Texas Border Business
EDINBURG – The Edinburg Rotary Club recently recognized the top fine arts students from the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District.
“We would like to thank the Edinburg Rotary for honoring our students,” said ECISD Fine Arts Director Nelinda Villarreal. “This is a great honor for our students because it really validates all the hard work that they put in through their school years up to this point and highlights all of their accomplishments.”
The students’ recognition is part of the Edinburg Rotary’s Student of the Month Program held during the community service organization’s luncheon meeting at the Echo Hotel. Rotarians heard from the students, who spoke about their experiences in the fine arts, achievements, and goals after high school during a video presentation.
The Edinburg Rotary recognized the following students:
- Edinburg High School senior Lalita Garcia
- Edinburg High School senior Victor Fortuna-Solis
- Edinburg North High School senior Daynara Gutierrez
- Edinburg North High School senior Samuel Cantu
- Economedes High School senior Natassha Aguilar
- Economedes High School senior Victor Cruz
- Vela High School senior Ashton Gonzales
- Vela High School senior Brianna Ceballos
Edinburg CISD offers several fine arts courses that begin at the elementary school level and continue into the high school level, including music, choir, mariachi, guitar, art, band, and orchestra.
“We are really excited because our Fine Arts Program, due to the support of our District and our community, has received two major awards. One at the National level and one at the state level,” Villarreal said.
The Fine Arts Department has earned the Best Communities for Music Education award for five consecutive years. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation honored Edinburg CISD with the designation for its outstanding commitment to music education.
According to the NAMM Foundation, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement to provide music access and education to all students.
“The other award that we received this year that we are excited about is through our Visual Arts Program. It’s a state award,” Villarreal said.
Edinburg CISD is among only 42 school districts in the state and one of just two school districts in the Rio Grande Valley to earn the 2020 District of Distinction Award from the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA).
According to TAEA, only the top four percent of the state’s districts received the honor of providing a well-rounded education that advocates and integrates visual arts curriculum to inspire creativity and reach all different learners.
For more information on the ECISD Fine Arts Program, call (956) 289-2300.
