Scholarship Winners for 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley is proud to announce three winners of the Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship. Thomas C. Sanchez of Harlingen South won a $4,000 scholarship to be used at TSTC. Mia Aguilar also from Harlingen South received a scholarship to The University of Pan American in the amount of $3,000. The $400 United Launch Alliance Engineering Scholarship was given to Rene Cardona of San Benito. Rene plans to attend Texas A&M Kingsville.

A fourth scholarship has been re-issued and comes due on the 22nd of May.

See the "featured students" section of our website to find our more details on these talented recipients.

Michelle Galvez is in the Spotlight for Making Use of Her Options
Monday, April 28, 2008

Tech Prep Scholar Michelle Galvez, a 2006 graduate of Los Fresnos High School, is in the spotlight for landing a job that pays $50,000 year. Galvez, 20, is earning an Associate Degree in Chemical Environmental Technology at Texas State Technical College, but will complete her last semester while working at Formosa Plastics Corp in Point Comfort, Texas, according to an April 15 story in the Valley Morning Star.

Galvez won a $4,000 Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship to TSTC in 2006 and has maintained a 4.0 GPA. She has volunteered as a peer mentor, served as the Student Government secretary and danced with the TSTC dance team. “I’m determined. If you want something bad enough, you go for it. You go for your goal,” Galvez said.

According to The Slice of Life, Galvez will be researching ways to improve plastic and polymers. She won the job over candidates with master’s degrees.

Galvez was quoted as saying she wanted to inspire high school students to continue in their education, wherever they go. “Just because they come to a technical college does not necessarily mean they will make less money than someone with their bachelor’s degree.”

“I’m determined. If you want something bad enough, you go for it. You go for your goal,” Galvez said.

Counselor of the Year Presentation January 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008

Counselors play tremendous roles of great responsibility working with students in our Public schools. Counselors are responsible for planning and implementing comprehensive development guidance and counseling programs and making sure that students receive the services they need while working on content areas such as development of students’ self-confidence, motivation to achieve, decision-making, and other areas, including but not limited to responsible behavior. Tech Prep began honoring some of the hard-working counselors from our region almost 10 years ago. It has been our pleasure over the years to honor hard-working, dedicated, student-focused individuals who are promoting Tech Prep’s programs and services at the same time they are working hard to be a positive influence in the lives of students in our schools.

It therefore gives me great pleasure to present this year’s award for our Tech Prep High School Counselor of the Year. This individual was nominated by a colleague. Let me share with you what this individual had to say about our recipient:

She has worked at our school district for 4 years and has accumulated 23 total years of service as a counselor. This person is efficient, punctual, thorough and very compassionate towards the students. Among all of the individual’s duties, this person serves as a guidance counselor to the Early College High School students, a partner in the 21st Century Project Career Awareness Program, and the leader of the Tech Prep Support Team (S-TEAM) for Hidalgo ISD. This is a woman that everyone in the school can depend upon and she gets things done! This individual also participates in professional development to improve skills related to the job assignment. She keeps up on the latest changes in her field and rises to the many challenges of her multi-faceted job.


Our award recipient always maintains a positive and effective relationship with supervisors. She communicates effectively with colleagues, students, and parents and models behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible. In closing, the nomination states that this individual is a loyal, valued co-worker, whose opinions are sought; whose insight is far reaching and whose dependability is unwavering.

The nomination tells many more wonderful things—more than we have the time to share here.

This individual was nominated by Santos Perez, 21st Century Project Director, Hidalgo Independent School District. Please help me welcome Debra McKenna, Counselor, Hidalgo High School, Hidalgo ISD, our 2008 Tech Prep High School Counselor of the Year!

Debra McKenna, Counselor, Hidalgo High School, Hidalgo ISD, our 2008 Tech Prep High School Counselor of the Year

ATC Teachers Help High School Students Earn College Credits
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Students registered for dual-enrollment credit in Harlingen South High School’s Accounting I and II courses have discovered that the work is more rigorous than a typical high school class.

“Yes, it’s more demanding and faster paced work.,” said Joy Hoeflinger, Career & Technology Education teacher. “But I tell the students, “the encouraging part is that you did it. You did college level work.’” Hoeflinger has earned Advanced Technical Credit certification and follows a specified curriculum to put the accounting courses on par with community college courses. “If students take advantage of dual enrollment, the opportunities are fantastic.”

Tech Prep students and all other high school students who pass a dual enrollment course receive college credit for the course without having to pay college tuition. The dual enrollment moves each student one course closer to college graduation while still in high school.

“Dual credit is new on the scene. It’s taking off like gangbusters,” Hoeflinger said. “It’s wonderful for students. If they do well, they have already started their college transcripts. They have proven they are good college students which helps them secure financial aid.”

Recently Hoeflinger was one of 14 Texas high school and college instructors who assembled in Houston for a curriculum alignment process of finance and accounting courses. “It was a collaboration to bring the material used in high schools up to date and to see what the demands of business are now,” she said. The alignment makes sure the high school course covers the same material and challenges the student in the same way as the equivalent college course. For example, TSTC faculty comes to Hoeflinger’s classroom to observe and confirm the courses are being taught on a college level.

In an older and slightly different program, students are eligible for advanced technical credit for specific Advanced Technical Credit classes simply by going online and registering for ATC, Hoeflinger said. Their transcripts are marked that they took those courses. The hours are “banked” and applied to the college transcript after the student’s completes the first college semester.

High schools are adding more dual enrollment classes. Next year Hoeflinger said some of the classes in her department will be strictly dual credit.

“Students are required to use their minds to succeed in these dual enrollment classes,” she said. But they are also developing the study skills they need to succeed in college.

For more information on college courses free of tuition charges, call Tech Prep of the RGV at 956-364-4509.

Exciting Competition for 8th - 10th Grades
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Are you looking for something exciting to motivate your students career interest? There is an great opportunity coming up and I would like to encourage you to have your students join the class to class competition known as The Whyville Texas Challenge. This challenge has the students compete in educational games to earn virtual clams. This is a great career exploration tool aimed to interest students in careers that are relevant to Texas. It exposes students to the interesting work involved in the biotechnical and advanced manufacturing careers.

Winning classes receive prizes that can include in-class science kits, classroom equipment, and training/conference opportunities for teachers. Competition starts April 28, 2008.

Please visit www.why-texas.com for more details.