An NISD teacher and principal were named state winners at the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards Sunday night, earning thousands of dollars for themselves and their schools.
Brenda Farias, the former principal at Cable Elementary, was named the winner in the Elementary School Principal category and will receive $10,000 for herself and $25,000 for Cable Elementary. Farias, who began her teaching career in 1981, led Cable to a Recognized rating from the state just a few years of being appointed principal. She recently was named the principal of the new Langley Elementary School, which will open in August.
And Gretchen Catron, a history teacher at Jay High School and Jay Science & Engineering Academy, was named the winner in the Rising Star Secondary category and will receive $5,000 and a matching grant for her school. Catron has significantly increased participation in the school’s History Fair and Advanced Placement history classes.
“This is the state’s biggest recognition program of educators, so I could not be more proud of Ms. Farias and Ms. Catron,” said Superintendent John Folks, who attended the awards dinner in Austin. “We are so appreciative of H-E-B for their commitment to public education and for their efforts to give educators the honor that they deserve.”
In April, Catron and Farias found out they were among 40 finalists in the state, along with four other NISD educators. Eight finalists were selected from the San Antonio area, and of those eight, six were from Northside ISD.
The other four finalists from NISD were:
- Maricela Alarcon, Burke Elementary School – Rising Star Elementary Category
- Cathie Odanovich, Blattman Elementary School – Leadership Elementary Category
- Kathleen Kraus, Jefferson Middle School – Leadership Secondary Category
- Patty Hill, Warren High School – Secondary School Principal Category
All of the educators were nominated by customers, H-E-B employees, or community members.
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