portraits

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AISD Board of Trustees

Jim Austin - President
F. Scott Flow- Vice-President
James Allen
John Betancourt
John Ben Blanchard
Renee McCown
Cristy Wilkinson

District Leadership

Superintendent

Dr. Dana West

General Counsel

Andrea Gulley

Chief Financial Offi cer

Pati Buchenau

Chief Human Resources Offi cer

Doug Loomis

Chief Operations Offi cer

Brent Hoover

Chief Technology Offi cer

Jeff Roller

Chief Academic Offi cers

Christina Ritter
Sandy Whitlow

Chief Leadership & Support Offi cers

David Bishop
Kevin Phillips

Directors

Susan Hoyl, Community Relations
Denise Blanchard, Community Partnerships
Holly Shelton, Communications

Amarillo Independent School District

Volume 8 • 2018
AISD Portraits, an award-winning magazine 
published by the AISD Community Relations 
Department, serves as an annual report to 
the community. The stories inside are in-
tended to educate and inform readers of the 
district’s ongoing efforts to graduate every 
student prepared for success.

Holly Shelton- Editor
Denise Blanchard- Advertising Director
April Brownlee- Lead Writer
Susan Hoyl, Melynda Bettis and Lauren 
Ebben- Copy Editors

Amarillo Independent School District
7200 West I-40
Amarillo, TX 79106
www.amaisd.org 

Through my lens:

The world is changing. I’m reminded of 

that everyday when I read the news or have 
a conversation with a teenager. The way we 
stay in touch with friends down the street 
or relatives across the world is different. 
The way we must parent our children is 
evolving. And yes, the way we educate 
students is changing too. 

What the future world will look like for 

today’s kids is unknown, but in Amarillo 
ISD, we’re taking what we do know to 
better prepare our students for what may 
lie ahead. Predictions indicate in the next 
20 years, 47 percent of American jobs will 
be replaced by technology. The U.S. will 
become an Automation Nation where jobs will revolve around technology and coding. 
In fact, they say the jobs that today’s kindergartners will one day compete for do not 
currently exist. 

You may wonder, how will AISD prepare students to meet the demands of this new 

and changing world? Throughout this issue of Portraits, we’ll show you how we’re 
working to create thinkers, communicators, collaborators and contributors for today and 
beyond. Our cover story takes a look as the District begins the process of creating a new 
collaborative STEM focused high school. Read along, and you’ll take a step inside one extra 
special middle school club and then step off the athletic fi eld into the high-tech way we 
are working to keep our student athletes safe, and how their fellow students play a big role 
in that process. 

The world may be changing, but rest assured, AISD students will be prepared to lead 

the pack into the new global economy. As you read through the stories in this magazine, I 
think you’ll be inspired and you’ll see the future is in good hands.

Editor’s Column