2018 Points of Pride

  • Pasadena ISD Accomplishments

    For the past several years, the district, its schools and its students have earned national, state and regional recognition for outstanding educational performance. The Board holds high expectations for its schools and asks principals and teachers to expect the best from their students.  Those expectations have paid off in the form of many local, state and national accolades, including:
    South Houston High School Cheerleaders wins 1st place in their division and 1st place OVERALL at Cheer America iNationals for the 2nd consecutive year

  • H-E-B recently named former Miller Intermediate Principal Vanessa Reyes one of eight finalists for the 2018 Excellence in Education Awards.

  • The J. Frank Dobie High School Latin Club seized the day by placing first overall at the regional competition of the Texas State Junior Classical League (TSJCL) and will advance to state on April 13-14 in Dallas. At the regionals, the team of 60-plus members competed in several categories, including various tests, oratory presentations and dramatic interpretations of classic literature.

  • Following a recent top eight finish at the DECA state competition, Charles “CJ” Moorer became the first student in Pasadena Memorial High School history to go to the national competition for DECA next month.

  • South Houston High School nominated for four Tommy Tune Awards

  • The Pasadena ISD communication team attended the Texas School Public Relations Association's annual conference where they brought home 22 awards. Reesha Brown, communication and alumni coordinator, brought home a “Best of Category” medal for a Published News Release. Brown, along with Bruce Stone, communication coordinator and Jade Wise, communication specialist, all won gold certificates. Rob Smith, multimedia specialist, Brown, Stone and Wise were all awarded silver and bronze certificates. Additionally, the communication team was awarded a Crystal Star Certificate of Merit Award in the category student/staff recognition program.

  • The Summit was named New Group of the Year at the 2018 Celebration of Life luncheon, hosted by the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

  • When South Houston High choir members Jonathan Escolar, Sydnee Horton, Matthew Linares and Jennifer Tafolla learned they earned a seat in the Texas All State Choir, it was music to their ears. All state choir members are selected individually and the quartet from South Houston was the only Pasadena ISD group selected to advance to the state level and perform in the all-state choir.

  • The J. Frank Dobie High School Lariettes and Lasso drill teams won multiple awards at the American Dance Drill Team Regional Contest in New Caney.

  • Rick Schneider Middle School was named a 2017 CREST award recipient for excellence in school counseling. The Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (CREST) award recognizes schools that demonstrate a commitment to the academic, personal/social and career development of their students. Schneider was among 70 campuses across the state of Texas to be selected for the award.

  • Pasadena ISD Superintendent Dr. DeeAnn Powell was honored as the 2018 Outstanding Support from a Superintendent for Professional Learning award recipient for the state of Texas. She was recognized by Learning Forward at the annual Texas Association of School Administrators’ mid-winter conference.

  • Graciella Delgado, Dobie senior, submitted a watercolor piece called ‘Peeling Back the Silence,’ which was selected for publication in the New York Times

  • J. Frank Dobie and Pasadena Memorial High Schools recently advanced to the state competition of the Texas Academic Decathlon after ranking ninth and thirteenth in the state, respectively, after a strong showing at regionals.

  • Going up against 13 of the top teams in the country, the Pasadena Memorial Maverick Alliance cheer team overcame adversity and injuries to place third in the medium novice division of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) competition

  • The South Houston and Sam Rayburn High School football programs were recently recognized as finalists for the Class 6A Touchdown Club of Houston Sportsmanship Award; with Rayburn taking home the third place trophy.

  • Pasadena ISD was one of 28 Texas school districts named to the College Board’s 8th Annual AP® District Honor Roll for 2017. This is the second time the district has earned this achievement.

  • Dobie High was named a first team recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School award for their sports medicine program.

  • Students and staff at both Hancock Elementary and Jessup Elementary celebrated the opening of their brand-new state-of-the-art Spark Park, a project that has been years in the making

  • Six teams comprised of Board of Trustees, community members, business representatives, district employees and students traveled to the campuses to hand out over $196,000 in classroom grants during the annual Pasadena ISD Education Foundation Prize Parade.

  • Maria Prado is not your average 15-year-old. Not only is she a freshman at Pasadena High School, Maria is an accomplished martial artist and a member of the USA Jr. National Team. She recently competed at the 15th annual Israel Taekwondo Open Championship in Ramla, Israel, and won first place.

  • It was an emotional night at the Pasadena ISD Board room as Board members, community leaders, and district administrators patiently awaited the election results of Propositions A & B.The crowd cheered as the final precincts reported in and the 2017 Bond and Tax Ratification Election were a success.

  • Making the Grade: PISD graduation rate soars from 67 to 91 percent. In 2007, Pasadena ISD’s graduation rate barely peeked above the 65 percent mark. In just nine years, the district has boosted its graduation rate from 67.2 to nearly 91 percent.

  • Pasadena High School culinary arts teacher Santos Macias was recently named one of the top five finalists in the 2018 National Association for Alternative Certification’s (NAAC) Outstanding New Educator competition.

  • Four Pasadena ISD students were selected to participate in Education in Action’s summer Lone Star Leadership Academy. Bondy eighth grader Emma French, Morris seventh grader Jordan Peralez (formerly of Beverly Hills), Park View eighth grader Elizabeth Dyall and Former Thompson seventh grader Zachary Reimer.

  • Pasadena ISD earned a “Met Standard” designation from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), according to the organization’s annual accountability report. Campuses that fall under a “Met Standard” school district are eligible to earn distinction designations, awarded for achievement and progress in the following areas:
    • Academic Achievement in English Language Arts/Reading;
    • Academic Achievement in Mathematics;
    • Academic Achievement in Science;
    • Academic Achievement in Social Studies;
    • Top 25 Percent: Student Progress;
    • Top 25 Percent: Closing Performance Gaps; and
    • Postsecondary Readiness.
  • Pasadena High School held a celebration recently for earning five out of seven possible distinctions, an increase of four distinctions since 2015. Out of the five rated high school campuses in the district, PHS earned the most distinction designations, earning them in reading, math, science, student progress and closing performance gaps.

  • The Touchdown Club of Houston named Pasadena Memorial and Sam Rayburn seniors Bubba Baxa and Stanley Hackett as members of the 2017 All-Greater Houston Preseason High School Football Team

  • South Houston High School choir teacher Brenda Varvoutis was named the 2018 Region 4 Secondary Teacher of the Year during an awards ceremony recently. She will now advance as a finalist for the Texas Teacher of the Year honor.

  • PISD students achieved 2,016 qualifying AP exams scores this year.

  • PISD expanded the Connect Personalized Learning program from 3 to 22 campuses

  • Dobie9 opened its doors to Freshmen in South Belt

  • More than 1,700 Pasadena ISD students received free eye exams and glasses this year through the SEE TO SUCCEED program at San Jacinto College

  • Proceeds from this year’s Texas Invitational resulted in a $150,000 donation to the Education Foundation

  • Red Bluff and Turner Elementary earn the National Healthy School Bronze Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation

  • At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: PISD student Nataly Ordazwas named Reserve Class Champion/Mixed Media, Anthony Vega was named Class Champion/Color Pencil and Emilio Recio was named Grand Champion.