The Midway ISD ESL Team swept nearly every category in Education Service Center Region 12’s first Bilingual ESL Support Awards (BESA) Ceremony this year. The entire team was awarded for Linguistic Advancement in addition to multiple members earning individual recognition.
Individual awardees include Mandy Ochoa, who was named Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year, and Peggy Pritchett, who received the Elementary Advocacy Award for providing consistent, comprehensive support and guidance over the past five years to a family and their “thrice exceptional” student who is involved in ESL, special populations, and GT.
“The student’s parent did not understand many of the supports and programs or how best to help their child,” Amberly Walker, a federal programs coordinator at Region 12, said about why Pritchett was chosen for the award. “Peggy continually met and called the parent after her working hours since they are rarely available during the school day to visit with them about how all the systems could work together to help this student see their gifts and provide support as they transition to middle school.”
In addition, the Interdistrict Multilingual Collaboration Award was presented to Ochoa, Pritchett, and Lisa Ramirez for working with a neighboring district outside of their regular workday to share strategies with fellow educators at a state conference. Ochoa, Pritchett, Ramirez, Kylie O'Donnell, and Judy Kainer were also recognized for their commitment to professional growth and collaboration by taking part in the Region 12 ESL PLC cohort from 2019-2023.
Every member of the Midway ESL team, including Elias Lopez, Kellie Clarkson, Candi Stryker, and Patricia Peña, was recognized for Linguistic Advancement as one of five districts in the Region whose TELPAS closing the gaps scores for the last two years met the state standard with substantial growth, increasing by 11%.
Midway ISD ESL Coordinator Ashley Duncan played a part in the team's exceptional achievements this year. Their accomplishments reflect their unwavering commitment to their students and profound impact on the families they serve.
