Today, H-E-B announced eight school districts and five early childhood facilities throughout Texas as finalists in the retailer’s 21st annual Excellence in Education Awards program. H-E-B is also recognizing five public school boards in the annual program to highlight the importance of strong leadership at the board level.

Since the program’s inception, H-E-B has awarded nearly $13 million in funding to benefit outstanding Texas public schools and Early Childhood facilities. This year, H-E-B will award a total of $90,000 to the finalists, who will go on to compete for even greater cash prizes at the statewide level. Each finalist in the district, early childhood, and school board category will each receive $5,000.

To determine statewide winners, a panel of judges visit each finalist to tour campuses and engage with administration, staff, parents, and community members.

Winners will be announced at the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 30 at the La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio. The winning large district will receive $100,000; the winning small district receives $50,000; the winning early childhood facility will receive $25,000; and if selected–one or more school boards will receive up to a total of $25,000.

Forty teacher and principal finalists will be announced in February and March during a series of surprise visits to schools and classrooms across Texas.

The 2023 school district and early childhood finalists, as well as recognized school boards, are as follows:

LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICTS 

• Arlington ISD
• Corpus Christi ISD
• Garland ISD
• Spring Branch ISD (Houston, Texas)
• Tomball ISD

SMALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS 

• Corsicana ISD
• Fabens ISD
• Montgomery ISD

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FACILITIES

• Brighton Center (San Antonio)
• Del Valle ISD Child Development Center (Del Valle)
• Irene C. Cardwell Head Start and Pre-K (Del Rio)
• Pre-K Academy at West Avenue/North East ISD (San Antonio)
• The Child Development Center (Austin)

SCHOOL BOARD FINALISTS

• Edgewood ISD (San Antonio)
• Northside ISD (San Antonio)
• Texas City ISD
• Tomball ISD
• Tornillo ISD

Teachers and Principals

Central Texas
Rising Star Elementary: Jill Zipperer, Dripping Springs Elementary
Rising Star Secondary: Alison Gage, Armando Chapa Middle School
Leadership Elementary: Erica Herrera, Dearing Elementary
Leadership Secondary: Teresa Coomaraswamy, Anderson High School
Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Candi Tenbush Blackland Prairie Elementary
Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Sara Lucas, Hendrickson High School
Principal Elementary: Erika Cruz, Jim Plain Elementary
Principal Secondary: Zack Kleypas, Pflugerville High School

San Antonio
Rising Star Elementary: Heather Sammis, Promesa Academy Charter School
Rising Star Secondary: Genesis Segura-Rodriguez, Anson Jones Middle School
Leadership Elementary: Carol Hudson, Henry T Brauchle Elementary
Leadership Secondary: Amie Charney, North East Schools of the Arts (NESA)- LEE Campus Magnet
Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Lisa Barry, Woodridge Elementary
Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Greg Marquardt, Tivy High School
Principal Elementary: Heather Brooks, Floresville North Elementary
Principal Secondary: Roxie Freeman, Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle School

Houston
Rising Star Elementary: Amanda Bryant, McMasters Elementary
Rising Star Secondary: Ryan Beeler, Spring Woods High School
Leadership Elementary: Kaneice Washington, Galena Park Elementary
Leadership Secondary: Betsy Young, Memorial High School
Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Joelle Trayers, James Berry Elementary
Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Diana Gano, Glenda Dawson High School
Principal Elementary: Teresa Camp, West Hardin Elementary
Principal Secondary: Jennifer Collier, Spring Woods High School

South Texas
Rising Star Elementary: Katie Doyle, Flour Bluff Intermediate School
Rising Star Secondary: Kendra De La Garza, Edinburg High School
Leadership Elementary: Maria Mascorro-Dominguez, Marcell Elementary
Leadership Secondary: Walker Perkins, W.B. Ray High School
Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Cora Mendez, Sullivan Environmental Science Academy
Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Eliza Delgado, Preparatory for Early College High School
Principal Elementary: Dr. Christina Barrera, Moses Menger Elementary
Principal Secondary: Criselda Flores, South Texas ISD Medical Professions

North Texas
Rising Star Elementary: Stacy Spink, Castleman Creek Elementary
Rising Star Secondary: Alejandro De La Pena, Jr. Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School
Leadership Elementary: Christina Ferenschuetz, Shepard Elementary
Leadership Secondary: Kathleen Leeper, Legacy Sr. High School
Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Angela Duncan, W. H. Brandon Elementary
Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Dr. George Hademenos, Richardson High School
Principal Elementary: Kim Dumaine-Banuelos, Ruby Shaw Elementary
Principal Secondary: Jorge Mendez, Plains High School

About the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards

H-E-B asks customers, Partners (employees) and community members to nominate teachers, principals, districts, early childhood facilities and school boards in Texas. Each nominee is sent an invitation to complete an application online and is asked about their professional experiences, educational philosophies and achievements both in and out of the classroom.

A team of judges reviews the applications, narrowing the field to semi-finalists. From that pool, five regional judging panels comprised of former winners, administrators, and university and community leaders not affiliated with H-E-B select 40 teacher and principal finalists. Finalists and their schools receive a cash prize of $1,000 to $2,500, depending on category.

Three separate panels select eight school districts and five early childhood facilities as finalists, awarding $2,500 to $5,000 in cash prizes. Up to five school boards may also be recognized and awarded $5,000 towards the district they serve. Additionally, one or more school boards may receive a special judge’s award totaling up to $25,000. Site visits are conducted to determine winners.

Teacher and principal finalists are invited to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes totaling more than $400,000. A statewide panel of judges, not affiliated with H-E-B, conducts a personal interview with each finalist to select winners.

Eight winners—two principals and six teachers—are announced along with two school districts, one large and one small, a public-school board and an early childhood facility, at a celebratory dinner.

Each winning principal—one elementary school and one high school—receives $10,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools. The winning large school district receives a $100,000 cash prize and the winning small school district receives $50,000. The winning early childhood facility receives $25,000 and a school board could be awarded up to $25,000.

The six winning teachers include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of three categories:

The Rising Star Award—honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 check for themselves and a $5,000 grant for their schools.

The Leadership Award—honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their schools.

The Lifetime Achievement Award—salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools.