Southwest ISD Points of Pride

Welcome to Points of Pride, our weekly district e-newsletter featuring highlights from around Southwest Independent School District. If you have a story or highlight that you would like to submit, email communications@swisd.net.

We spoke to Principal Debbie Jones at Kriewald Road School of the Arts to learn more about her story and passion for students as the leader on campus. When asked about her transition to Kriewald and what she thought of the community, she said, "Coming in as a new principal here has just shown me what a great community this is. They believe in their children. The staff believe in their children. And we're here to just keep them safe and educate them—that's our top priority."

Ms. Jones has been in education for more than twenty years, with the last 17 years at Southwest ISD. She has taught or been on the administration team at Spicewood Park Elementary, Bob Hope Elementary, and McNair Middle School before taking over at Kriewald. When asked why she loves Southwest ISD and what makes it special, she said, "Many people know that I am homegrown. I'm a proud graduate of Southwest ISD. I have experience in all levels of education here, and I think that having that experience will help me know where students are headed. I know the experiences that they're getting are meaningful".

Dr. Jorge Cruz is the principal at McAuliffe Middle School, and after talking with him, it is clear that he is right at home with the community, students, and staff that he helps to lead. Principal Cruz explained that he wants to help all students from all backgrounds, regardless of what troubles they may be facing. He explains that "we all come from different walks of life and some of our kids do go through some things and a lot of those things are out of their control, but when they're in school, we want we want to make sure that we nurture them and that we assure them that they're coming to the safest place that you can be. And that is because you have all the resources to be successful here at school".

When asked about the importance of his staff and how he enjoys working with them, he says that "historically, this school is known for very hard-working individuals that truly care for the children of the community, and we're going to go above and beyond to put them in the best situation for them to be successful. You know, we have teachers that have been here 20-plus years at the same campus, and I think that shows how much they enjoy working with our type of kids, our type of demographics, and knowing we're going to make a difference in those kids' lives."

Southwest ISD had the pleasure of welcoming a class from the Master Leadership Program of Greater San Antonio! The group toured SW Legacy High School and got an inside look at our outstanding Fine Arts programs and their impact on students and school culture. From the moment they arrived, our cheer, dance, choir, and band students greeted them with talent and enthusiasm, leading the way for a tour. Our Culinary Arts students also impressed with a delicious meal, followed by a panel discussion with District leaders highlighting the importance of Fine Arts in public education.

Since 2004, the Master Leadership Program has connected local leaders with opportunities to serve our community by addressing key challenges, including inequity and injustice.

Big Country Kindergarten teacher Whitney Geyer was surprised by Texas A&M San Antonio. She was nominated and selected as their ASPIRE classroom of the month. This initiative recognizes ASPIRE school district elementary & middle school classes that are going above and beyond to bring higher education opportunities to their students. Texas A&M University-San Antonio's ASPIRE Classroom of the Month program has recognized and celebrated over 35 ASPIRE elementary and middle school teachers and students. Winning teachers and classrooms receive a Classroom of the Month certificate, Jaguar swag for the classroom/educator and students, a special message from University leadership, and a $1000 check.

Ms.Geyer was celebrated by her students, grade level, district staff, and family. She was nominated by a classroom parent who has had the pleasure of having both of her children in Geyer's class. Ms.Geyer was recognized for being patient, passionate, accommodating, and going above and beyond with her students. Congratulations, Ms. Geyer!

Earlier this week, students at Hidden Cove Elementary had a visitor from CODE4BOTS. CODE4BOTS is an innovative program designed to teach students the fundamentals of coding and robotics. Through hands-on workshops, students build and program their robots, allowing them to enhance their creativity and problem-solving skills. The program emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, allowing participants to work together on exciting challenges and real-world scenarios. CODE4BOTS equips students with the technical skills and confidence to thrive in the fast-evolving world of technology. Students were able to explore, create, and design a robot using the engineering process.

Dr. Jeanette Ball, Superintendent of Schools for Southwest ISD, and James Sullivan, Assistant Secretary on the Southwest ISD School Board, stopped by Southwest Legacy High School to feed the football team before their big game this week. They both gave great messages to the team about trying their best, while James Sullivan got the squad hyped up for game day!

We are pleased to announce that both of our high school marching bands have advanced to the Area H Marching Contest by earning unanimous Division 1 ratings last Saturday at the regional competition. Marching bands are evaluated against the UIL standard of division ratings. There is a rubric that the judges use to assist in assigning their ratings of the band's performance as a whole. Earning a unanimous Division 1 Rating is a great compliment to the work that the students and staff did to accomplish an exemplary performance.

The Area Prelims Performances are as follows:

Southwest HS at 9 AM

Legacy HS at 2PM

All performances are at John Gupton Stadium in Cedar Park, TX, on Saturday, October 26, 2024. After all 27 bands perform in prelims, there will be an announcement of the top 10 performing bands who will march in finals in that evening. The top 5 of the 10 finals bands will advance to the State Marching Contest.

Southwest ISD students are taking center stage, representing the passion, talent, and future of Career and Technical Education (CTE) across Texas! The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has chosen several of our CTE pathways to be featured in its new CTE Photo Library, a statewide project highlighting the unique experiences and learning opportunities CTE provides.

This special project will showcase the dedication and skills of students across Southwest ISD's high schools—Southwest, Southwest Legacy, and CAST STEM. They'll join peers from other Texas high schools to shine as ambassadors for the state's CTE pathways, showing the diverse faces and vast educational options CTE offers. The Texas Education Agency will feature these images statewide to raise awareness and spark interest in CTE programs, with many photos appearing in TEA's marketing and educational materials for years to come.

We can't wait to see our students' talents celebrated in this powerful photo library, capturing their CTE journeys and inspiring future generations!

Southwest High School held a FAFSA night where they could go over grants, loans, scholarships, and college funding with students and parents. They were able to have multiple families come out for the presentation and even set up time for one-on-one questions to make sure each family had their concerns answered.

As we continue our monthly Board Spotlight Series, we will feature Board Trustee James Gonzalez for October. We will highlight his personal story and contributions to our community.

Mr. Gonzalez continued his family tradition and raised his children in SWISD. His son, Donovan, is a proud graduate of SWHS, and his youngest daughter, Bailey, currently attends McNair Middle School. He shares the memory of his daughter, Kristie, who passed away in 2008. In her honor, he and his family founded a nonprofit organization, KAG Life, dedicated to helping students pursue their dreams. Through this organization, they provide scholarships to students in the district, hoping to make a difference in young lives the way his daughter would have wanted. He shares that the nonprofit has become a way to keep her memory alive, carrying her legacy forward through acts of kindness and support. For Mr. Gonzalez, each scholarship is a reminder of her spirit, bringing opportunity to SWISD students.

We are proud of our SWISD graduates and want to share their accomplishments. 'Homegrown' is our weekly segment highlighting successful Southwest ISD alumni who grew up in the SWISD community. We also look at how SWISD ignited their success, goals, and careers. In honor of Principals' Month, we hear from Denisse Hernandez-Gonzalez, Sky Harbour Elementary Principal.

Ms. Hernandez-Gonzalez enjoys working with her new team and Sky Harbour. "I believe in my campus, and I believe in my teachers." She also appreciates the relationships she has developed with her former students, who are now parents. "I love that the parents trust me to take that risk," Hernandez-Gonzalez said.

If you know of alumni who work in the SWISD district that you would like to nominate to participate in this segment, please email Dr. Sam Ruiz at sruiz9098@swisd.net.

Welcome to the SWISD Teacher Feature, where we look at some of the amazing educators in our district.

In this week's Teacher Feature, we travel to Southwest High School to visit with Criminal Justice Teacher, Scott Neal, to see how he does the SWISD Experience "Justice".

If you would like to suggest a teacher for us to feature, you can email your nominations to communications@swisd.net with the subject line: Teacher Feature.

On this episode of Beyond The Arches, we highlight the Southwest Dragon volleyball team to see what is working and what to expect for the future!

As students arrive at Scobee MS to start their day, you will find a happy Mrs. Alexandra Morales greeting them with smiles and positive vibes. She sets the tone for the day for her students, teachers, and staff. Mrs. Morales, a mother of three and a Navy veteran spouse, has been in education for 16 years.

She began her educational journey at Northside ISD and also taught in Florida. During her time at UTSA, she had the opportunity to explore higher education.

Upon returning to San Antonio and public education, she joined Scobee Middle School, where she taught for nine years before transitioning to principal this school year.

Mrs. Morales said she is grateful for every opportunity SWISD has given her since she was hired, stating that SWISD is her home.

Throughout her career, she has worked with many campus leaders who have helped her become the leader she is today. One person who stands out to her is the current Southwest Legacy Principal, Roxie Freeman, who was her principal when she first became an administrator.

The knowledge and inspiration passed on by these leaders have guided her to her current role, where she dedicates herself to supporting her students on their educational journey. Mrs. Morales is pleased when former students return to express their appreciation for her support when they were in school, emphasizing that every teacher in education is there for the success of their students.

Here are some fun facts about Mrs. Morales: She loves Italian food, especially on her birthday. Her favorite local Tex-Mex spot is currently La Fogata. She is a hopeless romantic when it comes to movies, particularly movies like "The Notebook." Despite what some might expect, Mrs. Morales enjoys rock music, from heavy to new rock artists.

"Happy National Principals Month" to you, Mrs. Morales. Thank you for your dedication to Scobee and SWISD. As always, we are Southwest!

Happy National Principal Month!

The Spicewood Park Elementary 4th grade team got Mariachi's to come play for Principal Velasquez to celebrate principals month! Check out the highlights!

On this episode of Scoreboard we talk about the Fire & Armor bowl recap, as well as Volleyball playoffs, basketball getting started and more. We also get to talk to Dr. Jorge Cruz from McAuliffe Middle School about the importance of athletics for Middle School students and beyond.