March 26, 2026 Staff Newsletter

On the cover: The Tomlinson Elementary School Tunes Choir performed for the Secondary Educators of the Year during their special ceremony. Music teacher is Carly Marshall. 

Three first-year and three veteran teachers were named District Educators of the Year at special celebrations held annually to honor teachers who give 100 percent to improving children's lives. 

The 2026 Northside First-Year Educators of the Year are:

• Angie Reyes-Gonzales, a Special Education teacher at Franklin Elementary School
• Gabriella Stewart, a language arts/reading teacher at Folks Middle School
• Kristin Alaniz, a science teacher at Harlan High School

The 2026 Northside Educators of the Year are: 

• Melissa Tobias, a bilingual/dual language teacher at Burke Elementary School
• Saul Cepeda, a science teacher at Hobby Health Science Magnet Middle School
• Patricia Zinn, a bilingual/dual language teacher at Clark High School

In addition to receiving engraved plaques, first-year awardees received $250, and veteran teachers received $500.  

A panel of NISD educators selected the District winners from among the 210 campus Educators of the Year. All campus winners were deemed “Simply the Best” at the District’s Educator of the Year celebrations, held March 25 and 26 this year.

To view pictures from both events, click here. To watch the videos from both celebrations, click here. 

STEM in Action: Young Innovators Shine at LEGO Challenge

Robots, creativity, and a little friendly competition—it was game on as nearly 180 students from 16 Northside ISD elementary and middle school campuses faced off in the FIRST LEGO League Masterpiece Challenge! 🤖✨

Teams battled it out in separate brackets, showing off their skills, innovation, and teamwork—but in the end, Fields Elementary and Hector Garcia Middle School claimed the ultimate bragging rights as Grand Champions of Northside ISD!

Each team impressed volunteer judges during a 30-minute session, where they were evaluated on robot design, innovation projects, and their demonstration of the FIRST Core Values. Their final score combined those results with their top performance from three tries at the robot game table—so every move counted!

Through hands-on challenges like this, FIRST LEGO League brings STEM to life in a way that’s engaging, creative, and just plain fun. This year’s Unearthed theme pushed students to dig deep and explore the creativity all around them—and they delivered in a big way!

Click here for the full list of winners.

NISD Artists Shine in Fiesta Contest

Ten NISD students placed in the top 30 of the Battle of Flowers Association’s 2026 Cover Contest, standing out among more than 300 entries and showcasing exceptional talent and creativity.

Congratulations to Gabrielle Marshall, a senior at Brandeis High School, who earned second place and a $500 cash prize. Her art teacher, Yuma Luis, was also recognized with a $1,500 classroom grant.

Additional student winners include Mia Rodriguez, Kylie Fuller, Khloe Sauceda, and Matthew Crews of Brandeis High School; Jayanne Garza of Stevens High School; Iliana Garay, Elaina Ortega, and Isabella Sandoval of Holmes High School; and Hayden Lopez of Harlan High School (not pictured).

Their teachers—Marcela Ramirez and Yuma Luis (Brandeis), Matt Hedlund (Stevens), Robert de la Cruz and Erica That (Holmes), and Mandy Clarson (Harlan)—played an important role in supporting and inspiring these young artists.

NISD DI Teams Advance to State

Eight NISD Destination Imagination teams earned top honors at the regional competition and will advance to the Lone Star Finals on April 10 in Arlington.

Advancing teams:

• Forester ES Guinea Pig Savers — 1st place, Service Learning 
• Forester ES 7 Shadow Dragons — 1st place, Improvisational 
• Forester ES The Fantastic Seven Dragons — 1st place, Scientific 
• Forester ES Seven 3D Printed Milkyways — 1st place, Engineering 
• Garcia MS Gla-DI-Rays — 1st place, Technical 
• Briscoe MS Amenesiacs — 1st place, Unforgettable 
• Briscoe MS The Winners — 1st place, Engineering 
• Harlan HS Hawk DI — 1st place, Scientific

Destination Imagination is a student-centered program that builds creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through hands-on challenges, empowering students to turn ideas into reality.

Pizza Night? Save with Mattenga’s!

Mattenga’s Pizzeria is thrilled to treat NISD’s amazing teachers and school staff to exclusive

savings! Enjoy 20% OFF in-store or 10% OFF online with code SCHOOL10 at mattengas.com. Show your school ID at pickup or delivery. Click here to view the flyer. Offers can’t be combined with other discounts and aren’t interchangeable between in-store and online orders. 

An Awesome Grant Opportunity

The Awesome Foundation’s mission is to promote awe, wonder, and inspiration in the San Antonio community by awarding $1,000 grants every month. Click here to apply or contact the Grants Dept. at 210-397-8563.