In a unified effort to personally reach out to families in the Socorro Independent School District community, some 1,700 SISD employees participated in the Seize Your Opportunity Walk on May 21 in which they visited 6,000 households in SISD neighborhoods.

Teachers, librarians, coaches, counselors, transportation employees and other district and school administrators and staff members joined in teams to visit homes of Pre-K and kindergarten students and students who live within SISD boundaries but attend other schools.

Employees gathered for breakfast and kick-off rally for the Seize Your Opportunity Walk at each of the district’s comprehensive high schools. A welcome message from SISD Superintendent Nate Carman, Ed.D., was shared at all the high schools to start the outreach event.

“Thank you so much for volunteering on this Saturday morning to help us reach directly into our communities and engage families in the important conversation regarding their child’s education, and why we believe…why we know that the Socorro Independent School District is the right choice for endless opportunities,” Dr. Carman said in the video message.

The walk was designed to ensure families are aware of the many ways the district provides a high-quality, well-rounded education and prepares students success in college, careers, and life.

The employees talked to the families about the endless opportunities available in the district and about the various reasons why SISD remains the right school choice for their children.

“We are here today to create awareness,” said Desi Gonzales, assistant principal at Eastlake High School. “Students come to us wanting to achieve certain goals and dreams, and we have all the resources here to make those dreams achievable.”

SISD staff shared information on the district’s innovative academic, fine arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs and highlighted the benefits for students who start and remain in SISD schools until they graduate.

“We want our community to know about all the opportunities we have in our district,” Richard Estrada, assistant principal at Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary. “We want them to come and be a part of the SISD family.”

The goal for the Seize your Opportunity walk is help parents understand that SISD teachers and staff are committed to assisting every student find their voice and achieve their highest potential. 

“Today we are seizing the opportunity to bring back our kids,” said Melissa Smith, an assistant principal at John Drugan School. “This is significant because we lost a lot of students during the pandemic, and we want to bring them back by letting them know about the opportunities available to them here at Team SISD.”

SISD staff also said it is important to be involved in the event to showcase what the district has to offer.

“It is important to show our families how much we care about them and their children,” said Lia Grew, a teacher at Purple Heart Elementary School. “I am a parent of an SISD student myself, and I truly believe the foundation our schools build for our students leads them to a successful future.”

The Seize Your Opportunity Walk also boosted pride among the SISD educators who were eager to share their enthusiasm and dedication to ensure their students succeed.

“It is definitely a great day to be part of Socorro ISD,” said David Woods, an assistant principal at Pebble Hills High School. “This event gives us an outlet to reach out to our community, so they are aware of the great things that happen in our district.”