Honorees

Andrew De La Pena - 3rd grader at Hyman Elementary

• Artistic creativity is a talent. But like all talents, it has to be nurtured and Andrew finds every opportunity to grow and develop his gift.
• Andrew’s artwork has been displayed at the district art show every year since he was a kindergarten student.
• Last year, he won 2^nd place for his creative design.
• Andrew is able to imitate anything he sees in art class, including his teacher’s artwork. Then he takes that vision and elaborates, providing even more detail.
• For Andrew, it’s not just art for the sake of art. He uses art to help him learn new information in other subjects.
• Andrew is enthusiastic about learning – period!

Eva Mitchell - Cafeteria Manager at Bilhartz

• Mitchell is always very attentive to the needs of staff, students and teachers.
• She truly cares for students and worries about their well-being.
• Perfect example…One day a student walked in through the cafeteria doors with her shoes in her hand. She was barefoot.
• The girl didn't want to answer about why she had not put them on.
• One of our teacher assistants sat her down so that the little girl could put her shoes on. She was forcing them on because they did not fit well and she seemed to walk uncomfortably in them.
• Eva watched this exchange. About 30 minutes later, Ms. Mitchell had bought the little girl a new pair of shoes and some socks. She called the Teacher assistant to get the little girl and have her try on the shoes. They didn't fit very well so she went back and exchanged them for another size that fit just right.
• Poasada wrote: I was very touched by how compassionate Ms. Mitchell is towards our students. As our lead of Nutrition staff she demonstrated how important it is to care for the whole child. If their basic needs are not met they have a harder time learning in class. She does not just focus on Nutrition and cafeteria needs but demonstrates concern for all aspects of learning. It really does take a village.

Robert Jasso - SPED Teacher at Central Elementary 

• He solicited donations of guitars from area businesses to start our Guitar Club, which meets after school to learn basic guitar skills.
• He also develops very close relationships with students and encourages them to believe in themselves.
• One example is a student who had struggled for several years to succeed academically, socially, and behaviorally. Mr. Jasso's nurturing and tutoring led to her passing her STAAR test.
• In the summer, he bought a bicycle for that student and delivered it to her home to recognize her accomplishment.
• This student's smile was a mile wide. Although she moved to another city, the parent of this child continues to keep in contact with Mr. Jasso.