The Children's Parade Live

Watch today's 2015 BISD Children's Parade live on cable channel 17.17 or on YouTube at BISD-KBSD ITV beginning at 2:30 pm without leaving home. View all the action here.

BISD Fiesta Folklorica Has Been Rescheduled

Due to inclement weather, the BISD Charro Days Fiesta Folklorica has been rescheduled from today to Wednesday, February 25 at Sams Stadium at 6 pm. District administrators have been closely monitoring the weather and feel that conditions for the Fiesta Folklorica will be better for students, parents and employees on Wednesday. Thank you for your understanding.

BISD Secondary Scientists Advance to Regionals

Approximately 200 BISD secondary students will be showcasing their district winning projects at the 55th Annual Rio Grande Valley Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RGVRSEF) competition hosted by the University of Texas at Brownsville on Saturday, February 21. Public viewing of projects is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM at the UTB Gran Salon for the high school competition (Senior Division) and at the Sabal Hall for the middle school projects (Junior Division). The Awards Ceremony for the Junior Division will be held at the UTB Student Union Lawn starting at 6:00 PM and the Senior Division will begin at 7:00 PM in the Gran Salon. For more information and site maps, individuals may visit the UTB RGVRSEF website (http://www.utb.edu/vpaa/csmt/rgvrsef/Pages/default.aspx). Students winning 1st through 3rd place in either division will advance to the Texas Science and Engineering Fair in San Antonio, Texas. Senior Division Grand Champions will advance directly to the International competition as well as the Texas State competition.

BISD Students Compete at DI

On Saturday, February 21, hundreds of BISD students of all ages will be competing at the 15th Annual South Border Bridge Regional Destination Imagination Tournament being hosted at PSJA North High School, 500 E. Nolana Loop, Pharr, Texas. The public is welcome to come watch students perform their amazing solutions for their selected challenges. Performances will begin at 8:00 AM and continue throughout the day until the Closing Ceremonies at about 5:30 PM. For more information about the Destination Imagination program, visit www.destinationimagination.org or www.southborder.texasdi.org.

PASOS Parents Graduate

The Brownsville ISD Parental Involvement Department will host a Graduation Ceremony for parents who completed the Parent Academy for Success of School (PASOS) program on Wednesday, March 4 at 6 pm at the Central Administration Building Auditorium. Parents in the PASOS academy participated in 12 weeks of training designed to teach them strategies to assist their children along the educational pathway. PASOS is an initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Mercedes, that has partnered with the Brownsville Independent School District to train parents. The class series culminates in a PASOS graduation ceremony. The PASOS graduation is a celebration that is typically very powerful to parents who may not have a formal education and is an opportunity for children to see their parents as graduates themselves. View the invitation.

BISD Celebrates Its Past

The centennial celebration is on! The Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) turned 100 this year and activities are underway to recognize this significant milestone. The very first official BISD Board Meeting was held in March, 1915, after the district was created with the unanimous approval of House Bill 594 by the Texas House and Senate members. Fittingly, the public is invited to attend a Centennial Reception on Tuesday, March 3 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM in the Lobby of the BISD Administration Building, 1900 Price Road. It would not be a celebration without a birthday cake. Cake and other light refreshments will be served. The Centennial Reception is being held prior to the regularly scheduled Board Meeting at 5:30 P.M. At the Board Meeting, former BISD trustees will be recognized and KBSD TV will air a special anniversary video. View the media release.

Employee Health Screenings

Free biometric health screenings for all full-time BISD employees will be conducted in February, March and April at BISD campuses and departments. Employees are reminded to fast for 10 hours prior to their screenings and water is encouraged. It is important to know your numbers. It could save your life. For questions, call the BISD Employee Benefits/Risk Management/Safety Department at 548-8061 or visit www.wellnessishotstuff.com. View the current schedule of district screenings.

State Swimmers

Four BISD high school swimmers and divers will compete at the UIL State Championship on February 20-21 in Austin. Congratulations to Thady Diaz, Lopez ECHS; Raul Garcia, Hanna ECHS; Maya Imperial, Hanna ECHS; and Jonathon Ashford, Veterans Memorial ECHS. Best of Luck!

BISD Names Interim Superintendent

At a Special Called Meeting held on Monday, February 16, Brownsville ISD Board Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Esperanza Zendejas to serve as the Interim Superintendent of Schools, effective Tuesday, February 17. The appointment came after current Superintendent Dr. Carl A. Montoya notified trustees that he was the sole finalist for the top position in Judson ISD located in northeast San Antonio. View the media release.

A Message from the Superintendent

"It has been my distinct honor to lead this school district for several years. Brownsville ISD is made up of dynamic students, parents, and employees who are truly dedicated and committed to academic success. That combined with strong community support makes for a winning school district. I believe in BISD and ask everyone to continue believing in this vibrant district. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Brownsville community." Dr. Carl A. Montoya

ABE Teacher Ranked Best in State

The Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education (TALAE) selected Diana Hite, a BISD Adult Continuing Education (ACE) Teacher, as the 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year for Adult Education Programs in Texas. Hite was recognized for her leadership, dynamic teaching style, use of project-based learning activities and career fairs, and for retention and assessment scores which exceeded all targets mandated by the federal government. This is Ms. Hite's 7th year at ACE. The district's ACE program provides adult basic education services for General Educational Development (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL). The average enrollment is 2,000 students.

Employee Basketball League

An Employee Basketball League meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 18. View the flyer.

Charro Days Artists

Congratulations to the BISD winners in the 2015 Charro Days Art Contest. View the results.

Top BISD Spellers

Brownsville ISD will send its top 8 spellers to the 27th Annual Rio Grande Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 7th at South Texas College in Weslaco. The Regional Spelling Bee starts at 9:00 AM. The public is invited to attend. The students representing BISD are: Bianca Lopez, Vela Middle School (2015 BISD Champion) Paris Cho, Manzano Middle School (2015 BISD Runner-Up) Richard Emmanuel Zayas, Sharp Elementary School Kailey Nichole Chavez, Russell Elementary School Starlika Milinda Bauskar, Burns Elementary School Vince Alejandro Espitia, Del Castillo Elementary School Alejandro Javier Ortiz, Faulk Middle School Oscar Huang, Perez Elementary School The winner of the regional competition will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held in Washington, D.C. on May 24-29.

BISD Launches SPACE Academy

Brownsville ISD has launched a new SPACE (STEM Program for Aerospace and Careers in Engineering) Academy for 8th grade students who will be entering any of the district’s Early College High Schools (ECHS) in August 2015. The SPACE Academy is closely modeled after the district’s successful STAMP Program. In fact, at several of the BISD Early College High Schools, STAMP and SPACE students will attend the same freshman engineering courses. Applications for the SPACE Academy are available on the BISD homepage. Completed SPACE applications must be submitted to 8th grade counselors at BISD middle schools. The application deadline is Friday, February 20. For questions, contact Roman Gomez, BISD Curriculum Science Specialist, at (956) 698-1654 or regomez@bisd.us

BISD's College-Going Culture

BISD high school students are actively applying to colleges and universities using the APPLY TEXAS APPLICATION. See the latest numbers below by high schools. Please note that the Brownsville Learning Academy, Lincoln Park School, and the Brownsville Academic Center students are also included in these counts. For questions, call Pilar Janis at the Guidance and Counseling Department, 548-8251.

Name of High School	# Apply Texas Applications	Apply Texas
HANNA	448	84%
PORTER	307	74%
PACE	374	100%
RIVERA	431	95%
LOPEZ	412	100%
VETERANS	414	82%
BECHS	47	98%

BISD Students Preview College

The BISD Guidance and Counseling Department, in collaboration with Texas A&M Corpus Christi, will sponsor a trip so that district students can attend "Island Day" on Saturday, February 7. This collegiate opportunity will allow students who have applied to fully experience college for one day. Students will tour the campus, receive admissions and scholarship information, and have breakfast and lunch in the campus dining hall. This is the first of several planned trips that will give BISD students a glimpse of college life. The next trip scheduled is the BISD Texas College Tour to UT in Austin and A&M University in College Station. For more information, call 548-8251.

A Message to BISD Counselors

“On behalf of our school district, I want to sincerely thank our school counselors for the significant role that they play in the daily lives of our students. During National School Counseling Week, February 2-6, it is important for us to recognize the tremendous impact that counselors make not only on student academic success but also in the career paths that students follow. We appreciate all that our school counselors do for the students of the Brownville Independent School District. Thank you! Dr. Carl A. Montoya, Superintendent

Lopez Student Featured

Lopez Early College High School Student Krystal Rosas was featured on the Rio Grande LEAD website. Read about how Krystal is preparing for her future.