Isabel Anaya, a fifth grade teacher at Villarreal Elementary School, was named winner of the Rising Star Award at the
2008 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards in Houston Sunday night.
Anaya will receive $5,000, along with a matching grant for her school.
Anaya said she never expected to receive such a prestigious honor. Teaching is simply a passion, she said.
"My parents, friends, and family say I work too hard. I can't help it," said Anaya, who has been at Villarreal for seven years. "I'm somebody who really believes in the kids. When I tell them to reach for their dreams, I mean it."
Anaya was announced as a finalist for the award last month. Holmes High School chemistry teacher Adriano Gonzalez also was named a finalist for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Anaya and Gonzalez were among 4,500 nominations submitted this year by H-E-B customers, employees, and community members. A team of judges narrowed the field to 223 semifinalists and then 40 finalists.
The finalists spent last weekend in Houston being interviewed by a panel of judges before the grand prize winners were announced in several categories. More than $380,000 was awarded to educators and districts at the banquet on Sunday, making the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards the largest monetary program for educators in the state.
The awards program was launched in 2002 in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators to honor outstanding educators. Northside ISD was named best district in the state in 2005, the first year awards were bestowed on districts.
RSS 2.0 NISD News Feed
View News Archives
Printer Friendly