STISD and campuses rank among the best in Texas

BOARDWorks
A Publication of South Texas Independent School District
January 2015
STISD and campuses rank among the best in Texas
The STISD Board of Directors recognized
all five STISD campuses for their rankings
among the best in the state in the Niche
2015 Best K-12 Schools list during the Jan.
20 board meeting, held at Biblioteca Las
Américas in Mercedes.
300,000 students and parents. They offer
unique insight into more than 120,000
K-12 schools. Students and parents can
explore millions of reviews and rankings
and compare educational outcomes across
schools and districts.
South Texas Preparatory Academy (STPA)
in Edinburg ranked 11th in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas list. All four
STISD high schools ranked among the
top in the state in the 100 Best Public High
Schools in Texas. The Science Academy of
South Texas (Sci Tech) in Mercedes ranked
4th, South Texas Academy for Medical Professions (Medical Academy) in San Benito
ranked 54th, South Texas High School for
Health Professions (Med High) in Mercedes
ranked 62nd, and South Texas Business,
Education & Technology Academy (BETA)
ranked 72nd. STISD was ranked 7th out of
100 in the Best School District in Texas list,
and it received an A+ overall Niche grade.
Marla M. Guerra, Ed.D., superintendent of
schools for STISD, was pleased to see all
According to the company website, Niche
ranks more than 100,000 public and private schools and districts based on dozens
of statistics and 27 million opinions from
of the campuses appear on the list. “It is a
true honor to see all of our campuses and
our district as a whole ranked among the
best in the state in the Niche lists. Knowing that these rankings take into account
opinions from students and parents makes
this even more special, as it is a testament
to the STISD experience.”
Left to right: Ana Castro, principal of STPA; Barbara Heater, Ph.D., principal of Med High; Harry Goette, principal of
Medical Academy; Nora Casarez, Ed.D., principal of BETA; Irma Castillo, acting principal of Sci Tech
STISD scores high on Texas Academic Performance Report
The STISD Board of Directors received an
explanation of the 2013-14 District & Campus Performance Report during a public
hearing held at the Jan. 20 board meeting.
The report shared reflects data from the
2013-14 school year and years prior. It
includes sections on the district vision,
mission, beliefs, parameters, objectives
and strategies; the guidelines and glossary
for the 2013-14 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) for the district
and individual campuses, and the reports
themselves; PEIMS financial reports for
2012-13; campus performance objectives;
a report on violent or criminal incidents;
and a report on student enrollment and
academic performance after graduation.
Overall, the TAPR shows the district with
a 2014 Accountability Rating of Met
Standard and a Distinction Designation for
Postsecondary Readiness. Campuses also
received Met Standard and all Distinction
Designations possible.
Information contained in the graduate
report is provided by the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board and is for
students attending postsecondary institutions in Texas. It consists of data from the
first year enrolled in those institutions and
is reflective of students who graduated
from STISD during the 2011-12 school
year.
The complete report is available on the
district website at www.stisd.net in the Accountability & Needs Assessment section.
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BOARDWorks
STISD celebrates Board Recognition Month
Every January, STISD celebrates School Board Recognition Month,
honoring the school board members for their devoted service to the
students and their advocacy for the district within the local community,
throughout the state, and across the nation.
The STISD Board of Directors was recognized at the Jan. 20 board
meeting by all STISD campuses. Each campus presented the board
members with a token of appreciation for their service.
The STISD board is unique from any other school board in the fact
that it is comprised of 24 members from Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties, making it the largest school board in the nation.
Each county has four elected positions representing each County Commissioner’s Precinct. In addition, each county judge appoints a member
for every 100,000 people.
The current membership of the board is representative of 13 different
cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The members have backgrounds in education, business, law, medicine and transportation. The
board brings over 200 combined years of service to the district.
The board currently consists of seven board members with over 15
years of experience, five of which have over 20 years, and one of which
has 30.
STISD board member Eduardo “Larry”
Cantu, of Los Fresnos, was
administered an oath of office by Sonia
Rodriguez, administrative assistant for
Marla M. Guerra, Ed.D., superintendent
of schools, at the Jan. 20 school board
meeting in Mercedes.
Pictured, from left to right: Joe L. Lopez, Board President, of Brownsville; Douglas E. Buchanan, Board Vice President, of Raymondville; Maria G. Leal, Board Secretary, of Palmhurst;
Graciela Camargo of Weslaco; Eduardo L. Cantu of Los Fresnos; Yolanda Cuellar of Progreso Lakes; Javier Farias of McAllen; Richard Fleming, M.D., of Mission; Adrian Garcia
of Brownsville; Homero Garcia of Weslaco; Margarita Garcia of San Juan; Sylvia Sánchez Garza of Edinburg; Hector Gonzales of Lyford; Ed Gonzalez of Edinburg; Filomena Leo,
Ed.D., of La Joya; Robert J. Lerma of Brownsville; Henry LeVrier of Brownsville; Ramon Montalvo, III, of Weslaco; Eliceo Muñoz, III, of Brownsville; Berta Palacios of San Juan;
Irma Perez-Treviño of Harlingen; Israel G. Quintanilla of Raymondville; John L. Solis, III, of Raymondville; Rick Villarreal, D.D.S. of Brownsville.
Pictured, left to right: Logan Streicher, Culinary Arts
student at Medical Academy, and Victor Loya, Culinary
Arts instructor, address the board. It is tradition for Medical Academy to present the board with food made by the
Culinary Arts students.
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Pictured, left to right: Douglas Buchanan, STISD Board
of Directors Vice President, of Raymondville; Israel Quintanilla of Raymondville and Berta Palacios of San Juan.
Pictured: Sci Tech senior Stephanie
Kreimerman of Mission showed her appreciation through
song. Kreimerman composed her own unique tune for the
STISD Board of Directors.
BOARDWorks
STISD teacher receives National Teacher Board Certification
Jose Cuellar, math instructor at Sci Tech,
was recognized at the Jan. 20 board meeting
for receiving his National Teacher Board
Certification.
Established in 1987, the National Board
is an independent, nonprofit organization
working to advance accomplished teaching
for all students.
samples, video and analysis of teaching practice and documented impact and
accomplishments as a teaching professional.
Cuellar joined the district and Sci Tech in August of 2007. With his certification,
the district now has 13 teachers who are certified, making STISD the leading
district in the Rio Grande Valley for National Teacher Board Certifications.
According to the organization, National
Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education,
and it provides numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools. It was designed to
develop, retain and recognize accomplished
teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.
Cuellar completed four components to earn
certification: written assessment of content
knowledge, reflection on student work
Pictured: Jose Cuellar, Sci Tech math instructor
District retirees recognized for years of service
The STISD Board of Directors and administrators recognized district retirees for their years of dedicated service
to the district during the January board meeting.
Jesus Jose Aguilar and Rolando Dominguez were both
presented with retirement resolutions commemorating
their service to Med High. Aguilar was a bus driver and
custodian, and he served the district for 23 years. Dominguez was the head cook in the cafeteria and served the
district for 28 years.
Left to right: Barbara Heater, Ph.D., principal of Med High; Jesus Jose Aguilar,
STISD retiree; J.P. Villarreal, administrator for support services
Daniel Saenz and Aiza Galvan, not present at the meeting, also received retirement resolutions from the Board
of Directors. Saenz retired from Sci Tech after serving as
bus driver and custodian for 22 years, and Galvan retired
from BETA after serving 10 years in the same position.
The board expressed its appreciation to all district retirees
for their years of commitment to serving students throughout Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties.
Left to right: Barbara Heater, Ph.D., principal of Med High; Rolando Dominguez,
STISD retiree; J.P. Villarreal, administrator for support services
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BOARDWorks
Bulletin Board
Connect With Us!
Find us on Twitter: @SouthTexasISD &
on Facebook at: https: www.facebook.com/SouthTexasISD
• Parent Connection Meeting (STPA): Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:00 p.m. -Family Communication and Student Skill Builder
Tell your friends and family!
• STISD Board Meeting: 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Medical Academy Library
in San Benito.
We are now enrolling for the 2015-16 school year.
BETA: 9th- & 10th- grade
Medical Academy: 9th- & 10th- grade
Rising Scholars: 7th-grade only
Apply Online: www.stisd.net
• Spring Break (no classes): March 16-20
BoardWorks is published for patrons of South
Texas Independent School District after each
regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Board
meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of
the month at 7:00 p.m. Board minutes are the
final authority on action taken at STISD board
meetings.
Board Bits
• Med High & Sci Tech Open House: Thursday, Feb. 26
•
The STISD Board of Directors reviewed and approved new professional
and support positions requested for the 2015-2016 school year. All
applications are required to be completed through the OneApp online
process found at the following link: http://www.stisd.net/departments/
human_resources/employment. For additional information you may
contact Janie Chavez at janie.chavez@stisd.net or at 956-514-4224.
•
The STISD Board of Directors approved a generous donation by the
Carlos Garza Family to The Science Academy of South Texas during
the Jan. 20 board meeting.
Editor: Amanda Odom
(956) 514-4255 or amanda.odom@stisd.net
Joe L. Lopez, President
Douglas E. Buchanan, Vice-President
Maria G. Leal, Secretary
Graciela Camargo
Eduardo L. “Larry” Cantu
Yolanda Cuellar
Javier Farias
Richard Fleming, M.D.
Adrian Garcia
Homero Garcia
Margarita Garcia
Sylvia Sánchez Garza
Hector Gonzales
Eduardo “Ed” Gonzalez
Filomena Leo, Ed.D.
Robert “Bobby” J. Lerma
Henry LeVrier
Ramon Montalvo, III
Eliceo Muñoz, III
Berta Palacios
John L. Solis, III
Irma Perez-Treviño
Israel G. Quintanilla
Rick Villarreal, D.D.S.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Marla M. Guerra, Ed.D.
SUPERINTENDENT
Phone (956) 565-2454
Fax (956) 565-4639
Website www.stisd.net
100 Med High Dr.
Mercedes, TX 78570
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #333
McAllen, TX
Update on new Cameron County Academy
The STISD Board of Directors received an update on the construction of the new Medical Academy campus during the Jan.
20 board meeting.
Some of the equipment in the gymnasium, including the basketball
nets, had already been installed, and the contractor was starting
installation of the floor.
This update included progress made in the construction project
since the last report during the Dec. 2 board meeting.
The new 181,495-square-foot Medical Academy campus will accommodate 800 students, about a 250 increase from the number
at the current San Benito campus.
The new facility will be located on the outskirts of Brownsville,
across the expressway from Rancho Viejo.
As of Jan. 20, the project was at 83 percent complete, and it was
on track for completion later in the spring.
As Medical Academy relocates to its new facility in Brownsville
in the fall, STISD’s second middle school - South Texas Academy
of Rising Scholars (Rising Scholars) - will open in the existing
building in San Benito.
Construction highlights as of the board meeting included the
beginning of installation of floor tiles in the hallways and ceiling
tiles throughout the building.
Additional information about both campuses can be found on the
district website at www.stisd.net.
The contractor was also focusing on the transportation/maintenance facility and parking lot, and preparing to pour asphalt.
Bottom Middle: Interior of the new Medical Academy cafeteria
Bottom Left: Interior of the Medical Academy gymnasium
Bottom Right: Exterior view of the construction site of the Medical Academy campus
Board approves John Hopkins Discover Program
The STISD Board of Directors approved Sci Tech’s proposal
for a new John Hopkins Discover Program to begin during the
summer of 2015.
structors will lead the participating students through their choice
of topic with lectures in the morning and the opportunity to interact with leading researchers on the subjects in the afternoons.
The proposal is for a two-week summer program for pre-college
students to be held at John Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Md., a world leader in teaching and research. It is an intensive
program designed to expose students to a variety of subjects,
such as arts, sciences and engineering. Within the program, in-
Students who participate in the program will have an opportunity
to receive a taste of college life, alongside one college credit.
To be eligible, students must be rising high school sophomores,
juniors or seniors and have a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Board approves Biotechnology course for Science Academy
The science department at Sci Tech will now offer a Biotechnology course as an option for 9th- and 10th-grade students.
The Biotechnology course will serve as an introduction course
for Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Bioengineering, to be offered
to 11th- and 12th-grade students at the campus.
Pre-requisites for it include completion of Pre-AP Biology
and concurrent enrollment in a Pre-AP Chem-Biotech course.
Students who choose to take this course as opposed to Pre-AP
Environmental Systems (Pre-APES) will not be required to take
Pre-AP Environmental Systems if they choose to take APES in
11th- or 12th-grade.
Recommended class size is no more than 24 students per section.
It is also recommended that Biotechnology and Bioengineering be
taught in the same lab room so that the equipment and supplies
can be shared between the courses.
New Business Spanish course approved for Sci Tech
The STISD Board of Directors approved
the implementation of a new language
course at Sci Tech for the 2015-16 school
year during the Jan. 20 board meeting.
Sci Tech will implement Business Spanish
in the fall of 2015, providing students with
an additional course to help them learn effective communication in Spanish.
The course will provide a second language
foundation for students who are interested
in electrical engineering, electronics or
circuit design. It will also introduce
students to methods of how business
is conducted.
Students will expand their Spanish vocabulary with the verbs necessary to be
successful in a competitive engineering
and business environment.
A major emphasis will be placed on
developing students’ ability to comprehend what they hear and read, to
then express those thoughts orally and
in writing.
In addition to developing student’s communication skills, students will develop awareness of and appreciation for other cultures.
This course may be adjusted to fit student
needs. For example, the non-native speaker
will focus on conversational Spanish in contrast to the native Spanish speaker that will
target the written/technical areas.
Sci Tech introduces new Bioengineering course
The course is also beneficial to students
interested in exploring Bioengineering techniques in the engineering capstone course,
Engineering Design & Development
(EDD). EDD gives students the opportunity to work in teams to solve problems of
their choosing. Teams research, construct
and test a model in real-life situations and
document their designs to present and defend their designs to a panel of engineering
experts.
Sci Tech will offer one of Project Lead
the Way’s (PLTW) newest courses in its
program curriculum for the 2015-16 school
year - Bioengineering.
The PLTW Bioengineering course will be
offered to 11th- and 12th-grade students
as a science or technology course option.
It will be offered as an Engineering course
option and will be a terminal course.
Pre-requisites for this course include
completion of Pre-AP Biology, Pre-AP
Chemistry and Biotechnology. This course
will advance student knowledge in the
field, while preparing students for college
and beyond.
Courses offered by PLTW hold high
standards and are all hands-on activity, project and problem based. The
courses help students develop critical
thinking, innovation and real world
problem solving skills.
The recommended class size for the PLTW
Bioengineering course is no more than 24
students per section, and it will be taught in
the same lab room as Biotechnology so that
all equipment and supplies are accessible to
students between both courses.