Tag Archives: el dorado high

Members of the Texas Association of Future Educators from El Dorado High School brought a little joy to the pediatric oncology patients at the El Paso Children’s Hospital.

The organization raised $1,700 to donate more than 73 outfitted stuffed animals to children fighting cancer at the local hospital as part of its Build-A-Bear community service project. This is the group’s seventh year undertaking the project.

“The students worked hard to raise the money,” said Dianna Sianez, El Dorado TAFE advisor. “It is so meaningful for them. They know they are giving back to the community.”

Her students had fun choosing the stuffed animals and creating their outfits. There were bears, bunnies and dogs decked out as the Darth Vader, an Army soldier, a princess, a sailor, Batman and Superman.

This year’s community service project was especially valued by Crystal Barrera. The 17-year-old participated last year and created three bears. Several weeks later, she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma.

“The funny thing is the first few days at the hospital, they gave me a Build-a-Bear,” she said. “As I opened the box, I realized it was one of my bears I had created. I cried because I couldn’t believe it.”

The bear really helped her through surgery, chemo and recovery. It also gave her a resolve to continue to be a part of the project when she returned to school in the fall of 2017.

“I saw it as a sign from God,” she said. “He was telling me that it doesn’t matter what you’re going through, you will get through it. The project also showed me that people actually care for you.”

Barrera and others like her is the reason Alex Diaz decided to donate $400 to the project. The UTEP student is a tutor at the high school and graduated from El Dorado four years ago.

“It might not mean much to others, but these bears bring a little bit of joy to the kids,” Diaz said. “It can make a big difference to them. They know someone cares. I enjoy helping. It’s a beautiful experience and hopefully it will bring a smile to a child’s face.”

To view more pictures of the event, courtesy SISD, click here.

The El Dorado High School yearbook club, Aztec Gold, is being recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for winning a Crown Award for its 2016-2017 publication.

The Crown Award is the highest honor that CSPA at Columbia University awards its members.

El Dorado’s yearbook titled “Altered” was one of only 51 print yearbooks (middle and high school) in the nation to win the award. The school is now a finalist for the Gold Crown Award.

“I’m so proud of my students and what they have accomplished by receiving this prestigious recognition,” said Vanessa Martinez, journalism teacher and yearbook advisor. “I’m incredibly honored and humbled to receive this award on behalf of last year’s yearbook staff. They poured their heart, efforts, tears, and dreams into “Altered” and I couldn’t be happier.”

Publications were judged on design, photography, concept, coverage and writing. A total of 1,100 publications were judged in this year’s contest.

“It feels great to know our yearbook has received national recognition,” said Xytlali Compean, copy editor for the El Dorado yearbook. “I was in shock when I heard we won, not because I didn’t believe we could win, but because I know how hard it is to do so. All of our late nights and hard work paid off.”

The yearbook team, 50 members strong, is committed to reaching the highest standards expected of student journalists, Martinez said.

“These students take telling the stories very seriously,” she said. “In this program, we want our work to be great… our team mentality keeps us working hard until the last deadline.”

Compean agreed that creating a yearbook requires time and dedication.

“Yearbook is not just something you just do in class,” she said. “You have to attend afterschool activities, you stare at a screen all day and you are constantly reading the same piece over and over to check for mistakes, but seeing the end product makes it all worth it.”

This is the second time in the school’s history that Aztec Gold has earned the award. The school won its first Crown Award in 2012 with its book titled “The Legend.” It was the first yearbook in district history to receive the award.

Crown winners will be recognized at the CSPA ceremony March 2018 in New York City, where an announcement of Gold and Silver Crown recipients will be made. 

In a battle between two of SISD’s – and the Borderland’s – top football teams, Pebble Hills and El Dorado, 4 quarters of football action was just enough to settle the newfound rivalry.

The game, which was a barn-burner for the second half featured a remarkable comeback by the Spartans that was cut short by the play of the Aztecs.

Our very own Andres Acosta was there, and brings you his view of the game in this ‘Story in Many Pics.’

The International Baccalaureate program at El Dorado High School is now accepting out-of-district transfers, which allows incoming freshman or sophomore students from throughout the region to apply for the world-class, rigorous curriculum that develops inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young adults.

The unique program offers students a challenging program of international education and rigorous assessment preparing them to be compassionate, lifelong learners in an ever-changing global society. It is the only program that allows students to earn dual credit for Tier 1, Ivy League and international universities.

“In IB you have the opportunity to get college credit for Ivy League schools … so it is a rare opportunity for our students,” El Dorado principal Cynthia Retana said. “It also prepares them for global learning. Students can go on to college in other countries after they go through the IB program.”

The IB program is recognized globally, which makes it an attractive option for students from military families who may move anywhere in the world. The IB program credits from El Dorado transfer to any other IB program in the world and the dual credits allow students to be ahead of the game even at universities abroad.

In addition, the El Dorado IB program is free. It allows students an exceptional opportunity to gain the awareness, perspectives and commitments necessary for global engagement and success.

“The most important thing El Dorado provided me was the IB program, which has made me more than just a student that gets good grades,” said Christian Tiscareno, a 2017 graduate of the El Dorado IB program. “It has taught me important things that have really opened up my mind and has really made me feel confident in saying that I do feel college ready.”

Freshmen and sophomores will take pre-IB courses that prepare them for success in the IB Diploma Programme courses that they take during their junior and senior year.

The program requires students to complete an 18-month log of community service commitments, an extended essay with extensive research and exploration, and completion of a Theory of Knowledge course and essay that must be presented with a variety of support materials and media.

IB students work together in a close-knit learning environment, completing community service projects and taking college trips together.

“It is an incredible program, and it’s not just academically driven, it is community-service based and research-skills based,” said Paulina Hernandez, El Dorado social studies teacher and IB program coordinator. “We also encourage our students who are in extracurricular activities to apply for IB. They don’t have to give that up to be in the program.”

To apply for the El Dorado IB program, please contact Paulina Hernandez at pherna07@sisd.net or call the school at(915) 937-3386 or click HERE.

El Dorado High School will host a special reception to recognize the winners of the Metamorphosis: Trash to Treasure art contest on April 23 at the International Museum of Art.

The contest, which is part of the It’s Your World community art project, asked participants to create art work with recycled material and help raise awareness about environmental conservation. More than 440 art submissions ranging in four different category levels — elementary, middle, high school, and adults — were submitted; of those 116 pieces were selected to be part of the art show. The art show was open to members of the El Paso, Juarez and Las Cruces community.

Candace Printz, art teacher at the school and event organizer, said she was impressed with the art work and grateful to have such a great number of diverse artists participate in the event.

“This has been a great learning process for me and my students,” Printz said. “We have grown artistically and have become like a family working together to make this event successful. We are really invested in this and grateful that the community came forward to participate. I hope it continues next year.”

The gallery will be open to the public from 1-4 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Prior to the gallery viewing, art show winners will have a private showing with Chelsea Clinton. She visited El Dorado High School last school year to honor Printz for winning the Its Your World community project contest sponsored by Barnes & Noble.

Clinton told Printz and El Dorado High School that she would return for the opening of the art show.

Winners of the art contest will earn cash-value prizes, and have their artwork showcased at the International Museum of Art until May 3. The art will continue to be displayed in Juarez and Las Cruces in separate showings. Several art pieces will be for sale. Artists will donate 50 percent of their proceeds to local non-profit organizations such as the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC), the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Humane Society of El Paso.

The opening reception will include refreshments and live music. El Dorado students will display statistics and data of items they found in the area deserts during their clean-up project. They created art work with the items they found. The Environmental Services Department will give a presentation about items that can and cannot be recycled, and non-profit organizations will have informational booths.

What:             El Dorado High School art contest Metamorphosis: Trash to Treasure opening reception, art showing with Chelsea Clinton

Who:               El Dorado students, art contest winners, Chelsea Clinton, local non-profits, community members, sponsors and donors, SISD administration, faculty

Where:           International Museum of Art, 1211 Montana Ave.

When:             Sunday, April 23, 2017  10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. private party with Chelsea Clinton

1:30 p.m. awards ceremony

1-4 p.m. opening reception, open to the public

As has become a tradition, area high school baseball teams get a taste of the pros, as they’re able to play a game at Southwest University Park, home of the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Thursday night, Socorro took on El Dorado and our very own Andres Acosta was there to capture all the action.

El Dorado High School invites the El Paso, Juarez and Las Cruces community to participate in the school’s art contest, Metamorphosis: Trash to Treasure, to raise awareness about environmental concerns.

The contest, which is part of the It’s Your World community art project, will allow participants to work with recycled material to make creative art. Winners will earn cash-value prizes, participate in a meet-and-greet with Chelsea Clinton, and have their artwork showcased at the International Museum of Art.

Contest guidelines can be found in the It’s Your World project website and click on the Competition link.

Artists may participate by submitting a photo of the artwork before midnight, March 31 to itsyourworldproject@gmail.com

Award winners will be announced during a reception at 1:30 p.m. April 23 at the International Museum of Art.

For more information, contact Candie Printz by phone at 731-6271 or by e-mail at itsyourworldproject@gmail.com

What:         El Dorado High School art contest Metamorphosis: Trash to Treasure

Who:          El Paso, Juarez and Las Cruces community

Where:       International Museum of Art, 1211 Montana Ave

When:        Entry deadline: Midnight, March 31

Academic officials with The University of Texas at El Paso have been visiting schools throughout the area, handing out academic scholarships, however one Socorro ISD school has had more awards than most.

Thirty-four El Dorado High School students have received UTEP academic scholarships, the most in the city and the most in the school’s history.

Nine students at Mission Early College High School and 13 at Socorro High School also will receive scholarships.

The seniors at each high school who have won scholarships will be able to begin using them for the 2017 fall semester. SISD students collectively have earned some $1.1 million in the university’s Scholars Excellence Program.

In presentations that took place earlier this week, 19 Montwood High School students and eight Eastlake High School students were surprised with UTEP academic scholarships. At Americas High School, 17 students earned scholarships, as well.

UTEP’s Scholars Excellence Program recipients are selected based on their scholastic aptitude test scores, grade point average, student ranking and leadership skills.

El Dorado High School students, staff and community members have been working on a “trash to art” project that won the school national recognition for their commitment to clean-up the environment.

El Dorado art teacher Candace Printz, who won Barnes & Noble’s national community-oriented project inspired by Clinton’s “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!” book, has been leading the clean-up effort in the El Paso desert. The goal is to transform the trash into art and showcase the pieces in a traveling gallery exhibit later this school year.

Printz, her students, El Dorado teachers and staff and the community have spent Saturdays scouring a four-mile stretch of Montana Avenue picking up everything, including hundreds of cigarette butts, a television, high school diplomas and, even $10.

“We have seen some really interesting things,” Printz said. “We have been getting a lot of help. It’s amazing because it has been El Dorado students and teachers, robotic students, people from EPCC (El Paso Community College) and from non-profits who are helping out. The word is spreading. I am really excited.”

The inspiration for the “trash to art” project occurred when Printz and her art club kids saw how new development, especially off Montana, was affecting the local landscape.

“We noticed tons of trash and debris had blown into the desert,” Printz said. “It just looked horrible. The students didn’t like it and I didn’t like it. That is not how we wanted our area to be represented. We thought ‘Why don’t we be inspired by sculptors in the world who have taken trash and turned it into art.’ We want to make a difference.”

When Printz saw a brochure at Barnes & Noble that asked teachers nationwide to submit a project that would help their community, she submitted the “trash to art” idea.

“It was just amazing,” Printz said. “I thought they were choosing multiple people throughout the U.S. Then I find out we were the sole winners. From all over the United States, they chose our project in El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas.”

Besides a $100 gift card from the book giant, the high school also received a visit from Clinton, daughter of former President Bill and Sen. Hilary Clinton. Her book asked U.S. citizens to find things to make the world a better place. El Dorado’s project fit that criteria perfectly, Clinton said during her visit last April.

“I am really glad that schools like this exist,” Clinton said. “It gives me hope for the future.”

Now that the project has kicked off, Printz and her students are planning more cleanups through the end of October. They also will be sorting, washing and counting all the collected trash.

“We need a lot of help with what we have picked up already,” Printz said, who is planning sorting and washing Saturdays in November. “There is so much stuff.”

Artist workshops will be scheduled in November and December to help those interested in creating trash art.

“It’s going to be a competition and we will give away prizes,” Printz said. “We will have elementary, middle, high school and adult categories.”

But the main goal of the project is to educate and bring awareness of the current condition that illegal dumping has on the El Paso desert and its long term effects on the environment, she said.

“We want to educate the community to get involved and help clean the environment,” Printz added.

The art pieces created will be showcased at different galleries to demonstrate the art, show the environmental consequences and instill a sense of pride in the city,” Printz said.

The art will be available for purchase, with the proceeds benefiting the community groups who have helped collect the trash, including the Humane Society of El Paso, the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The first trash to art exhibit is expected to be open April 2017, in celebration of Earth Day.

In addition to the “It’s Your World” project, Printz also is planning free workshops to teach the community how to turn trash to art. The classes will be funded through a $5,000 grant Printz received from the City of El Paso’s Museum of Cultural Affairs Department.

“The benefits of recycling will play a large role in these workshops,” Printz said. “I plan to use the grant money to hire artists for the citywide workshops and buy the art supplies needed. My students will be assisting me throughout this process and can attend any of the workshops for free.”

For more information on “It’s Your World” project: email Printz at cprint@sisd.net or click HERE

El Dorado High School has been selected as an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) National Demonstration School, a model for the non-profit organization whose goal is to close the achievement gap and prepare all students for college and other postsecondary opportunities.

The Socorro Independent School District campus is one of 31 in Texas and 140 nationally to have the distinction.

“I am extremely honored to be part of an organization like this,” said El Dorado Principal Cindy Retana. “It speaks volumes of the great things that go on at El Dorado. It makes you feel so proud of all the work teachers have put into the school, into the classroom and into the kids.”

The school was selected through an application process, a screening and a review that included a local visit. Now, as part of the demonstration site network, the Aztecs will get visits from schools worldwide who will come to observe a highly evolved AVID system.

“El Dorado was selected as an AVID National Demonstration School because it has implemented the AVID system throughout the school and can serve as a model for new sites,” said AVID Chief Executive Officer Sandy Husk, on the significance of attaining demonstration site status.

AVID is implemented in approximately 5,000 schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and 16 other countries/territories and impacts more than 800,000 students annually in grades K-12 and postsecondary institutions.