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2^ND SEMESTER FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

2021-2022

On Tuesday afternoon, representatives from The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) visited South Texas Independent School District (STISD) Medical Professions (Medical Professions) in Olmito to present graduating senior Alma Rodriguez with two scholarships, including the university’s newest and top award.

During a special ceremony, UTRGV representatives presented Rodriguez with the UTRGV Luminary Scholarship, valued at up to $137,000. The scholarship covers her undergraduate degree in full, along with two years of campus housing, and tuition and fees for graduate school.

This year’s Medical Professions salutatorian, Rodriguez will enter the Biomedical Program at UTRGV in the fall, with long-term goals of attending the UTRGV School of Medicine and becoming a cardiologist.

She credits her experience at Medical Professions with not only preparing her for college and a challenging career, but also with helping her confirm her interest in the medical field, and exposing her to the specialty closest to her heart, cardiology.

Her interest in cardiology began in high school, through the two Health Science Technology courses she took during her sophomore year – Anatomy & Physiology and Pathophysiology. These courses first sparked her interest in this specialty, and she again felt that tug when she studied cardiology as part of the Pharmacy program.

She shares, “I have always kind of been interested in medicine, but as much as one can be interested without knowing too much about it. Gaining the experience of going to clinicals and having all my different health classes confirmed my interest for sure that I like this. This isn’t just an idea anymore. I really like this, and I can see myself being a part of the medical professions.”

According to UTRGV, the UTRGV Luminary Scholarship program offers the brightest incoming college freshmen from all disciplines a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in an unparalleled learning environment. By sharing unique skills and perspectives with the greater RGV community, each Luminary Scholar can enhance the experience of a fellow student or community member at any point along the academic journey. Luminary Scholars and their accomplishments will ultimately help elevate UTRGV’s status as a global leader in higher education and serve as ambassadors for the university wherever their light shines.

Qualifications for the scholarship include:

• Academic Achievement
• Leadership Experience
• Community Involvement
• Citizenship and Residency
• College Admission
• On-Campus Residency – commit to live on campus for the first two academic years
• Rio Grande Valley Employment Commitment - Selected scholars must pledge to work in the RGV for each year beyond their undergraduate education that is funded. For example, a three-year graduate or professional program would require a three-year commitment to working in the RGV post-graduation.

Rodriguez was also awarded the UTRGV GM/EEOC Endowed Scholarship, worth $1,000.

Outside of school, Rodriguez enjoys reading books in any genre, playing the violin and chess, and golfing with her parents.

40 students will represent STISD at the HOSA- Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference, June 22-25 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Teams and individuals from our two medically-themed high schools: South Texas ISD Health Professions (Health Professions) and South Texas ISD Medical Professions (Medical Professions) continue to set the bar and advance to this level of competition, and our two middle schools: South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy (Preparatory Academy) and South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (Rising Scholars) are now also following in those same footsteps. 

This is the first year students from our Rising Scholars Academy in San Benito competed at the State Leadership Conference, and in its first year of competition, 15 students qualified to Internationals. 

Preparatory Academy, in Edinburg, had its first round of International qualifiers last season, as they too advanced after having competed at the State Leadership Conference for the very first time. 

STISD also had a team from Medical Professions: MRC Partnership, which provides members the opportunity to initiate and maintain a partnership with their local/state Medical Reserve Corps units, receive the ‘Top Fundraiser’ Award through the ‘Be the Match’ program, offering support to individuals dealing with life-threatening blood cancers and diseases like leukemia and sickle cell. Members of the team include: Marco Basurto, Trisha Bhakta, Zerni Bhakta, Ninia Menguito and Chantal Patino.

This season, high school and middle school students will compete in a mix of events in the following categories: health science, emergency preparedness, leadership and teamwork. 

Give it up for your STISD International HOSA qualifiers: 

Health Professions | Mercedes: 

• Sealtiel Anulao - First Aid/CPR Team - 3rd Place 
• Nilani Nmuthoo-Limon - First Aid/CPR Team - 3rd Place  

Medical Professions | Olmito: 

• Jeri Escalona - Medical Art Poster - 3^rd Place
• Jose Garza - Speaking Skills - 2nd Place
• Anjali Pisharodi - Clinical Specialty - 2nd Place
• Alexa Isabella Valdez - Dental Science - 3rd Place

Preparatory Academy | Edinburg: 

• Josceline Cantu - Life Threatening Situations - 3rd Place
• Chanel De Leon - Health Career Display - 2nd Place 
• Mikaela Dublado - Public Health - 2nd Place 
• Erica Elizondo - Foundations of Medical Terminology - 1st Place 
• Emilia Garcia - Public Health Team - 2nd Place 
• Mahaa Gondi - Public Health Team - 2nd Place
• Diana John - Public Health Team - 2nd Place
• Greta Keller - Extemporaneous Health Poster - 3rd Place 
• Chennah Kim - Extemporaneous Health Poster - 1st Place 
• Gabriella Madrigal - Prepared Speaking - 3rd Place
• Kaylee Mendoza - Public Health 2nd Place
• Gouri Menon - Prepared Speaking - 2nd Place
• Aleena Paul - Nutrition - 1st Place
• Gabriella Recinos - Public Health - 2nd Place
• Helena Solis - Health Career Display - 2nd Place 
• Jeremy Thomas - Health Career Display - 3rd Place
• Elsa Thomas - Health Career Display - 1st Place 
• Evelyn Valdez - Foundations of Medical Terminology - 2nd Place 
• Julianna Velasco - Health Career Display - 3rd Place 

Rising Scholars Academy | San Benito: 

• Destynee Cuellar - Dynamic Decisions Team Event - 3rd Place 
• Melissa De Leon - Foundations of Nutrition - 3rd Place
• Juan Flores - Math for Health Careers - 3rd Place 
• Felicity Fok - Prepared Speaking - 1st Place 
• Valeria Garcia - Life Threatening Skills - 1st Place 
• Liani Gomez - Dynamic Decisions Team Event - 3rd Place 
• Grecia Hernandez - Dynamic Decisions Team Event - 3rd Place
• Sofia Lucio - Medical Reading - 2nd Place 
• Vladislava Milova - Dynamic Decisions Team Event - 3rd Place 
• Alexandra Saavedra - Life Threatening Skills - 2nd Place 
• Elizabeth Taw - Math for Health Careers - 1st Place 
• Camila Trejo - Healthy Lifestyle - 1st Place 
• Maria Trejo - Dynamic Decisions Team Event - 3rd Place 
• Aisleen Villarreal - Healthy Lifestyle - 2nd Place 
• Sarah Winkler - Foundations of Nutrition - 2nd place

Story from the Texas Envirothon --- A five-member team of high school students from Mercedes, Texas, is the winner of the 2022 Texas Envirothon championship. Richardson High School earned second place, and third place went to the Academy of Science and Technology. The hybrid event took place April 8 through 12 in Houston and via Zoom.

“Envirothon is a way for students to get hands-on experience in environmental science,” said Wendy Reistle, program coordinator of the Texas Envirothon. “Preparation for the competition, as well as the competition itself, brings together natural resource professionals and students who may be interested in those careers.”

Students on the winning team are Linus Flores-Araujo, Sophia Cano, Alexander Vincent, Daniel Chen and Patrick Moss. The team will travel to Oxford, Ohio, to compete against teams from the states and Canadian provinces for scholarships at the NCF-Envirothon. Andrew Cortez and Esthela Pacheco served as the team’s advisers.

Top scoring teams on the field exam by topic and in the oral presentation were as follows: South Texas Academy Team Black Dragons and Academy of Science Alligator Gars tied for the top spot in Soils.   South Texas Academy Team Grey Dragons and Richardson High School team Giant Spiderwort tied for first place in Aquatics.  Forestry was won by the Giant Spiderwort team from Richardson High School.  The Dragonflies team from Carroll Senior High School won Wildlife.  There was a four-way tie for Current Issue by South Texas Academy Gray Dragons team, Richards High School’s Giant Spiderwort team, The Academy of Science Alligator Gar team and The Academy of Science Marsh Rice Rat team.   South Texas Academy Gray Dragons won the Oral Presentation.

Eight teams representing 4 Texas high schools participated in Hybrid Envirothon competition. Participating schools were Academy of Science and Technology, The Woodlands; Richardson High School, Richardson; Science Academy of South Texas, Mercedes; Carroll Senior High School, Southlake, Texas.

Financial support for the event was provided our Gold sponsor, Eastman Chemical Company. The University of Houston-Clear Lake hosted the event.  We would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers (team leaders, station managers, photographers, runners, and judges) for making this event possible.  Special thanks to the test writers and graders: Cole Patton, Dennis Brezina, Mickey Merritt, Andrew Sipocz, Dr. Kathleen Garland, Dr. Megan Topham, Shannon Miftari, Dr. Sachiyo Mukherji, Brittney Barnett, Derek Sanford and the staff at Armand Bayou Nature Center.

ABOUT ENVIROTHON
Envirothon is an academic, extra-curricular environmental and natural resource education program and competition designed for high school students. Teams composed of five students answer questions focusing on five areas of study: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and the current environmental issue. In addition to the field experience, students also participate in an oral component focusing on a real-world environmental problem.

South Texas ISD is hosting a district wide Job Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the South Texas ISD Science Academy Gym (1LT Andres Zermeño Memorial Gymnasium): 900 Med High Dr., Mercedes.

This event is open to the public, and attendees will have an opportunity to see what life is like at STISD, meet administrators, speak with department leads, and apply onsite.

Currently posted positions can be accessed through the district's NEOGOV site here. The district will be hiring for:

• Teachers in core areas and Special Education
• Administration
• Counseling
• Bus Drivers

Click here to learn more about this event.