28 BISD Elementary Schools Are Open Until 5:30 Each Day

Brownsville ISD offers the free Extended Day Enrichment program at 28 elementary schools, Aiken, Benavides, Breeden, Brite, Burns, Canales, Castañeda, Cromack, Del Castillo, Egly, El Jardin, Garden Park, Garza, Gonzalez, Hudson, Longoria, Martin, Morningside, Palm Grove, Paredes, Perez, Resaca, Russell, Skinner, Vermillion, Victoria Hts., Villa Nueva, and Yturria. The program assists parents with quality enrichment programs for students in grades pre-kinder through 5th from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM weekdays. The Extended Day Enrichment Program provides academic intervention, tutoring, homework assistance, and academic enrichment through sports, art and music activities depending on the individual campuses. A hot, nutritious supper is also provided. Student transportation will not be provided. For more information, contact the individual campus administrators.

BECHS Receives 2016 National Blue Ribbon Honors

The Brownsville Early College High School (BECHS) has been named a 2016 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Only 26 schools, nominated by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), received this prestigious national award. All 26 Texas schools were selected as exemplary high performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 25% or greater. “I congratulate the teachers, administrators and staff members at each of these nationally recognized campuses in Texas,” said Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. “A strong commitment to successful student outcomes is evident throughout the school year at every National Blue Ribbon campus, past and present, across our state.” View the entire TEA media release.

District Choirs Mix It Up

Brownsville ISD mixed choir students representing six early college high schools earned 100 chairs or 62% of the total membership in the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) District Mixed Choir on Saturday, September 24 at Rivera ECHS. This is the first round in the process leading to membership in the auspicious TMEA All State Choir. A total of 500 students representing 15 schools participated in the district competition. The top 20 students in each section that were selected for membership in the District Mixed Choir will advance to the next audition level in November in Harlingen. Congratulations to four BISD students for ranking first chair in their sections: Jacqueline Villanueva, Soprano 2, Rivera ECHS; David Mejia, Tenor 1, Hanna ECHS; Daniel Ledesma, Tenor 2, Hanna ECHS; and Matthew Allen, Bass 1, Rivera ECHS. Congratulations to the BISD vocalists who participated in this competition. View the results by campus.

Beyond the Practice Room

Six BISD students representing Lopez, Pace and Hanna ECHS earned chairs in the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All Region Band auditions held on Saturday, September 24 in Harlingen. One student advanced to the area round of auditions. The All Region Jazz Band will perform on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Harlingen CISD Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to these dedicated student musicians. View the BISD results by campus.

BISD Launches Dollars for Champs and Champions Program

Dr. Zendejas has been visiting district campuses to launch the new BISD Dollars for Champs and Champions program which will provide college scholarships to outstanding early college high school graduates and fund educational grants for motivated teachers and employees. Several interested private and public organizations have also expressed a desire to match any funds raised by the BISD Dollars for Champs and Champions program. BISD employees who wish to support this worthwhile initiative may make a tax deductible donation by completing this form and sending it to the BISD Payroll Department. Get the form here.

UTSA Top Scholar Session @ BISD

The University of Texas San Antonio (USTA) will host an information session for BISD top 5% seniors and juniors about the Top Scholar Program on Wednesday, October 5 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the BISD Boardroom. The UTSA Top Scholar Program is a merit based scholarship combined with personalized experiences in academics, leadership, and community service. Those selected to be Top Scholars will receive a four-year scholarship that includes funding for tuition, fees, and room and board. Recipients also receive support for internships and study abroad programs, priority registration privileges and are auto-enrolled in the Honors College. An RSVP is required by Monday, October 3 to attend. To learn more, view the flyer.

Hanna and Lopez Bands March to Success

Students from Hanna, Lopez, Rivera, and Veterans Memorial Early College High Schools participated in the 2016 Bands of America Regional Marching Band Competition on Saturday, September 16, 2016 in McAllen. Bands from Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, and the Rio Grande Valley competed in this two day tournament. The Hanna Golden Eagle Marching Band won 3rd in its division and the Lopez Lobo Band earned the Outstanding General Effect Trophy and 1st Place in its division during the preliminary round. Both bands advanced to the final round and gave stellar performances in spite of blazing temperatures. Hanna completed the event with 5th place overall and Lopez won 10th place overall. Congratulations to all BISD students and their directors.

Oliveira Band Wins National Honor

The Oliveira Middle School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Gaspar Garcia, was named a Class AA Winner in the National Wind Band Honors contest held by the Foundation of Music Education. The Oliveira Band was the only band from South Texas to be recognized. Last year, the Oliveira Band was a Commended National Winner in Class AA. The National Wind Band Honors Contest through the Foundation of Music Education seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by secondary school bands. Directors across the nation submitted CD recordings of their ensembles and adjudicators listened to all entries and provided detailed tape-recorded comments and brief written comments. Congratulations to these outstanding Oliveira Dolphins.

Splashin’ and Dashin’ Fun for All

The BISD Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center will host a Family Splash and Dash event for BISD students, parents, and employees, ages 6 and up, on Saturday, September 24 at 9 am. Registration is free through September 22 and cost $5 after the deadline. Medals will be awarded to the first 100 participants and there is a prize for the best-spirited swimmer. Water shoes/athletic shoes are required. Register here.

Flu Shots

BISD employees have access to free flu shots. Flu vaccinations start on Monday, September 12. View the schedule.

Walk for the Future on September 17

Dr. Esperanza Zendejas, BISD Board Trustees and district, campus and community volunteers will spend Saturday, September 17, 2016 participating in the district’s annual “Walk for the Future.” Teams of volunteers will walk neighborhoods and go door to door to find students who have not returned to school this year or who have dropped out. The teams will visit with students and parents about the district’s many programs and graduation opportunities. View more information.

Colleges Come to BISD

BISD Early College High School juniors and seniors will participate in University Day on Thursday, September 29 at the Brownsville Events Center. The students will have the opportunity to visit with representatives from several colleges and universities to learn about their admissions procedures and educational programs. Call Pilar Janis, Lead & Higher Education Counselor, at 548-8251 for questions.