BISD Board Approves New Assignments

At a the Rescheduled Board Meeting held on Monday, June 26, 2017, the Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees approved Lorenzo Sanchez as the Chief Financial Officer of the Rio Grande Valley’s largest school district. Mr. Sanchez had previously been serving as the interim CFO of BISD since January 2016. The Board also approved Mary E. Rodriguez to serve as the new principal for Skinner Elementary. Mrs. Rodriguez, is the former Dean of Instruction for Veterans Memorial ECHS.

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.

Students Earn Grand Prize Bundles for Good Attendance

Good attendance pays off in BISD! A total of 20 elementary, middle, and ECHS (grades 9-11) students earned grand prize bundles in the BISD Student Attendance Contest drawings held on Wednesday, July 21 at the Sunrise Mall Food Court. Dr. Zendejas drew the winning numbers for 20 bundles valued at over $1,000 each and Board Trustees awarded the prizes. Each bundle contained a set of Beats headphones, a computer tablet, an iPod Nano, and a bicycle. Congratulations to all the prize bundle winners: Jesus Roberto Garza, Faulk MS; Brianna Encinia, Stillman MS; Jose A. Rodriguez, Perkins MS; Adrian Guevara, Manzano MS; Marvin M. Soto, Garcia MS; Israel Martinez, Russell; Jorge Luis Tijerina, Jr., Longoria; Adrien G. Gonzalez, Egly; Marco A. Vega, Perez; Miguel Alcocer, Resaca; Eddie Tapia, Burns; Seren Araiza, Benavides; Sergio Garcia, Garza; Javier Sanchez, Breeden; Alberto Abundiz, Cromack; Alycia Ramirez, Hudson; and Aliyah Castillo, Champion Elementary. Special thanks to the Veterans Memorial ECHS Estudiantina, under the direction of Aide De Anda, for performing at the Grand Prize Giveaway.

Porter Grad Wins New Car for Good Attendance

Antonio Calderon Sanchez, a graduate of Porter ECHS, won the 2017 Mazda CX-3 Sport in the Cardenas BISD Student Attendance Car Giveaway held on Wednesday, June 21. Antonio was one of 14 finalists who were pre-selected from a pool of eligible students. Dr. Esperanza Zendejas drew the names of four students who were given keys at the event held at Cardenas Motors in Brownsville. Antonio’s key was the one that opened the door of the new car. The Cardenas BISD Mazda Car Giveaway was the grand prize finale to the 2016-2017 contest designed to improve student attendance and enrollment. The 3 Runners-Up, Destiny Michelle McArdle, BECHS; Ashley Cervantes, Hanna ECHS; and Moises Coronado, Jr., Rivera ECHS; won Beats headphones. The Pace ECHS Drumline, under the direction of Michael Segura, performed for the event. Thank you to the Cardenas family for supporting BISD students!

U.S. News Highlights BISD Success

Brownsville ISD was featured in a national story about districts with high-performing students along the border which ran in U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday, June 20, 2017. View the story.

Free Health Services: Operation Lone Star

Operation Lone Star 2017 will be held in Brownsville on Monday, July 24-Thursday, July 27 from 8 am to 4 pm and Friday, July 28 from 8 am to 2 pm at Hanna ECHS, 2615 Price Road. Operation Lone Star brings FREE medical services to communities with help from local service groups and volunteers. Services included immunizations for children, diabetic screening, blood pressure screening, hearing and vision screening, sports physicals, dental services and vision exams for prescription glasses for adults and children. View the flyer in English and Spanish.

Notice of Public Meeting

Brownsville ISD will hold a public meeting at 12:00 pm, Monday, June 26, 2017 in the Administration Building Boardroom at 1900 Price Road. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the school district’s tax rate that will be adopted. Public participation is invited. View the Notices of Public Meeting and Proposed Projects and Tax Rate.

Cardenas Mazda to Award a New Car for Student Attendance

One lucky BISD graduating junior or senior will win a brand new 2017 Mazda CX-3 Sport for perfect attendance within a six weeks period on Wednesday, June 21 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. Superintendent Dr. Zendejas will draw 4 numbers and present keys to the 4 students whose names are drawn. Each student will try his/her key in the car door to determine the winner of the 2017 Mazda CX-3 Sport. The 3 Runner-Ups will each receive Beats Headphones. Local dignitaries, Cardenas representatives, and BISD students and employees will be present to show their support. The Pace Early College High School Drumline, under the direction of Michael Segura, will perform. BISD sincerely thanks Mazda for supporting our students and schools with this generous donation.

Good Attendance Rewards for BISD Students

Good attendance pays off in BISD! Twenty BISD students will win grand prize bundles in the BISD Student Attendance Contest Drawing to be held on Wednesday, June 21 at 3 pm at the Sunrise Mall Food Court. The bundles contain a set of Beats headphones, a computer tablet, an iPod Nano, and a bicycle. BISD Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas will draw the winning numbers for 20 grand prize bundles, 12 for elementary school students, 5 for middle school students, and 3 for early college high school students in grades 9-11. The Superintendent and Board Trustees will award the Grand Prize Bundles to the 20 students whose names were drawn. The Veterans Memorial ECHS Estudiantina, under the direction of Aide De Anda, will perform at the event.

Girls Can Code Camp Openings Available @ Lucio, Perkins, Stillman and Vela Middle Schools

There are still a few slots available for the Girls Can Code Summer Camp, June 8-30, at Lucio Perkins, Stillman and Vela Middle Schools. The tuition-free camp is open to incoming and current BISD females in grades 6-8. 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. Call the Bilingual Department at 548-8271 for more information.

All Valley Sports Honors BISD Athletes

Several BISD teams, student athletes and coaches earned awards at the 2017 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet held on Saturday, June 10 in Mission. Congratulations to: Jordan Rudd, Veterans Memorial, Girls Basketball Player of the Year; Aaron Villarreal, Veterans Memorial, Boys Basketball Player of the Year; Jose Echavarria, Lopez, Boys Soccer Player of the Year; Santiago Garcia, Hanna, Boys Golfer of the Year; Julie Lucio, Veterans Memorial, Girls Golfer of the Year; Maya Athena Imperial, Hanna, Girls Swimmer of the Year; Jordan Rudd, Veterans Memorial, Sub-6A Female Athlete of the Year; Mia Anzaldua, Veterans Memorial, Softball Player of the Year; Noe Guerrero, Hanna, Baseball Player of the Year; Veterans Memorial Basketball, Golf and Softball, Sub-6A Girls Teams of the Year; Lopez Soccer, Sub-6A Boys Teams of the Year; Amadeo Escandon, Lopez Soccer, Boys Coach of the Year; Rayner Cardenas, Veterans Memorial Softball, and Peter A. Rodriguez, Rivera Softball, Girls Coaches of the Year; and Veterans Memorial, Sub-6A Program of the Year. The 2017 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet was hosted by RGV Sports.com and AIM Media Texas in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame. A total of 98 athletes, coaches and teams were vying for 32 awards. View the complete list of awards.

New School Year Assignments

Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas has announced the following assignments for the 2017-2018 school year: Mary Solis, Principal, Porter ECHS; Hector Hernandez, Principal, Brownsville Academic Center (BAC); Dr. Juan Chavez, Jr., Assistant Principal, BAC; Obed Leal, Principal, Stell Middle School (Board Approved); Teresa de Saro, Principal, Brownsville Learning Academy (BLA) High School; Noe Garcia, Principal, BLA Middle School; Kathleen Jimenez, Principal, Garcia Middle School; Teresa Nunez, Principal, Besteiro Middle School; Norma Jean Canales, Principal, Rivera ECHS; Aimee Garza-Limon, Principal, Brownsville Early College High School (BECHS); Michelle Seney, Level 4, Curriculum Department; Dawn Hall, Principal, Lincoln Park High School; Richard Torres, Principal, Champion Elementary School; and Dr. Norma Ibarra-Cantu, Level 4, Professional Development. The Board of Trustees previously approved Blanca Lambarri, Principal, Hanna ECHS; Chester Arizmendi, Principal, Lucio Middle School; Patricia Garza, Principal, Ortiz Elementary School; and Alma Rosa Atkinson, Principal, Garza Elementary, at the Special Called Board Meeting held on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Skinner Elementary School is pending.

BISD Expands Pre-K 3 Program to Four Options

BISD is pleased to announce four exciting half-day and full-day options for the new expanded Pre-K 3 Year Old Program for the 2017-2018 school year. Enrollment is still available at several BISD elementary schools. Contact the individual schools to register. Classes will begin on Monday, August 28, 2017. View the announcement in English and Spanish.

Honoring Our Students

Brownsville ISD Board Trustees and Dr. Zendejas recognized over 100 student groups for outstanding performance and achievement on May 30 and 31 at evening ceremonies held at the Rivera ECHS gym. View the district’s Flickr file to see the photos. May 30 / May 31

Girls Can Code Camp Openings Available @ Perkins MS

There are still a few slots available for the Girls Can Code Summer Camp, June 8-30, at Perkins Middle School. The tuition-free camp is open to incoming and current BISD females in grades 6-8. 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. Call the Bilingual Department at 548-8271 for more information.

Photos of BISD Student Recognitions

BISD held Student Recognition ceremonies on Tuesday, May 30 and Wednesday, May 31 at the Rivera ECHS gym. View all photos in the BISD Flickr albums on: May 30, 2017 | May 31, 3017

Summer Fun for BISD Students

The BISD Athletic Department has released the 2017 summer recreation schedule for BISD students. For more information, call 548-8261. View the schedule.

Cavazos Scholarships Awarded to BISD Student Athletes

Congratulations to the BISD student athletes who received the 2017 Johnny N. & Nena S. Cavazos Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each. Thirty BISD seniors, five from each BISD early college high school, were recognized at the Student Recognition Ceremony held on May 31 at the Rivera ECHS gym. Mr. and Mrs. Cavazos generously established an athletic endowment that has provided college assistance to male and female students who have participated in athletics. View the 2017 Cavazos Scholarship recipients.

Preparing for the Next School Year

At the Special Called Board Meeting held on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, BISD Board Trustees approved the following principals: Blanca Lambarri, Hanna ECHS; Chester R. Arizmendi, Lucio Middle School; Patricia Garza, Ortiz Elementary; and Alma Rosa Atkinson, Garza Elementary; for the 2017-2018 school year. Dr. Zendejas had previously assigned Mary Solis as the principal at Porter ECHS for the 2017-2018 school year.

Helping Others Through VITA

A total of 93 students at five BISD schools, Hanna, Lopez, Pace, Porter, and Rivera ECHS, were certified in Basic Tax Law this year. The students participated in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program sponsored by the United Way of Southern Cameron County. They prepared 570 tax returns for free and brought $690,396 in Earned Income Tax Credits to Brownsville working families. In all, the Cameron County VITA Coalition, including the BISD students, prepared 4,624 income tax returns with $4.8 million in Earned Income Tax Credits. Thank you to these BISD students and schools for their outstanding service to the community.

TWC Awards BISD Coding Grant

Brownsville ISD is one of 8 recipients of a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) grant for Camp Code. The $47,992 grant will fund 120 scholarships for the Girls Can Code Camp, a summer program in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The program will introduce middle school girls to coding and computer science. View the media release.

102 BISD Grads Earn Superintendent’s Scholarships

Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Superintendent’s Scholarships. A total of 102 graduating BISD seniors will each receive $1,000 to attend the college of their choice. The scholarship funds were raised at the 14th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament hosted by Dr. Zendejas at the Rancho Viejo Resort on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Scholarship recipients were selected by committees of local community members and district personnel. A total of 291 student applications were reviewed by the committees to determine the winners. View the media release.