Pasadena Independent School District

Pasadena ISD staff, faculty and administrators know that being a lifelong reader is crucial to a student’s success, both in school and beyond — which is why they are launching the #pisdREADS initiative — to build, promote and sustain a district-wide culture of reading.

Meador Elementary recently held a dedication ceremony for the campus’ new SPARK park. The park was a cooperative venture of Pasadena ISD, Meador parents, students and the community. The park includes a ¼ mile concrete walking trail, asphalt overlay and striping of basketball court, new basketball goals, benches, and trash cans.

Eighty teams, featuring some of the state’s top ranked athletes, will start their season on the “road to state” by competing in the 2018 McDonald’s Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament -- one of the nation’s premiere early season championship tournaments. The tournament tips off on Thursday, Nov. 15 and is a launching pad for potential state champions and state tournament contenders and will feature show stopping action at 10 venues in the Pasadena and Deer Park area.

President and owner of Rosewood Funeral Home, Jess Fields Sr. has been named the Pasadena ISD 2018 Distinguished Citizen of the Year. The prestigious distinction is awarded annually to a local resident or business representative who has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving communities within the school district.

Chevron Phillips Chemical surprised Kruse Elementary students in Pasadena ISD with a special campus visit Oct. 11 for Fire Prevention Week. More than 300 students in Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade got a first-hand lesson in fire safety and emergency response thanks to members of Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Emergency Response Team in Pasadena who volunteered to visit the school.

At South Houston High School, the athletic trainers’ program is once again joining the national effort by collecting donations during the football games to support cancer research for the Houston Methodist Cancer Center. This year the cause has special meaning to the South Houston athletic trainer family, as fifteen-year-old athletic trainer Naila Torres is fighting her own battle with cancer.

Kirsta Paulus Jenne, a third grade math teacher at Genoa Elementary, was recently named one of six Texas finalists for the 2018 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) by TEA Commissioner of Education Mike Morath.

Down by 14 to the Southmore Bulldogs with 2:34 left in the game, San Jacinto Intermediate had one of the most memorable plays in Tiger history.

Pasadena ISD has expanded its AVID system this year to include AVID Excel. Offered at the intermediate level, the elective class prepares English as a Second Language students (ESL) and Long-Term English Learners (LTEL) for the rigor of high school coursework.