Killeen ISD is celebrating two campus theatre programs that have been recognized among the best in Texas. Chaparral High School’s Bobcat Drama and Union Grove Middle School have each been named a Texas Educational Theatre Association (TxETA) Exemplary Campus of Distinction for 2025 for excellence in theatre education, performance and student opportunity.
Each year, TxETA recognizes campuses across the state that are making outstanding contributions for theatre education on their campus and their district throughout Texas.
“These recognitions reflect far more than great performances on stage,” said Karen Rudolph, Killeen ISD Executive Director for Communications & Marketing. “They honor years of intentional planning, high-quality instruction, and an unwavering belief that every student deserves access to powerful arts experiences. Our directors are building inclusive, rigorous theatre programs that change students’ lives, and we are incredibly proud to see their work recognized at the state level.”
Campuses are evaluated using a rigorous 16-point rubric that includes course 
offerings, performance opportunities, curriculum, student leadership, and professional development. An Exemplary designation represents the highest level of achievement and signifies a consistent, campus-wide commitment to quality theatre education.
This marks the second year in a row that Chaparral’s Bobcat Drama has been named an exemplary campus. Under the direction of Samantha Dunaway and Chad Moore, the program offers a rich TEKS-based curriculum that includes Varsity and Non-Varsity Theater I–IV, Technical Theatre I–IV, Musical Theatre I–IV, and additional advanced options such as Theatre III and Directing I. Students perform, design, and work as technicians to produce a six-show public performance season, including two musicals and additional opportunities for beginning theatre students.
Now in its third year, Chaparral’s program continues to grow, offering a strong slate of public performances and provides a wide variety of theatre experiences for students and the community. During the 2024-2025 school year, Bobcat Drama advanced to regionals in UIL One Act Play, and students earned a collective $330,000 in scholarships and 42 callbacks from universities and colleges at the Texas Thespians State Festival. The program also partners closely with the Special Education department and offers sensory-friendly performances ensuring that all students can experience live theatre.
Union Grove Middle School, named an Outstanding campus in 2024, has advanced to the Exemplary title this year. Under the direction of Blake Jones, the program offers three levels of TEKS-based theatre classes, each culminating in at least one public performance per year, in addition to UIL One Act Play participation. Students gain experience as actors, designers, stage managers, and marketers—developing leadership and collaboration skills that carry into high school and beyond.
Jones has developed and piloted a middle school UIL Theatrical Design lesson that has now been implemented across the district, and he plays a key role in shaping middle school theatre curriculum and best practices as part of the Killeen ISD Theatre Arts Leadership Team.
Districtwide, both programs stand out as models of collaboration and leadership. Chaparral theatre directors Dunaway and Moore lead curriculum writing and professional learning for high school theatre, while also supporting middle school programs through clinics and a district-wide summer theatre camp. At the middle school level, Jones mentors new theatre teachers and shares curriculu
m and instructional strategies that help build strong feeder programs.
“At the end of the day, it’s about creating opportunities that let our students shine,” Rudolph said. “These programs are doing exactly that – and their impact reaches far beyond the stage.”