SAN ANTONIO – The winners of the 21st annual H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards have been announced and four of them were from San Antonio.
The following statewide winners were recognized during an awards ceremony Sunday at La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio:
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- Leadership Secondary: Aime Charney, North East School of the Arts, North East ISD
- Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Lisa Berry, Woodridge Elementary School, Alamo Heights ISD
- Early Childhood Center: Pre-K Academy at West Avenue, North East ISD
- School Board: Northside ISD
The winners were selected from a pool of 58 finalists by judges that include former winners, school administrators, and university and community leaders.
During the ceremony, $430,000 in cash awards and grants were awarded to eight educators, two school districts, one early childhood school and a public school board for being among the best in Texas.
The program has awarded more than $13 million in cash and grants to Texas teachers and schools since 2002.
H-E-B asks customers and 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 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 the 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.