The Socorro Independent School District hosted its 11th Annual Partners in Education Orientation & Expo on Sept. 16, showcasing the strong partnerships between school liaisons and local businesses that collaborate to enhance the educational experiences of SISD students.
During the event, 39 SISD business partners connected with school liaisons to feature their businesses and the resources and services they could offer to SISD campuses. They exchanged information to plan fundraisers and activities for the school year.
Maya Kirtley, SISD’s public relations specialist and PIE coordinator, said that both the partners in education and the liaisons looked forward to this event because it served as a convenient avenue for networking.
“The PIE Expo is a one-stop shop for building meaningful connections,” Kirtley said. “It’s where our liaisons and business partners come together to spark ideas that directly benefit SISD students.”
Aurora Guerrero, the parent liaison at Horizon Heights Elementary School, said this was her fourth year attending the expo. Over the years, she has successfully developed partnerships with local businesses, including national franchises like Peter Piper Pizza.
“We have a tradition of having our first and last family night of the year with Peter Piper Pizza,” Guerrero said. “And families already know that at the beginning of the year, we're all going to meet there. At the end of the year, we're going to wrap it up at Peter Piper, and it just becomes like a tradition.”
Over the years, the PIE program has strengthened the relationships between the district and community partners to make a difference in students’ education.
Celeste Carrillo, the marketing coordinator at Union Draft House, said that the restaurant has been a Socorro ISD partner for at least three years.
During this time, the restaurant has collaborated with elementary, middle and high schools to organize fundraiser nights, where 15% of the sales generated by the schools are returned to them. Additionally, the restaurant has provided gift cards that are awarded to students who have perfect attendance or are recognized as all-star athletes or outstanding students.
“We love to be involved in our community, especially with our teachers and our students,” Carrillo said. “We're nothing without our teachers. So, we always love to show that appreciation and advocate for our students across the district.”
Matthew Nuñez, the community liaison for Chick-fil-A restaurants, said that SISD students benefit from the PIE program through collaboration between the community and schools, helping students achieve a quality education.
“Our vision and our corporate purpose is to be a faithful steward of everything that's entrusted to us,” Nuñez said. “And we really believe that our community has been entrusted to us, our location, our students, our schools, and all of that is entrusted to us. And we just want to be able to provide the best quality that we can for everybody that's in our community.”