portraits
» AMARILLO ISD
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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