4 BISD Schools Ranked on Best List

Four BISD early college high schools earned medals in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best High Schools in America. Brownsville Early College High School (BECHS) received a Gold Medal Award ranking 56th in Texas, out of 589 high schools. Veterans Memorial ECHS, ranked #132, Pace ECHS, ranked #154, and Hanna ECHS, ranked #207, earned Silver Medal Awards. Rankings were based on a 4-step process that determined if students performed better than expected in their state, if disadvantaged students performed better than the state average, if student graduation rates met or exceeded a national standard, and if students are prepared for college-level coursework. View more information about the BISD schools here.

Eight BISD Schools Make State Honor Roll

Eight BISD schools have been selected by the Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and Institute for Productivity in Educations (IPE) to receive the title of 2016 Texas Honor Roll School. Brownsville Early College High School, Pace Early College High School, Stillman Middle School, Vela Middle School and Ortiz, Paredes, Perez, and Pullam Elementary Schools were named to the Star Honor Roll. The STEM Honor Roll distinction was also awarded to Paredes Elementary. A total of 727 Texas public schools received the title of 2016 Honor Roll School. The Honor Roll is part of a national effort to identify higher-performing schools and highlight successful practices that improve outcomes for students. Schools receiving this distinction from leaders in the Texas academic and business communities have demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. For High Schools, the Honor Roll recognition also includes measures of college readiness. Star Schools are those with significant populations of socio-economically disadvantaged students that have shown a significant increase in grade-level proficiency over time.

BISD Singers Earn Most Choir Chairs

On Saturday, April 22, auditions for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region 28 Middle School 7th Grade Treble, 8th Grade Treble, and Tenor-Bass Choirs were held at Pace ECHS. Initial entries numbered over 1,200. BISD students earned 228 or 72% of the available 315 seats in the Region Choirs. The choirs will perform on Saturday, May 6 at 6 pm at the Harlingen CISD Performing Arts Center. Special recognition goes to the following 1st chair students: Alexandra Elvira, 7th Grade Treble Soprano 2, Manzano MS; Alyssa Rosales, 7th Grade Treble Alto, Stillman MS; Leah Rodriguez, 8the Grade Treble Soprano2, Stillman MS; Jorja Zamora, 8th Grade Treble Alto 1, Oliveira MS; Dominic Chavez, Tenor-Bass Choir Tenor 1, Oliveira MS; Rey Garza, Tenor-Bass Choir Tenor 2, Stillman MS; and Jose Ruiz, Tenor-Bass Choir Bass, Oliveira MS. View the campus results.

Brownsville Rotary Recognizes Teaching Excellence

Five BISD teachers won 2017 Brownsville Rotary Club Endowments for Teaching Excellence in the amount of $1000 each. Congratulations to Fatima Lai, Skinner Elementary; Juan Mantiel, III, Pace ECHS; Sandra Gamez, Champion Elementary; Ruth Salina-Augustus, Ortiz Elementary; and Andy Najera, Manzano Middle School. These outstanding BISD educators will be recognized at a Brownsville Rotary Club luncheon on Wednesday, May 3 at 12 noon at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.

BISD Employee Transfers

The BISD Transfer Application is now available. The deadline is Friday, May 5, 2017. Complete the application. View the Guidelines in English and Spanish

BISD Joins in Guitar Pilot Program

BISD Classical Guitar Ensembles competed in the Region 28 UIL Classical Guitar Concert and Sight Reading Contest on Saturday, April 8 at Veterans Memorial ECHS. BISD has joined with the Houston, Austin and El Paso school districts in pilot testing this UIL program. Congratulations to all participants and their coaches. View the regional results.

BISD Summer Administrative Schedule

Brownsville ISD will follow an abbreviated summer administrative work schedule beginning on Monday, June 12 through Friday, July 28, 2017. The schedule is 7:30 am – 5:30 pm, Monday through Thursday, and 8 am to 12 noon on Friday. All BISD administrative offices will be closed on Monday, July 3 through Friday, July 7.

BISD Students Apply Texas

BISD supports a college-going culture. A large percentage of the district’s seniors and graduating juniors have already put in their college applications to Apply Texas. For questions, contact Pilar Janis, Lead and Higher Education Counselor, at 548-8251. View the number of BISD applicants by campus.

Atkinson Joins TASB Board

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) has elected Sylvia Perez Atkinson of Brownsville ISD to an interim position on the TASB Board of Directors, representing Region 1A. With over 23 years of experience in public education, she currently serves as assistant superintendent in Rio Hondo ISD. View the media release.

Veterans Memorial Musician Headed for New York

Adolfo Peña, a sophomore at Veterans Memorial ECHS, is one of 78 young musicians selected from across the country for the second session of NY02, a three-week, intensive summer program for outstanding American instrumentalists, ages 14-17. Peña is one of seven students from Texas and is the youngest selected for this year’s program. View the media release.

BISD Dance Contest Posts Results

BISD middle and early college high school dance groups competed in a UIL compatible dance contest on Friday, March 31 at Lopez ECHS. Adjudicators from Austin, Texas served as the judges. All the dance groups impressed the judges with their talent. Congratulations to the BISD dancers and their teachers. View the results by campus.

Girls Can Code Summer Camp

Brownsville ISD, in conjunction with the Texas Workforce Commission, received a grant to offer a tuition-free Girls Can Code Summer Camp for BISD female students in grades 6-8 on June 8-June 30, 2017. The camp will offer hands-on experiences that provide challenging and innovative concepts in learning, problem solving, and analytical skills while fostering an interest in computer coding and programming. BISD current/incoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls are eligible to participate. Call the Bilingual Department @ 548-8271 to learn more.

ECHS Color Guards and Drumlines Make TECA History

The Texas Educational Colorguard Association (TECA) hosted the South Zone State Finals competition on Saturday, April 1 at H.M. King High School in Kingsville, Texas. BISD is proud to announce that for the first time in BISD history, four groups came home with the title of TECA Circuit Champions and two groups were named Bronze Medalists at the competition. Color Guard Results: Porter ECHS, 1st Place Scholastic Novice Division; Pace ECHS, 1st Place Scholastic Regional AA Division; Lopez ECHS, 3rd Place Scholastic Regional A Division. Drumline Results: Pace ECHS, 1st Place in Scholastic AA; Rivera, ECHS 1st Place in Scholastic A; Veterans Memorial ECHS 3rd Place Bronze Medalist Scholastic A; Lopez ECHS 6th Place Scholastic A; Porter ECHS 10th Place Scholastic A. Indoor Winds Results: Pace ECHS 4th Place Scholastic AA. Congratulations to all of the students, directors, and parents on their hard work and dedication.

Lopez Once Act Play Advances to the Next Stage

The Lopez ECHS One Act Play (OAP) qualified to advance to Regional competition during the OAP Area competition held at Del Mar College-Finley Performing Arts Center, Corpus Christi on April 1. The Regional competition will be held on Friday, April 7 at Southwest High School in San Antonio and will determine the two performing groups to compete at the State Contest in Austin, Texas. Congratulations to these outstanding Lopez Lobos.

BISD Choirs Snag Top Ratings

Every BISD ECHS Varsity Mixed Choir earned a Sweepstakes rating at the Region 28 UIL Concert and Sightreading contest held at the Harlingen Performing Arts Center on March 22-24. Of the 27 choirs that BISD entered, 23 earned top awards. Two other groups received Superior ratings. Congratulations to these amazing vocalists and their directors. View the results by campus.