Week of May 12

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to break the stigma, speak up, and support one another. Your mental health matters, today and every day. Let's stand together by wearing green on Monday, May 19, to show our commitment to mental health for all. Every conversation counts. Every action matters!

San Marcos CISD invites the community to the following events scheduled for Monday, May 19.

Instructional Materials Public Showcase for Secondary Math, 4PM-6PM

Felipe Reyna Administration Building Ribbon Cutting, 5PM

Both events will take place at the Felipe Reyna Administration Building (1331 Highway 123), located in between Goodnight MS and De Zavala Elementary.

Our SMHS GEAR UP celebrated our amazing seniors at Decision Day 2025 on May 15! Congrats to all students, families, and friends! Our Rattlers are headed to Princeton, Yale, Ohio State, UT, Texas A&M, TXST, Baylor, the Military and many more—onward and upward!

Special thanks to the GEAR UP Coordinators for making this event extra special and memorable - and to the SMHS counselors, thank you for all your help behind the scenes. Combined each of your roles play such a pivotal role in encouraging and ensuring our Rattlers successfully take their next steps post-secondary and for that we are extremely grateful!

The San Marcos Education Foundation hosted its annual Gala to honor the heart of our district — our incredible educators!

We celebrated our Teachers of the Year, retirees, and years of service honorees for their dedication, passion, and impact on generations of students.

A special congratulations to our District Teachers of the Year:

Mr. Pacheco from Rodriguez Elementary

Ms. Machiela from San Marcos High School

Your commitment to excellence inspires us all. Thank you to every honoree for being the difference in our students’ lives!

This week, we celebrated the groundbreaking of Irene K. Mendez Elementary School, a key project made possible through Bond 2023!

This exciting new school will provide an inspiring, state-of-the-art space for our students to learn, grow, and succeed. A huge thank you to our community, staff, and partners who’ve helped bring this vision to life — we can’t wait to see it take shape! The Irene K. Mendez Elementary School is just one of the many ways Bond 2023 is transforming the future of education in San Marcos CISD.

On May 15, the San Marcos HS ACL celebrated determination, growth, and boundless potential! Congrats to our amazing special education graduates — your journey has inspired us all. Here's to new beginnings and bright futures! Huge round of applause to our incredible ACL staff for your hard work, dedication, and thoughtful organization in making graduation so meaningful for our Rattlers and their loved ones. Your commitment to our students shines in everything you do!

All seven SMCISD elementary schools brought their A-game to this year’s Battle of the Books, showcasing incredible teamwork, reading skills, and a true love of literature! After a fierce and fun competition, Mendez Elementary emerged as the 2025 Battle of the Books Champion!

We’re so proud of every student who participated — you are all reading rockstars and a true inspiration to our community.

On May 14, the San Marcos Education Foundation proudly honored the San Marcos High School Class of 2025 at the annual Distinguished Alumni Ceremony.

The event featured an inspiring keynote from SMHS alum Allex Austin, whose words reminded us all of the power of perseverance, purpose, and pride in being a Rattler!

Thank you, teachers, for the incredible impact you make in our students' lives every day. Your dedication, patience, and passion help shape not only minds, but hearts and futures. We’re grateful for all you do!

Congrats to our amazing educator, Ms. Cruz who was named a 2025 #WhataTEACHER of the Year! Thank you for inspiring minds and making a difference daily! Ms. Cruz earned $1,000 for her De Zavala classroom and also earned the campus staff free breakfast from our very own local San Marcos Whataburger.

Rodriguez Elementary had 2 amazing Kindergarten Graduation ceremonies! Huge thanks to our wonderful families and dedicated teachers for making these days so special. We’re so proud of our little graduates and excited to watch these Knights continue to grow and shine!

The Rattler String Quartet travelled to Cinco Ranch HS in Katy, TX to compete in the Bayou City Classic music festival.

The quartet earned a Superior Rating and an Outstanding Performance trophy performing works from Claude Debussy, William Grant Still and Ludwig Van Beethoven. They are in the running for the Best in Festival trophy as well!

Congratulations to Kevin Vacaflores, Geronimo Vacaflores, Diego Vacaflores, and Benjamin Keller on a great, exciting performance!

The San Marcos FFA Agronomy teams competed over this past weekend at Texas Tech University for the State FFA Career Development Event contest. The San Marcos Agronomy team received 2nd place in the state!

In addition to receiving second in the state, Rice Tipps received 2nd high individual, and Kendra Jensen received 3rd high individual in the state of Texas

The team member consisted of:

Rice Tipps

Kendra Jensen

Nicandro Quintanilla

Jackson Ubben

A huge round of applause for 11 San Marcos High School Cosmetology students who passed their practical exam this week in San Antonio, earning their cosmetology licenses! 🎉👏

It’s been a stressful and intense few months, but their hard work and dedication over the past 3 years have truly paid off. We are so proud of their perseverance and success!

Special thanks to their incredible instructor, Brandy Lopez, for guiding them every step of the way.

Pictured: Gia Hurtado, Aliya Guerra, Tilly Skelton, Mia Gloria, Samantha Wenzel, Natalia Contreras, Isabella Ramirez, Sophia Lockwood, Jayda DeLeon, Maria Vargas and Breanna Mendoza.

Proud to celebrate our Rattler student-athletes as they take the next step—committing to continue their education and athletic journeys at the collegiate level. Your hard work, discipline, and dedication have brought you here, and the future is bright!

Kareena Rodriguez – Howard Payne University Women's Soccer

David Vasquez – University of Texas at Dallas Men's Track & Field

Alexandria Juarez – Centenary College of Louisiana Women's Soccer

May is Mental Health awareness month. Please congratulate the following students for their courage and talents to share their artwork with our community for the Vibrant Visions Art show to bring awareness to the Mental Health Fair on Wednesday May 7th. Artwork will be up at the San Marcos library throughout the 2025 Summer.

Goodnight Middle School 8th Grade students:

Valkyrie Perry

Aileen Lucio Esparza

Bodhi Brown

Hailey Moore

San Marcos High School Students:

Talia Sarabia

Eleanor Smith

Sadie Ford

Daughters of The Republic of Texas celebrated Mosi Fraserrand, who placed first in the Museum Essay Contest for his essay titled, "Juana Navarro Alsbury, Survivor of The Alamo".

Mosi has also won the competition at the District Level and his essay has been submitted to the State Level competition. Way to go Mosi and good luck at State!

Exploring the wonders of science and history! Our San Marcos high schooler science club had a blast uncovering ancient fossils, dazzling gems, and the marvels of space at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Congratulations to our Bowie thespians on a fantastic turnout at their Cinderella musical! It was a magical evening, and the immense support from faculty, parents and extended family made it possible. Whether you attended on Friday or our dress rehearsals, contributed items for our set and props, or sold raffle tickets, we thank you! We’re lucky to have such a supportive team at Bowie!

Photo Gallery: https://azariahreesephotography.pixieset.com/bowieelementarycinderellamusical/

The Goodnight Middle School mariachi participated in a national (50 state) virtual competition called “Academica Virtual Festival” and received 2nd place! This achievement earned the program $3,700 worth of instruments which includes: Jupiter Trumpet w/ Hercules Stand, an H. Jimenez Vihuela w/ Hercules Stand, an H. Jimenez Guitar w/ Hercules Stand, 3 Hercules Music Stands, 3 Hercules Microphone Stands, 3 Hercules Accessory Trays, and 3 Hercules Device Holders.

This is a great accomplishment not only for our San Marcos community but also for Goodnight MS. Way to Rattler Up!

SMHS seniors recently completed the Youth Leadership San Marcos program hosted by the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce in partnership without SMCISD CTE Director Mr. CJ Odam, SMHS GEAR UP, and along with students from San Marcos Academy. Students learned leadership and networking skills exploring our community and connecting with local leaders! SMHS Rattler proud! #GEARUP Works!

Every May, we celebrate National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness about the significance of communication and the challenges faced by individuals with speech, language, and hearing disorders. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that over 1 million children nationwide receive school-based treatment for speech and language disorders annually. Speech-language pathologists address various difficulties in children including: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), speech sounds, understanding and expressing language, social communication, voice issues and stuttering.

Thank you to our amazing Speech Language Pathologist team for ensuring every student has a voice!