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A Message from Diana Sayavedra
Dear El Paso ISD,
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming to a close. I want to take a moment to thank teachers for their tireless efforts in serving our students. For our parents and those that aren’t in our classrooms to see what you do, it can be easy to lose sight of the magnitude of impact you have. We know your jobs come with hours of planning as you develop innovative ways to help students learn while being mindful of the unique needs of individual students. It’s something that requires you — the teacher — to be in a constant state of learning as well. In short, you carry a significant responsibility each day to prepare the next generation, and I want you to know that I am grateful for your contributions to inspire and empower our students to thrive. Your impact will be felt for years to come. Thank you!
On Wednesday, we marked National School Nurse Day in a special way. Our Health Services department announced Michelle Gonzalez, the school nurse at Burges High School, as the 2023 Nurse of the Year. Michelle is a Burges grad who returned to her alma mater in 2020 after working at Del Sol Medical Center. She said it is so rewarding to serve students and to work with her former teachers. Congratulations, Michelle!
This week, El Paso ISD learned it houses the county’s only recipients of the prestigious 2023 National Merit Scholarship. Congratulations to Coronado High School’s Deena Al-Dahwi and Franklin High School’s Anna Dixon for being the only two students in El Paso County to be among the 2,500 merit scholars nationwide to earn the $2,500 scholarship. Way to go, you two! You are starting to become fixtures at our monthly board meetings, and it looks like we’ll be seeing you again soon!
Another Coronado student, sophomore Lyra T. Hofmeyer, was named a member of the National Society of High School Scholars this week. The Society recognizes top scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship and community involvement. With her lifetime membership, Lyra will have access to resources to develop her strengths and passions throughout her academic journey. Congratulations, Lyra!
Out in Austin today and Saturday, 10 of our phenomenal student-athletes are competing for state titles on the track! Good luck to Seth Truax, Caidence Johnson, Morgan Little, Maliyah Pride and Samahdi Foster from Chapin as well as Luis Pastor of Coronado and Julian Mars, Jordan Morales, Beau Sparks and Gerald Williams of Franklin as they go for the gold in various events at the UIL State Track and Field Championships.
Last week, we announced that our own Chapin High School was recognized as one of 22 schools in Texas named a 2022-23 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School. Only 262 high schools throughout the country receive this honor for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through PLTW’s computer science, engineering, and biomedical pathways. We’re proud of our Huskies and will be marking this distinction with a celebration on campus soon!
There are less than four full weeks left in the 2022-2023 academic year. Let’s all work with each other and take the steps necessary to make them successful for our students and staff. We move forward together!
It starts with us.
Sincerely,
Diana Sayavedra
Superintendent of Schools
May 12, 2023