Good morning!  Last week was a great week in Northside with many wonderful recognitions, celebrations, and accomplishments.  One of the great occurrences was the announcement of the H-E-B Education Awards finalists.  Of the eight San Antonio area educators being recognized as the "Best in Texas Education" with their selection as finalists in the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, six are from Northside!  The eight categories include six for teachers and two for principals.  Five finalists were chosen for each category.  The Northside educators chosen as finalists are shown below: 

Each teacher finalist will receive a $1,000 check for themselves and a $1,000 check for their school.  Each principal finalist will receive a check for $1,000 and a $2,500 check for their school.  Each of these finalists will now compete on a statewide level with four other finalists in their category. 

Northside's four teachers were surprised on Wednesday with a campus visit from the H-E-B VIP Prize Patrol bearing balloons, cake, and flowers.  The Prize Patrol surprised Principal Patty Hill at Warren on Thursday and Brenda Farias at Cable on Friday.  I was in Austin on Wednesday so I was unable to attend the teacher visits but I was able to make both of the principal visits.  Our Communications Department and campus staff did a great job in keeping all of this "under wraps" and working with the H-E-B staff for six successful visits.  I am so proud of these teachers and principals for their hard work and dedication to our students!

I mentioned above that I was in Austin on Wednesday.  Katie Reed and I were there to receive a resolution from the Texas Senate honoring Northside on its 60^th anniversary.  The resolution was presented by Senator Uresti and signed by all three of our Senators:  Senator Uresti, Senator Van de Putte, and Senator Wentworth.  All three of the Senators spoke on the floor of the Senate about Northside and congratulated our district.  Senator Shapiro, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, also congratulated Northside and stated that we are an example of what can happen when school districts decide to consolidate.  I really appreciate the Senators who represent Northside and the support we get from them as they deliberate on many important issues.

Also, last week was the 30^th Anniversary Celebration of Carlos Coon Elementary School.  It was a wonderful program that celebrated thirty years of excellence at Carlos Coon.  Mr. Coon, who devoted fifteen years as a Northside trustee and 22 years as a Region 20 Service Center trustee, was a true visionary and one devoted to the advancement of education.  He passed away in 1989, but his grandchildren were present for the anniversary celebration, as was the first principal of Carlos Coon Elementary, Mr. Robert Coyle.  The students who performed did a great job and I really enjoyed them.  Also, Susan Jackson, art teacher at Carlos Coon, unveiled a tile mural commemorating the thirty years.  Congratulations to Principal Mary Lou Mendoza and the faculty, staff, and students on a great celebration of the thirty years Carlos Coon Elementary has served its students.

I also want to congratulate Jennifer Jordan, Vice Principal at Health Careers High School.  She was named Assistant Principal of the Year for Region 20 by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.  Jennifer will be recognized at the State TASSP Annual Conference and will be considered for the Texas Assistant Principal of the Year Award.  Jennifer, we are proud of you and congratulate you on this honor!

In this Monday Message I want to congratulate Brian Tomlin, a 5^th grade student at James Carson Elementary.  Brian played phenomenal chess at the Texas Scholastic Chess Competitions held at McAllen, Texas.  Competing against 173 students from 45 different schools, Brian won all seven of his games to claim the state title in the Elementary JV division.  Brian, Rudy Herrera (11^th), Spencer Palmer (18^th), Keaton Weissmiller, and Jonothan Starks combined to capture 3^rd place team for the Carson Cowboy Knights.  In addition, Lindsay Palmer (25^th), Carolina Tijerina, Jalen Starks, and Mia Sheets garnered the 12^th place team trophy in the Elementary Novice division.  Finally, Yvonne Trang and Priyan Kalapurakkal earned winning records in the championship division.  "Their perseverance against the grueling competition was commendable," says coach Tom McDonald.  "I am so proud of every one of them."  Congratulations to Carson Elementary and Tom McDonald on a great program and the great success experienced by these students.

Many times I do not think we recognize the great job the Northside police officers do in protecting Northside students, staff, and property.  Last week Patrol Officer Mike Pitts' patrol vehicle was almost struck by a vehicle being driven erratically.  Officer Pitts pursued the vehicle as it attempted to flee.  After a two-mile pursuit the fleeing vehicle wrecked and those in the vehicle were detained.  Three individuals were from the United Kingdom and it was them and their car that was taken by two others.  The three victims were forced to withdraw money from several ATMs.  Of course, there are still things to be investigated but I congratulate Officer Pitts on this apprehension and arrest.  Police Appreciation Week is not until May 11-17, but I wanted to tell you this story and commend Officer Pitts on his courageous action, and thank Chief John Page and all of our police officers for the great job they do!

Also, last week the House Public Education Committee considered the House Bill that will provide a longer exemption for our unschooled refugee students from taking the TAKS test and being counted in the accountability system.  I could not go since by not knowing the time to testify I was not sure whether I could be back in time for our Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening.  As a result I asked George Torres, Deputy Superintendent, and Sonya Kirkham, principal at Colonies North Elementary, to testify in favor of the bill.  George did a wonderful job, but he has had to testify before.  This was the first time for Ms. Kirkham and she did an outstanding job.  When I was in Austin Wednesday, I heard several compliments on her testimony and I know that as a result we will possibly get the bill passed out of the House Committee or incorporated into the new accountability bill.  Thanks, Sonya, for doing this and we are very proud of you!

On April 9 Northside will hold its annual Classified Administrative Support Staff Conference.  This is a great staff development event and one that is looked forward to by many of our clerical, bookkeeping, and secretarial staff.  A great program is planned for this year's conference and I thank Diana Ely, Director of Organizational and Staff Development, for all her work in planning and arranging for this conference.

As I close this Monday Message, I want to say that I have only mentioned a few of the great things happening in Northside.  I encourage you to read the weekly "Inside Northside Weekly" publication for many other stories and reporting of success.  We are Northside and We Believe in our students!

Have a great week!