3 year team captain
• 2x Regional champion
• 2 X Region 1A Runner of the year
• 6 -time State qualifier
• Placed 13th at State for two consecutive years and 2x All State Award
• Dozens of placement medals from Middle School and High School races
• Numerous years, Region 1 A First team and all area team
most recently, Jade came in 3rd at the New Balance Runninglane National Championship XC Race Dec 6 2025 with a new individual PR of 19:59
• Only 1.85% of US high school girls run a sub 20 minute 5k
“We are so proud of her and hope Jade has a rich and fulfilling D2 running career at Thomas Moore University,” Emily Chipman said. #murrayschools
#murrayschools

The concert for will be held Saturday January 10, 2026, at Paducah Tilghman High School.

Murray High School students, Mila Hicks, Miranda Mathis, Stella Swaggart, and Dimitri Rubio were selected to perform in the 2026 Kentucky Music Educators Association’s All-State Chorus.
The concert will take place in Louisville on Friday, February 6, 2026, as part of the Kentucky Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference.
They were chosen for this honor through competitive auditions held this year across the state. All four of these students perform in the Murray High School choir under the direction of Hunter Carter and April Sexton, both members of the Kentucky Music Educators Association, an association that represents over one-thousand Kentucky school music educators. This is the first time Hicks, Mathis, and Swaggart will perform in the All-State Choir.
Instructions for purchasing tickets for the 2026 All-State Chorus concert will be on the KMEA website under “All-State Tickets.”
#murrayschools

Denise Whitaker, MES principal, said students participated in a math lesson last month that asked them to choose scholastic books they would purchase with ten dollars. Mitch Ryan, a Season’s Readings Board member, said this is a collaborative community project. Through Season’s Readings, MISD’s Murray Elementary and Calloway County School District Kindergarten students receive this gift of reading each year.
MES kindergarten students returned to their rooms after afternoon specials to find their books on their desks. The books were tied neatly with ribbons on each set of three books. Members of the Murray Fire Department were on hand to help surprise the students with their books and read to them.
Ryan said the corporation was out of a desire to add books to the many gifts children receive during the Christmas season. This holiday-time program is designed to give books to children in coordination with local organizations to foster reading development in young children.
Ashley Ryan, Ryan’s wife who assists with the community project, said the volunteers who have contributed to this effort have been a major help to this project and they are very thankful to all the outpouring support.
Special thanks to Mitch and Ashley Ryan and the community members who make this possible for our students!
For more information contact Season’s Readings at (270) 761-6880.
#murrayschools












A tour of the Calloway County Senior Citizens at the Weaks Center provided an overview of the daily services offered to the Murray and Calloway County senior citizens. Students ate lunch at the Center provided by the Senior Citizens Center and talked with patrons about their lives and interviewed them for a special Christmas Holiday Hero edition in the Murray Ledger & Times.
After a visit to Needline with Fran Smith, assistant director, the students concluded their day at Playhouse in The Park for an overview of the Murray Parks Department by Mike Sykes, and Wayne Shields-Hogue, Playhouse In The Park Director.
A heartfelt thanks is sent to our behind the scenes helpers with our community resources -their heartfelt work lends a special touch to everyone they touch!
Leadership Tomorrow is a year-long leadership program for Murray High and Calloway County High schools junior and senior students. Currently the students are hosting an online silent auction to raise funds for their program and their upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. Online auction can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/LTAuction
#murrayschools












The MHS choir performed two performances at the Murray Woman’s clubhouse. The group performed for their annual open house on Sunday. Today, the group performed for the Calloway County/Murray retired teachers luncheon. #murrayschools

(pictured left to right): Wyatt Riquelme, Will Leedy, and Ben Hughes
The Murray Middle School Sixth Grade Academic Team achieved second place overall at the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition (KAAC) Sixth Grade Showcase held at Calloway County Middle School.
Murray Middle students earned five awards in individual assessments and took second place in Quick Recall as a team.
Calloway won first, Murray claimed second, and South Livingston placed third.
Content Assessment Testing:
1st - Will Leedy
Social Studies
2nd - Ben Hughes
Science
5th - Ben Hughes
Language Arts
3rd - Wyatt Riquelme
Science
5th - Wyatt Riquelme
Arts and Humanities
The team is coached by Tamsyn Vertrees and Jarrod Darnall.#murrayschools

Our Murray Tiger administration, fans, alumni, and community showed up today in full black and gold. Our Tiger Spirit was on deck and ready to support our Tigers ' historical achievements.
We stood proud today as they ended their season 14-1, District and Regional champions, bringing home hardware and proclaiming their 2025 KHSAA Class 3A State Runner-Up victory.
A season going down in the books as these young men and coaches took their stand on Kroger Field. The gates opened for the Tigers at Kroger, and we are Roaring for you and with you! #murrayschools (team photo and trophy photo credit Steve Springer).










