More than 500 military-connected students and their families from the Socorro Independent School District wrapped up the 2025-2026 school year with a splash at the district’s Aquatic Center. The annual Military Summer Splash event on May 9 brought families together for a day of fun while celebrating the contributions of military families and the achievements of their children throughout the school year.
“This is our yearly Summer Splash, an opportunity for all our military-connected students and their parents to join us and celebrate that they are attending Socorro ISD schools,” said Dr. Carmen Olivas-Graham, SISD director for Administrative Services.
The event welcomed parents, students and siblings for a day at the pool, complete with pizza, snacks and time to connect with one another.
“It's just fun to hang around and spend time with my family,” said Destiny Spears, a rising senior at Pebble Hills High School.
The district launched the event in 2023 after receiving feedback from military parents through advisory groups and councils.
“Many of them have no families or relatives here, so they're just each other's family,” Olivas-Graham said. “They wanted to have opportunities when they can come together as a family themselves.”
The Summer Splash is one of several district-led initiatives that support military-connected families. SISD has nearly 7,000 military-connected students enrolled. Forty-nine of the district’s campuses have been designated as Purple Star Schools by the Texas Education Agency for their exceptional support of military-connected students. Among the services provided are academic interventions and excused absences for students spending time with a parent before or after deployment.
Parents attending the event said they appreciated the district’s commitment to military families.
“This has just been an awesome experience,” said Courtney Mathews, a parent at Horizon Heights Elementary School. “We’ve been stationed a lot of other places, and it’s not as heavily supported. We love coming here and being around other military families.”
For Jeanette Spears and her family, attending the splash has become a tradition.
“We expect it every year, and we’re always happy to be here,” Spears said.
The district will welcome back military-connected students at the Military Recruitment and Information Expo on Aug. 8 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the District Service Center. Families will receive information and resources to help them transition smoothly into the district.