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Earlier this month, officials with the San Elizario Independent School District announced that the San Elizario ISD Board of Trustees were selected as one of the regional nominees for the 2020 Texas Association of School Administrators Board of the Year.

A TASA Committee composed of Texas Superintendents will have the task of selecting five Honor Boards.  The top five Honor Boards will then proceed to interview for the honor of TASA Outstanding School Board of the Year.

Board of Trustees include: President Mrs. Sandra Licon, Vice President Irene Jaquez, Secretary Fernie Madrid, Mr. Eduardo Chavez, Mrs. Michelle Garcia, Mrs. Myrna Hernandez, and Ms. Becky Romero.

President Licon states, “Congratulations fellow Trustees.  A board dedicated and committed to representing the vision and values of our community. Proud of our Team!”

The San Elizario ISD is one of twelve schools district in the Region 19 area of El Paso and Hudspeth counties.

The San Elizario ISD Trustees were selected in the large district category and the Tornillo ISD Trustees were selected for the small district category.

Other nominees are listed below:

• Region 1 – McAllen ISD Board of Trustees

• Region 3 – Calhoun County ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 4 – Sheldon ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 5 – Vidor ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 7 – Whitehouse ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 9 – Throckmorton Collegiate ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 10 – Mesquite ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 11 – Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 12 – Temple ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 13 – Pflugerville ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 16 – Dumas ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 19 (large district category) – San Elizario ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 19 (small district category) – Tornillo ISD Board of Trustees

On Tuesday, San Elizario ISD officials announced that their Board of Trustees has earned the team certificate for completing the Lone Star Governance Workshop.

The LSG Governance Workshop is a two-day training where all Board of Trustees in collaboration with the Superintendent engaged in identifying adult behaviors that need to change in order to improve student outcomes.

“Since the Board of Trustees accepted the invitation to become a member of the Inaugural LSG Exemplar Cohort in October of 2018, through a needs assessment process, they have worked tirelessly to identify district goals that focus on improving mathematics, reading, and college and career military readiness,” officials shared via a web post. “In addition, they have committed to continue increasing the time spent on goal progress monitoring every month to include quarterly self-evaluations.”

Training and guidance from ESC Region 19 Lone Star Governance Coach, Monica Jaloma, also provided in depth perspective and personal reflection with additional support from TEA Deputy Commissioner, AJ Crabill.  He states, “student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change.”

Officials added that the Board’s focus on goal progress monitoring has demonstrated “positive gains,” as the district’s latest accountability rating of a B with an 86 is a 3-point gain from last year.

The distinction of earning the team certificate also commemorates the journey of Trustees to identify the vision and values of students, faculty, staff, and community by engaging in campus and community meetings and establishing a two-way communication.

Current Board Trustees recognize the contributions of previous trustees whose participation assisted in making the necessary gains throughout the LSG framework: Mr. Ramon Holguin, Mr. Antonio Araujo, Mr. Armando Martinez, Mr. Ramon Rojas, and Staff Sergeant Norman B. Harrison.

In a weekly state poll of 4A Coaches, the San Elizario Eagles made their mark, with the team ranked 22nd out of 189 4A teams.

This distinct honor is something Coach David Desrosiers welcomes as he continues to have the Lady Eagles ranked.

The San Elizario High School Volleyball team is led by team captains senior Maryann Torres who says, “This team is special because of each player’s individual commitment to the team has elevated the overall team’s ability to achieve” and junior Desiree Morales who agrees “Our team’s unity is our strength. Our teamwork and collaboration are allowing us to achieve more as a team than any of us could achieve on our individual talent.”  Both girls have played varsity since they were freshmen.

Coach Desrosiers began coaching in 2002 through 2008 in San Elizario and then held the varsity coaching position at Horizon from 2008 – 2015 and retuned to San Elizario in 2015.

“This is one of the best teams I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. The girls are awesome to work with. The opportunity to coach at San Elizario with the support we receive from both the campus and district administration promotes success,” Desrosiers said.

Coach added that he is “proud the team is not only experiencing success on the court, but also being recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for their Outstanding Academic Performance in classroom.”

Other members and playing positions of the Lady Eagles include seniors: 21 – Maryann Torres (Librero); 5   – Destiny Loya (Defensive Specialist); 12 – Joselyn Reyes (Setter); 14 – Nayeli Ochoa (Outside Hitter); 15 – Camila Contreras (Middle Blocker) and juniors 1  – Maryanne Tapia (Setter); 4  – Desiree Morales (Outside Hitter); 6  – Anissa Chairez (Opposite) and sophomores 3  – Victoria Perez (Opposite); 7  – Brianna Montero (Defensive Specialist); 10 – Victoria Lopez (Defensive Specialist); 11  – Arlette Becerra (Middle Blocker) with the help of Manager Miguel Rodriguez, a junior.

Most recently, the members of the Varsity volleyball team ranked 10th in the El Paso area by the El Paso Times on August 28th and continue to be ranked 10th the week of September 4th.

On Monday, San Elizario ISD officials announced the winners in their 4th annual STEM Tank Innovator Competition.

Students were asked to submit an “invention,” which they create using components that already exist, or an “innovation,” which they create from scratch.

While the projects were based on global issues, students were encouraged to think about what they perceive as needed, based on their own passions. The teams consisted of 2 to 4 students, practicing what SEISD officials call the ’21st Century Skill of collaboration.’

Third through 6th grade students from Alarcon, Borrego, and Sambrano Elementary competed for the top innovator award by presenting their prototypes with an elevator pitch.

“This hands-on, collaborative learning makes academic vocabulary come to life, as well as real world issues,” District officials shared. “the experience helped students to further develop and refine their presentation skills in addition to building confidence in a supportive, fun environment. ”

In the 3rd and 4th grade category, the top innovators were:

* 1st Place – Borrego Elementary:  Michal Hernandez, Gabrielle Hernandez, Anissa Herrera, and Vienna Azua
* 2nd Place – Alarcon Elementary:  Jose Montoya, Ismael, and Saul Marquez
* 3rd Place – Alarcon Elementary:  Yazbeth Otero

In the 5th and 6th grade category, the top innovators were:

* 1st Place – Alarcon Elementary:  Evelyn Woods & Sofia Alvarez
* 2nd Place – Borrego Elementary:  Jessica Arzaga, Gina Acevedo, Bryanna Moreno, and Sofia Jimenez
*3rd Place – Alarcon Elementary:  Andrea Gonzalez, Mariana Morales, and Elizabeth Martinez

The competition took place on May 30, 2019

On May 11, 2019, Sophomore Edwin Gomez made San Elizario proud.  He brought home a bronze medal in the 3200m, a gold in the 800m, and a bronze in the 1600m at the UIL Track and Field State Championship in Austin, TX. 

His coach had this to say about him. “Edwin has always believed he can compete against anyone not only across the state but anyone across the nation, and due to that he always works to be the best and is never satisfied with his accomplishments, he always looking to work harder to get better results.”

This was not his first trip to the winners’ podium.  Edwin also runs for the Cross Country Team.

In the last two years at San Elizario High School, he has made it to State competition in both sports, and has brought home 9 State Medals.

In 2017, he won 2 gold medals for Cross Country, one as an individual and one as part of the team.  In 2018, Edwin, he earned 2 medals for Cross Country, a Silver and Bronze.

In 2018, he also brought home 2 Gold medals in the 1600m and 3200m for Track. And then again this spring, he brought home 3 medals for his Track competition.

In addition to his State accomplishments, Edwin is only the second person to qualify to the Nike Cross Country invitational in the history of El Paso County.  He competed in the Nike race in Portland, Oregon on December 1, 2018.  He qualified to the Nike race by placing 5^th in the Nike Regionals in Houston, TX, competing against over 380 athletes from Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Texas.

Not only an athlete, Edwin is a student athlete, taking AP and Pre-AP courses.  He is 81^st out of 271 students with a current GPA is 89.16.

When asked what keeps him motivated on and off the track, Edwin responded “What keeps me motivated to keep moving forward is my family, coaches and especially my grandmother who passed away the first cross country competition this school year.  Before she passed away I promised her I would do my best in everything even though it might take some time to achieve.  Moreover, one of the goals I have is to be able to run at Oregon University even though it might be a long shot I will always try my best.”

With two more years to go at San Elizario High School, this young man is a force to watch out for. We know he will bring more accolades to San Elizario.

The San Elizario High School Eagles made it a perfect weekend in the Texas state soccer tournament defeating Stephenville 4-2

Gallery and Photos by David Lord, Special to the Herald Post.

The San Elizario High School Eagles defeated Argyle 2-1 Friday to advance to the next round of the UIL boy’s soccer championship.

Gallery and Photos by David Lord, Special to the Herald Post.

Friday afternoon, the Stephenville High School Yellowjackets defeated the San Elizario High School Eagles 8 to 1.   This was the San Eli girls team’s first trip to the Sweet 16.

Gallery and Photos by David Lord, Special to the Herald Post.

For the past 16 years, San Elizario ISD’s Garcia-Enriquez Middle School (GEMS) has participated in the El Paso Do The Write Thing (DTWT) Challenge.

Over 7,000 students in the El Paso County participated in this year’s Challenge and only 40 were selected as semi-finalists.

Among those 40 were Alexa Piñones, Darlene Silva, and Evelyn Trejo— all 8^th graders at GEMS. Their writing demonstrated critical thinking abilities, creativity, and most importantly, offered solutions to the issue of violence.

“This Challenge gives our students the opportunity to have a voice against violence,” said Brenda Jara, Instructional Specialist at GEMS.

“We would like to congratulate these talented writers and also their teacher, Soledad Gonzalez, for preparing them with classroom discussions and projects by implementing the DTWT Challenge into her lessons which resulted in powerful essays.”

A recognition ceremony honoring student semi-finalists, their parents, district liaisons, teachers, principals, and superintendents will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Physical Science Building #115 at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Two students will be announced as national finalists at the ceremony.

The national finalists, a parent, and a teacher are each awarded an expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. where they will attend the national ‘Do the Write Thing’ leadership activities.

A total of 220 third graders from San Elizario ISD’s elementary schools received a free dictionary courtesy of Kirk Robison, Chairman of Pizza Properties, Inc. and owner and operator of El Paso’s Peter Piper Pizza restaurants.

For over a decade, Robison has donated dictionaries to third grade students from across the El Paso County. It is an annual tradition he enjoys doing each year.

“The distribution of dictionaries to students is one more component to the Partner in Education program that Peter Piper Pizza is proud to do for El Paso area kids,” Robison said.

“Peter Piper Pizza’s Partner in Education program is designed to help educators help our kids reach their dreams and the dictionaries are one more way we hope to make a difference in a child’s education.”

Alarcon Elementary Assistant Principal, Leticia De Santos, said the dictionaries will certainly come in handy for third graders.

“These dictionaries are a valuable tool that will help students in their studies both in the classroom and at home,” De Santos said.

“They will also help students enrich their vocabulary skills. We are always very appreciative of Mr. Robison’s donation year after year,” she added.

A group of National Honor Society (NHS) members from San Elizario High School (SEHS) had the privilege to attend the Leadership Experience and Development (LEAD) conference in Washington, D.C.

“This is the first time our NHS students take a trip like this,” said Wendy Valdes, Physics teacher at SEHS. “As an adviser, it was wonderful to see my students take part in this conference and also experience the history and culture of Washington, D.C. I know they will remember this trip for the rest of their lives.”

The primary focus of the conference is to help students and advisers sharpen their leadership skills, improve school culture and community, and network with peers from all over the U.S.

Students had the opportunity to attend individual workshops that focused on topics such as leadership, student voice, civic engagement, and service.

“This was an eye-opening experience for me,” said Lorenzo Leyva, junior at SEHS. “I met and collaborated with peers from different states, explored the city, rode the subway for the first time, and realized that decisions made in D.C. can affect us here at home in San Eli. I came back with some really good ideas that can help out our school and community.”

After the conference, the group got to visit the National Archives, the Smithsonian Museum of U.S. History, the Washington and Lincoln Memorials, and the Holocaust Museum. They also got free tours of the Capitol and the White House courtesy of Congressman Will Hurd.

The LEAD conference is open to NHS members from across the country. Initially there were 15 students from SEHS that were eligible to attend but due to athletics, academics, or other prior commitments, only nine were able to go.

The conference and tour was held earlier this month, from February 1^st through 3rd, 2019.

Stepping into a classroom and teaching for the very first time can be quite nerve-wracking for most new teachers, but thanks to San Elizario Independent School District’s (SEISD) new program that may be a thing of the past.

With SEISD’s ‘First Year Teacher Academy,’ teachers can flourish and grow in their profession using several techniques.

The goal is to increase teacher effectiveness and higher teacher retention. First year teachers are provided with ongoing professional development throughout the year from the instructional team as well as a seasoned campus mentor.

“The life of a first year teacher can be overwhelming because they learn everything from curriculum to Human Resources to technology,” said Debbie Cortez, Instructional Officer at SEISD.

“Participating in a solid induction program, such as the First Year Teacher Academy, can make the transition a bit easier and provide our teachers with the time and support to succeed,” Cortez added.

The First Year Teacher Academy helps new teachers receive professional development in areas such as Classroom Management, Behavior, Stress Management, Rituals & Routines, and getting ready for the first day.

“I am glad SEISD has this Academy for new teachers because it is definitely helpful and beneficial,” said Daniel Morrow, Science teacher at San Elizario High School.

“It has taught me to include various activities and games to keep students engaged and always learning. I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher because of this Academy.”

This week, officials with the San Elizario Independent School District (SEISD) rolled out their new music program to all three elementary schools.

Students from Lorenzo G. Alarcon, Alfonso Borrego Sr., and Josefa L. Sambrano Elementary schools will get to learn how to play a musical instrument for the very first time and also understand the basic fundamentals of music.

“Having music in our elementary schools will help introduce students to music at an earlier age with the hopes of growing our fine arts program at the secondary level,” said Dr. Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Superintendent at SEISD. “In addition, it will also help support an already rich, artistic San Elizario ISD community.”

“Our students are really excited to learn about music and how to incorporate it into their daily school routines,” said Genesis Lopez, music teacher at Sambrano Elementary. “Besides all of the statistics and tests that show that music in the school curriculum enhances tests scores, music is important to students because it lets them express themselves in ways that they cannot do so in other classes or in other activities.”

Faculty and staff from the elementary campuses are thrilled to have music on board and have expressed their desire to help facilitate the new music program.

“We are proud to launch an elementary music program for the 2018-2019 school year, which will soon include our Kindergarten students as well,” said Lisa Renegar, Director of Instructional Programs at SEISD. “We want to give our children one more reason to love school and look forward to coming to class every day.”

Besides learning how to play an instrument, students will also learn about music theory, music terminology, and famous music composers.

Borrego Elementary music teacher, Kevin Elizalde, believes students should keep an open mind when it comes to accepting other genres of music.

“Students should be exposed to all types of music,” Elizalde said. “By getting a taste of the different types of music that there are, they will broaden their music spectrum which will allow them to fall in love with music in general.”

“Music class should never be boring and the expectation is to have students singing, dancing, and playing various instruments on a daily basis,” said James Conrow, music teacher at Alarcon Elementary.

Even though these new, talented music teachers get to build their own music program from scratch, they all share the same goal— to have students gain a better appreciation for music and the benefits of having music as a class.

Construction is underway for more parking spaces at Lorenzo G. Loya Primary School in San Elizario.

“The need for additional parking became a priority for Loya Primary when the City of San Elizario passed an ordinance that prohibits vehicles from parking adjacent to any public school extending 50 feet passed the school property line,” said George Luevano, Director of Support Services at San Elizario ISD. “This means parents can no longer park on the side of the road near or across the primary school. Those who refuse to abide by this ordinance, are subject to citations and fines.”

To help ease the matter, district personnel met with San Elizario ISD’s Board of Trustees and proposed adding more parking to the primary school. After much consideration and review, the Board gave the green light to proceed with the construction project of more parking spaces.

“Approximately 100 new spots will be available for parents,” Luevano said. “It is going to cost us about $420,000 and this money comes from bond savings realized from the original bond projects that were approved by community voters in November 2014.”

Ruby Martinez is the mother of child who attends Loya Primary and she says more parking spaces will make things much easier for her and other parents.

“Every time the school has an awards assembly, parent-teacher conference, or any other school celebration, parking gets extremely full and it sometimes takes us several minutes trying to find a place to park,” Martinez said. “With the upcoming parking lot, we will no longer have to park our vehicles far and make the long walk.”

The project is expected to reach completion February of 2019.

Lorenzo G. Alarcon Elementary is proud to open its doors to students in the Social Work Internship Program from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and El Paso Community College (EPCC).

“We are always so grateful every time UTEP and EPCC sends us interns,” said Nora Garcia, Counselor at Alarcon Elementary. “We love having them here. They serve as additional support to our students, parents, and staff and make an incredible difference in our students’ social and emotional growth. Interns will always be welcomed here with open arms.”

The interns sent to Alarcon Elementary are completing their Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees in Social Work at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. They made the commitment to complete 16 hours of internship per week for a total of 240 hours.

Both UTEP and EPCC have assigned several of their students to complete their internship hours at San Elizario ISD’s Alarcon Elementary.

“So far this experience has been very humbling because I have never worked with kids in a school setting before,” said Diana Romero, a Social Work major at UTEP.

“The environment at Alarcon Elementary is very welcoming and the students and staff are all so friendly and full of energy. I am having a great time here.”

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For residents that may be interested in interning at Alarcon Elementary, please contact Nora Garcia at (915) 872-3930  ext. 3458.