To kick off the 2018 -2019 school year, over 6,000 District staff gathered as one family at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.

At the event, Superintendent Steve Flores, Ph.D., District Elementary Teacher of the Year Katy Gray, District Secondary Teacher of the Year Randi Chaverria and Texas Association of School Administrators Executive Director Kevin Brown spoke inspirationally about the importance of remaining dedicated to the success of students.

“Our students are our future and educating them is the most important work in the entire world,” said Superintendent of Schools Steve Flores Ph.D. “My challenge to you this year is to include all, invest in growth and inspire action. When we do this, we get closer and closer to reaching our goal for every student, which is to find success beyond the classrooms of Round Rock ISD, develop as global citizens and be lifelong learners.”

Kick-off was supported in part by Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation (PIE),

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, A+ Federal Credit Union, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, Texas Vinyl Dispensary and Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union as first level advocates. Through the assistance of the PIE Foundation and the support of community partners, nearly the entire event cost was covered by vendor sponsorships.

“We are honored to be able to support our staff and teachers on campuses throughout the District with grant funding that will to used for new books, science kits, materials, field trips and additional tools to enhance our students learning experience,” said Marianne Reap, executive director of the PIE Foundation.

The PIE Foundation awarded Excellence in Education Grants totaling $140,000 at the Kick-Off event. Grants awarded will fund 70 projects, spanning all 54 campuses throughout the entire District, which will impact more than 48,000 students.

Kickoff 2018 Photo Gallery

Excellence in Education Grants awarded include:

  • Anderson Mill ES; $2,469.63 for Makerspace Mash-Up (Lisa Henson)
  • Berkman ES; $678.54 for Lights, Camera, GREEN SCREEN! (Brenda Speck)
  • Berkman ES; $879.20 for Imagine. Explore. Create. WONDER! (Sarah Kamas)
  • Bluebonnet ES; $705.00 for Rekenreks: Helping Learners Construct Strategic Math Reasoning (Veronica Cruz)
  • Bluebonnet ES; $1,607.97 for STEAM: Helping Students Reach New Heights (Alice Garza)
  • Bluebonnet ES; $1,500.00 for The Polar Express (Kimberly Peterson)
  • C.D. Fulkes MS; $1,680.00 for Arts Integration for Deeper Learning in Middle School: Literacy and Critical Thinking (Caron Sharp)
  • Cactus Ranch ES; $2,681.80 for Transform Your Teaching (Katie Dahn)
  • Cactus Ranch ES; $769.65 for Raz-Kids Have Pizzazz!! (Crystal Bridge)
  • Caldwell Heights ES; $1,095.00 for Mobile Education-Thomas Edison (Kasey Baize)
  • Callison ES; $1,000.00 for Principal (Krista Kuwamura)
  • Canyon Vista MS; $4,333.03 for Social Studies High-Interest Literature (Will Waghorne)
  • Caraway ES; $446.97 for Superflex Curriculum (Marjan Amiri)
  • Cedar Ridge HS; $3,100.00 for Girls’ STEM Day (Marie Isokpunwu)
  • Cedar Ridge HS; $1,250.00 for AVID-College Bound (Kristin Harper-Hill)
  • Cedar Ridge HS; $5,000.00 for School-Wide Kindness & Compassion Project (Jiae Kim)
  • Cedar Valley MS; $2,100.00 for News ELA Pro (Amy Margulies)
  • Chisholm Trail MS; $1,946.35 for Pavels for the People (Kirby Williams)
  • Community Education; $2,000.00 for Developing Lifelong Study Skills (Lisa Greinert)
  • Community Relations; $1,500.00 for Convocation (Jenny Caputo)
  • Counseling Services; $2,500.00 for Career Expo Fair (Lashanda Lewis)
  • Curriculum; $5,000.00 for ADI (Argument Driven Inquiry (Askia Little)
  • Deep Wood ES; $3,000.00 for The Power of a Great Classroom Library (Reba Mussey)
  • Deerpark MS; $930.00 for Language Rich Experiences-Real World Rangers (Luzmaria Soto)
  • Double File Trail ES; $800.00 for Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Community LEADERS (Jessica Cheyney)
  • Double File Trail ES; $1,000.00 for Readers are Leaders of Tomorrow (Jennifer Wilson)
  • England ES; $2,000.00 for Ready, Set, Osmo! (Donna Schmidt)
  • Fern Bluff ES; $1,500.00 for A Beginner’s Guide to Computer Science (Ginna Hill)
  • Forest North ES; $1,500.00 for Keep It Moving In Motor Lab (Wendy LeSage)
  • Future Readiness; $3,000.00 for College-Going Culture through AVID (Lora Darden)
  • Gattis ES; $476.08 for Multicultural Literacy for a Diverse Student Population (Jennifer Moy)
  • Gifted and Advanced Academics; $2,500.00 for RRISD STEM Fest 2019 (Hope Scallan)
  • Gifted and Advanced Academics; $5,000.00 for Supporting Students Taking AP Exams (Michelle Swain)
  • Great Oaks ES; $579.00 for Daily Do-Ables (Deena Wolff)
  • Great Oaks ES; $1,200.00 for Helping Children Succeed (Melanie McBride)
  • Grisham MS; $2,000.00 for Virtually Anywhere and Everywhere! (Lori Lind)
  • Health Services; $5,000.00 for SPOT (Welch Allyn) Photoscreener Device (Elaine Douville)
  • Herrington ES; $1,760.00 for Reader’s Theater for Spanish Language and Culture Institute (Sharon Figueroa)
  • Hopewell MS; $725.00 for Cultural Experiences: A Night at the Opera (Jerry Cordova)
  • Joe Lee Johnson ES; $995.86 for Skill VS Will (Kristie Campo)
  • Joe Lee Johnson ES; $2,500.00 for All About the Books-One Book, One Community (Vanessa Stenulson)
  • McNeil HS; $3,245.00 for McNeil Engineering Makerspace (Elizabeth Windolph)
  • McNeil HS; $1,250.00 for Princeton Review SAT Prep Course for AVID Juniors (Dan Nguyen)
  • Pearson Ranch MS; $396.00 for That’s Our Story: Social Emotional Learning through Counselor-Led Book Study (Tamara Wahrer)
  • Pearson Ranch MS; $1,339.42 for Growing Minds: A School Garden (Pamela Wallace)
  • Pond Springs ES; $1,000.00 for Principal (Brooke Elarms)
  • Professional Development; $1,000.00 for World Summit (Edie Binns)
  • Purple Sage ES; $892.99 for Making Moves with Makerspace (Shannon Galvan)
  • Purple Sage ES; $1,000.00 for Revitalizing Fourth Grade Book Clubs (Taylor Anderson)
  • Ridgeview MS; $500.00 for Growing Deeper Understandings with Seed Starting: Creating a Wildlife Habitat and Outdoor Classroom (Ellen Duvall)
  • Round Rock HS; $4,500.00 for Incubator/Collaboratory (Tiffanie Harrison)
  • Round Rock HS; $3,500.00 for Holy Graphic Novels Batman Returns (Christina Taylor)
  • Round Rock HS; $785.35 for Undoing Homework Horrors (Karen Lentz)
  • Round Rock Opportunity Center; $3,000.00 for Teaching Sustainable Farming to At-Risk Students (James Allen)
  • Round Rock ISD Fine Arts; $2,000.00 for Addressing Hunger in Round Rock (Tim Lowke)
  • Sommer ES; $2,692.96 for Building Little Einsteins, One Argument at a Time-ADI for the Science Classroom (Donna Hafner)
  • Special Education; $1,400.00 for Osmo for SLC: Create, Play & Learn Beyond the Screen (Abby Williford)
  • Spicewood ES; $815.34 for Mind Over Matter: Achieving Mindfulness (Elizabeth Roberts)
  • State and Federal; $2,500.00 for Creating Change in Early Childhood: PK Rodeo and RRock Ready (Margo Vogelpohl)
  • State and Federal; $2,500.00 for Winterfest (Laura Segers)
  • Stony Point HS; $5,000.00 for Books as Mirrors: Reflecting Student Diversity (Jennifer Freeman)
  • Success HS; $1,095.00 for Unity in Diversity (Carey Dukes)
  • Success HS; $2,000.00 for Phoenix Rising Young Mens Group (Rodney Page)
  • Teravista ES; $133.40 for Integrating Music in Classroom Core Subjects (June Kohlbeck)
  • Teravista ES; $1,870.00 for Mindfulness Starts Here (Amanda Sickert)
  • Union Hill ES; $1,800.00 for All Abilities Community Park (Jackie Conley)
  • Walsh MS; $2,021.20 for Reading to Change the World! (Jayson Sherman)
  • Wells Branch ES; $2,924.53 for Classroom Communities in Rhythm (Andrew Schleisman)
  • Westwood HS; $750.00 for NASA Discovery (Kerry Johnson)
  • Westwood HS; $1,019.00 for Safe Hugs Sensory Jackets (Michael Ota)