Rockwall ISD announced the 2016 Diversity Leadership Award winners at the February 15 Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees meeting.
The Diversity Leaders Awards seek to recognize leaders in our district who have fostered the improvement of relations and understanding between individuals, races, cultures, ethnicities and religions during the school year.
The first Diversity Leadership Award was presented to Lisa Orozco, ESL Teacher at Ouida Springer Elementary. Ms. Orozco has been the ESL teacher at Springer for the last four years, where she oversees the largest population of Bilingual and ESL students in the district. She is the TELPAS coordinator and is involved in many community outreach efforts. She has co-developed an ongoing parent education curriculum for our Hispanic families called Padres en Accion. Ms. Orozco is the Lead Committee Member for the Lake Rockwall Estates Task Force and the Springer Community Outreach. She is the campus contact for the Concilio Parent Education Program and campus contact for the St. Vincent DePaul Society Food 4 Kids program. She is also the campus lead for the Food Backpack program. According to Principal Brad Helmer, Lisa has compassion for those in need and she has passion to see that all of her students succeed. And last but not least, Ms. Orozco truly promotes diversity in community and at the Springer campus. Congratulations to Lisa Orozco!
The second Diversity Leadership Award was presented to Mary Carter, Community Member and Mentor for Sharon Shannon Elementary. According to Principal Carla Bennett, Ms. Carter has been a committed mentor who is dedicated to helping children from all walks of life. Her positive and patient demeanor makes her a welcome sight for those whom she comes in contact with. . Ms. Carter volunteers at the Rockwall Parks & Recreation Department and previously served on the Heath Parks Board. She is the founder for the Rockwall charity One Man’s Treasure Clothes Closet that was started 11 years ago. Ms. Carter is also described as being very caring and wanting to give back and help others. Congratulations to Ms. Mary Carter!
The final Diversity Leadership Award was presented to the Best Buddies Leadership Team at Rockwall-Heath High School with Natalie Harris as the 2016 president of the group. Best Buddies is an international organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This past summer, the RHHS Best Buddies club received the award for the most outstanding Best Buddies program in the state of Texas. This campus organization is completely student-initiated and student-led. These students form bonds with their buddies while creating formal and informal events and gatherings for our special needs students to interact with their peers and with the community. According to Amber Erwin, this organization has secured donations from local businesses and helped create a community poster for Best Buddies. They truly promote diversity and build positive relationships at school and in the Rockwall community. Congratulations to the RHHS Best Buddies!
Congratulations to Rockwall ISD’s Diversity Leadership Award Recipients!
