The Socorro Independent School District partnered with Immunize El Paso to provide COVID-19 vaccinations for adolescents ages 12 to 15 in a drive-through vaccine clinic May 15 at the SISD Police Services facility.
About 1,000 people registered for the initial clinic that was open to anyone ages 12 and up to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
“This is going to help us get back to normal and we are so excited that hopefully by next year there will be a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Marivel Macias, SISD assistant superintendent for administrative services. “It’s about doing everything we can so we can get back to the post pandemic normal.”
Pebble Hills High School parent Graciela Ruiz agreed and said that is why she brought her daughter, who will be a sophomore in the fall, to get vaccinated.
“This absolutely is a step forward towards going back to some sense of normalcy. That’s very important because I think she does need that face-to-face interaction and to go back to school,” Ruiz said.
Ruben Hurcado, the parent of a Col. John O. Ensor Middle School eighth grader, said he feels more relaxed now that his son received his first vaccine. It makes him more comfortable and feel a little safer for his son to socialize and see his friends.
“All this happened so fast, I didn’t even think about the possibility of him not having face-to-face interaction going into his first year of high school, which can already be nerve-wracking on a young person,” Hurcado said.
Students like Manuel Chairez, an eighth grader at Sun Ridge Middle School, expressed relief at being able to access the vaccine.
“I want things to go back to normal without feeling panicked when I'm in a large crowd and to feel a sense of security,” Chairez said.
Families like Rene Parra’s, a parent of twins from John Drugan School, expressed gratitude for the opportunity offered by SISD to receive the vaccine.
“We’ve been waiting to be able to get this vaccine, like sitting on pins and needles,” Parra said. “We were excited that it finally got approved for kids 12 to 15 because even though there is still a lot of apprehension, now that they’re getting their vaccines it will relieve a lot of stress and anxiety and we can move forward.”
Parra said he hopes to plan a family trip this summer now that his family will have the potential to be fully vaccinated.
SISD security supervisor for the District Service Center and part of the SISD emergency management team Olga Hernandez said she is happy to be a part of the process and proud to work for a district that takes care of its community.
“It’s amazing to work for a district that not only is providing vaccines for our own students but all students in the El Paso area,” Hernandez said. “They have done so much during this pandemic for our students and our staff.”
Check for updates on COVID-19 vaccine opportunities at http://www.sisd.net/COVID19vaccine
Published June 30, 2021
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