Cheri Pitcher, visual arts teacher at Mountain Ridge Junior High, described the recognition as deeply meaningful. “This award means so much to me, I have worked so hard to improve my practice each year,” she said. “Every teacher deserves to be validated for the impossible, invisible and miraculous work they do each day.”
Pitcher also highlighted the creativity and energy of middle school students. “These kids are trying so hard… they are excited and motivated and have unbelievable energy,” she said. She added that students who engage deeply in the arts create “highly meaningful work that connects with people of all ages.”
We are so grateful to have Mrs. Pitcher as a part of our pack!
This spring, our very own Mrs. Nevarez was honored with the prestigious Texas Instruments Foundation Innovations in STEM Teaching Award! 🎉🔬
Karre received $10,000 — half as a personal award recognizing her past innovation, and half as a STEM grant to fund exciting new projects in her classroom. And when you hear what she has accomplished and what she has planned, it is easy to see why she was chosen.
A Legacy of STEM Innovation 💛
Karre's award recognizes decades of dedication to STEM education, including:
🤖 Coaching over 30 FIRST LEGO League Teams
🌱 Starting an A.L.L. STEM program
📚 Designing and teaching a Science Inquiry & Innovation elective
...and so much more.
As Karre shared, "Being recognized by Texas Instruments and Alpine School District means a lot. After decades of teaching, refining, and advocating for STEM, this recognition has deep meaning."
For Karre, one of the greatest joys of teaching is watching her students grow into confident problem-solvers. "It's the capstone of years spent encouraging students to see themselves as engineers, problem-solvers, and innovators. Watching them realize they can solve problems once thought impossible is powerful," she said. 🔥
What's Next — The Future of Her Classroom 🚀
Karre has big plans for her grant funding! She is reinventing the STEM experience in her Science Inquiry & Innovation elective in two exciting ways:
💡 Personal Passion Project Lab — A semester-long, AI-supported lab where students tackle real-world problems and learn to use emerging technology responsibly. Inspired by DevOps principles, the lab will emphasize collaboration, shared responsibility, rapid iteration, data-based decisions, and treating failure as feedback. This shifts students from one-time projects to continuous, authentic innovation.
🔬 Reinventing the STEM Fair — Using the DevOps model and AI integration, Karre is transforming her STEM Fair into a startup-style space of innovation and investigation built around students' personal passions.
As Karre puts it, "This is the future of STEM education — not just preparing students to use technology but empowering them to shape it with responsibility and confidence."
We couldn't agree more. Congratulations, Karre — thank you for sustaining the spark in everything you do!
🎶 Huge News! Ms. Lindsley is a 2026 Spark Award Finalist! 🎶
Out of hundreds of entries nationwide, Ms. Lindsley has been chosen as one of just 10 finalists for the prestigious 2026 Spark Award by Alfred Music and MakeMusic!
This incredible honor recognizes her big impact and dedication to sparking a lifelong love of music in her students and our community.
Let's Vote!
The public voting round is officially open, and she needs our support to win!
When: Right now! Voting runs from May 16 – 23, 2026.
How often: You can vote once per day!
Where to vote: 👉 makemusic.com/spark
Please click the link, cast your daily vote, and share this post to help us celebrate Ms. Lindsley!
From our Phenomenal PSTA: We are quickly approaching the end of the year! Please join us for our next PTSA meeting on Monday, April 20th at 9:30 am in the conference room. This is a general membership meeting - all are invited and we need your help as we vote in our board for the 2026-27 year!
