Parents, staff, alumni and community members gather to attend once in a lifetime celebration
Texas Border Business
PHARR – Over 6,000 parents, staff, alumni and community members in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) united as one for the district’s Centennial Community Celebration Kick-off at the PSJA Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14.
The once in a lifetime event featured a parade of the district’s 43 schools, a performance by all PSJA ISD high school bands, and a joint cheer by all PSJA ISD high school cheer teams. It also included the district’s first-ever PSJA ISD Unified Cologuard. In addition, over a thousand PSJA ISD choir students united their voices to premiere the district’s new “PSJA Family” song written by PSJA Elementary Music Specialist Domingo Porras, followed by a grand fireworks finale.
Approximately 20 members from the PSJA High School Class of 1966 joined the festivities, which gave them an opportunity to gather with classmates and reminisce.
“It was such an honor to participate,” said retired longtime educator Bertha Montecillo Mejia. “I am a proud product of PSJA. I am so proud to be an alumni and know all the accomplishments of the district. Our class looks forward to all the events this year.”
The PSJA Centennial Community Kick-Off Celebration is the first of several events and activities that will take place during the 2019-2020 school year to celebrate the district’s 100-year legacy. According to the PSJA Communications Director Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, the year of festivities is possible thanks to various PSJA ISD department and school staff working together as part of the PSJA Centennial Planning Committee.
In addition to the community events, PSJA ISD is hosting monthly Districtwide Dress Up Days where staff and students get to participate and relive the various decades. At the classroom level, all 32,000 plus students will also learn about PSJA history pertaining to each decade as part of their curriculum thanks to the PSJA Library Services and PSJA Social Studies Departments.
“Through these joint efforts we want to unite all current families, alumni, staff and former staff members to celebrate this milestone and look forward to the next 100 years,” said Vazquez-Hernandez. “We take pride in being the only educational institution in the Tri-City area with 100 years of history, legacy and traditions!”
Such pride and love for the district is what drew Mejia and her classmates to participate in the Centennial Kick-off and look forward to future events.
“Being a part of the PSJA Family is loving my roots. This is where I got my foundation in education,” said the PSJA alumna who shared having two children who are also proud graduates of PSJA. “What I loved most about Saturday was seeing the tremendous support from our community, the enthusiasm from our schools, and of course the beautiful PSJA Stadium. We are a very proud community.”
