Socorro ISD Board honors students, schools and community partners at April special meeting

The Socorro ISD Board of Trustees on April 30 held a special meeting that the district used primarily to recognize student achievements, school counseling programs and community apprenticeship partners.

Daniel Escobar, chief communications officer for Socorro ISD, opened the recognitions and said, “it is my pleasure to introduce tonight's recognitions.” The board honored 30 students who advanced to the 2025 Texas Science and Engineering Fair, multiple Destination Imagination state finalists including a Herschel Antwine Middle School team that qualified for the DI Global finals, several varsity soccer teams for district and regional championships, and two middle-school counseling programs that were named recognized ASCA Model Programs by the American School Counselor Association.

The recognitions also included a district presentation from Darren Grissom, Solution Tree state executive director, who formally designated Sergeant Manuel R. Puente’s school as a Solution Tree Promising Practice school, and remarks from Israel Iroboli, executive director of the El Paso Association of Contractors, who presented a plaque to the district for its support of an EPAC apprenticeship program. Grissom said it was “a great night to be here” and called the Puente school’s progress a result of focused leadership and community support. Iroboli thanked the district and said, “So your commitment to our children, your commitment to our district, I appreciate it.”

Why it matters: the recognitions highlight student competitive success, district emphasis on career and technical pathways and the district’s partnerships with local contractors. The Solution Tree designation signals an instructional improvement recognition for a single school; the EPAC plaque reflects an industry partnership that district leaders said helps create apprenticeship opportunities tied to construction careers.

Most significant recognitions and details - Texas Science and Engineering Fair: Escobar told the board that 30 Socorro ISD students participated at the state contest in more than 20 categories spanning engineering, biological sciences and physical sciences. The district listed student names and schools during the presentation. - Destination Imagination: multiple elementary, middle and high‑school teams were recognized. The transcript records that a Herschel Antwine Middle School team qualified for the DI Global finals in Kansas City, Missouri. - Solution Tree Promising Practice: Darren Grissom identified Sergeant Manuel R. Puente’s school as a Solution Tree promising-practice school, crediting the leadership team, teachers and parents for improvements made in their first year after a leadership change. - Apprenticeship partnership: Israel Iroboli and Ceci Marr (EPCC) presented a plaque acknowledging Socorro ISD’s support for the El Paso Association of Contractors apprenticeship program and urged continued partnership; Iroboli described the local requirement that contractors maintain a ratio of journeymen to apprentices, which he said helps bring “new blood” into the construction trades. - Athletics: the board recognized multiple high‑school soccer teams for recent championships. The district announced season and tournament records for the teams, including records reported as overall and in-district tallies and several individual player honors and coaching awards. - School counseling: Enser Middle School and Fuentes (Puente) Middle School counseling teams were recognized as ASCA Model Programs by the American School Counselor Association for alignment with the ASCA national model.

Procedural and contextual notes The meeting was characterized by a single block of board honors and recognitions; no public commenters were signed up for this meeting’s public-comment period, and no formal votes or motions on policy, budget or contracts are recorded in the transcript. The district livestream and recorded video were noted as available on the district’s YouTube channel and board website with captioning options.

What the board did not decide or act on The board did not take formal action on policy, contracts, budget items or personnel in the recorded portion of this meeting. The transcript contains only presentations and recognitions; there are no recorded motions, votes or directives to staff in the available record.

Looking ahead Board members and presenters congratulated students, staff and community partners and posed for photos; the meeting adjourned at 6:47 p.m.