Kudos

Texas City ISD, its students and staff continued a tradition of excellence this school year by earning prestigious awards in many areas.

PROCTOR, GRIPP AND GIBSON NAMED TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

Texas City ISD named the district’s 2024 Teachers of the Year at its annual employee banquet. Calvin Vincent Early Childhood’s Haley Proctor was named New Teacher of the Year. Cara Gripp from RooseveltWilson Elementary was named Elementary Teacher of the Year and Rubye Richard Gibson from Texas City High School was named Secondary Teacher of the Year.

TCHS STUDENTS ADVANCE TO STATE UIL CONTEST

Two students from the TCHS UIL Academics Journalism team advanced to the State UIL Academics contest! Lily Melchor competed in Feature Writing and Sarah Vasquez competed in Editorial Writing.

TWO SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES PLACE AT STATE

Two Texas City ISD Special Olympics athletes advanced to the State Special Olympics Track Meet and ran away winners. Timothy Gasaway placed first in shot-put and third in the 100 meter race. Kalynn Blake Gerhardt placed first in the 100 meter race walk and second in shot-put. Their coaches are Shone Evans and M.C. Giusti.

GILES DANCE TEAM EARNS BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE

The Giles Middle School Cougar Dolls took the stage at the Future For Us Black History Talent Show in Galveston hosted by Central Middle School and wowed the crowd, earning them the well-deserved title of Best Intermediate Group Performance. Their teacher is Quinesha Thomas.

KELLEY EARNS RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION AT FAIR

Texas City High School FFA student BG Kelley clinched the title of 2024 Reserve Grand Champion in the market broiler division at the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo. FFA advisors are Nikki Ashcraft, Cassandra Griffis and Morgan Richards.

TCHS’S SLATON EARNS FIRST-EVER GOLD SEAL AWARD AT VASE

Alexandria Slaton of Texas City High School was TCISD’s first-ever Gold Seal winner at the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE). Out of 35,000 artworks, only the top 7% receive this honor. Her artwork will be exhibited statewide, including at the TAEA Fall Conference in Galveston! Leandro Martinez from La Marque High School also advanced to the State VASE competition.

TAFE STUDENTS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL COMPETITION

Four TCHS students advanced to the Educators Rising Nationals in Washington, DC. They include Kady Stoker, Mariah Costilla, Jake Chapman and Patience Salusbury. Students from the La Marque High School and Texas City High School Ready Set Teach program also advanced to the Texas Association of Future Educators State Competition. LMHS students Megan McCauley and Roddrick Woods received silver award recognition for their interactive bulletin board, Destiny Edmonson received Student of the Year and Alaina Martinez and Victoria Alvarez competed in the Educational Leadership Fundamentals test. Thirteen TCHS students and one Blocker Middle School student also competed at the state contest. Franky Garcia received gold in Teacher Created Materials, Kayla O’Neal and Gabby Pereira Salazar received gold in Project Visualize and Hayden Miner and Laney Simon earned silver in Interactive Bulletin Board. Maleia Brooks is the Ready Set Teach instructor for LMHS and Christina Hartsfield is the instructor for TCHS.

ITC PIPEFITTING STUDENT EARNS TOP PRIZE AT CONTEST

Students in the Pipe Fabrication Class at TCISD’s Industrial Trades Center competed at the Weld Test Institute’s Best of the Best competition. Jeremiah Smith, a senior in level two, showcased his exceptional skills and determination, clinching first place among five competitors in Pipe Fabrication. His hard work paid off with a bronze belt, $200 worth of DeWalt tools, $500 cash reward and qualification for the Rodeo’s Hardship fund! Juniors Devin Luther and Fernando Sanchez displayed remarkable prowess in their respective fields. Devin wowed judges with his precise 6-inch 40 pipe weld, while Fernando’s structural plate welding skills shone bright against tough competition. Their instructor is Troy Smith.

TCHS CHOIR RECEIVES TOP AWARD AT UIL CONTEST

The Master Chorale from Texas City High School wowed everyone at the Region 17 UIL Concert and Sight-singing Evaluation with their impeccable performance, earning Superior ratings from all three concert judges. In the sight-singing room, they showcased their talent by securing an Excellent rating. The Varsity Women’s Choir earned a Superior rating from all three judges! In the Sight-singing room, they surpassed expectations with another Superior rating. This incredible performance earned them a Sweepstakes trophy. Their director is Eddie Vandewalker.

TCISD RECEIVES LARGE BUSINESS AWARD FROM TC-LM CHAMBER

Texas City ISD was honored this year with the prestigious Large Business Award at the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala! As one of the largest employers in the Texas City-La Marque area, with 1,400 dedicated employees, TCISD is deeply committed to excellence, innovation and community engagement. This recognition underscores the district’s unwavering commitment to serving its students and community with passion and dedication.

BLOCKER ART STUDENTS RECEIVE TOP RATINGS

Blocker Middle School art students showcased their artistic prowess at the Jr. VASE Contest. Ten students received accolades for their exceptional work. Guided by their creativity and passion, they faced rigorous evaluations, demonstrating technique, expression and more. Among them, eight students earned a remarkable Rating IV, showcasing excellence in their artwork, while two received a strong Rating III. Two students achieved a perfect score, a testament to their incredible talent and dedication! Rating IV: Cristal Cruces, Leila Mokhtari, Ariana Herrera, Makaela Gonzales, Christian Garcia, Itzel Barragan, Isabella OchoaArizpe (Perfect Score) and Alexis Mayeux (Perfect Score). Rating III: Jax Sanchez and Ami Garza. Their teacher is Lola Rios.

INDOOR PERCUSSION TEAM FINISHES SECOND AT STATE

The Texas City High School Indoor Percussion finished in second place at the TCGC Percussion State Championships, earning a welldeserved silver medal. Indoor Percussion is a supplement to the concert season for the high school percussionists. Their directors are Benjamin Guillotte and Jared Angel.

LMHS COUGAR BAND EARNS SWEEPSTAKES

The La Marque Cougar Band clinched Sweepstakes at the UIL Region 13 Concert Band and Sightreading evaluation, earning straight ones on stage and in sightreading. This was their second Sweepstakes award of the year, after earning the recognition in the fall during their UIL marching evaluation. Their directors are Kevin Black and Marvis Jones.

TROCONIS, BLAND NAMED PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR

Rebeca Troconis, principal of Calvin Vincent Early Childhood was named Elementary Principal of the Year and Kanestra Bland, Giles Middle School principal, was named Secondary Principal of the Year. Mrs. Troconis guides our youngest learners with grace and dedication at Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Learning Center, while Ms. Bland inspires and challenges the students at Giles Middle School.

TCHS FORENSIC SCIENCE STUDENTS COMPETE AT STATE SKILLSUSA

Five Texas City High School Forensic Science students represented TCISD at the state SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference. Ashlyn Fountain, Marlyn Reyes, Madison Tucker, Genesis Lara and Jaiden Riley each earned superior ratings for their Crime Scene Models in Criminal Justice exhibits. Marlyn and Jaiden also received a flawless score of 400 on their project. Their advisor is Abigail Davalos.

JANICE FINISHES SECOND AT STATE POWERLIFTING MEET

La Marque High School’s Kai Janice earned second place at the THSPA State Powerlifting meet with a personal record total of 1,735. Texas City High School’s Carmine Benavides, Braylyn Harris and Anthony Lozano also competed at the state meet. LMHS’s Cherish Elder and TCHS lifters Nevaeh Garrett, Makenna Martinez and Myla Mosley advanced to the compete in the girls’ division of the state meet. Amber Rozier is the LMHS powerlifting coach and Derrick Taylor is the TCHS coach.