More than 830 Canutillo Independent School District employees gathered on Monday for the first time since the pandemic for the annual GRIT Convocation and Conference in the official kick off of the school year for educators and auxiliary personnel.
The event at the new Region 19 Starlight Events Center featured an address by Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz, a skit by CISD students, performances by the Canutillo High School cheerleaders and drumline and a keynote address by national bestselling author and educator Adam Welcome.
The theme for the event, which continues through Wednesday at different locations throughout the District, is “Kids Deserve It.”
“We are the only back-to-back A rated school district in the region and the Best Small School District in Texas. But that’s not enough. We must strive to continue to do more and to offer our students and community a world-class education,” Galaviz said. “Education provides access to opportunities and opens the door to bigger and better things. Canutillo kids deserve that.”
The GRIT convocation aims to get teachers, faculty and staff ready for the start of the 2022-23 school year on Aug. 1.
Welcome, a former California teacher and principal turned motivational speaker, encouraged the audience to innovate and modernize in their efforts to help their students reach their academic goals.
During the convocation, a group of students from Canutillo Middle, Alderete Middle and Garcia Elementary gave a presentation titled “What Canutillo Kids Deserve.” The presentation focused on topics like academics, customer service, health and wellness and facilities – all issues they feel are important to continue growing as learners.
GRIT also featured speeches by the current CISD Teachers of the Year, Alma Ramos from Reyes Elementary and Hector Juarez from Canutillo Middle.
The District this year began a new GRIT tradition: the awarding of the CISD GRIT Spirit Stick. The Stick was awarded to Alderete Middle School for having the best “radio voice” contender in a contest to say the words “Canutillo ISD is the Best Small School District in Texas and Canutillo Kids Deserve It!”
The stick will live in the office of Alderete Middle Principal Nidia Avila until next summer, when it is awarded to the most spirited school that year.