Dear El Paso ISD,

The pioneers of public education in El Paso continue to celebrate new milestones that are paving the way to success for students throughout the region. It starts with us!

Today, the district learned it was one of seven school districts throughout Texas selected to join the renowned Holdsworth Center Partnership program hosted by the Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based nonprofit focused on building strong leadership in public education. Being accepted to the partnership, which is one of the most prestigious educational leadership programs in the country, is an incredible honor. It will allow us to further our commitment of developing leadership excellence among our principals to continue our relentless pursuit to deliver high-quality learning experiences for students. We look forward to engaging with Holdsworth to provide a bright future for El Paso’s District.

El Paso ISD will continue to champion well-rounded educational experiences for the region’s children because of its talented employees. We recognized more than 40 of our longest-serving staff members Tuesday during our Service Awards at El Paso High School. The awards mark 25 or more years of service to the district and I was happy to recognize each of these individuals during this annual event. Thank you for your commitment to El Paso's District!

Two nights later, we met some of our newest employees! A group of students from the University of Texas at El Paso learned which El Paso ISD school they would join this fall to lead learners during the Miner Teacher Residency Match Day Ceremony and Celebration on Thursday at the Undergraduate Learning Center. These residents will be paired with mentor teachers at schools throughout the district and will develop their own skills, which they will potentially bring back to our schools upon graduation to further our vision to inspire and empower students to thrive. Welcome to El Paso ISD!

Late this week, nearly 400 El Paso ISD health science seniors received professional guidance and participated in job interviews during the district’s first-ever Healthcare Expo and Job Fair. The event at the Starlight Event Center was the first of its kind and gave our Career and Technical Education students — who will graduate in a few weeks with a healthcare industry-based certification — a valuable opportunity. Ours is the region's largest group of students enrolled in healthcare programs of study. We are pleased to have been able to offer them this unprecedented opportunity. Good luck to all!

This morning at Wiggs Middle School, the campus gathered to bid a safe, successful journey to one of their own. Arnav Tonde, an eighth grader at the school, is leaving to Washington, D.C., where he will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee beginning May 31. Tonde earned his position in the national competition after besting 33 spellers in March during the El Paso Regional Spelling Bee. Good luck, Arnav. We know you will represent El Paso’s District well!

On Monday, the El Paso ISD Education Foundation and its partner funders awarded more than $85,000 in scholarships to the Class of 2023 during a special signing ceremony at Burges High School. The scholarships were made possible through the generosity of El Paso ISD employees, partner funders and donors including Raiz Federal Credit Union. Congratulations to these exemplary seniors.

I hope all of you enjoy the long weekend as we mark the Memorial Day holiday. When you return to campuses, you’ll have less than two weeks of classes left before the end of the year. That means graduation season is almost here. Our ceremonies begin Friday, June 9. See the schedule here. I know our seniors are looking forward to celebrating this milestone as we mark our district’s 140th year. Our pioneering spirit forges ahead.

It starts with us.

Sincerely,

Diana Sayavedra
Superintendent of Schools

May 26, 2023