Port Arthur ISD students showcase theater, visual arts and music at school board meeting

Port Arthur Independent School District trustees heard a student showcase focused on theater, visual arts and UIL academic achievements and approved routine board business at their meeting.

Arisha Jones, theater arts director at Memorial High School, told trustees her program won multiple honors at the UIL One-Act Play competition this season, including overall best tech and all-star cast recognitions. "This season has been nothing short of historic," Jones said, and she announced a school performance on April 23 at the Memorial auditorium and proposed taking eight seniors to the UIL One-Act Play competition in Austin on May 20.

Why it matters: Jones said the trip would expose students to higher-level performances and provide experience in public speaking and critical thinking, and she listed the eight seniors she proposed to bring. Trustees did not debate funding or logistics on the record during the presentation; Jones said she would work with the district on hotels, overnights and chaperone arrangements if the board approved the request.

Teachers and students from Memorial displayed juried art entries and discussed recent awards. Roy Bears, an art teacher who said students had entered work in the Protege senior juried competition and regional exhibits, described a large, highly detailed canvas by a student and said several pieces will be on public exhibit in Beaumont. "We just got through entering artwork for Protege," Bears said, and he explained that pieces selected will hang in a federal courthouse gallery for the year.

Alondra Garcia, a student who won second place and a scholarship to Lamar University for her artwork, described her piece as exploring whether people will risk harm to help another person escape a difficult situation. "I love art because I don't need words to express what I think," Garcia said, and she told the board she plans to study graphic design and fine arts.

English teacher Miss Gonzales introduced UIL academic competitors and students whose poems and short stories were selected for publication; multiple students read original short stories, haikus and sonnets during the meeting. One student, Alicia Francis, used a poem to describe local conditions: "If you live here, you just smell the gases," she said, a line that several trustees later referenced in describing why creative programs matter to students.

Athletics recognition also featured prominently. The board heard a summary of quarterback Monte Martin's 2025 season, including the Willie Ray Smith offensive award and a stat line referenced by the athletics representative (3,304 total yards and 52 total touchdowns), and trustees praised the student-athletes and coaches for their achievements.

Board context and next steps: District staff presented additional highlights including a teacher residency partnership with Lamar University, CTE student activities, and a $25,000 grant to reestablish after-school mentoring at the alternative campus. After the presentations, the board moved into routine business, approving minutes, a consent agenda and multiple personnel contract actions by voice vote.

The board did not record a roll-call tally for the presentations or the proposed theater trip during the staff reports; any formal vote on travel or funding for the UIL trip would need to appear in a subsequent agenda if trustees choose to act.