The Socorro Independent School District recognized district employees, coaches and retirees during special presentations at the Oct. 28 board meeting.

Daniel Escobar, the district’s chief communications officer, introduced multiple recognitions. The district highlighted winners of the 2025 SISD employee art show, which the district said featured more than 100 entries from teachers, principals, transportation staff and other employees. Awardees named in the presentation included Lisonbee Vega (El Dorado High School), Elena Sotelo (Desert Wind), Katrina Wright (Benito Martinez) and Ryan Stead (El Dorado High School), among others.

Escobar and the board also recognized four Pebble Hills High School coaches and the school athletic trainer for performing CPR and assisting a student who collapsed during practice. The district commended Julian Vasquez, Christopher Cortez, Melvin Sherbert and Jeremy Montelongo for initiating CPR and calling 911 until paramedics arrived.

The board honored dozens of employees who retired during the 2024–25 school year. The meeting named many retirees and their roles, including Frank Cortez Jr. (dual-credit criminal justice teacher, Socorro High School), Dan Watling (SISD Police Services sergeant), Veronica Carrasco (Sierra Vista STEAM Academy bilingual teacher), and others whose service spanned multiple decades. The district said retiring employees received a personalized photo collage and a lifetime activity pass for district events.

The recognitions closed with group photographs and appreciation remarks from the board and district communications staff. The district noted that event photos are posted on the district website and are available for free high-resolution download.