October 2022 Highlands Elementary Hawk Council Float won Best School Spirit Float in the Highlands Jamboree.
Contributed Photos
BY: DR. NORMA MARTINEZ, GCCISD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Highlands Elementary School was recently awarded the prestigious Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) Student Leadership Award. This accolade stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of the faculty, staff, and students at Highlands Elementary to fostering a culture of leadership and service within the school community. The award ceremony, held at the TEPSA Annual Conference, was a celebration of the outstanding leadership exhibited by the campus.
Highlands Elementary School has long been regarded as a beacon of excellence in education, and this award solidifies its status as a model of leadership within the educational landscape. The TEPSA Student Leadership Award acknowledges campuses that go above and beyond in nurturing student leadership, character development, and community engagement. This is the second year the Highlands Elementary Hawk Council has won this prestigious award!
The Highlands community firmly believes that leadership is not just about positions of authority, but about empowering each student to recognize their own potential to make a positive impact. The campus has implemented a wide range of programs and initiatives that encourage students to step into leadership roles, both within the school and in the larger community.
The campus has successfully established numerous student leadership initiatives that have had a profound impact on the school’s culture for the past two years. These include:
2021-2022: The Hawk Council took the lead in collecting socks for multiple organizations including Mount Batten House, ADL Assisted Living, Focused Care of Baytown, Saint James House, and the Bay Area Homeless Shelter. Students brought the campus together, working toward a common goal of giving back to their community. The council also visited the local homeless shelter at Christmas and saw a need to help the children and families living at the shelter. The members spoke on announcements and made posters and social media asking for donations. Along with the local Highlands Rotary Club, council officers were able to deliver countless new bath towels and basic hygiene products such as hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste.
2022-2023: The Student Hawk Council dedicated a great deal of time and energy to vinyl the school motto onto every classroom door. On the Friday before the December holiday break, they extended their stay after school to ensure this project’s successful completion. The primary goal of this effort was to provide a visual reinforcement of the motto to both students and staff, fostering a collective sense of pride and belonging. The Hawk Council also initiated a collaboration with the Bay Area Homeless Shelter. It was in this partnership that students promoted their goal of providing new twin-sized sheet sets to children and families residing at the shelter. Council members promoted the project on daily announcements, the weekly newsletter, and social media platforms. Together with the Highlands Rotary Club, their Partners in Education, the team was able to gather over 50 sets of twin sheet sets.
Receiving the TEPSA Student Leadership Award is a testament to the dedication and unwavering efforts of the Highlands community in fostering leadership among its students. The campus has shown that leadership is not a title, but a set of values and skills that can be nurtured in every student. The impact of Highlands Elementary School’s commitment to student leadership is far-reaching, and it continues to shape the leaders of tomorrow. This accolade not only honors their achievements but serves as an inspiration for schools and educational institutions across the district and beyond.