Skip To Content

2020 Excellence in Education Finalists

At H-E-B, our top priority is taking care of Texans. As the rapidly-evolving novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation impacts our communities, we have made the difficult decision to conduct the 2020 Excellence in Education Awards interviews virtually. The selection of winners and the awarding of more than $400,000 in cash prizes will all be done via social media, with the winners announced on the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards Facebook page on Wednesday, May 6th at 6 P.M. Please log in and see who the 2020 winners will be.

All 2020 finalists will also be invited to attend and be recognized as part of Excellence in Education’s 20th Anniversary Awards weekend in May 2021.

The 2020 finalists are as follows:

Teachers

 

Central Texas

Rising Star Elementary:
Yesenia Gomez | St. Elmo Elementary School | Austin ISD

Rising Star Secondary:
James Baker | McDade High School | McDade ISD

Leadership Elementary:
Kelley Hively | Ross F Baldwin Elementary School | Austin ISD

Leadership Secondary:
Sarah Walker | The Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders | Austin ISD

Lifetime Achievement Elementary:
Diana Garcia | De Zavala Elementary School | San Marcos ISD

Lifetime Achievement Secondary:
Victoria Longoria | Del Valle High School | Del Valle ISD

Principal Elementary:
Kathy Cawthron | Claude Berkman Elementary Arts Integration Academy | Round Rock ISD

Principal Secondary:
Kathleen Burke | Killeen ISD Early College High School | Killeen ISD

San Antonio

Rising Star Elementary:
Gerardo Villegas Juarez | Charles Graebner Elementary School | San Antonio ISD

Rising Star Secondary:
Priscilla Prather | Dr. John Folks Middle School | Northside ISD

Leadership Elementary:
Carl Dickerson | Sky Harbour Elementary School | Southwest ISD

Leadership Secondary:
B. Patrice Bartlett | Alamo Heights High School | Alamo Heights ISD

Lifetime Achievement Elementary:
Dr. Raquel Cataldo | Helotes Elementary School | Northside ISD

Lifetime Achievement Secondary:
Dottie Griffith | Dr. Bernard Harris Middle School | Northeast ISD

Principal Elementary:
De'Ann Upright | Dr. Sara B. McAndrew Elementary School | Northside ISD

Principal Secondary:
Dr. Jerry Woods | Tom C. Clark High School | Northside ISD

Houston

Rising Star Elementary:
Sarah Tredway | Baker-Ripley Elementary School | Promise Community Schools

Rising Star Secondary:
Laura Dunham | Clear Lake High School | Clear Creek ISD

Leadership Elementary:
Kathryn Mills | Mayde Creek Elementary School | Katy ISD

Leadership Secondary:
Eva Lanczos | Mac Arthur High School | Aldine ISD

Lifetime Achievement Elementary:
Lynn Odnovyun | Sam Jamison Middle School | Pearland ISD

Lifetime Achievement Secondary:
Susan Ellis | Central Middle School | Nederland ISD

Principal Elementary:
Benjamin Perez | Taylor Ray Elementary School | Lamar Consolidated ISD

Principal Secondary:
Dr. Carlos Phillips II | Booker T Washington High School & the High School for the Engineering Professions | Houston ISD

South Texas

Rising Star Elementary:
Amanda Hawes | Faulk Elementary School | Aransas Pass ISD

Rising Star Secondary:
Jonathan Gain | Flour Bluff High School | Flour Bluff ISD

Leadership Elementary:
Carlina Capelo-Pichardo | Narciso G. Cavazos Elementary School | La Joya ISD

Leadership Secondary:
Porfirio Zamora | Veterans Memorial High School | Corpus Christi ISD

Lifetime Achievement Elementary:
Belinda Guzman | Rembrandt Secondary School | Vanguard Academy Charter School

Lifetime Achievement Secondary:
Robert Rivera | Faulk Middle School | Brownsville ISD

Principal Elementary:
Josie Alvarez | Zachary Kolda Elementary School | Corpus Christi ISD

Principal Secondary:
Rose Longoria | Pace Early College High School | Brownsville ISD

North Texas

Rising Star Elementary:
Kali Saleh | Acton Elementary School | Granbury ISD

Rising Star Secondary:
Sergio Estrada | Riverside High School | Ysleta ISD

Leadership Elementary:
Morgan Castillo | Woodgate Intermediate School | Midway ISD

Leadership Secondary:
Julie Schniers | Central High School | San Angelo ISD

Lifetime Achievement Elementary:
Marilyn Hamilton | Alton Boyd Elementary School | Allen ISD

Lifetime Achievement Secondary:
Nicole Vickerman | R.C. Clark High School | Plano ISD

Principal Elementary:
Dana Boyd | East Point Elementary School | Ysleta ISD

Principal Secondary:
Kathleen Eckert | Hillwood Middle School | Keller ISD

School Districts

 

Large

Sharyland ISD | Mission, TX

Mesquite ISD |Mesquite, TX

Northwest ISD | Justin, TX

Dallas ISD | Dallas, TX

Galena Park ISD | Houston, TX

Small

Fabens ISD | Fabens, TX

Boerne ISD | Boerne, TX

George West ISD | George West, TX

Early Childhood Education Facilities

 

Marvelously Made-the School for Young Children | Helotes, TX

Brighton Center's Kindergarten Readiness Preschool | San Antonio, TX

Hidalgo ISD | Hidalgo, TX

Hampton Moreno Dugat Early Childhood Center | Beeville, TX

Lawson Early Childhood School/McKinney ISD | McKinney, TX

School Boards

 

Elgin ISD | Elgin, TX

Mission CISD | Mission, TX

Community ISD | Nevada, TX

Canyon ISD | Canyon, TX

Greenville ISD | Greenville, TX