Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Spring Branch ISD continues commitment to ‘Grow Our Own’ teachers

April 29, 2022 12:42 PM

On April 28 and 29, Spring Branch ISD extended 37 letters of intent to students who have completed the Grow Our Own program in SBISD. This letter represents a commitment to hire the student as a teacher in SBISD upon the student's completion of a college degree program and teacher certification.

The Grow Our Own program is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway that aims to build a diverse and sustainable passage of current students to future teachers who reflect the community in which they teach. The teaching pathway gives students the opportunity to explore public education in a variety of ways, including clinical lab visits in classrooms, having dialogue with principals and the superintendent and interacting with fellow SBISD students and teachers. In addition to partnerships with University of Houston – Downtown and the College of Urban Education, SBISD has secured a Grow Your Own grant from the Texas Education Agency to further expand this program during the next two years.

Students at Memorial, Northbrook, Spring Woods and Stratford high schools were honored at celebrations at their respective campuses with their teachers and families. Also in attendance were Spring Branch ISD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Blaine, Associate Superintendent of Administration and Talent Karen Heeth, Associate Superintendent of Academics Kristin Craft, Executive Director of Talent Allison Tennyson, Career and Technical Education Director Christina Rice-Imumwen, Career and Technical Education Coordinator Nicole Henneke, Spring Woods High School Principal Jennifer Collier and Stratford High School Principal Raymorris Barnes.

Students voiced during the ceremonies that their goals include becoming middle school teachers and elementary special education teachers and assisting multilingual students in their academic journeys. Congratulations to these future educators:

Memorial High School: