Aldine ISD Students and Staff Highlighted at April 15 Board Meeting

Disponible en:

Several students and staff were recognized at Aldine ISD’s April 16 board meeting for their accomplishments in academics, performance arts, and roles and responsibilities throughout the 2024-25 school year.

Aldine Impact Award Winners 

Aldine ISD Board of Trustees recognized winners of the Aldine Impact Award. Employees and community members are rewarded for going above and beyond the call of duty in their respective roles with Aldine ISD. Board President Dr. Kimberley Booker nominated Tamala Willis, assistant principal at Vines EC/PK/K, Sandra Black, resource teacher at Oleson Elementary, and the Aldine ISD Unified Athletics department program consisting of Julie Grutzmacher, Hugo Maese, Kelli Hodgkinson, Jessica Corrick, Christopher Welday-Zimney, and Larissa Coulter. Vice President Connie Esparza nominated Sharon Kennedy, pregnancy coordinator at Hall Success Academy. Board member Randy Bates Jr nominated Xandra Williams-Earlie, the high school science program director. Board member Paul Shanklin nominated the school administration office for attendance efforts. The department consists of Paul Carampatan, director of school administration; Perlita Leija, dropout recovery and attendance office specialist; Juan Flores, dropout recovery and attendance office specialist; Israel Flores, dropout recovery and attendance specialist; Alfonso Sahagun, dropout recovery and student attendance specialist, Richard Woods, dropout recovery and student attendance specialist, Luis Perez, dropout recovery and student attendance specialist, and Nora Guzman secretary to the executive director of school administration. 

Teaching, Learning, and Leading Department Honors Staff Members and Students

Chief of Schools Dr. Javier Villarreal presented seven staff members from Grantham Academy with the Humanitarian Award for their heroic efforts, which saved the life of their Assistant Principal, Catherine Fletcher, who experienced a medical emergency. The staff members recognized were Matthew Cline, interim 8th-grade science instructional specialist; Joseph McGuiness, 8th grade science teacher; Medagan McDermott, 8th-grade science teacher, Miranda Harris, inclusion teacher; Jaqueline Jones, 7th-grade science teacher; Angela Miller, school nurse, and Alexandra Manriquez, the clinic aide. 

Chief Academic Officer Faviola Cantu celebrated two groups of students. Teresa Boquer, a two-way dual language student at Ermel Elementary, won the NABE Essay Writing Contest in Atlanta, Georgia, for her essay, Proud to be Bilingual. She also received $500 in cash. Aldine ISD Junior Science Fair winners Dellivon Frazier of Drew Academy, Jacob Nunez, Dominic Hernandez, and Dante Tamez of Hambrick Middle School were recognized for their scientific achievements. The students excelled at the district science fair, advancing them to the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, where they placed second among 54 other school districts in their categories. From there, the students represented Aldine ISD and the region at the Texas Science and Engineering Fair at Texas A&M University on March 29, 2025.   

Chief Transformation Officer Adrian Bustillos shared the exciting news that’s taking place at the Young Women’s Leader Academy (YWLA). The YWLA was selected for a campus-wide community service project with upgrades to three key spaces that focus on nurturing the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of students, staff, and school communities. YWLA will continue to build on the STEM field this summer, with several programs scheduled for June and July. Several students from YWLA have applied to prestigious summer programs across the state and nation and have received scholarships to attend the summer programs. 

Performing Arts Students Spotlighted

During the board meeting’s teaching, leading, and learning segment Refugio Rodriguez, director of performing arts, highlighted the district’s performing arts programs for the 2024-25 school year. Aside from high school performing arts, Aldine ISD has over 20,000 elementary students who are part of the performing arts program, over 22,700 students participate in the performing and visual arts programs at the secondary level, and over 8,000 students from the district’s magnet and choice schools participate in the performing arts. The district’s band, orchestra, dance, choir, mariachi, speech and debate, and theater programs were spotlighted for their accomplishments. Two educators, Kari Zimerman, the music teacher at Jones Primary, and Grace Lewis, director of orchestras at Carver High School, were recognized for their outstanding work in the arts. 

AISD Public Hearing on 2023-24 Annual Performance Report

Aldine ISD held a public hearing for the 2023-24 Annual Performance Report at the April 16 Board meeting.  Dawn Ayers-Rodriguez, chief of accountability, assessment and analytics, led the hearing. According to TEA guidelines: “A hearing for public discussion of the annual report must be held within 90 calendar days from the district receiving Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPRs). Parents and property owners must be notified of the hearing.”

Employee Recognized 

During the April 15 board meeting, Aldine ISD employees were recognized for their leadership, connections with their fellow employees, and impact on students.

• Aldine ISD Police Commander Marc Harris named police dispatcher Kristen Truitt the department’s Employee of the Month. 

Staff Assignment Announced 

• Padriac McGinnis was named campus athletic coordinator/head football coach at Eisenhower High School after serving as the coordinator of special teams and offensive line coach at Houston Heights High School in the Houston Independent School District. 

Trustees Approved Action Items

• Approved the 2025-2026 instructional materials allotment and TEKS certification.
• Approved a statement of agreement between Allegany College of Maryland and Aldine Independent School District regarding the clinical placement program for the period of March 21, 2025, to February 28, 2026. 
• Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between San Jacinto Community District and Aldine ISD for the HEAL at Nimitz High School Pathway specific and core content for the 2025-26 through 2026-27 school year.
• Approved the turnaround plan for Hall Success Academy.
• Approved single contracts and purchases of $100,000 and greater. 
• Approved the monthly tax office refunds. 

Before the April 15 board meeting, Bussey Elementary led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag. The Aldine Middle School LOTC Color Guard presented the colors. The Aldine ISD Orff Ensemble (AOE), consisting of third, fourth, and fifth graders from 40 Aldine campuses, graced the audience with a performance. The May board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. in the boardroom at the Donaldson Administration Building.