Zendejas named Superintendent

At a Special Called Board Meeting held on Thursday, June 25, 2015, the Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Esperanza Zendejas to lead the Rio Grande Valley’s largest school district. Zendejas was previously named the lone superintendent finalist on June 2. She had been serving as the Interim Superintendent since February 16. View the release

BISD to Offer More Pre-K Access

A total of 10 BISD elementary campuses will offer universal pre-kindergarten programs as the result of House Bill 731. The legislation redirects savings from BISD early graduates towards the funding of additional pre-kinder slots. The 10 campuses are Canales, Egly, Hudson, Martin, Palm Grove, Paredes, Pullam, Skinner, Victoria Heights, and Yturria.

Oliveira to Receive Musical Instruments

Oliveira Middle School will soon receive several musical instruments valued at $37,600, thanks to a generous donation by The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. With many music programs across the county losing vital funding, the foundation helps under-served schools that do not have adequate funds to purchase or repair instruments. An application for support was submitted by Gaspar Garcia, the Oliveira Band Director, and the foundation found the program to be a worthwhile investment, allowing more students to be able to play and experience the benefits of music education.

Ortiz Sets Example

Ortiz Elementary School was recently highlighted on the Texas Education Agency website as a best practices case study. Ortiz, a High Performing and High Progress Title I Reward School, was recognized for excellence in critical areas such as academic performance, teacher quality, school climate, and leadership effectiveness. View the results of the study conducted at Ortiz Elementary in November of 2014.

BECHS Student Wins Car

Marcela Salazar, a 2015 Brownsville Early College High School, won the 2015 Mazda Hatchback in the BISD Student Attendance Contest drawing held on Wednesday, June 17 at Cardenas Motors in Brownsville. Salazar was one of the 14 finalists, 2 from each high school, who were pre-selected from a pool of eligible students. Interim Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas drew Salazar’s number at an event attended by BISD students, parents and employees, Cardenas personnel, and local dignitaries. The Cardenas Mazda Car Giveaway was the grand finale to the year-long contest designed to improve student attendance and enrollment. Three additional prizes were awarded to the runners-up. Congratulations to Travis Joel Cortez from Hanna ECHS who won a 40” Smart TV; Katelynn Quezada from Pace ECHS who won a Microsoft Surface Tablet; and Ana Fernanda Martinez from Veterans Memorial ECHS who won Dr. Dre Beats.

ES/MS Grand Prize Bundles Awarded

Twelve BISD elementary and middle school students won grand prize bundles in the Believe in BISD Student Attendance drawing held on Wednesday, June 18 in the Sunrise Mall Food Court. Interim Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas drew the winning numbers for the bundles which were valued at over $2,000 each. The Canales Elementary School Conjunto performed and Dr. Zendejas and Board Trustees awarded the prizes. Congratulations to Arely Martinez, Castaneda ES; Yahir Segura, Del Castillo ES; Cezar A. Flores, Benavides ES; Alice Marie Hepolito, Sharp ES; Bailey Garza, Benavides ES; Kevin Martinez, Garza ES; Rafael R. Chairez, Pena ES; Felipe A. Vela, Morningside ES; Ruben E. Morales, Faulk MS; Andrea P. Etheard, Perkins MS; Derek Alvarado, Oliveira MS; and Diego Rico, Faulk MS. Another 12 elementary and middle school students received bikes.

Graduation Guideline

We kindly ask our 2015 high school graduates and their families and friends to refrain from bringing foil helium balloons to the Sams Stadium graduation ceremonies. When they are released, foil balloons can wrap around power lines and cause an electrical outage. This occurred during one of the district’s earlier graduation ceremonies according to Brownsville Public Utilities Bureau. Thank you for assisting us. We want to make each BISD graduation ceremony at Sams Stadium a wonderful experience for our 2015 graduates.

BISD Summer Break

Brownsville ISD will follow an abbreviated summer administrative work schedule beginning on Monday, June 15 through Friday, July 31, 2015. The administrative offices will be open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm on Monday through Thursday and 8 am to 12 noon on Friday. The BISD offices will be closed on Monday, June 29 through Friday, July 3, 2015 for summer break.

Public Meeting to Discuss Budget and Proposed Tax Rate

Brownsville ISD will hold a public meeting on Thursday, June 25 at 5:30 pm in the Administration Boardroom, 1900 Price Road, to discuss the school district’s budget that will determine the tax rate that will be adopted. Public participation in the discussion is invited. View more information.

Four BISD Bands Advance in Region 28

Brownsville ISD bands captured 4 of the 6 top spots at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region 28 Honor Band Competition held in Harlingen on Thursday, June 11. Pace ECHS, and Lucio, Oliveira, and Besteiro Middle Schools were selected to advance to area competition in their respective divisions. The Manzano Band ranked 4th and the Stillman Band ranked 5th. Best of luck to the Besteiro, Oliveira, Lucio and Pace bands when they compete in the TMEA Area Honor Band Competition on June 25 in New Braunfels, Texas.

Operation Lone Star Will Offer Health Services in July

Operation Lone Star will offer health services on Monday, July 27- Friday, July 31 at Manzano Middle School, located at 258 W. Alton Gloor Boulevard. Brownsville residents who visit Manzano will receive a range of free health services including immunizations for children, sports physicals, and diabetic, blood pressure, vision and hearing screenings. Operation Lone Star is an annual joint military and civil humanitarian medical mission. The purpose of this collaborative effort is to conduct Medical Innovative Readiness Training Exercises while simultaneously providing free medical services to residents of the Rio Grande Valley. Operation Lone Star has provided free health services to Brownsville citizens for many years. View more information.

One BISD Student Will Win a New Car

One lucky BISD high school student will win a bright red, shiny new 2015 Mazda 3 Hatchback for good attendance on Wednesday, June 17 at 10 am at Cardenas Motors Brownsville, 1500 North Expressway. The Cardenas Mazda Student Attendance Car Giveaway is the grand finale to a year-long contest designed to improve student attendance and enrollment. A total of 14 student finalists, 2 from each high school, were pre-drawn at an earlier date to ensure their eligibility. Dr. Esperanza Zendejas, BISD Interim Superintendent, will draw one of the 14 numbers making one finalist the instant owner of a new car. Additional prizes will be awarded to the 1st-3rd Runners-up. Local dignitaries, Mazda and Cardenas representatives, and BISD students and personnel will be in the audience to show their support. The Rivera Early College High School Drumline will perform. BISD sincerely thanks Cardenas Mazda for generously supporting our students and schools by donating the 2015 Mazda 3.

Good Attendance Earns Rewards for ES/MS Students

Several BISD elementary and middle school students will win grand prize bundles in the Believe in BISD Student Attendance Contest drawing to be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 3 pm in the Sunrise Mall Food Court. A total of 96 finalists, 2 per school, were pre-drawn at an earlier date to ensure their eligibility. Interim Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas, will draw the numbers for the winners of the prize bundles which contain items such as a bike, Smart TV, Dr. Dre Beats, computer tablet, etc. Each prize bundle is valued at $2,000. The Canales Elementary School Conjunto will perform and BISD Board Trustees will help award the prizes. Good attendance pays off in BISD!

BECHS Wins Big Idea Award

The Brownsville Early College High School was one of 3 schools in the United States to win the first “Big Problems, Big Ideas” competition, a national program launched by The Taylor Wilson Family Foundation to encourage students to propose solutions to some of the issues that continue to challenge schools across the country. The winning schools each received $3,500. View the media release.

Fire Poster Contest Winners Recognized

Representatives of the Brownsville Fire Department recognized BISD elementary and middle school students who placed in the annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest at an awards ceremony held on Wednesday, June 8 in the Central Administrative Building cafeteria. The event was hosted by the BISD Fine Arts Department. View the students’ names and their awards.

Hanna Student Chosen for Science/Technology Congress

Cody Perez, a junior at Homer Hanna Early College High School of Brownsville, has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston, MA on June 28-June 30, 2015. The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who are passionate about science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be scientists and technologists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal. View the media release.

Eat For Free at BISD

Summer is here but the meals continue! BISD Food and Nutrition Services will provide free meals to children 0-18 years of age at several designated school and community sites in Brownsville. The free meals are not limited to BISD students. Anyone 18 years of age or younger is welcome to eat for free. The program begins at most locations on Tuesday, June 9. To encourage participation, children can also enter a contest to win great prizes. Chances to win are multiplied when children eat two meals a day at any of the designated sites. Drawings will be held every Monday beginning June 15 until June 29. Adults may purchase a meal at the nominal cost of $2.00 for breakfast and $3.50 for lunch. Fresh fruit, cold milk, healthy breakfast, and nutritious lunches are all available for free. Call (956) 548-8450 to learn more. View the BISD Summer Feeding sites, dates, and times. English | Spanish

Zendejas Named Lone Finalist

The Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees has named Dr. Esperanza Zendejas as the lone superintendent finalist at the Regular Board Meeting held on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Zendejas has been serving as the Interim Superintendent since February 16, having replaced Dr. Carl Montoya who assumed the leadership position in Judson ISD. State law requires a 21-day waiting period following the naming of a lone finalist before the Board can officially extend a contract. View the media release.

Student Athletes Earn Cavazos Scholarships

Congratulations to the BISD student athletes who received Johnny N. and Nena S. Cavazos Athletic Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each. The 2015 Cavazos Scholarships were awarded to 5 students from each BISD high school at the BISD Board Meeting held on Tuesday, June 2. Mr. and Mrs. Cavazos generously funded an athletic endowment that has provided funds to graduating districts athletes for several years. View the 2015 Cavazos Scholarship recipients.

Boys Coach of the Year

Rivera ECHS Football Coach Tom Chavez and Rivera ECHS Soccer Coach Salvador Garcia are finalists for the boys coach of the year honors at the eighth annual RGVSports.com and Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards ceremony set for Tuesday, June 9. Read the article in the Brownsville Herald here.

View the BISD Graduations Live Online

The 2015 BISD Early College High School graduations that are held at Sams Stadium will be streamed live on the district’s homepage at www.bisd.us for viewing by friends and family members who are unable to attend. This will also give military personnel from Brownsville who are on active duty an opportunity to see their loved ones graduate. The commencement ceremonies held at Sams Stadium will be streamed live beginning at 7:30 pm according to the schedule listed below. Hanna ECHS................................Tuesday, June 9 Veterans Memorial ECHS….Wednesday, June 10 Pace ECHS……………………Thursday, June 11 Lopez ECHS……………………..Friday, June 12 Porter ECHS…………………...Saturday, June 13 Rivera ECHS………………...….Sunday, June 14