The district’s girls’ cross-country athletes rank amongst the best in the state of Texas. Gloria Martinez, Hailey Pequeno, Jenna Rojas, Kaylee Huron, Kayleen Figueroa, Keana Edwards, and Vanessa Tellez work hard and play hard throughout the track season. Photo courtesy of Vype Magazine.
By: Kristyn Hunt Cathey, APR – Director of Communications
“Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed citizenry.” – Scott Turow, American author.
The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) lists three primary reasons public schools exist: To develop a productive workforce, create an informed citizenry and provide for social mobility. Goose Creek CISD aligns its curriculum around these three tenets and believes an educated child today makes for a successful member of society tomorrow.
Students must be given the tools they need to succeed. The district provides many academic and extracurricular opportunities for its nearly 25,000 students that further the success of the public education model. Goose Creek CISD currently provides instruction on a 1-to-1 scale. This means that every student is given a tablet for use in the classroom and at home, thus reducing the number of students without access to technology. The classrooms are fitted with digital Promethium boards that allow our teachers to use technology in real time and to create a more interactive and engaging experience for varied learning styles. Students, with parental approval, can be tested for the dual language (pre-K-5th) and Gifted & Talented (GT) (kindergarten-12th) programs.
Liles ELA students Genesis Garcia, Ja’Nylah Bussey and Serenity Pietre paint photos replicating the Rain Forest background in their classroom.
This year, the district entered partnership with Fueling Brains to implement three new programs under the pre-K umbrella: dual language, STEAM, and the Early Learning Academy. The curriculum is designed to prepare our youngest learner, not only for the rigors of the K-12 system, but also for future professions. High school students have many options when planning for their high school years. Beginning in eighth grade, students choose a program of study from their zoned traditional high school. The options include Academy of Agricultural Science, Advanced Automotive Academy, Cosmetology, Academy of Culinary Arts, Digital Communications Academy, Career Academy for Future Educators, Global Business Academy, Health Science Academy, IMPACT Early College High School, Information Technology Center Academy, Manufacturing & Industrial Maintenance Career Academy and STEM. The district also offers Honors/AP and dual credit courses. District students may choose from all five Texas Endorsements: Arts & Humanities, Business & Industry, Multidisciplinary, Public Services and STEM.
The district’s award-winning robotics team, the Blarglefish, continue to make innovative projects come to life. Lee students Raul Blanco, junior; Porsche Herrington, freshman; Michelle Hernandez, junior and Owin Romero, work together to build a robot that they will show soon.
The GCCISD Robotics Center, which opened this year, will serve as a hub for the district’s award-winning robotics team as well as a way of introducing younger students to the STEM field. The Special Education department ensures that students, regardless of their physical or intellectual limitations, are given access to instruction on a level that meets their needs. Advanced Via Individual Determination or, AVID, is a college readiness system designed to ensure 6-12th grade students are academically and socially prepared for success in college. The mission of AVID is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness. The district’s Bilingual/ESL program empowers every student with the knowledge and skills to succeed in a global community.
The Fine Arts and Athletic departments provide students an outlet in which they can express themselves creatively. Aside from the traditional sports such as football, basketball, and soccer, and even water polo. The Fine Arts department saw an increased interest in dance amongst younger students and implemented a junior school program during the 2021-2022 school year.
Parents have many options in respect to their child’s education. As a public school, it is the district’s responsibility to make the most ethical use of the taxpayer dollars by investing those monies into the classroom and district infrastructure. The academic programs that are provided to students in the district have helped to propel them to some of the highest levels in many career fields, and thanks to the support of the community, Goose Creek CISD will continue to do so for years to come.