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Hidalgo School District, Edinburg Teacher Win Awards

Posted on: Saturday, 17 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Daniel Perry, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Jun. 17--SAN ANTONIO -- The Hidalgo school district and Manuela Sanchez, a fourth-grade teacher at Escandon Elementary School in Edinburg, were winners late Thursday night at H.E.B.'s Excellence in Education Awards ceremony at the Westin La Cantera Hotel and Resort.

The San Antonio-based grocery chain touts the awards as the largest yearly monetary prize program for statewide educators recognizing passions for teaching and district support. The program began five years ago and started honoring school districts last year.

"You hear a lot in the mass media about what's wrong in public education and what's happening," said Lee Holcombe, an awards judge and evaluations and special projects director for the Texas Schools Project at the University of Texas at Dallas. "If people on a broader scale could go to these districts that are really doing it right ... I think they would come away with a lot more confidence their tax dollars are being spent well."

The Hidalgo district competed against school districts in Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio and won $100,000 for what awards judges considered innovative and creative leadership.

The district has worked with the University of Texas â€" Pan American to launch an early college-high school initiative in August for incoming freshman to earn a secondary degree and up to 60 hours of college credit. Hidalgo staff has also worked with South Texas College to create a four-year program teaching parents occupational skills, English courses, literacy and college preparatory classes.

"We've got a great team of teachers and students and school board and a lot of unity with everyone working together to create something for our kids," Hidalgo schools Superintendent Daniel P. King said. "It's recognized and the great thing about that is it opens more doors to our kids."

Sanchez was recognized with a state leadership award for having taught between 11 and 20 years. She has worked for 14 years at the Edinburg school. She received $10,000 with the school getting the same amount matched by the San Antonio-based grocery chain.

"I feel extremely honored," Sanchez said. "There's many, many wonderful teachers here. I feel very blessed to have been chosen as the winner because I love what I do. I can't imagine doing anything else."

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Daniel Perry covers Edinburg, education and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4454.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Monitor (McAllen, Texas)

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