April 2014

AISD Names Sharon Roy the 2014 Middle School Teacher of the Year

Sharon Roy, a teacher at Kealing Middle School for 20 years, has taught magnet English, software design, Leadership 101 and pre-AP English. Roy earned her secondary teaching certificate in English and math at the University of Texas in Austin. She also holds a master’s degree in English from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in English, minoring in math, from UT-Austin.

AISD Names James Butler the 2014 Elementary School Teacher of the Year

James Butler is a prekindergarten teacher at Gullett Elementary School. He ensures that the school’s newly formed Pre-K program is up to standard with AISD guidelines and that the program continues to grow and serve as a positive addition to the Gullett community. He has been teaching Pre-K at Gullett since August 2011. Prior to that, he taught at T.A. Brown Barbara Jordan and Winn elementary schools. 

Interim Superintendent Surprises Teacher of the Year Winners

Today, Interim Superintendent Paul Cruz surprised three teachers in their classrooms and announced their selection as Austin ISD’s 2014 Teachers of the Year for elementary, middle and high school.

Being selected as a teacher of the year is one of the highest honors bestowed on AISD teachers. Each year, one of the finalists is named Austin Teacher of the Year and selected to serve as the district’s nominee for the Texas Teacher of the Year.

Media Advisory: USDA Food and Nutrition Leader Visits Ann Richards School Wednesday

AUSTIN, Texas—Tomorrow, Janey Thornton, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will visit the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders to learn about Austin ISD’s farm-to-school program and how the district is meeting new federal nutritional guidelines for foods served in school cafeterias.

Edmund Oropez Appointed as Interim Chief Schools Officer

On April 29, Interim Superintendent Paul Cruz made the following announcement regarding the appointment of Edmund Oropez as interim chief schools officer.

Dear Colleagues:

Starting today, Edmund Oropez, the district’s associate superintendent of high schools, will serve as interim chief schools officer to lead, manage and support AISD’s more than 120 schools for the remainder of the school year.   

Crockett Vertical Team Selected to Join The Creative Learning Initiative

The Crockett Vertical Team has been selected to be the next vertical team to join the Creative Learning Initiative in 2014–15.

A committee of parents, teachers and administrators participating in the Creative Learning Initiative evaluated four vertical team applications. All applications were kept anonymous. A 100-point scale was used to evaluate each application based on responses to two questions: