Seco Mines Creates Responsible and Ethical Digital Citizens

On March 31st, Seco Mines students explored and learned what it means to be responsible and respectful to their offline and online communities.

The Miners are all about enhancing learning opportunities while stressing the importance of each user's responsibility as a digital citizen.

Way to be proactive, Miners!

Kennedy Hall Enjoys Picnic Day

Thursday, March 23rd, Mr. Jimenz's Hawks at Kennedy Hall enjoyed a great day! 

The students were able to rejoice in the great weather and play inside a giant bounce house.

It was bubbles, pizza, and cupcakes galore!

What an amazing way to celebrate Picnic Day!

Kennedy Hall has a Green Thumb

March 30th, Miss Maria Ramos and her Kennedy Hall Hawks had a great time learning about plants!

The students were able to identify plants and create their own classroom garden. 

The students planted seeds and sprinkled fertilizer outside their beloved classroom. Also, just like any real garden the kiddos added various adorable lawn decor as the perfect finishing touch!

Way to "GROW" Hawks!

EPISD Police Department Officer of the Week - Lead Officer Alberto De la Torre

EPISD Police Department is pleased to announce their Officer of the Week – EPISD PD Lead Officer Alberto De la Torre.

Alberto De la Torre began his career in law enforcement as a security officer for Eagle Pass Independent School District in 1995. After graduating Del Rio Police Academy in 1997, De la Torre served as a reserve deputy for the Maverick County Sheriff's Office from 1998 to 1999. Between 2000 and 2001, De la Torre performed duties as a reserve officer for the City of Eagle Pass Police Department. In May of 2001, De la Torre accepted a full time peace officer position with the Eagle Pass ISD Police Department. De la Torre holds certificates as a Advanced Peace Officer, Field Training Officer, and School Based Law Enforcement. 

He also regularly attends active shooter response training and is actively involved in mentoring and building positive rapport with the student body.  

As a police officer for EPISD, De la Torre has served the district and community in the following areas: Eagle Pass High School, CC Winn High School, and currently resides as the Lead Officer for the Memorial Junior High School.

Eagle Pass Independent School District’s Police Department strives to provide the best service possible while maintaining a safe environment for teachers to teach and students to learn. 

EPHS TX 92nd JROTC Receives Distinguished Unit Award with Merit

The Air Force JROTC Headquarters visited Eagle Pass High School on March 24th to honor EPHS' TX-092 AFJROTC and conduct the unit’s 3 year inspection.  

TX-092 continued its unbroken streak of “Exceeds Standards” inspections, dating back to 2005, with the highest inspection rating given during a Headquarters inspection.  

During the inspection, the school support, instructors, and cadets all were separately inspected and each received the highest rating of “Exceeds Standards”.   This rating has shot them up to be ranked among the top 3 in the region.

Cadet Colonel Daniel Aleman, expertly lead his cadets and delivered a flawless Corps briefing where he explained all aspects of the unit and their accomplishments.

The Headquarters inspector indicated that TX-092 would also be receiving the “Distinguished Unit Award with Merit” later in the year.  This is the highest award that can be given to an AFJROTC unit.

Major Bailey, the Headquarters Inspector for the unit inspection, stated on the AFJROTC Website:

"Congrats to instructors Captain Shockey, Master Sergeant Leath and the awesome cadets of TX-092^nd AFJROTC and Eagle Pass High School for the Exceeds unit Evaluation.  Absolutely some of the sharpest cadets I have observed in 5 years. This amazing border town school and AFJROTC unit can compete with any unit in the country."

Congratulations to the TX-092 AFJROTC in their outstanding performance.

Seco Mines Builds Lasting Teamwork

On March 24th at Seco Mines Elementary, 4th and 5th Miners participated in team-building activities to see the importance of working hard, problem-solving, and never giving up when a challenge is presented. 

They had a fun P.E. class playing a game called Acid River and worked together to reach a common goal.

All this was in preparation for their upcoming STAAR test!

Way to go Miners!

Tiny Tigerettes Take Corpus

March 25th, The Tiny Tigerettes Dance Team from Graves Elementary journeyed to Corpus Christi for American Spirit's Championships. The girls danced their way into 1st place, making them National Champs of the Mini Hip Hop category.

Graves Elementary wishes to congratulate their girls on yet another National title!

Way to go ladies!

Pete Gallego Hosts PAC Meeting

As a grand gesture Pete Gallego SAR, Carmen Costilla, gave a small token of appreciation to the students whose parents attended the Migrant PAC Meeting.  

They were a great group with TONS of enthusiasm and positive spirit.  

Thank you to all the parents for attending and the Lobos hope to see you in future workshops or meetings!

Benavides Prepares for STAAR

On March 24th, Benavides Elementary showed their campus support by wishing the 4^th and 5^th grade students good luck on their upcoming STAAR tests. 

Testing begins Tuesday, March 28, 2017 and the Bulldogs wish all students taking the STAAR this week good luck and don’t forget to get a good night sleep! 

Go Bulldogs!

Ray Darr Rocks Out

A "Rock the STAAR" motivational rally was presented to the 4^th and 5^th grade students at Ray H. Darr Elementary.

Students were treated by their Rock Star dressed teachers who sung and danced to a crowd-pleasing skit. 

Mav Nation is now ready to ROCK THE STAAR!

5th grade Seco Mines STAAR Team Building

The 5th Grade students at Seco Mines Elementary are coming together to focus on building  a STAAR Team. This is all in preparation for the upcoming state assessment test!

Coming together is a beginning, Staying together is a progress, and Working together is SUCCESS!

Way to go Miners!

C.C. Winn UIL Academic 29-5A Sweepstakes Champion For 3rd Consecutive Year

Threepeat!

C.C. Winn UIL Academic 29-5A Sweepstakes Champion

Congratulations are in order for CC Winn's U.I.L. Academic Team for coming in 1^st Place in District on March 24-25 in San Antonio, Texas. For the third time in a row, the UIL Academic Team are District 29-5A Overall Sweepstakes Champion. The UIL Academic Team prepared for their District Competition by attending several invitational meets including Alexander Invitational Meet, Boerne Hill Country Invitational Meet and McCollum Invitational Meet. 

Accounting- Coach Ms. Selena Martinez

Ivana Muza-                2^nd Place

Elvis Morales               -3^rd Place

2^nd Place Accounting Team

Calculator- Coach Ms. Laura Castillon

Alexandra Castillon     1^st Place

Alexya Rosas               3^rd Place

Joaquin Contreras        5^th Place

1^st Place Calculator Team

Computer Applications-Coach Mr. Jesus Diaz

Hugo Tavares -Venegas 1^st Place

Maria Contreras                      2^nd Place

Mariam Tavares-Venegas 6^th Place

Computer Science- Coach Mr. Jose Jimenez

JP Jimenez                   1^st Place

Bianca Torres              2^nd Place

Carlos Miranda                        5^th Place

1^st Place Computer Science Team

Journalism- Coach Ms. Dionni Olivares

Editorial-

Alessandra Pereda       1^st Place

Jennifer Mireles           2^nd Place

Irene Trevino               4^th Place

Feature Writing-

Alessandra Pereda       1^st Place

Headline Writing-

 Nicole Moriel              4^th Place

News Writing

 Alessandra Pereda      1^st Place

Jennifer Mireles          4^th Place

Irene Trevino               5^th Place

1^st Place Journalism Team

Speaking Events-Coaches: Mr. Randy Laurence and Mr. Adolfo Flores

Informative Speaking

Stephanie Martinez      1^st Place

Juan Ortiz                    3^rd Place

Persuasive Speaking

Francisco Becerril        1^st Place

Poetry

Xitlalli Cervantes         2^nd Place

Ana Laura De La Garza  3^rd Place

Samantha Cardenas     4^th Place

Prose

Victor Solis                              3^rd Place

Jesus Chavarria                        5^th Place

Amanda Martin                        6^th Place

1^st Place Speaking Team

LD Debate- Coach: Mr. Randy Laurence

Nataly Sanchez-                      1^st Place

David Gonzalez                      2^nd Place

Adriana Ibarra-                        5^th Place

Literary Criticism- Coach Ms. Alejandra Cruz

Jennifer Mireles                       3^rd Place

Maria Sanchez                          6^th Place

Mathematics-Coach Ms. Patty Flores

Joaquin Contreras        1^st Place

Jan Rubio                    3^rd Place

Daniela Esparaza         4^th Place

1^st Place Mathematics Team

Number Sense-Coach Mr. Jose Jimenez

Joaquin Contreras        1^st Place

Greg Romero               5^th Place

2^nd Place Number Sense Team

Ready Writing-Coach Mrs. Angelica Camarillo

Andrew Guerra                        1^st Place

Elvis Morales                           2^nd Place

Mariana Pecina                        4^th Place

Spelling and Vocabulary-Coach Mr. Rey Rocha

Alessandra Pereda       2^nd Place

Rolando De la Garza   3^rd Place

Priscilla Orozco           5th Place

1^st Place Spelling Team

Science- Coach Mrs. Sally Perez Duran

Alan Gonzalez             2^nd Place

Juan Garcia                  6^th Place

2^nd Place Science Team

The UIL Coaches would like to thank all its hard working students as well as the administration for their support and encouragement. 

Next stop is Regionals on April 7th in which a record breaking 32 students will compete at Regional Competition to be held at UTSA in San Antonio, Texas. 

GO MAVERICKS!

Benavides Elementary Creates Scientists

March 24, Miss Luna Castillo and her 5th grade Bulldogs from Benavides Elementary strapped on their goggles and lab coats to get to the bottom of what happens after an oil spill.

The students have been learning about how humans can cause changes to the environment. 

They discussed how an event such as an oil spill can have a major effect on marine organisms, which led them to an experiment of their own. 

They simulated an oil spill and used three different methods to separate the oil from the water: skimming, disbursement, and absorption. 

They also hypothesized which method would work the best and then proceeded to test their hypothesis!

Way to relate real life to the classroom! 

Lady Eagles Continue Their Playoff Journey

Congratulations are in order for Eagle Pass High School's Lady Eagle Soccer team as they came out victorious after their first playoff game last week, March 24th.

The Lady Eagles are officially Bi-District Champs!

The girls will continue their playoff journey Friday, March 31st against Brownsville Rivera HS in Roma, TX.

The game will be at 6pm and ticket prices are $2 for students and $4 for students.

Good Luck Ladies and continue soaring above the rest!

Rebels Congratulate March Teacher of the Month

Robert E. Lee Principal, Blanca Muzquiz, is proud to congratulate her fellow Rebel, Ms. Ana Cruz, for her recognition as EPISD March Teacher of the Month. Ms. Cruz was awarded for her dedication, determination, and overall success with her students. 

Way to go, Rebels!

Mrs. Elizabeth Alamillo Named to Bulldog Hall of Fame

Mrs. Elizabeth Alamillo was selected as February's Benavides Bulldog Alumni with the Distinction of  Character of Caring.  

She is a Physician Assistance who exemplifies this characteristic on a daily basis with her patients of all ages. 

Mrs. Alamillo addressed the 2nd grade Bulldogs on her education and the hard work it took to accomplish her dream.

Congratulations Mrs. Alamillo!

Benavides Bulldogs Tap into their Animal Spirit

On March 23rd, after reading their story for this week, Miss Maldonado’s 1st Grade Class from Benavides Elementary worked on an Animal infused project. The Bulldogs worked in groups and selected an amazing animal from the story. 

They drew the animal and wrote amazing facts about them!

This was definitely work to BARK about!

Go Bulldogs!

Bulldogs and Mavericks UNITE

March 22nd, Benavides Elementary's 6th grade boys had the amazing opportunity to visit with C.C. Winn High School Athletics. The Bulldogs were able to meet with Coach Villasenor and previous Benavides students.  

They learned about character and what is expected of a true athlete.  

Way to go Mavs and Bulldogs! Great Combination!

Graves Honors Top AR Readers

At Graves Elementary, early March 23rd, t was all smiles in the Tiger Library! 

School Librarian, Mrs. A. Libson, awarded the Top A.R. Tigers with goodie bags & certificates for their AWESOME reading! 

She also held a drawing for all students that had an 85% average in their reading logs for the 3rd - 9 weeks.  

The Lucky winner was 2nd Grade Tiger, Yamilett Vasquez. 

Way to Go Tigers!

Benavides Crowns Campus Royalty

On Thursday, March 9, 2017, at Benavides Elementary's Spring Dance the former Miss Benavides, Arianna Flores, Mrs Soto-Gonzalez, and Mr. Negrete helped crown the 2017 Mr. and Miss Benavides. 

Congratulations to all who won and appreciations to all that participated!

Benavides Royalty

Ricardo Cassio - King

Isabella Lopez - Queen

Ashlee Estrada - Princess 

Natalia Navarro - Duchess

Graves Focuses on Teamwork

Wednesday, March 22nd, Graves Elementary's Tiger Student Council focused on team building games at their monthly meeting. 

Tigers believe in teamwork to get any job done! 

At Graves Elementary there is no "I" in team!

Benavides Elementary Represents at 2017 Special Olympics

On March 8th, students from Benavides Elementary's Life Skills classroom participated in the annual EPISD Special Olympic Games. 

The students had a wonderful time participating in the different events.

Afterwards they enjoyed pizza and games at Peter Piper Pizza.

Way to go Bulldogs!

Benavides Celebrates Dr. Seuss Week

To start off the month of March, Benavides Elementary took part in a series of activities that were Dr. Seuss inspired. 

The week of February 27th - March 3rd, the Bulldogs spent each day with designated attire such as wacky socks, backwards shirts, pajamas, and wearing green to honor Dr. Seuss’ Day. 

The students participated in silent reading, group reading, and talked about their favorite books. Everyone had a great time!

Oh, the places you'll go Bulldogs!

Congratulations to Ms. Ana Cruz: March Teacher of the Month

Eagle Pass Independent School District has partnered with local businesses throughout our city to highlight the Teacher of the Month program, which honors educators who have made a difference in our community.  The program recognizes outstanding kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and high school teachers in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Robert E. Lee Elementary's, Ms. Ana Cruz, is Teacher of the Month because of the qualities she possesses and her ability to stand out! Her ability to engage students in every lesson is rare and she is able to create student interest by helping all students focus and understand the concepts studied. She instills high expectations for all students to succeed, makes learning fun, and allows her students to explore, evaluate, elaborate, investigate, synthesize and analyze information. She encourages students to actively participate during whole group discussion and small group interventions.

Ms. Cruz takes an initiative as the Grade Level Chairperson to be in constant communication so that all students are encouraged with positive affirmations on a daily basis to promote a love of learning. Her devotion, dedications, and commitment to setting high standards when comes to diversity in the classroom is constant. She uses Class Dojo on the Promethean Board so students are aware of their added points towards their positive behavior, participation, staying on task and may other skills that will provide an opportunity for incentives as they reach their classroom goals. Furthermore, she uses Remind.com to stay in contact with Rebel Parents by sending messages on their cell phones with quick reminders on parent conferences, positive feedback or demonstrating roles and responsibilities. 

Without a doubt, Ms. Ana Cruz constantly continues to share her knowledge, has outstanding qualities that make her an exceptional educator, and is a colleague with a sharp vision and goal that has created many life learning experiences with a classroom conducive to learning. Every lesson is presented with optimism, high positive energy, enthusiasm, and with love from the heart so all students can demonstrate a sense of learning, ownership, and success. 

A segment will appear on iVision throughout the month of March detailing many more accomplishments of Ms. Cruz.  This month she will also appear on community media, news publications and the EPISD website throughout March 2017.  A teacher will be selected each month through May 2017 for a total of eight (8) honorees.  The “Teacher of the Month” will be chosen based on educational achievements in the classroom, community contributions and innovative programs and techniques used by the teacher. The “Teacher of the Month” will receive a certificate of recognition and will be featured on iVision, local media news, news publications and radio broadcasting.  Additionally, each “Teacher of the Month” will receive donations from local businesses.

Each T.O.M is receiving a “V.I.T (Very Important Teacher) Parking Pass”, a jean voucher for a month, 20 free meals at the Campus Café, and Class Cash to purchase class room supplies. Additionally, each “Teacher of the Month” will receive donations from local businesses.  Thank You Ancira Ford–Eagle Pass, Ashley Furniture, and Usborne Books.        

Graves Elementary Celebrates World Down Syndrome Day

Graves Elementary spent Tuesday, March 21st, celebrating Down syndrome Awareness!

The students in Mrs. Ruan's Lifeskills class room would like to remind everyone that the purpose of a day like this is to rejoice in everything that makes us unique and special!

LOVE. RESPECT. INCLUSION.

Benavides Chick-fil-a Recognitions for March

March 6th, Benavides Elementary in association with Chick-fil-A recognized Bulldogs, Marely Alvarado and Maricela Maldonado, for their selfless acts of kindness. 

Both students help out at school by assisting with other students and keeping the school clean. 

Their acts of kindness were rewarded with a meal courtesy of Mr. Rogelio Rueda, Chick-fil-a Manager. Thank you Mr. Rueda for making their lunch a special one.

Way to encourage the growth of our students in every way imaginable!

Pete Gallego Lobos Craft Animal Projects

First grade students at Pete Gallego learned about "Animal Groups."  

The students showed great eagerness and interest to learn all about animal groups, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects and amphibians.  

The students learned to classify and categorize animals by a given characteristic and needs to survive and reproduce. 

To end the science unit, the students created an animal project to display the different animal groups around campus.

Special Thanks to Lobo 1st Grade Teachers:

Mrs. Elia Jimenez

Mrs. Gabby Williams

Mrs. Alma Rivera

Mr. Rolando Euresti