At the March 10 Plano ISD Board of Trustees meeting, the board had the privilege of recognizing outstanding Plano ISD individuals and groups who exemplify excellence, dedication and the spirit of being Plano ISD Proud.
Two Plano ISD students were recognized for having their artwork displayed at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in March.
The Texas Art Education Association’s Youth Art Month Spring Exhibition showcases Pre-K through 12th grade student works of art across Texas.
The following Plano ISD students were selected for their artwork:
Maia Liu, Clark High School, Left Behind
Mia Orozco (not pictured), Plano West Senior High School, Coil Reef
The exhibit was also featured on the Bullock Museum’s website.
56 Plano ISD students made it to the top 2% of musicians in the state that qualified for the Texas Music Education Association, out of about 72,000 students who began the audition process. In the last four years, a total of 223 students have been named TMEA All-State qualifiers.
Orchestra
Evelyn Pang, 9th Grade, Clark High School
Mako Nishimura, 9th Grade, Vines High School
Shaarda Krishna, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Diya Nair, 9th Grade, Jasper High School
Ryan Nam, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Christina Tang, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Madeline Wang, 9th Grade, Jasper High School
Xi Yu Yang, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Matthew Franks, 11th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Catherine Huynh, 12th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Bryan Tran, 11th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Harry Ye, 12th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Chloe Zacek, 12th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Sam Zhu, 12th Grade Plano East Senior High School
Jason Wu, 11th Grade, Plano Senior High School
Collin Choi, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Sean Kim, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Ryan Lai, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Andy Lee, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Alvin Luo, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Dai Nakagawa, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Kyle Park, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Daniel Wang, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Eric Wang, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Amanda Yi, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Alexander Yu, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Band
Prakrithi Karthik, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Samuel Li, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Alice Cheremukhina, 9th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Micah Drake, 12th Grade, Plano Senior High School
Ethan Kondrat, 12th Grade, Plano Senior High School
Liam Pate, 11th Grade, Plano Senior High School
Micah Bybee, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Cara Cross, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Joshua Gan, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Saanuve Katdare, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Ori Krakowski, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Shria Sajjan, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Choir
Riva Gandhi, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Ethan Pi, 9th Grade, Jasper High School
Kaylee Xie, 10th Grade, Jasper High School
Julian Malone, 11th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Phoebe Smith, 11th Grade, Plano East Senior High School
Farida Abdelbar, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Isabella Bejoy, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Emma Coleman, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Caroline Grane, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Jake Kerstine, 11th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Bryan Lan, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Eric Qian, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
Lucia Rojas Nova, 12th Grade, Plano West Senior High School
In honor of National Arts in Our Schools month in March, the City of Plano shared a proclamation dedicating March as Arts in Our Schools Month in the city of Plano by Mayor John Muns, encouraging residents to recognize, support and celebrate the district’s Fine Arts Department, its educators and students for their ongoing contributions to the excellence and vibrancy of our schools.
Only 4 percent of educators in the country and less than 1 percent of Texas teachers have reached the distinction of being nationally board-certified. During the meeting, five Plano ISD teachers joined the 276 Texas teachers who achieved the certification in December 2025.
This group has been a part of Professional Learning’s National Board Cohort–the first group we have supported without assistance from an outside agency. They spent 2 years meeting monthly and diligently working on 4 components The work involved scrutinizing their own practice as educators and proving their impact on student learning through effective assessment, differentiating for a variety of student needs, advocating for students, pursuing their own professional learning, being masters of both content and pedagogy, and delivering engaging, responsive instruction that produces results! In December, they received the good news that they had achieved the points necessary to be named National Board Certified Teachers. They truly are the best of the best.
Congratulations to:
Meerna Ayoubi, Plano West Senior High School, certified in Match, Adolescent and Young Adult
Jessica Grubb, Boggess Elementary School, certified as a Middle Childhood Generalist
Latrice McIntyre, Aldridge Elementary, certified in Literacy, Early and Middle Childhood
Dr. Joseph Russell, Plano East Senior High School, certified in History, Adolescent and Young Adult
Bridgett Wolstencroft, Plano East Senior High School, certified in Career and Technical Education, Early Adolescence through Young Adult
Plano ISD now has 16 National Board Certified teachers.
Facility Services employees were recognized for their incredible work during the month of January, which included freezing temperatures and extended school closures due to icy conditions and treacherous roadways.
While students stayed safe at home, these dedicated individuals braved the elements, working around the clock to keep our schools safe and operational. They responded to water outages, pipe breaks, HVAC failures, power interruptions and countless other issues that arose during the extreme weather. Their expertise, perseverance and commitment ensured that our facilities remained in good working order and ready to welcome the safe return of our students and staff. Their work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt across every campus and by every member of our district and community. Their dedication makes us all Plano ISD Proud.