Friday, September 25, 2015
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MCISD GETS EDUCATION FOUNDATION
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By Lea Victoria Juarez
fter a lengthy process that began in May 2014, Mission CISD now has federally approved education foundation. Although the public charity does not have any money at the moment, the goal is to provide scholarships, teacher grants and aid in miscellaneous student needs. The first
fundraiser, the Superintendent’s Golf Tournament, is already set for Nov. 6. The foundation is made up of 10 directors that represent different aspects of the three MCISD cities – Alton, Palmhurst and Mission. No more than two school board members can hold a director seat; Patty O’Cana-Olivarez and Minnie Rodgers are in place. Business partners from
the community are also on the board of directors, including representation from Mission Regional Medical Center. Hiram Burguete, administrator of payroll, represents the school district and Superintendent Ricardo Lopez acts as an ex officio and nonvoting member. The board is keeping a lookout for an 11th member to join the foundation board.
Members are not actively searching but hope to find someone with ties to the community. “What’s really rewarding about it is it’s a true grassroots effort,” Lopez said. “This was started by people who have a vested interest in the community, especially the school district, and want to give up the time to help the kids and teachers of Mission CISD.”
Foundation president Gustavo Martinez said the directors don’t have any specific goals for fundraising because they have no point of reference, but he is hopeful the golf tournament will get the ball rolling. There is talk among the directors of a gala or a concert in the future, but nothing is set in stone. However, the foundation will be fundrais-
ing throughout the year. “We’re the star of Texas, bottom line. We want more reasons to sparkle and shine,” the superintendent said. “This is just an added layer of the excellence that this community has.” Lopez said that when he became the district leader in 2013, there had already been
See MCISD 10
‘The tassel is worth the hassle’ F
Tracy Byrd headlines SISD Foundation benefit concert
La Joya ISD program aims to prevent dropouts
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By Julie Silva ocial worker Jessica Ortega-Ochoa and teacher Beatriz Lopez couldn’t believe what they were hearing as the mother of a 16-year-old pregnant student told them she didn’t know where her daughter could be found. The young girl wasn’t living at the Palmview home, and her mom thought she was living somewhere in Peñitas. It was around 11 a.m. on a Monday morning and the mom also thought her daughter was enrolled in school. The teen wasn’t. Working with La Joya ISD’s Pregnancy Education and Parenting Program, Ortega-Ochoa and Lopez were two of dozens of district employees who went out Friday,
Sept. 18, and Monday, Sept. 21, to hunt down 1,803 students who hadn’t registered for school. By the end of the day Monday, that number was down to 333. The numbers include students who dropped out during the previous school year as well as those who finished the school year but didn’t show up for the first day of school this year. “This is a districtwide effort. Everyone is working on bringing these students in and increasing the graduation rate,” said Bertha Perez, dropout prevention coordinator. “Every decision they make will impact them in the future. We have to be persistent in getting these kids back in school.”
See LJISD 8
TOP: Pictured, from left to right, are La Joya ISD social worker Jessica Ortega-Ochoa, student Jaqueline Cuahuizo with her baby and teachers Mary Flores and Beatriz Lopez. ABOVE: Ortega-Ochoa turns in paperwork at La Joya High School.
“A lot of students just need to believe they will achieve it, and you see how important support at home is – if you allow them to give excuses, well, they’ll have excuses the rest of their lives.” --Jessica Ortega-Ochoa
ans of country star Tracy Byrd can head to the Sharyland ISD Education Foundation’s annual “Denim & Diamonds” benefit concert for a liver performance. Tickets are now on sale and sponsorships are available for the Oct. 17 event at Las Palmas Race Park in Mission. This is one of the more popular “not-tobe-missed” fundraisers of the year. Texas native Byrd came into the limelight of country music in 1993 when he hit the Number One spot on Billboard charts with “Holdin’ Heaven.” He’s had a consistent track record with 30 hit singles–11 making the Top Ten—along with an array of other notable recognitions in the industry. He’ll be performing a number of those hits at the SISD Foundation benefit. Opening band will be Brady Honeycutt. Proceeds from the annual event are utilized for enrichment needed to meet the district’s mission for excellence in education. Grants are awarded to enhance educational programs and activities which either have not been funded or have been under-funded by the normal operating budget. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $670,000 in grants to teachers and staff. Members of this year’s concert committee are Jenny Hollis, chairperson; Roman Garza, co-chair; and Lisa Salinas, Suzanne Peña, Melissa Smith, Charlotte Hocott, Hector Rivera, Dr. Robert O’Connor, George Culberson, Karina Garcia, Rocio Landin and Judith Ramirez, committee members. The auction committee is led by Suzanne Peña and co-chaired by Lisa Salinas. Committee members include
Tracy Byrd is scheduled to headline the Sharyland ISD Education Foundation’s annual “Denim & Diamonds” concert Oct. 17.
Jonathan Montgomery, Cindy Ramirez, Kelly Chapa, Yvette Rodriguez, Cedar Suarez, Jill Klein, Gilda Rodriguez and Karina Garcia. Current Foundation board members are Jenny Hollis, president; Charlotte Hocott, vice president; Suzanne Peña, second vice president; Dr. Robert O’Connor, secretary; Hector Rivera, treasurer; and Melissa Smith, executive board member. There are four levels available for sponsors ranging from the $400 Denim sponsorship to the $10,000 Platinum Title. Each level offers different benefits ranging from seating for 10 only for the concert and auction all the way up to multiple tables complete with the steak and chicken dinner, beverages, company recognition and more. Individual tickets for the show and auction only are also available for $25 pre-sale and $30 at the gate. To become a sponsor, for more information or to
See BYRD 9
INSIDE
‘Wonderful company’ gives back
INDEX
The hunt is on at MCISD
Rattlers set to strike ‘Big Play’ Sabercats
Two-hundred employees with Wonderful Citrus have volunteered over the last two weeks to beautify Palmview’s park.
Staff with Mission Consolidated ISD join area districts looking for students who have not shown up for classes this school year.
It’s the rematch of last season’s epic battle between Edinburg Vela and Sharyland High School, which resulted in Vela’s sole loss.
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Entertainment | pg. 2
Lifestyle | pg. 3
Photos | pg.4
Sports | pg. 6
Obituaries | pg. 9
Classifieds | pg. 11