Points of Pride
Southwest ISD March Newsletter
Welcome to Points of Pride, our monthly district e-newsletter featuring highlights from around Southwest Independent School District. If you have a story or highlight that you would like to submit, email communications@swisd.net.
Medio Creek ES Teacher and Classroom Selected as March ASPIRE Classroom of the Month
The “ASPIRE Classroom of the Month” initiative celebrates teachers and classroom cultures that introduce higher education opportunities to K-8 students and families.
SWHS Hosts District 28-5A Tennis Tournament
The District 28-5A Tennis Tournament wrapped up this week at Southwest High School. From Southwest HS, Diego Dominguez won the Boys Singles District Championship and moves on to the regional tournament. Lucero Alvarado and Miriam Medina finished in second place in Girls Doubles and will also be moving on to the regional tournament. Senior Celina Cantu won fourth place in girls singles.
From Southwest Legacy HS, Brandon Cortez and Isaac Gutierrez won second place in Boys Doubles and will be advancing to the regional tournament. Jared De Alba and Gerardo Escobedo won third place in Boys Doubles and will be the regional alternates. The Southwest Legacy HS Boys were also runners-up in the Boys division.
All players advancing to the regional tournament will be representing Southwest ISD at the NEISD Blossom Tennis Center on April 12th-13th, 2022.
SWISD District Relay for Life Returns After Two-Year Hiatus
Sun Valley ES Celebrates 5th Anniversary of SVE CON
Students celebrated SVE CON by attending school in their comic book character costumes and participated in many scheduled events such as an art contest, hero training, button making, and face painting. Most importantly, students were able to meet some pretty awesome guest speakers, heroes, and villains from the Comic Con world! Mr. Jose Angel Vela, School Librarian, organizes this wonderful event to promote a vibrant reading culture for the SVE community with exposure to graphic novels and by making connections between literacy and pop culture in a fun and interactive way! Of course the day would not have been possible without help from the following local organizations: HAVOC (Heroes and Villains of Cosplay,) YouTube Channel Creepy Signal (Jessica Herrera,) Ghostbusters SATX, and Glass Slippers Character Company.
SWISD Soccer Teams Make History as All Teams Make UIL State Soccer Playoffs
Southwest Legacy High School Varsity Boys Soccer
The SW Legacy Titan Boys Varsity Soccer Team finished the season as District 28-5A Runner Up with a district record of 8-4-2 and ranked top 10 in the area. Under the direction of Coach Juan Sandoval and Coach Joe Martinez and the leadership from senior players like Edgar Ortega (Team Captain), Hsaw Reh, Nery Hernandez and Benjamin Medina, the Varsity Titan Soccer Boys reached the playoffs for the first time in school history.
The Titan Boys faced off against the Edison Bears for a Bi-Districit Championship in the first round playoffs where they fell short in an intense hard fought match that was decided in a double overtime shootout.
The Titans have established a great foundation to continue to reach new heights and accomplishments. As a young squad, the Titans will have 12 returning varsity players to make another playoff run in the 2022-2023 soccer season. The coaching staff and players would like to thank the Legacy community, parents, teachers, faculty and district leadership for their great support. #SomosLegacyFutbol!
The Lady Titans wrapped up a great season as District 28-5A Runner Up with a district record of 7-6-1 and made it to the playoffs for the first time. The team is led by Head Coach Madelyn Reyes and Assistant Coaches Jessica Hall-Martinez and Benjamin Cervantes.
Southwest High School Varsity Boys Soccer
The Southwest High School Boys soccer team finished the 2021-2022 season undefeated with a district record of 14-0. The Dragons won the district championship for a record 4th consecutive season (9th district championship in the last 12 years) and have not lost a district game in more than three years. The SWHS Boys were ranked either one or two in the greater San Antonio area for most of the season. The team set multiple scoring records this season by winning each game by an average of six goals or more. On defense, led by senior goalkeeper and team captain Jose Robles who led all of San Antonio with 16 clean sheets (shutouts-no goals allowed) for the season. Defensively, Juan Fernandez, Seferino Romo, and Aaron Rivera played outstanding all season and helped contribute to the 16 clean sheets.
On the offensive side, senior striker and reigning 2021 District MVP Julian Leon had 38 goals and finished second all-time on the Southwest goal scoring list with 104 total goals. Reigning 2021 District Offensive Player of the year Hector Montoya scored 40 goals and became the second SW Dragon to score 40 or more goals in a single season. Junior Edson Gonzalez scored 38 goals on the season. Senior midfielder Gabriel Soliz, Aron Miranda, and sophomore Ramiro Flores played well in the middle of the field. Sophomore Hector Quistiano and John Soliz lead the team in assists.
In the Playoffs, the Dragons beat Sam Houston 10-1 for the Bi-District championship. Unfortunately in the next playoff game, the Dragons lost a tough match to Georgetown by a score of 1-0. The coaching staff of Michael Ludyen and Taylor Molina are very proud of the season and the accomplishments by all the players on the 2021-2022 Southwest Dragons. The entire SW boys team would like to thank the teaching staff, faculty, administration, students, and the entire community for their continued support.
This was a year to remember for the Lady Dragons! This was the first time in school history they went undefeated in District play. They had a great offense led by Sarahi Fernandez and Aryana Martinez and many others. On defense, they had a solid base! Kaitlyn Hall, Sandra Martinez, Maritza Gates, Andrea Alvarado and two goalkeepers Payton Maldonado and Cass Cordova did some great work on defense to only allow three goals in District play. Bailey Kunz, Miya Motayne, Serenity Carey, and Sierra Flores all did a great job to help control the game and gave lots of balance on offense and defense! The Lady Dragons were able to get to the second round but lost to a very good Liberty Hill team. The team worked hard to have a great year!
Esports Spring Season Coming to a Close
The esports movement is taking over San Antonio High Schools and Southwest ISD is leading the pack. The District has three officially recognized teams and was the first to partner with the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT), along with seven other school districts to create the R20 Premier League.
All the District's teams are expected to compete at the R20 Premier League Finals in April.The competition is scheduled to be held at the brand new innovation center at Port SA. Teams will also compete at the STEM showcase at Southwest Legacy High School on May 24th to determine a SWISD District esports champion.
According to a recent KSAT news feature, competitive video game players now stand to earn huge cash prizes and scholarships. High schools and universities are launching esports programs, and companies are actively scouting esports athletes for jobs in the tech and engineering fields.
Indian Creek ES' Students Launch Environmental Group
It just takes one person to make a difference but at Indian Creek Elementary School, a team of student activists is taking charge. A group of 4th graders have created the Environmental Leadership Club in an effort to reduce the human footprint on the environment. This year, they are cleaning up the school grounds, improving the campus' recycling program, and learning how to save the Earth’s ecosystems and the animals that reside in them.
Sky Harbour ES Students Treated to Renaissance Performance
SW Spotlight - Student Edition
SW Legacy Battle of Flowers Cover contest
From among the hundreds of entries received annually, thirty drawings are selected by a judging panel, and then framed and displayed at a reception honoring the students and their art instructors. Finalists, honorable mentions and winners are announced during a special reception and awarded scholarships, with the top design used for the Band Festival program book, which has thousands of copies printed and distributed every year. The top design winner also rides in the Battle of Flowers Parade.
Go Public Art Contest Winners
CAST STEM One Act Play
Southwest High School Style Colorguard Takes Top Spot at TECA State Championship
On March 26, the Southwest HS Colorguard competed at the TECA State Championships wrapping up their Spring competitive season. These students worked up a show from mid December until March 26 competing along the way. At every competition, they improved and got a higher score and placement. At the State competition, our Southwest Colorguard competed with a total of 53 colorguard groups and earned 1st place in their class! They also earned best movement, best equipment, best design and best general effect! We want to congratulate these hard working students on an outstanding season!
SWHS Drama Student Headed to State Competition
Elm Creek Student Wins Art Contest
McNair MS Varsity Treble Choir Earns UIL Division 1 Rating
McAuliffe MS Mariachis Perform at AT&T Center
Southwest ISD middle schools took over the AT&T Center in March. The McAuliffe MS Mariachis performed at the AT&T Center on the Spurs floor during a basketball game between McAuliffe and Resnik.
Hidden Cove STEAM Accepting Applications for the 2022-2023 School Year
CAST STEM Accepting Applications for the 2022-2023 School Year
CAST STEM is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2023 School Year. CAST STEM allows students to explore careers in engineering, advanced manufacturing, energy & power, and global logistics. Students learn to build and program robots, drones, and electric cars and travel to competitions with teams. The chance to experience a college setting during high school and to work directly with industry mentors sets CAST STEM students apart and sets their future in motion, no matter where they decide to take it.
SWISD Communications Department
Email: news@swisd.net
Website: www.swisd.net
Location: 11914 Dragon Ln, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-622-4408
Facebook: facebook.com/SWISDsatx
Twitter: @swisd