The United ISD Employee of the Year Banquet, held Thursday, May 8, 2025, at Altezza Events, was an extraordinary evening.
District leaders and employees came together to celebrate with dinner and music by the J.B. Alexander High School Monumental Mariachi under the direction of Raymundo Pena and Arturo Guerrero. School Board President Javier Montemayor of District 5 and District 1 Board Member Gilbert Aguilar, Jr. were in attendance.
Superintendent Dr. Gerardo Cruz told employees that their work “does not go unnoticed.”
“It’s a great event and I am very proud of their work. I see all the happy faces and good morale and positive energy. These recognitions are important to value our employees,” he said.
Each campus and department - ranging from Admissions/Dropout Recovery to Zaffirini Elementary - had employees of the year. Each campus had a teacher of the year, paraprofessional of the year and auxiliary of the year. At the end of the banquet, districtwide employees of the year were announced and thrilled honorees jumped up with excitement when their names were called.
The district’s Secondary Teacher of the Year - Alejandro Mireles, teacher and head band director at Raul Perales Middle - and Elementary Teacher of the Year, Marissa Garcia-Perez from Roberto J. Santos Elementary, were exuberant and stunned. Each will drive a brand-new car for one year, thanks to Charlie Clark Hyundai.
“I am in disbelief, in a room of amazing educators,” said fourth-grade teacher Garcia-Perez immediately after receiving her award. “I can’t believe it. I am so happy and grateful to work in this district. Every day, I get to do something that I love. And I love that I work with my amazing team.”
Mireles, the Secondary Teacher of the Year, was in shock as well.
“It’s a lot of emotions, and I am extremely grateful. I love that I get to teach kids music,” he said. “It’s a craft that I feel is so, so precious to a child’s instructional development. The students get involved and develop leadership skills and social skills. I am blessed because I get to be part of their lives and get to be a stepping stone toward their careers in the future. I am very, very blessed at Raul Perales. I love my demographic, I love my community. I am from the south side of Laredo, and I went to Los Obispos and I am only here because of the teachers I had.”
The following are the other districtwide honorees celebrated that night.
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Department Paraprofessional Employee of the Year is Ana Ostiguin, Dropout Recovery.
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Department Auxiliary Employee of the Year, Eduardo Martinez, Curriculum and Instruction
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Campus Paraprofessional of the Year, Laura Lopez, United High School 9th Grade Campus
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Campus Auxiliary Employee of the Year, Mary Calderon, Newman Elementary
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First Runner-Up Elementary Teacher of the Year, Alexa Penaloza, Prada Elementary
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Second Runner-Up Elementary Teacher of the Year, Erika Sicairos, Muller Elementary
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First Runner-Up Secondary of Teacher of the Year, Erika Riojas, Los Obispos Middle School
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Second Runner-Up Secondary Teacher of the Year, Rosa Salazar, United High School School 9th Grade Campus
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