From Across the State HEADLINES

1

ATPE Members Receive H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards

In May, H-E-B announced the winners of its 2023 Excellence in Education Awards. Three ATPE members received awards, including Alamo Heights ISD member Lisa Barry, who won the Lifetime Achievement in Elementary Award and received a $25,000 cash prize and a $25,000 grant for Woodridge Elementary School. Spring Branch

ATPE member Ryan Beeler won the Rising Star Secondary Award and received a $5,000 cash prize and a $5,000 grant for Spring Woods High School. Lastly, Flour Bluff ISD member Katie Doyle won the Rising Star Elementary Award and received a $5,000 cash prize and a $5,000 grant for Flour Bluff Intermediate School.

“H-E-B has been an amazing partner to Texas educators and students,” Beeler said. atpe.org

2 Texas School Districts Earn National Recognition

Niche, a ranking and review service, recently ranked cities across the country with the best public schools, and the three top Texas cities on its list were The Woodlands at No. 6, Plano at No. 8, and College Station at No. 14. Niche also featured six Round Rock ISD schools in its top 100 in Texas list, including Westwood High School at No. 8 for best public high schools.

Niche’s top 10 public school districts in Texas include Eanes ISD, South Texas ISD, Carroll ISD, Lovejoy ISD, Coppell ISD, Frisco ISD, GrapevineColleyville ISD, Highland Park ISD, and Prosper ISD. roundrockisd.org

3 Dallas ISD Holds Multi-Location Elementary Chess Tournament

In May, Dallas ISD held a chess tournament that included elementary students from 104 schools. The tournament was held at Thomas Jefferson High School and Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy. About 1,600 kindergarten to fifth grade students took part in the tournament. One hundred fifty-nine students won gold medals, 88 won silver, and 509 won bronze. On top of the medals, each school also selected a Most Valuable Player of the Year.

dallasisd.org

4 Comal ISD Students Receive $592,622 in Scholarships

Throughout Comal ISD’s five high schools, students received a total of $592,622 in scholarships from local donors. The scholarships ranged from $50–$16,000. “We continue to be amazed by the generosity of the Comal ISD community, which funds our local scholarships,” Sarah Permenter, executive director of community relations for Comal ISD, said in the district’s article on the scholarships. The scholarship totals exceed the goal set by the district.

“The increase in local scholarships is not by chance,” explained Hilary Griffin, the district’s program coordinator. Comal ISD has focused on building relationships and partnerships within its communities and has worked to streamline the scholarship process for both donors and students. Griffin works one on one with each donor as well as with each high school campus’ academic and career adviser to ensure the process is easy for both. comalisd.org

When something special happens in your school district, let us know! Send news to comm@atpe.org.