Full Circle: Childhood Friends Build High School for Hometown
Two Aggies who grew up in Medina Valley ISD now lead the construction of the district's $264 million campus.
R.T. Hoog ’15 and Trevor Mangold ’16 on the construction site of Creek View High School, the new Medina Valley ISD campus they are helping lead. Photo courtesy of R.T. Hoog ’15.
In Castroville, Texas, the bond between R.T. Hoog ’15 and Trevor Mangold ’16 began when they were children in Medina Valley ISD. Two decades later, their friendship has come full circle. Today, Hoog and Mangold are leading the construction of Creek View High School, a $264 million project that will soon serve the very district where their stories began.
The 425,000-square-foot campus represents far more than just another assignment. Hoog, now a project manager, and Mangold, a project superintendent, have each been with Bartlett Cocke General Contractors since graduating from Texas A&M University. But this marks the first time the two longtime friends have worked together on the same job site.
"This is the school district that Trevor and I grew up in, went to high school and middle school, and still live in," Hoog said. "Knowing that we're making an impact on the community that's going to be here for 20, 30, 50 years — long after we're retired, hopefully — is really special."
Building on Challenging Terrain
Medina Valley ISD broke ground on Creek View High School in October 2023 to meet the district’s rapid population growth. Scheduled to open in summer 2026, the new campus will ease overcrowding and provide modern facilities for a community that has expanded dramatically over the past decade.
The project’s site is anything but typical. With a 90-foot drop from one end to the other, the design required Hoog and Mangold’s team to carve the structure directly into a hillside. From the main entrance, the school appears traditional, but on the opposite side, students will enter on the second floor and exit at ground level.
A drone view of the Creek View courtyard highlights the campus’s dramatic grade changes. Photo by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, provided by R.T. Hoog ’15.
"Every day is different. Every day has its own challenges," Mangold said. "It's never boring. Some days are slow, most are not. There's always a fire to put out."
At the height of construction, Mangold coordinated as many as 380 subcontractors, ensuring day-to-day field operations run smoothly. Meanwhile, Hoog manages schedules, budgets, and coordination with district leaders.
Their teamwork reflects lessons learned both on the job and during their time at Texas A&M, where they became even closer friends as roommates while studying in the Department of Construction Science.
Hoog said the project has also brought unexpected personal surprises, like running into former teachers.
From Aggieland to the Jobsite
An October 2025 aerial drone view of Creek View High School’s construction progress. Photo by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, provided by R.T. Hoog ’15.
Both men credit Texas A&M’s construction science program for preparing them to take on complex, large-scale projects like Creek View. Unlike many universities, Texas A&M requires students to complete a full-semester internship, an experience that gives graduates a head start in the industry.
"Construction is all experience-based," Hoog said. "You don't really know it until you see it."
Both credit their professors for their career preparedness, too, whose demanding coursework proved essential to their professional success.
"It was very tough at the time, but now I can appreciate how tough they were," Hoog said.
The Aggie presence on the Creek View site runs deep. Six Texas A&M graduates work from the project trailer alone, and Hoog estimates that close to half of Bartlett Cocke’s employees are Aggies.
"There's a reason for that," Hoog said. "People realize that and they want to hire Aggies."
Legacy in Concrete and Steel
When Creek View High School opens its doors in fall 2026, it will stand as a reflection of the community that built it.
For Hoog and Mangold, the project marks a return to their roots: two hometown friends applying their Aggie training to build a future for the district that raised them.
The new high school, Medina Valley ISD’s second comprehensive campus, will feature state-of-the-art academic spaces, performing arts facilities, athletic complexes, and science labs designed to serve a growing student body.
"We took a lot of knowledge from A&M and contributed it out here," Hoog said.
As the June 2026 completion date approaches, the two navigate the final phases of construction.
Hoog and Mangold hope their impact extends beyond concrete and steel. Their former teachers will instruct here, their neighbors’ children will learn here, and the halls will echo with the same aspirations they once carried through Medina Valley ISD.
Some alumni return home to visit. Hoog and Mangold are building its future.