SAISD Foundation

Meet 2024 Inspire Award Honoree Bobby Perez Bobby Perez graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, SAISD in 1983 and holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from The The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law. Mr. Perez serves as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Before joining SS&E, Bobby was a shareholder at Shelton & Valadez, PC P.C., served as a Bexar County Assistant Criminal District Attorney, and was an elected official on the San Antonio City Council. Bobby has served on various boards and commissions in the San Antonio community, including the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, San Antonio River Authority's River East Development Committee, VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Spurs Way, and other nonprofits serving the community. He currently serves on the Executive Board for the Greater San Antonio Chamber and the Valero Alamo Bowl Board. Please join us at the Witte Museum on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, as we celebrate Bobby Perez. The Inspire Awards are where we honor alumni who built their foundation in San Antonio ISD schools showing our students of today the possibilities are limitless.

We are hiring a part-time Book Buddies Coordinator. If you love children's books and working with volunteers, then this might be the perfect opportunity for you! Please review the job description below and apply if you are interested!

Join us on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to celebrate Judge Xavier Rodriguez, a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, current U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas and proud Burbank alumnus at the 13th Annual Inspire Awards. Judge Rodriguez grew up just three miles from his downtown San Antonio office in the Collins Garden neighborhood. At Burbank High School, he was deeply involved in activities like the Bulldog Band and Chess Club, served as senior class vice-president, and graduated as Salutatorian. Although he received 12 scholarships, he was set on Harvard, where he studied history before earning his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law in 1983. Before joining the bench, he was a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and taught at St. Mary's University School of Law. Judge Rodriguez is a strong advocate for San Antonio ISD students pursuing Ivy League education, encouraging them to "apply everywhere" and not let financial concerns hold them back. Join us at the Witte Museum on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to celebrate the Honorable Xavier Rodriguez. "Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog!" Purchase Tickets: https://lnkd.in/gSmTip5J

It was a wonderful evening celebrating this year's honorees for the Athletic Hall of Fame! Thank you to all of those who join in celebrating our fantastic athletes. #SAISDProud

Meet Ellen Clark, Ph.D - Professor Emerita Bicultural-Bilingual Studies, The University of Texas at San Antonio. Ellen Riojas Clark has lived her entire life in San Antonio - “Yo soy de San Antonio”. She attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary, and Whittier Middle School and graduated from Edison High School. Ellen began her postsecondary journey at San Antonio College and pursued a degree in Education from Trinity University. Upon graduating from Trinity, she immediately started her Master’s program in Bilingual Education at UTSA. Not long after, UTSA offered her the job of becoming the first program coordinator for the Title VII Project which was the first teacher training program for bilingual education teachers at UTSA. Over her 42-year tenure at UTSA, Dr. Clark mentored countless students, colleagues, and faculty. One of her past students, Carmen Gamez, shared, “Dr. Ellen Clark greatly influenced my decision to pursue a degree in bilingual education at UTSA. Her deep appreciation for Mexican culture and the Arts profoundly impacted my personal and academic journey.” UTSA has honored her by establishing the Ellen Riojas Clark, Ph.D. Endowed Chair in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies. This was the first endowed chair position named after a Latina scholar in the United States. Now in retirement, Dr. Clark writes book reviews and travel articles for newspapers, magazines, and journals as a way of developing community literacy. Ellen started cooking with her mother at a young age and is recognized as an authority in the cultural culinary arts. She has written a book with Dr. Carmen Tafolla on tamales called Tamales, Comadres, and the Meaning of Civilization and has one on pan dulce coming soon. She has entered her original recipes into cooking contests and we hear a cooking show is in the works with the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. Please join us at the Witte Museum on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, as we celebrate Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark.

Judge Xavier Rodriguez (Burbank 79) is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and currently sits on the bench as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, appointed by former President George W. Bush. His downtown San Antonio office is just three miles from where he grew up in the Collins Garden neighborhood yet to get there, he had a lot of ground to cover. At Burbank High School, Judge Rodriguez was heavily involved in clubs and activities like the Bulldog Band and Chess Club. He served as senior class vice-president and graduated Salutatorian. Judge Rodriguez received 12 scholarships to universities nationwide but had his heart set on Harvard University. While at Harvard University, Judge Rodriguez studied history and always thought he might like to attend law school. In 1983, he graduated from The University of Texas School of Law. Before assuming the bench, he was a partner in the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright) and also taught at St. Mary's University School of Law. He is a big advocate for San Antonio ISD students to attend Ivy League schools and feels many high school students are “already closing doors they don’t even realize they are closing by deciding not to apply.” His best advice? “Apply everywhere, don't worry about the financial impediments - find your match.” Join us at the Witte Museum on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, and celebrate the Honorable Xavier Rodriguez. “Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog!”

Happy #NationalNonprofitDay! We are the proud nonprofit partner of San Antonio ISD! Our work is simple but powerful: to ensure every teacher and student thrives in SAISD public schools. From providing educator grants that equip Pre-K teachers with trikes to help students develop motor skills, to offering emergency gap funding that enables our recent graduates to pursue higher education, we are dedicated to supporting our SAISD community every step of the way. Through this work, we are building bright futures together! See just a few areas that we work in to enhance student learning in SAISD in the images below! Learn about our impact at https://lnkd.in/gSgjBe72.

We are thrilled to announce the distinguished alumni who will be honored at the 13th Annual Inspire Awards. These exceptional individuals have made significant contributions in their fields, exemplifying the values and spirit of our community. -Dr. Ellen Clark (Edison High School), Professor Emerita, Bicultural Bilingual Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio -Bobby Perez (Thomas Jefferson High School, SAISD), Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel for the Spurs Sports & Entertainment. -Pablo Rodriguez (Lanier High School, SAISD), Chief Communications Officer at Chase (NYC) -Honorable Xavier Rodriguez (Burbank High School), US District Judge Join us in celebrating their achievements on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at the Witte Museum. Let's honor their hard work, dedication, and the impact they've made both here in San Antonio and beyond. Stay tuned for more details, and remember to mark your calendars! Visit https://lnkd.in/gSmTip5J to learn more about the event.

New-to-SAISD teachers were treated to a $100 shopping spree at one of four locations, H-E-B (McCreless), Target (Crossroads), Learning Zone and Lakeshore Learning Materials last Friday. This was the first year that Teachers of the Year, awarded in May, were also invited to get their classrooms ready to start the year off right! We had 210 new teachers and 62 Teachers of the Year redeem their shopping credit. Thank you to our volunteers and donors who helped make this year's event a success! If you are looking for your next volunteer opportunity with the SAISD Foundation, visit https://lnkd.in/gs-QzF76

Join us at New Teacher Shopping Day to welcome the newest teachers to the San Antonio ISD familia! Volunteers play a vital role in helping new teachers navigate the shopping process, selecting supplies, and preparing for the upcoming school year. Your support will empower educators to focus on their teaching responsibilities without worrying about the cost of setting up their classrooms. New Teacher Shopping Day is this Friday, August 2, 2024, from 11 am – 5 pm. Join us at H-E-B McCreless Market, Target at Crossroads, Learning Zone, or Lakeshore Learning for a two-hour shift, or stay for the day! All you need to do is click this link to sign up: https://lnkd.in/gzbK-_pa Thanks in advance for helping us support new teachers in San Antonio ISD!