Join us in honoring the memory of our beloved Mrs. Patsy Martinez, CTE’s longtime bookkeeper and our very own “Mama Patsy.” Her love for our Mustangs and her passion for helping animals continues to inspire us every day.
🗓 Donation Week: April 6–10
📍 Drop-Off Location: Front Office
Help us “Fill the Table” with donations for the Humane Society as we carry on her legacy of kindness and compassion. Every item donated is a tribute to the love she shared with our school and community.
Let’s come together, Mustangs, and make this week of giving one to remember! 🐶🐱💛
#PawsForPatsy #CTEMustangs #FillTheTable #InMemoryOfPatsy #CommunityStrong #MustangPride #GiveBack #KindnessMatters #HonorHerLegacy
Online sales for the 2025–2026 yearbooks are now closed.
We will begin accepting in-person purchases on Monday, April 6th. The cost is now $25 per yearbook. Payments must be made with exact cash or by check payable to CTE.
Please note that quantities are limited, so be sure to reserve your copy as soon as possible! Yearbooks will be delivered to CTE in early May and distributed to students shortly after they arrive.
Thank you!
🌿✨ A Big Thank You from Our CTE Mustangs! ✨🌿
We’d like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the Martz Family and Insight Auctioneers for their hard work in raking, cutting, and mowing the front area of our school! Just in time for our Lion King musical and end of the year awards & celebrations, they gave the front of our campus a much-needed trim—and it looks fantastic! 🌟
Your generosity and support help make our school shine for our students, staff, and community. We truly appreciate you! 💙🐴
#CTEMustangs #ThankYou #CommunitySupport #Grateful #SeussicalReady #MustangPride
ENJOY 10% OFF your order!
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EXPIRES: July 31, 2026
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We hope you enjoyed our April Fool’s Day joke yesterday! Thank you to everyone who joined in on the fun and showed off your great sense of humor.
No matter what… we are and always will be MUSTANGS!! 💙🐴
#CTEMustangs #AprilFools #MustangPride #ForeverMustangs #Gotcha
🐎✨ Attention CTE Mustang Families! ✨🐎
After careful consideration because of multiple visits from a certain species on campus, Cracker Trail Elementary is exploring an exciting mascot change… 👀
At our upcoming (totally real 😉) SAC meeting on April 31, 2026, we will discuss becoming the CTE Armadillos! 🛡️
New mascot, new motto: “Can you dig it?” 🐾
Stay tuned for more updates… and maybe start practicing your armadillo spirit now! 😄
#AprilFools #CTEMustangs #CanYouDigIt #SchoolSpirit #Gotcha #MustangPride #CTEFun
Mrs. Madden’s Pre-K Mustangs wrapped up Zoo Week in the most ROAR-some way—with these adorable and creative lions! 🎨🖍️
Our youngest learners had a wild time exploring animals, learning about the zoo, and showing off their creativity. We love seeing their imaginations come to life!
Great job, Pre-K Mustangs! 🐾💛
#CTEMustangs #PreKFun #ZooWeek #LittleLearners #CreativeKids
We are proud to recognize our outstanding Safety Patrol of the month for February, Kyley W.! 👏
Kyley is dependable, compassionate, and a positive role model for all of our Mustangs. She consistently demonstrates leadership and respect while helping maintain a safe environment on our campus each and every day. 🚸✨
Thank you, Kyley, for representing Cracker Trail Elementary with excellence! 💛
#CTEMustangs #SafetyPatrol #StudentLeaders #MustangPride #PositiveRoleModel
🐎💙 Cracker Trail Elementary Mustangs 💙🐎
Our Kindergarten Mustangs had a wonderful time diving into their “Community Helpers” unit with some very special visitors from our community! 🚓🚒👩⚕️👷
These real-life heroes took time to share about their important jobs, answer questions, and inspire our young learners. Our students loved every moment and gained a deeper understanding of how community helpers make a difference in our everyday lives.
Our visitors included:
Aeromed from Tampa General Hospital
Safety Car from Sebring International Speedway
Sebring Animal Hospital Veterinarian - Dr. Hinds
Highlands County Sheriff’s Department - Sheriff Blackman, Deputy Turner & K-9 Tripoli
HCSO Chaplain Alan Altvater &
Therapy Dog Janie
Nurses Danielle & Brandon Hoopingarner
Highlands County Fire Rescue
A big THANK YOU to all of our visitors for supporting our school and helping bring learning to life! 💛
#CTEMustangs #CommunityHelpers #KindergartenLearning #FutureLeaders #ThankYouCommunity
Our talented Mustang cast has been hard at work preparing for our production of The Lion King! Here they are rehearsing with our amazing music teacher, Mr. Hayes, who is helping bring every song and scene to life. 🎶✨
Practice makes better, and this group is putting in the time, energy, and heart to make this show SUPER! We cannot wait for you to see their hard work shine on stage in our cafeteria on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. 🌟
#CTEMustangs #TheLionKing #MustangPerformers #CTEFineArts #PracticeMakesBetter
A huge thank you to our amazing office team for putting together a Make Your Own Trail Mix bar for everyone to enjoy the week before Spring Break. It was the perfect way to add a little fun and appreciation to our day before the break!
We truly appreciate all the thoughtful ways our office crew supports and uplifts our staff—thank you for making us feel valued! 💙
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CTESnacks #ThankYou #OfficeStaffAppreciation #SpringBreakVibes #SchoolFamily #Grateful #TrailMixTreats
During science block, Mrs. Cook’s 5th graders spent time investigating and illustrating how electricity flows through a closed circuit (a complete loop) by creating their own popsicle stick flashlights!
After a busy few weeks preparing for the Science Fair, this group of 5th graders were excited to jump back into a fun, hands-on experiment. Learning by doing makes science come to life! ⚡🔍
#CTEMustangs #CTERocks #CrackerTrailElementary #MustangScientists #HandsOnLearning #STEMEducation #FutureInnovators #ScienceInAction
🤠🐎 Blast from the Past — CTE Hoedown 2003! 🐎🤠
This is our final Hoedown throwback photo for this week! We’ve loved taking a walk down memory lane and celebrating the traditions that make Cracker Trail Elementary so special.
Kiss the Pig! 💛
One tradition that has always brought big laughs and big cheers is our Kiss the Pig grand finale! 🐷💋 It’s been a Hoedown highlight year after year.
Back in 2003, two brave staff members stepped up for the big moment — longtime Mustang Mrs. Sherri Crow, then a 2nd grade teacher and our very own Mr. K., who was serving as an ESE Resource Teacher at the time (and is now our proud principal). Now that’s school spirit!
Thank you for enjoying these Hoedown memories with us — we can’t wait to make even more! 🤠🐎
🤠🐎 Blast from the Past — CTE Hoedown 2003! 🐎🤠
We continue to share our throwback photos from Cracker Trail Elementary’s 2003 Hoedown! Who’s ready to continue our walk down memory lane this Spring Break?
Entertainment! 💛
We have always been fortunate to showcase some of Highlands County’s very best to entertain our Hoedown attendees, including talented local groups like Dance Unlimited and The California Toe Jam. Their energy and performances have helped make our Hoedown a memorable tradition for our Mustangs and community year after year.
Enjoy this blast from the past and see if you recognize any more familiar faces!
Not only were we invaded by a mischievous little leprechaun on the Friday before Spring Break, but our amazing PreK team also spread some St. Patrick’s Day cheer by providing green treats and drinks for our staff.
A big shamrock-style THANK YOU to our wonderful PreK team for making the day extra festive and showing such kindness to our staff. We’re so lucky to have you! ☘️💚
#HappyStPatricksDay #LuckyToBeAMustang #CTEMustangs #MustangPride #StaffAppreciation #SchoolFamily #PreKTeam #ShamrockThanks
🤠🐎 Blast from the Past — CTE Hoedown 2003! 🐎🤠
We uncovered more throwback photos from Cracker Trail Elementary’s 2003 Hoedown! Who’s ready for a walk down memory lane this Spring Break?
Volunteers! 💛
Our volunteers have always been at the heart of making the Hoedown such a success. From the very beginning, their time, energy, and dedication have helped create the fun, memories, and traditions our Mustangs cherish year after year.
Enjoy another blast from the past and see if you recognize any familiar faces!
On the Friday before Spring Break, we had a surprise visit from a mischievous little leprechaun who stopped by to spread some fun around campus. Something about him looked oddly familiar… we just can’t quite put our finger on it! 👀
Our Mustangs had a great time getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit before heading off for Spring Break!
#HappyStPatricksDay #CTEMustangs #MustangPride #SchoolFun #LuckyToBeAMustang #SpringBreakReady #LeprechaunVisit 🍀
We uncovered some throwback photos from Cracker Trail Elementary’s 2003 Hoedown! Who’s ready for a walk down memory lane this Spring Break?
The Hoedown has always been about our students having fun, and it’s amazing to look back at this group of kids—now all grown up! 💛
Enjoy this blast from the past and see if you recognize a few familiar faces!
Because of the generosity of our students, families, and staff, we were able to donate 200 boxes of cereal to help support families in our community.
A special thank you to Mr. Greg Brown and the amazing team at Heartland Food Bank for coming out to pick up our donations and for the incredible work they do to support our community.
Props to our Student Leadership Team, our sponsors Mrs. Byrd & Mrs. Rowe, and our staff for helping organize and promote this effort. We are so proud of our Mustangs for showing what it means to care for others!
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #CommunityStrong #StudentsHelpingStudents #HeartlandFoodBank #NoOneGoesHungry #MustangsGiveBack #ServiceLeadership #ThankYou
