At the October luncheon of the North Channel Chamber of Commerce, superintendents from the three school districts in the area made presentations of the “State of the Schools” to a large audience, at the San Jacinto College Student Center.
ABOVE, l to r, Allatia Harris, chair of the Chamber and Assoc. Dean of San Jacinto College; John Moore, Galena Park ISD; King Davis, Sheldon ISD; Don Beck, interim superintendent Channelview ISD; and Margie Buentello, president of the Chamber.
A summary of their talks follows:
Superintendent Moore spoke about the awesome privilege to be a superintendent at Galena Park ISD. The district motto is “A Great Place to Be.” He showed a video with interviews from parents, students, and staff including the librarian. He mentioned the importance of athletics, and the district winning two state football championships. He spoke about students serving the greater community, and the district providing a health clinic in-house. Galena Park ISD emphasizes a culture of Family, Pride, Fairness, and Respect, he said.
Superintendent King Davis spoke about the District motto “Every Child Every Day” and how they provide personalized learning opportunities. Their Compass schools provide access to Arts, STEM, and Technology. The Sheldon District is coping with fast growth, now counting 13,000 students, and even though they had a $285 million bond issue in 2016, another may be needed soon. A live video was used to present some of the academic accomplishments of the students in the district.
Interim Superintendent Don Beck said their motto was “Inspiring Excellence – Whatever it Takes” and made a unique presentation with a robot from their robotics department, who came onstage with a bottle of water for the superintendent. He said they have 13 Career Tech programs, including Robotics, Welding, and Automotive. They also have had 2 Bill Gates Scholars, with a full tuition to Rice University.