Excellence is happening across Galena Park ISD!
By Allan Jamail
On August 14, 2026 in the Woodland Acres community a great educational accomplishment was made when the Mr. Mike Morath, the Texas Commissioner of Education representing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) came from Austin to compliment both Woodland Acres Middle School (WAMS) and Woodland Acres Elementary (WAES) School for getting an A rating.
With these two Public Schools each receiving the highest rating possible by the TEA is proves Public Education can be a great place to enroll children in.
Stayed tune for next week’s NC Star, then I’ll breakdown the grades and high marks for each category of these schools the TEA graded them on.
The event put GPISD in the spotlight, it was held in the WAMS gym which was packed with students from both schools, all dressed in their school colors and shirts. There was so much excitement in the air it was electrifying to the eyes of those in attendance. School bands were playing loudly with tunes to create an atmosphere of high anticipation for the formal ceremony to begin.
Dr. Mechelle Epps, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services brought the event to order and she and Sherrhonda Hunter, Executive Director for School and Community Relations was there to insure the event followed the planned agenda. As always they did an outstanding job.
The ceremony began with students posting the colors of the USA and Texas Flag in which students led in the pledge to them.
Dr. Yeri Villalobos the principal of Woodland Acres Middle School welcomed Texas Commissioner of Education Mr. Mike Morath, Galena Park ISD Superintendent of Schools; Dr. John Moore, Board of Trustees; Superintendent’s cabinet; Ms. Sandra Rodriguez, principal of Woodland Acres Elementary; other district leaders; Region 4 Education Service Center Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rodney Watson, elected officials; business partners; and members of the media.
Villalobos said “Woodland Acres Middle School has been part of this community since 1946. For 80 years, generations of students have walked these halls, learned in these classrooms, competed on our fields and courts, performed on our stages, and gone off to make their mark on the world. However, what makes Woodland Acres special isn’t simply our history. It is also the people sitting before us right now. Our students come to school every day ready to learn, grow, compete, perform, lead, and become the best version of themselves.”
“What you see happening at Woodland Acres Middle School and across Galena Park I.S.D. is intentional. We believe in Thinking Big. We believe in high expectations. We believe in accountability. We believe in celebrating excellence, and, most importantly, that every student who walks through our doors deserves people who believe in their potential. I know this because I am a proud product of that belief,’ Principal Villalobos said.
Villalobos continued, “I have been in this district as a student, as a teacher, as a school leader, as a community member, and hopefully one day as a parent. To my students, I want you to understand something today. Having the Texas Commissioner of Education visit your school is something special that I want you to remember forever. He has an opportunity to see schools and students across the state of Texas, and today, he has chosen in to be here with you because he can see how truly special each and every one of you are.”
“To Commissioner Morath and all of our distinguished guests, I want you to look around. This is what I am blessed to see and be surrounded by each day. Every day, I get to see talented students, dedicated teachers, a supportive district, and a community that believes that success is possible regardless of circumstances. We believe that high expectations, strong support systems, and exceptional educators can make a lasting difference in student outcomes.”
“Today, I stand before you with the privilege of representing our school, but make no mistake: the magic that happens every single day at Woodland Acres Middle School and throughout Galena Park ISD is not the work of one person. It is the result of countless selfless individuals who wake up each morning driven by a singular purpose, which is to serve our students and to uplift our community.”
“Many of them didn’t just choose this work, but instead, they chose to come home. They returned to the place that shaped them, determined to shape the next generation. That is the heartbeat of our success here in Galena Park ISD. That is the foundation upon which excellence is built. The teamwork extends outside of our campus doors. Every single member of GPISD believes in our mission to ensure students succeed, and we are grateful for their support.”
Concluding Villalobos said, “We are honored to share Woodland Acres and Galena Park I.S.D. with you today. What you are witnessing is more than a school and a school district. It is a community of educators, students, and families who believe in possibility, who invests in potential, and who proves every day that when you pour your heart into people, extraordinary things happen. Thank you for being here. Thank you for believing in us. And thank you for celebrating the incredible work being done in our schools, classrooms, and in the hearts of our students.”
Ms. Linda Clark Sherrard, Board of Trustees President made the following remarks: “With respect to my colleagues who serve with me on the Board of Trustees, elected officials, and Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath – Good afternoon.
As I stand before you today as a GPISD graduate, retired GPISD employee, lifelong community member, and now Board President, the measure of pride I am feeling at this moment is really hard to put into words. The accomplishment we are celebrating today reflects the dedication of our exceptional teachers, the hard work of our students, and the unwavering support of our families and community.
Today’s celebration is proof that when educators are empowered and students are supported, remarkable things happen. To our staff: thank you for your commitment to excellence every single day. To our students: you are the reason we do this work, and we couldn’t be prouder of you. And to our community and elected officials: your partnership makes achievements like this possible.
Commissioner Morath, thank you for taking the time to celebrate this milestone with us. Galena Park ISD is honored by your visit and we look forward to continuing our work to ensure every student succeeds.”
Dr. John Moore, GPISD Superintendant gave his appreciation to Texas Commissioner of Education: Mr. Mike Morath for coming to the district to recognize the high performance rating of schools in the district especially and WAMS and WAES.
Dr. Moore made the following statement: Good afternoon: “I would like to take a moment to thank you all for being here! We are honored that you came to help us celebrate the Woodland Acres Community.
Dr. Villalobos shared how incredibly proud our principals are of our students and faculty. I want to take a quick moment to thank our support staff. All of our Campuses benefit from the incredibly talented team members who support the work that our Campuses do every day.
It takes a real team effort to achieve the level of success we have in Galena Park ISD and I want you to know I am thankful for the work you do. These A’s would Not be possible without your dedication.
One of the things that makes WAMS unique is the strong vertical alignment between the feeder elementary schools, Pyburn and Woodland Acres Elementary, and Woodland Acres Middle School. Ms. Sandra Rodriguez and Dr. Villalobos both believe that ALL Students can perform at incredibly high levels no matter the challenges they face outside of school.
Their compassion, expectations, and work ethic are what make these neighborhood schools so successful. I want to share just a little more about the campus leaders you met today.
Ms. Rodriguez has spent the majority of her educational career in Galena Park ISD. She has been a teacher, Campus instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal at Woodland Acres Elementary. She is instrumental in the success of our two-way immersion program. Ms. Rodriguez recently experienced the death of an immediate family member.
Despite this life-altering event, she showed up for her students and her staff and really hit a home run! Her students consistently outperform most others in their comparison group and often earn all distinctions.
Dr. Villalobos is a product of our school system. In fact, I was Dr. Villalobos’ principal in the 7th, 9th, and 10th grades. He and his family moved into our community and lived in an incredibly impoverished neighborhood when he was just 12 years old.
As a child, Yeri lived without the basic necessities many of us take for granted. He came to Galena Park ISD at the same age many of his students are now. He spoke only Spanish at home and learned English by watching cartoons.
Dr. Villalobos is the oldest sibling in his family. He was the first to attend school, and because his parents were Spanish-speaking, he had to navigate many adult challenges at a young age. Despite not knowing the language of our schools, Mr. and Ms. Villalobos supported Dr. Villalobos and his siblings throughout their time in GPISD.
Yeri represents what is so amazing about our school district. Like the Villalobos’, GPISD believes that education will allow our students to go out into the world and achieve any dream they set for themselves. I am so proud that Ms. Rodriguez and Dr. Villalobos chose to lead their respective campuses in our community.
Each team member in Galena Park ISD believes in the power of education and works hard to ensure that our students receive the best education we can possibly provide. That is what makes GPISD a great place to be!”
Mr. Mike Morath, Texas Commissioner of Education said to the GPISD trustees, principals, educators and administrators that it was an honor for him to help celebrate this incredible achievement and the hard work of the students, educators, staff, families and community of Woodland Acres Middle and Woodland Acres Elementary Schools.
Prior to becoming the state’s Education Commissioner, Morath served on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees for more than four years. During that time, he focused on academic improvements. And by his final year on the board, DISD had seen improvement in various areas including rise in kindergarten readiness, math proficiency and graduation rates.
A strong advocate of public education, Commissioner Morath graduated from Garland High School in the Garland Independent School District. And thanks to the great public school education he received in Texas, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from George Washington University in two-and-ahalf years.
It’s worth noting many of the WAMS students attended WAES a few blocks away under Principal Sandra Rodriquez.
I’m proud to be on the WAES Campus Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC). Mrs. Rodriquez and Assistant Principal Alaide Zavala in our meetings strive for achieving excellence from students and teachers.
At 82 I can remember 68 years ago when I played football on the Galena Park Yellow Jackets “barefoot” football team. We wore no shoes and wore soft leather helmets we had to share helmets between offense and defense players.
Coach Coleman was my coach and we traveled to Woodland Acres Middle School to play the Mighty Hornets. We played against Howard Twilley who later became an All American College Player and later played professional for 10 years with the Miami Dolphins and was runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1965.
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