Ortiz Earns Silver Award

Ortiz Elementary School won the Silver 2015 National Excellence in Urban Education Award. The announcement was made at the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUT) awards ceremony held in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, May 21. Dr. Esperanza Zendejas and Melissa Werbiski, Ortiz's principal, accepted the award which included $2,500. Benavides and Breeden Elementary were named Bronze award recipients and Paredes Elementary was named to the Honor Roll. The BISD schools were among 24 schools selected from across the United States as finalists for these distinguished national awards. The national finalists all serve low-income communities with an array of challenges but still boast achievement results that exceed state averages for all students. Congratulations to the Ortiz, Breeden, Benavides, and Paredes students, parents, and employees for earning these prestigious national honors.