More than a dozen reasons to root for Team HISD

Teams are not about what any one individual can do alone. They are about what groups of people can accomplish together.

Each day, thousands of HISD employees from various departments join forces to create the best possible working and learning environments for our students and staff—and this morning, I got the chance to recognize 14 of them during our quarterly central office meetings.

First up were Sharon Cole-Braxton and Lynn Mayer from Special Education. They put together the district’s First Annual Special Olympics Field Day last week in partnership with Special Olympics Texas—and it was a raving success. More than 1,200 students had a really great day thanks to them.

Next was Mike Truelove, our stadium and equipment manager at the Delmar-Tusa complex. Out of all our stadiums, that one probably sees the most use, and Mike is the person who makes sure everything is in order and that events go off without a hitch. We will miss him when he retires later this year.

I also recognized Multimedia Manager Sarah Greer-Osborne, who helps us publicize many of the great things going on in the district. Sarah is HISD’s own version of the “Energizer Bunny”—she’s always on the go and has her hands in everything: TV, web, even social media.

I also presented Team HISD hats to Glenn Reed, a senior manager in Budgeting; Jorge Valdivia, this building’s manager for years; Jennifer Todd, the lead grant writer for the Office of School Choice; and members of the Bond Leadership Team: Dan Bankhead, Dillon Brady, Alexis Licata, Mark Miranda, Robert Sands, Sue Robertson, and Sylvia Wood.

Glenn keeps tabs on the district’s money, Jorge maintains the district’s headquarters, Jennifer secures funding for innovative programs, and the bond team is wrapping up old construction and renovation projects while simultaneously coordinating new ones.

Together, these dedicated employees are making sure our students and staff have great facilities in which to work and learn, and I just could not appreciate them more. Please join me in giving them a hand.