The Texas Education Agency awarded 39 schools in the Socorro Independent School District in September 2022 with the prestigious Texas Purple Star Campus Designation for their support of military-connected students and families.
SISD had 39 schools, the most in the El Paso region, designated this year with the prestigious award for providing high quality support to meet the unique needs of military-connected students and families. With this year’s designees and the schools that earned the designation last year, SISD has 45 Purple Star Campus Designations total.
The award signifies the long-standing tradition that Socorro ISD has of assisting military-connected families. This honor is a testament to the district’s continuous work to connect and assist students and parents with military connections.
“We are very excited to receive these designations,” said Carmen Olivas-Graham, director of administrative services. “We are proud to have a very strong commitment to our military families here in the Socorro Independent School District.”
The designation is awarded to campuses that demonstrate that they provide various resources and assistance, including a campus-based military liaison, a web page that includes information for military-connected students and their families, a campus transition program, participation in Month of the Military Child and a partnership with a school liaison officer to encourage and provide opportunities for active-duty military members.
SISD serves 6,509 military-connected students and each campus has a military-liaison responsible for working with those families to help connect them to other military families, settle into the community and inform them about district-sponsored programs.
Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School Communities in Schools coordinator Guadalupe Alcala said it can be stressful for military-connected students to be constantly moving, so she feels interaction between the schools and military families is what ensures these students are successful.
“These students transfer a lot from school to school, which may lead them to have trouble connecting. It’s important to make them feel welcomed so that they will thrive,” Alcala said.
Cactus Trails Elementary proudly earned the distinction for their dedication to the military community for the second consecutive year.
“We are honored at Cactus Trails to have received the Purple Star military distinction,” said Leslie Thomas, Cactus Trails Elementary principal. “As a campus serving many military scholars, we look for any opportunity to recognize our military community for their service and sacrifices for our country. We are committed to working with all our military families to make the transition to Cactus Trails a positive experience.”
The campuses across the district have various programs and assistance methods like student ambassadors who welcome incoming military-connected students, military advisory groups, and military-connected meet and greets at the schools to help assist students and families in overcoming the barriers that they normally face when having to relocate.
Lorena Corral, parent and military liaison at Mission Ridge Elementary School, said the recognition makes her feel accomplished knowing that her campus is helping military-connected students and their families through a variety of school activities, events and outreach initiatives.
“We want them to feel at home. When they leave we are sad to see them go, but when they do we want them to leave with a good experience of their time here at Mission Ridge Elementary,” Corral said.
Socorro ISD works yearlong to welcome military families to the El Paso region and strives to assure them that they will be cared for and supported in Team SISD.
Socorro ISD TEA Purple Star Campus Designations for 2022-23
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Col. John O. Ensor Middle School James P. Butler Elementary School Montwood High School Socorro High School Mission Ridge Elementary School Myrtle Cooper Elementary School Mission Early College High School Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary School Cactus Trails Elementary School Bill Sybert School Benito Martinez Elementary School Sgt. Jose F Carrasco Elementary School Spec. Rafael Hernando Middle School Pebble Hills High School John Drugan School H.D. Hilley Elementary School William D. Slider Middle School Campestre Elementary School Sierra Vista Elementary School
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Vista Del Sol Elementary School Americas High School Salvador Sanchez Middle School Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary School Sun Ridge Middle School Socorro Middle School O’Shea Keleher Elementary School Escontrias Elementary School SSG. Manuel R Puentes Middle School Elfida Chavez Elementary School Chester E. Jordan Elementary School Purple Heart Elementary School Helen Ball Elementary School Hurshel Antwine Middle School Ernesto Serna School Montwood Middle School Paso Del Norte Elementary School El Dorado High School Lujan-Chavez Elementary School Escontrias Early Childhood Center |
Published October 13, 2022
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