"It is part of an old tradition," said Rio Grande City CISD Personnel Administrator Esmeralda Lopez. "Take out the district pin and put it on. Now your pinned and are part of the RGCCISD family."
Lopez was speaking to a packed room of more than 70 new teachers just beginning the adventure of a lifetime with the district. The theme of the event, and subsequently for the year at the district was the Olympics.
"Together we are all team RGCCISD and we all are going for the gold," she added, alluding to the district's high academic standards. The new teachers had a chance to meet each other, as well as those from other campuses. They heard from district leaders who welcome their new colleagues.
"It's so nice to see so many bright, cheery faces. This reminds me of Jan. 4, 1976 when I showed up to a school district to work," explained RGCCISD Superintendent Roel Gonzalez Jr. "No one welcomed me, but a principal took me into a classroom with 42 kids and those kids taught me so much. They taught me about life and how sometimes kids bring their lives to school. Sometimes we have to understand where a child is that day to teach them and get them from point 'a' to point 'b'."
"Everyone asks me what I do for a living and I say I am a teacher, not a superintendent. I happened to stumble into a superintendency, but I am a teacher. Once a teacher, always a teacher. Be proud of that," he continued. "I welcome you to our fine school district. We try very hard. We might be poor, but we are overachievers. We might be on the border, but all our kids have an equal opportunity to learn and we don't give up on kids in this district. This is a district of high achievers."
The attendees also heard from the district's Board of Trustees.
"On behalf of the entire board and community, I welcome all you new teachers to the RGCCISD family," said Board President Basilio Villarreal Jr. "We expect nothing but excellence here and I know you will all do a great job."
A Starr County style breakfast of sweet bread was enjoyed as the new teachers visited with administrators from their home schools. The excitement was in the air as attendees smiled and expressed their enthusiasm for the impending school year.
"I heard a lot of good things about the school and principal and I was really looking forward to coming out here," said Emily Serna, who is originally from Edinburg and will be teaching at Grulla High School. "I know this is a great community and I've always felt the Valley has a lot of untapped potential and I think that the kids just need to learn what they are really capable of and I'm most excited about that."
Rio Grande City High School alum Yahida Moreno is overjoyed about the chance to teach pre-kindergarten at General Ricardo Sanchez Elementary and give back to her community." I'm excited to be back teaching in my hometown and I am excited to make a difference in every child's life," she expressed. " I am full of enthusiasm and ready to get involved. I love teaching pre-kinder because they are always full of surprises. I'm eager to get in the classroom and actually learn from them."
Teacher inservice and work days begin Aug. 20, 2012 with the 2012-2013 school year starting Aug. 27, 2012.
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