Reprint from the Progress Times - August 3, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

LJISD accepts $1 million PUSH Project grant

By Claralexis Rios

In a special meeting of the La Joya Independent School District (LJISD) board on July 26, the trustees accepted the La Joya ISD Passion for United States History (PUSH) Project Teaching American History Grant. The board also thanked Dagoberto Ramirez, La Joya ISD Social Studies Coordinator, for initiating this $1 million grant.

The PUSH project grant is to improve students’ education by helping teachers become more knowledgeable about U.S. History. The $1 million, three-year grant which runs from 2007-2010, grant provides on-going staff development, materials, supplies, field experiences, and continued funding of an existing grant coordinator’s position for over a three-year period.

Rita M. Garcia-Uresti, La Joya ISD school board president, chose board member Joel Garcia to give her the motion to approve Corina Sanchez Pena as the name for Elementary No. 22, located on 4 Mile Line and Liberty Boulevard.

The Naming of the School Committee submitted the names, Corina Sanchez Pena and Liberty to the board. According to the naming criteria, a person being considered has to have made a significant contribution to the La Joya school system; or served as a role model to the Hispanic community. A school can also be named after a deceased person.

Corina Sanchez Pena was born on October 22, 1902 in Rio Grande City. She began her career as an educator in the Rio Grande City and La Grulla public schools during the mid 1920s. She started working with the Tabasco CISD (now La Joya ISD) in 1932. Her first teaching position was in Los Ebanos where she was employed as a first grade teacher and acting principal in charge. Before she lost her battle with cancer and died on October 7, 1960, she had transferred from Abram to La Joya where she taught third grade and later fifth grade.

Pena was married to the late Luis Pena Jr. of Los Ebanos. She had only one son, Jose Rolando Pena, who also worked for La Joya ISD and was the former mayor of Palmview.

The board also recognized and presented Dagoberto Ramirez, La Joya ISD social studies coordinator, with a certificate for receiving the National Council for Geographic Education Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award.

The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes outstanding contributions to Geographic Education. Ramirez was one of twenty individuals from the United States and Canada selected for this honor.

The board also recognized Trinidad Lopez, 2007 UIL State Solo and Ensemble Outstanding Soloist Award winner. Ruben Adame, La Joya High School band director, introduced Lopez and awarded him a UIL state championship medallion. Lopez was one of 220 students who received this honor and competed with 22,000 musicians at the UIL State Solo and Ensemble contest.

Lopez graduated this year from La Joya High School and will be attending the University of Texas-Pan American as a pre-med and music major.

The board also heard presentations by representatives from the student/athletic insurance companies Alamo Insurance Group, Gilbert J. Ortiz Insurance Agency, Insurance Associates of the Valley, and Jesse Trevino Insurance Agency.

When the board finished hearing their presentations, they decided to choose Jesse Trevino Insurance Agency as the student/athletic insurance company for La Joya ISD.