Caraway Elementary Earns a National Student Creator Digital Challenge Distinction

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The recognition earned the campus an ice cream celebration.

What started as a creative classroom challenge turned into a sweet moment of celebration for Caraway Elementary School students.

This fall, Caraway Cougars poured their imagination, gratitude, and problem-solving skills into digital designs — never knowing their work would earn them national recognition. Weeks later, that creativity paid off when the campus was named the top K-12 school in the country for submissions in the Adobe Student Creator Challenge, securing first place and an Adobe-sponsored ice cream truck visit for students and staff on Dec. 17.

Caraway Elementary School earned the national distinction of submitting the most student projects among participating K-12 schools across the United States. The Adobe Student Creator Challenge encourages students to use critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills while inspiring the next generation of student creators.

Students used Adobe Express, a free digital media app available to K-12 classrooms, to design “Plush Pals” dedicated to teachers, friends, and family. Plush pals are a popular educational design activity within Adobe Express where students use generative AI to design a custom character. Through their designs, students unlocked their creativity while sharing messages of appreciation, care, and gratitude.

The challenge was intentionally woven into Caraway’s campus culture as the school’s second House Competition of the year. Caraway students and staff are part of four Houses — Amistad (Friendship), Perseverancia (Perseverance), Respeto (Respect), and Valentía (Courage) — designed to build relationships, strengthen community, and encourage collaboration. House assignments were randomly selected during House Selection Day at the beginning of the school year, an event attended by School Assistant Superintendent Scott A. Dubberke.

“Our digital learning specialist team from the AISD Technology Department shared the Adobe Student Creator Challenge in October, calling it a ‘Spooktacular Challenge,’” said Jesús Castellano, an inclusion paraprofessional at Caraway Elementary who helped lead the initiative at the campus. “Once I saw the deadline was in November, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to turn it into our second House Competition. It truly became a team effort.”

Castellano said campus leaders, including the House Committee, digital learning specialist tech team, and specials teachers, collaborated to introduce the challenge to students. In the days that followed, student excitement quickly grew.

“My favorite part was seeing our Caraway Cougars put so much effort, energy, and love into their Plush Pals,” Castellano said. “They were flexing the power of their imagination while unlocking their creative potential. Winning was exciting, but it wouldn’t have happened without every single student and staff member pushing us to the finish line.”

The good news arrived shortly after Thanksgiving break while students were engaged in STAAR rehearsal testing. Adobe notified campus leadership that Caraway Elementary had been named the national winner. As a result, students and staff were awarded a visit from Southern Ice Cream, which serves Texas-style ice cream truck treats.

As Aldine ISD works to realign resources and provide targeted support, Opportunity Schools receive additional assistance to accelerate student outcomes and remove barriers more effectively. Opportunity Schools receive more specialized support from all areas of the district, including leadership support and student support services, to increase student outcomes.

Caraway’s national recognition highlights how that support, combined with strong campus leadership and student engagement, can translate into meaningful learning experiences — and memorable moments.

Building on this success, Caraway Elementary plans to participate in the 2026 Adobe Student Creator Challenge, continuing to give students opportunities to think creatively, collaborate, and shine on a national stage.

Caraway Elementary School, which incorporates the AISD’s Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) model, is one of several campuses identified by AISD leaders as Opportunity Schools.