Socorro Independent School District teachers, administrators and staff were All In preparing for the upcoming 2024-25 school year that started on Aug. 5.
From professional development conferences and spirited teacher assemblies to teachers setting up their classrooms for the new year, schools across the district were bustling with activity in the week leading up to the start of school.
Conference sharpens teacher skills
On July 30, 600 educators from eight elementary and middle schools and the high school in the Socorro High School feeder pattern gathered at the high school for the 2024 Re-Ignite Best Practices Conference.
Teachers participated in workshops led by educators and instructional specialists on best teaching practices to sharpen their skills for the upcoming school year.
Socorro High School Principal Ignacio Estorga, Ed.D., said the conference was not only an opportunity for educators to improve their teaching practices but also brought the feeder pattern together to ensure that everybody stayed focused on students' success.
“Our kids need great teachers, great educators to help them succeed,” Estorga said. “Our intention is for (students) to go to college. But when they go from elementary to middle to high school, we need to make sure that they're prepared to go beyond high school, and it starts at the elementary school level.”
Mini-convocation celebrates pathway for success
During Americas High School mini-convocation on July 30, the nine schools in its feeder pattern celebrated the power of collaboration among the elementary, middle and high school teachers in helping students achieve their high school diplomas.
Nancy Torres, Americas High School principal, joined the school's cheerleaders and drumline to pump up the teachers for the new school year. She invited Cosette Ruiz, a rising senior in the school's Trailblazer Early College High School, to talk about how her teachers, starting at Loma Verde Elementary School, then John Drugan School, and finally, Americas High School, have set her on a path for success in the future.
Ruiz, a four-time science fair state qualifier, said her achievements would not have been possible without the help and support of good teachers.
“When a teacher takes the time to understand an individual and their needs, it always goes a long way,” Ruiz told the audience.
Teachers prepare for the first day of school
At other schools, such as Mission Ridge Elementary School and Hurshel Antwine Middle School, teachers were busy preparing their classrooms to welcome back students.
Angelica Duran, a teacher at Mission Ridge in the Eastlake High School feeder pattern, looked forward to meeting her new class of second graders.
“We are very excited to see the little ones this year,” Duran said. It's going to be a great year. We're going to learn a lot, and we're going to have lots of fun!”
Joanna Puentes, the new Community in Schools (CIS) coordinator at Hurshel Antwine in the El Dorado High School feeder pattern, was putting the finishing touches on the school's new Zen zone. Featuring a rug, cozy floor seats, and miniature Zen gardens, the Zen zone will provide students with a space to destress, read, do homework, or meet with a counselor.
“This is where our students can come and relax,” Puentes said. "They can come and talk to the CIS coordinators. They can come and talk to their counselors. So, this is just a little relaxing area for them. Teachers are welcome as well.”
April Vasquez was preparing to give a presentation to her fellow teachers at Sun Ridge Middle School in the Pebble Hills High School feeder pattern about the Advancement Via Individual Determination or AVID college readiness program.
Vasquez attended an AVID conference over the summer and was eager to share the strategies she learned to better prepare students for college. As she enters her second year of teaching, Vasquez is looking forward to gaining more experience in the classroom.
“I am trying to gain a little bit more knowledge because I'm still fairly new,” Vasquez said. “And I still think I could improve.”
Throughout his eight-year teaching career, Daniel Rubio has taught students from Pre-K to high school. As a Pre-K bilingual teacher at Helen Ball Elementary school in the Montwood High School feeder pattern, Rubio said that working with the youngest students feels like getting a fresh start every year.
“The teacher kind of introduces them to what school life really is all about,” Rubio said. So, it's always fun seeing how they come in and then watching them grow throughout the year.”