Going up against the best of the best, two teams from McAllen ISD earned spots in the top seven for the entire country. Teams from Lamar Academy and Achieve Early College High School took third and seventh, respectively, in the National High School Championship April 8-10 in Memphis, Tenn. They were also the top two teams in Texas. Individually, Cameron Williams (Achieve ECHS) and Jeffrey De Groot (Lamar) finished tied…
Two Rio Grande Valley school districts have recently signed Memorandums of Understanding with UTRGV in support of the development and implementation of Collegiate High Schools. The McAllen Independent School District and the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District made the commitment to provide their students additional opportunities to pursue college credit during high school. “The leaders at the McAllen and Edinburg school districts know how important it is for students to…
McAllen ISD is one of eight school districts that are finalists for H-E-B’s 20th annual Excellence in Education Awards program. It is also one of five public school boards H-E-B is recognizing to highlight the importance of strong leadership at the board level. McAllen ISD is one of five districts in the Large School Districts category; three other districts make up the Small School Districts category. Four early childhood education…
Erica De la Garza Lopez got right to work when she took over as president of Friends of IB for the 2021-2022 school year. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization brings awareness about the McAllen ISD International Baccalaureate school at Lamar Academy. It also develops partnerships between IB parents, local businesses and the community. Additionally, members raise money and provide other means of support to the school and its students. McAllen ISD…
Jennifer Han, a product of McAllen ISD and a current fourth-grade teacher at Seguin Elementary, is the 2022 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is the third teacher in McAllen ISD history to win this prestigious award, the most in the Valley. On Oct. 22, Han was surprised with the news by many of her fellow teachers plus officials representing the city, county and state. Students from the James…
Jennifer Han, a fourth-grade teacher at McAllen ISD’s Seguin Elementary, is now a finalist for the Texas Teacher of the Year Award after being named the Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is one of only six finalists for the statewide award and the only one from the Rio Grande Valley. Han has been teaching for 13 years and is also a robotics team coach. She is a 2003 graduate…
McAllen ISD is inviting staff, the community and parents to participate in the annual It’s Time Texas Community Challenge. The statewide effort instills healthy habits among Texans through friendly competition between communities. Participants earn points through a variety of easy endeavors promoting good health. McAllen ISD finished second among school districts in the entire state last year in the “Mid-size” category. The distrct’s contribution was also instrumental in the…
The Reading Reindeer Walk is now up along the City of McAllen’s hike and bike trail next to Bicentennial Blvd. this holiday season. Walkers can scan a series of signs (spaced out over the course of one mile) each of which contains a stanza from the classic poem ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. The oval-shaped route begins at Harvey Avenue and goes north half of a mile toward Nolana Avenue…
McAllen ISD Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez has been selected by TASA as Texas’ nominee for the School Superintendents Association’s 2021 National Superintendent of the Year. Gonzalez has served as superintendent of McAllen ISD for the past four years. His service to the district also includes other administrator positions for a total of 23 years. Prior to becoming superintendent, he held the position of associate superintendent for Instructional Leadership. He has also served…
A blood drive takes place Nov. 14 from 2-6 p.m. at Vitalent Center in McAllen with donors receiving free COVID antibody tests. The event, “Give Thanks. Give Blood” is a service project for Sofia Salvo, a student in McAllen ISD’s International Baccalaureate Programme at Lamar Academy. The drive is a CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) Project for Salvo. It is a core requirement for earning the IB Diploma. This particular project is…