Tag Archives: burges high

Bella’s Bargain, the student-created and student-operated thrift store at Burges, celebrated its two-year anniversary with a bang and a visit from the alumnae who helped found it.

The store, located in the former custodian quarters at Burges, is an outlet of hope for students who may have trouble securing clothing and other items in order to attend school.

On top of affordable gently-used clothing offered at bargain prices, the store offers items like prom dresses and hygiene products. For those students who can’t afford to pay, the store offers the items at no cost.

This thrift store is like no other they offer free clothing, prom dresses, and hygiene products.

Bella’s Bargains began two years ago when Burges graduates and identical twins Isabella and Arabella Cadena decided to expand on a Girls Scout community service project they had created years before. Since then, the store has become a mainstay of the school and continues to operate under the leadership of new students — including the twins’ younger sister.

School leaders said the store offers a special service to the students of Burges, who benefit in two ways: having access to affordable or no-cost clothing and getting the opportunity to do community service.

Bella’s Bargain is open from noon to 1 p.m. every school day. Donations to the store can be dropped off at the Burges main office.

Officials with the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) announced on Friday the appointment of two experienced educators as principals at Burges High School and Morehead Middle/Johnson Elementary School.

Christopher Smith is the new permanent principal at Burges and Peggy Gustafson is the new interim principal at Morehead/Johnson.

“Mr. Smith and Ms. Gustafson are long-time educators that understand EPISD’s vision of innovation and high-quality education,” Superintendent Juan E. Cabrera said. “I am confident that under their leadership, Burges and Morehead will continue to flourish.”

Smith, whose start date is July 15, comes to Burges after serving as principal at Manor New Tech Middle School in Manor, Texas. He previously served as principal at Terrace Hill Middle School at EPISD. A former staff sergeant with the U.S. Army, Smith taught math in EPISD and served as a track and field head coach during his previous tenure in the District.

He will replace Jason Long, who has served as interim principal at the school since March.

Gustafson will move to Morehead/Johnson, effective immediately, after serving as principal of Fannin Elementary School since 2014.  The two schools are scheduled to consolidate as part of the voter-approved Bond 2016 school modernization program.

Gustafson previously served as principal of the Northwest Early College High School in the Canutillo school district and was an assistant principal at Bowie High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Dakota and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso and New Mexico State University.

Gustafson will replace former Morehead principal Dr. Armando Gallegos who is now the interim principal at Jefferson High School and Silva Health Magnet High School; and Johnson Principal Dr. Karla Montemayor, who will return to the Rio Grande Valley later this month.

The Hoofbeats yearbook and Stampede newspaper earned Silver Crowns from the association for their 2016-17 editions. The Crown is the highest award the association gives to student publications.

And while Burges’ journalism department has received unprecedented rewards over the years, students and teachers at the school said it’s still an honor to be recognized for their work.

“Getting awarded never gets old,” said Patricia Monroe, Burges’ journalism teacher and the advisor for both publications. “It’s a reflection of the students’ efforts.”

Burges publications have received top national awards several times. Just last year, Hoofbeats received its 14 Pacemaker Award, considered by many to be the Pulitzer Prize of student publications.

Marcela de la Torre, the assistant editor for the Burges publications, said the recognition from Columbia Scholastic Press validates the hard work and priority juggling the staff made over the last nine months.

“All those Saturdays and late nights doing interviews and getting photographs were worth it,” Del la Torre said.

While teamwork is a great part of putting a book this important together, students saw their own individual gains. Senior Victoria Brown has been photographing for Hoofbeats for three years and has seen growth in her skills parallel to that of the yearbook.

“I’ve seen myself improve throughout the years,” Brown said. “This award is validating and shows others see my hard work as well.”

Monroe said her students will have a strong impact on journalism and knows their work is worthy of recognition. She encourages her students to enter their best work into competition.

De la Torre thinks that while the awards bring a sense of pride to the school, the true reward of the process of seeing the printed material finally hit the hands of its intended users: the students and staff at Burges.

“As a group or individually, we create things,” De la Torre said. “We created a book, but when people buy it, it makes us professionals.”