EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Non-profit college organization CREEED recognized top-performing schools in El Paso on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The celebration, held at Ysleta School District’s Vista Hills Elementary School, honored teachers and staff who contributed to excellent student performance.<\/p>\n
The recognition is part of CREEED’s new initiative aimed at celebrating and awarding educators of top-performing elementary schools. <\/p>\n
As part of the recognition, CREEED awarded checks to these top-performing schools, including Glen Cove Elementary and Vista Hills Elementary. <\/p>\n
CREEED, which focuses on increasing college readiness and completion rates by investing in high-performing schools and initiatives that close the achievement gap for El Paso County public school students, recognized six schools in El Paso. <\/p>\n
The schools recognized on Tuesday under the initiative include Glenn Cove, Vista Hills, Sgt. Roberto Ituarte, Cactus Trails, and Hawkins elementaries, as well as Harmony School of Excellence.<\/p>\n
According to the organization, CREEED’s initiative aims to prove that a student\u2019s economic background does not predetermine their ability to succeed academically.<\/p>\n
According to the Texas Education Agency, 60% of students across Texas are considered economically disadvantaged, qualifying their families for government assistance such as free lunch. In El Paso County, the figure rises to 74%.<\/p>\n
Speaking to KFOX14\/CBS4 on Tuesday, Nadia Tellez, Choose to Excel director with CREEED, said they wanted to recognize elementary schools, as it is often the foundation of student development. <\/p>\n
“We really recognize that elementary schools are the foundation, and so we had an elementary version of our Aim High event, which is an achievement for all, where we have our top five elementary schools that scored at the meet’s level for third, fourth, and fifth reading in math,” Tellez said. <\/p>\n
She added, “But it’s not just our educators. It takes the entire campus. So that’s what this is to really honor their hard work.” <\/p>\n
Jennifer Hernandez, a teacher, expressed her excitement about the honor on Tuesday, saying, “We feel very excited that everybody was here to recognize our school and recognize all the hard work that’s been put in.” <\/p>\n
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