🏈 Friday night lights are here! Get ready to cheer on our SBISD teams all month long! Check out the October football lineup and make plans to join us under the lights. Visit the SBISD Athletics website for complete schedules, game times, locations and ticket information. See you at the game! 🏈

Keeping Every Child safe starts with awareness, education and open conversations.

SBISD Police encourages families to talk with their children about firearm safety, including the importance of never handling a firearm and knowing what to do if they encounter one:

• Never touch it. 

• Leave the area immediately. 

• Tell a trusted adult.

Take a few minutes to watch this important safety message and continue the conversation at home.

Behind the Badge: Building Relationships and Trust in SBISD

In SBISD, keeping schools safe starts with relationships, trust and being present for students every day.

At Spring Branch Middle School, Officer Nancy Avila has spent the past five years working alongside students, staff and families to help create a school where students feel safe, supported and connected.

“What I love most is the opportunity to build relationships with students,” Avila said. “Sometimes something as simple as taking the time to listen, encourage them or let them know that someone believes in them can make a difference.”

Across the district, Officer Rigoberto Hernandez and K-9 Wat support SBISD schools through the Police Department's patrol division. Wat is specially trained to assist with safety efforts, but he also has a unique ability to connect with students and help break down barriers.

Go behind the badge with Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Blaine as she visits with Officer Avila, Officer Hernandez and K-9 Wat to learn more about the people and everyday connections helping create safe, supportive schools in SBISD.

🎥 Click to watch the video

The Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF) brought some exciting news to campuses across SBISD, surprising teachers and staff with more than $300,000 in grants for the 2026–27 school year. We went along for the ride to capture their reactions. Thank you to the Foundation, its board and our generous community for investing in our educators and supporting our promise to inspire minds and shape lives for Every Child. Visit the SBEF website to see a complete listing of grant winners. Watch the video to share in the celebration.

Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) students earned nine nominations for the 2026 Lone Star Emmy Student Production Awards, with four projects from Spring Woods High School (SWHS) and five from the Guthrie Center.

Spring Woods High School

Valentina Urteaga — “Immigration,” hard news report
Janette Zapeta — “Hardships of Motherhood,” nonfiction short form
Anaisa Ferrera — “My Little Angel,” editor
Trey Flores — “Tiger TV Script 5/11/2026,” writer

The Guthrie Center

Xavier Alexander — “Everything I’m Not; Everything I Am,” nonfiction short form, and “Picture Me Better,” fiction long form
Sebastian Mendoza — “Mouse,” fiction short form, and “Cinematography Reel – Sebastian Mendoza,” photographer
Uriel Abalo, Maximus Richey, Alan Hernandez and Miguel Hernandez — “Behind the Smoke,” public service announcement

From reporting and writing to filmmaking and cinematography, the nominations recognize the range of stories SBISD students are telling and the skills they are building.

Congratulations to every student nominated and to the educators who support their work.

See the full Lone Star Student Production Awards nominees list.

Three Generations of Service at Memorial Middle School

For Mackenzie Pickett, teaching sixth-grade social studies at Memorial Middle School is the continuation of a family connection to SBISD that spans three generations.

Her grandfather served as a counselor at MMS beginning around the late 1960s or early 1970s. Her mother later taught science at the school in the 1990s. Today, Mackenzie is carrying that tradition forward in a classroom of her own.

“My family history is parallel with SBISD's history,” Mackenzie said. “Working with SBISD runs in the family, I suppose!”

Mackenzie's path to teaching also reflects her lifelong interest in history and learning. Before joining SBISD full time, she:

• Earned a master's degree in history from the University of Oxford

• Gained experience with museums, archaeological excavations and laboratories

• Shared her knowledge of world history and ancient cultures with MMS students

• Joined SBISD as a substitute before becoming a full-time teacher

Today, she brings those experiences into her sixth-grade world geography and cultures classroom, helping students discover new people, places, ideas and connections to the world around them.

As SBISD celebrates 80 years, Mackenzie's story reflects the generations of educators and staff who have chosen to invest their talents in the Spring Branch community.

Read Mackenzie's full story and learn how three generations of one family found their place at Memorial Middle School.

🌟 25 YEARS OF SUPERIOR RATINGS. 100 OUT OF 100. 🌟 For the 25th consecutive year, Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) has earned the state’s highest FIRST financial accountability rating, scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 points in the two most recent years. This achievement reflects strong financial stewardship, sound budgeting and a continued commitment to responsible, student-focused decisions. 25 years. 100 points. 80 years of excellence. Another reason to celebrate what’s possible in SBISD. #SBISD80 #SBISDPossible #CollectiveGreatness

🎥 Want to be an SBISD influencer? SBISD StoryLab is looking for student creators ready to help tell the stories of our schools, students and community. Whether you’re into video, photography, social media, interviewing, writing or creating content, we want to hear from you. 👉 Apply now.

📱 Create content.
🎤 Share student voices.
📸 Capture what’s happening across SBISD.
✨ Build your skills and your portfolio.

Apply by Oct. 15! Students will be selected from this year’s applications and announced following the application period.

Learn more.

The latest edition of Inspire is here! As we celebrate a great start to the school year, this edition takes a closer look at safety and the people, programs and achievements that make our district shine.

🏫 Get ready for the Grand Opening of the new Guthrie Center
⭐ Meet amazing students and staff making a difference
📚 Celebrate outstanding academic achievements across SBISD
🛡️ Learn more about how we’re working together to keep our schools safe, supportive and ready for learning
📅 Plus, see what’s coming up across the district!

There’s so much happening — and so much to be #SBISDProud of.

👉 Read the latest Inspire and see what’s possible in SBISD!

#SBISDProud #SBISDPossible

STRONGER TOGETHER | September Mental Health News A new school year brings new routines, relationships and challenges. This month, explore practical resources and tips to help support your child’s mental health, well-being and success throughout the school year. Read more

Shaped by SBISD, Now Shaping What's Possible for Others

Katie Redd first entered Spring Branch ISD as a fourth-grade student at Spring Shadows Elementary. She went on to attend Cornerstone Academy and Spring Woods High School, where educators, mentors and opportunities helped shape her path.

Today, Katie is an SBISD Community Engagement Coordinator, helping lead programs for the same district that invested in her as a student.

Her journey has included:

• Returning to SBISD as a temporary employee while attending college

• Joining the district full time after graduation

• Growing from program and administrative support to Community Engagement Specialist

• Becoming a Community Engagement Coordinator in 2023

• Managing programs she once benefited from while developing new opportunities for today's students

“The coolest thing about my job is managing programs I benefited from as a student and creating programs that I wish I had,” Katie said.

Her connection to SBISD now extends into another generation. After growing up in the district and building her career here, Katie is also choosing SBISD for her own son.

As Spring Branch ISD celebrates 80 years of serving the Spring Branch community, Katie's story demonstrates how the impact of educators, mentors and opportunities can continue long after a student graduates.

Read Katie's full story to learn how her journey from SBISD student to employee has come full circle.

Students Helping Students Turn Curiosity Into Opportunity

Memorial High School senior Anfisa Bogdanova saw that students could miss meaningful research, mentorship and academic opportunities simply because they didn't know those opportunities existed or weren't sure how to begin.

Instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem, she created FUSE, a student-led initiative designed to help students discover opportunities and turn their interests into meaningful work.

Through FUSE's Impact Scholars program, students:

• Choose a topic they want to explore

• Conduct research and develop a paper or article

• Receive mentorship, feedback and peer support

• Revise and strengthen their work

• Publish their finished projects

Students have already explored topics ranging from engineering and artificial intelligence to business and astrophysics, gaining experience in research, writing, critical thinking and responding to feedback along the way.

“I wanted students to have someone who would take their ideas seriously and help them turn those ideas into something complete and tangible,” Anfisa said.

FUSE has also given Anfisa an opportunity to grow as a leader while helping other students gain confidence in their own ideas.

Read the full story to learn how Anfisa and her peers are turning curiosity into opportunity.

Parent U: Paying for College: FAFSA/TASFA Overview

Families of 12th grade students are invited to the next Parent U session to learn more about financial aid and preparing for the cost of college.

Families will learn about:

• FAFSA and TASFA

• Financial aid options available to students

• The financial aid application process

• Practical tips for planning and paying for college expenses

📅 Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. via Zoom
☑️ For families with students in 12th grade
🔗 Register today for FREE!

Ruby Campuzano: 25 Years of Growing and Serving in SBISD

For Ruby Campuzano, Spring Branch ISD is more than where she works. It is the community where she grew up, raised her family and built a career spanning 25 years.

Ruby attended Ridgecrest Elementary, Landrum Middle School and Northbrook High School, and her own children later attended SBISD schools.

She joined the district at age 23 as an LEP assistant and discovered opportunities to continue learning and growing throughout her career. Over the past 25 years, Ruby has served SBISD in several roles, including:

• Classroom and campus support

• Paraprofessional application processing

• The substitute office

• Workers' Compensation and Safety

Along the way, professional development and colleagues who encouraged her to pursue new opportunities helped shape a career she never anticipated when she first joined the district.

“I have learned tremendously in various areas, and I'm thankful I got the opportunity to work in different roles,” Ruby said.

As SBISD celebrates 80 years of excellence, Ruby's story reflects generations of students, families and employees who have called Spring Branch home and continued giving back to the community.

🔗 Click here to read Ruby's full story

Sometimes, all it takes is one class to open the door to your future. Ryan Daly, Class of 2021, started his journey with a shop class in SBISD. That one experience sparked a passion and opened the door to a career he never expected. Today, Ryan is the owner and CEO of Ryan’s Woodworking, turning his passion and skills into his own successful business. We’re proud to see where his journey has taken him!

Watch the video on Ryan's experience here.

#SBISD #SBISDAlumni #ClassOf2021 #SBISDCTE #InspiringMindsShapingLives