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Hundreds of students, teachers, principals and support staff cheered the district’s recognition as the first two-time winner of the Broad Prize in Urban Education – a national distinction that comes with $550,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors.

The celebration and pep rally, which took place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, was also attended by the Mayor’s Office, a city council member, and several HISD Board of Education members.

Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez, a Lee High School graduate, thanked HISD staff for their “heavy lifting” but pointed out that at the end of the day, it’s about the students.

And students were a big part of Monday’s celebration.

Reagan High School’s drum line wowed the crowd before Superintendent Terry B. Grier, Council Member Jack Christie, Mayor Pro Tem Gonzalez, and HISD Board Members Anna Eastman, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, and Greg Meyers arrived at the celebration, greeted by cheerleaders from Reagan and Key Middle School. Students from other schools that were visited by the Broad Prize committee in May – DeBakey, Parker Elementary, and Scarborough Elementary – also participated in the celebration.

Dozens of band students from Ortiz Middle School, which not only hosted the Broad Prize committee but also the 2012 Broad Prize scholarship ceremony, also performed.

Eastman and Dr. Grier thanked everyone for working together as a team to bring home the 2013 Broad Prize.

“It’s time to celebrate the hard work of every single person in our district and our kids working really hard,” Eastman said. “It is a great honor to be recognized.”