March 2024 BoardBits

• Alberto Tudon, Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Coordinator, reported to the STISD Board of Directors on the TIA Expansion/Modification Application.
• Dr. Nereyda Trevino, Chief Academic Officer, reported to the board on the district wide and campus-specific programs to be held during the summer.
• The STISD Board of Directors voted to approve the AIA contract with Gerlach Builders for the Health Professions Gymnasium project, and authorized the Board President to execute the contract.
• The STISD Board of Directors approved a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a Special Education Co-Op with La Villa ISD.
• Amanda Odom, Administrator for Public Relations & Marketing, provided a report to the full board on the preliminary planning by the Community & Governmental Relations Committee for the district's upcoming 60-year anniversary event to be held in Nov. 2024.
• Board Vice President Dr. Sylvia Sánchez Garza and Board member Yolanda Kamel reported to their fellow board members on their experience attending the 2024
  TASB Texas Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC.
• The Board approved the following new Professional and Non-Professional positions for the 2024-2025 school year and the Announcement of Vacancies:
  Professional positions: Co-op Speech Language Pathologist, Co-op Educational Diagnostician, Co-op Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, Special Education Teachers (6) | Non-Professional positions: Co-op Special Education Clerk, Co-op Bookkeeper, Special Education Classroom Aide (1)

Rio Grande Valley students participating in the Engineering Design, Biomedical and Software Development challenges as part of this year’s NASA HUNCH program converged at the STISD Central Administration Teaching & Learning Center on March 19 for the RGV NASA HUNCH Critical Design Review. During the event, students presented their completed projects to NASA engineers, for a chance to be selected to attend the NASA HUNCH Final Design Review to be held at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston April 16 and 17.

Five participating teams from STISD were selected to take their projects to the next level, including:

• Science Academy: Two-Step System to Combat Biofilms: David S. Hovey, Ana-Laura Tamez, Estrella Palomo
• Science Academy: IV Fluid Admin: Luis Gasca, Taylor Admire, Ethan Cheng, Diego Pina
• Science Academy: Soothwave, Mental Health: Daniella Cedrillo, Sumita Dantu, Lauren Krawczynski
• Health Professions: Astro Naps, Mental Health: Ariska Nguyen, Zaid Kokash, Vivian Jasso, Gael Jasso
• Science Academy: Light Therapy Device, Mental Health: Makena Silva, AJ Simpson, Victoria Seguin

There were 68 teams from across the nation invited to present their projects in the Biomedical category of NASA HUNCH, and over 10 percent of those came from the RGV.