portraits
» AMARILLO ISD
5
AISD Board of Trustees
F. Scott Flow - President
John Ben Blanchard – Vice-President
Jim Austin
John Betancourt
Robin Malone
Renee McCown
Cristy Wilkinson
District Leadership
Interim Superintendent
Doug Loomis
General Counsel
Andrea Gulley
Chief Financial Offi cer
Pati Buchenau
Chief Human Resources Offi cer
Doug Loomis
Chief Technology Offi cer
Jeff Roller
Chief Leadership & Support Offi cers
David Bishop
Kevin Phillips
Sandy Whitlow
Directors
Denise Blanchard, Community Partnerships
Susan Hoyl, Community Relations
Tracey Morman, Counseling/College &
Career Readiness
Kelly Morrison, Special Education
Holly Shelton, Communications
Amarillo Independent School District
Volume 9 • 2019
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
intended to educate and inform readers of
the district’s ongoing efforts to graduate
every student prepared for life and 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:
Begin with the end in mind. That simple
idea has really stuck with me lately. Whether
it’s the fi rst day of kindergarten for your
fi rstborn or the fi rst day of restarting that
New Year’s resolution (for the fi fth time
since January), the start of something
may sometimes seem ordinary or not-so-
monumental, but it is the start -the small
fi rst step- that can grow into something BIG.
Walk through an Amarillo ISD elementary
school, and you’ll see small but big things
happening fi rsthand. The friendships and
academic foundation being laid in our
elementary schools prepare children to grow
up as lifelong learners and leaders. As an
open transfer district, parents can choose
the campus that’s right for their student,
even if it’s not their neighborhood school. This means the opportunity to choose from a
variety of colorful offerings from campus to campus including STEM labs, Makerspaces,
art, environmental science, bilingual education, a robust GT program, hands-on learning
under the big sky with outdoor education days and even a piano lab. In this issue of
Portraits, we’ll explore some of the early childhood building blocks offered in the fi rst
years of school.
The journey includes the opportunity to not only start in AISD but to seamlessly Thrive
through college. During the middle and high school years, students can explore STEM
fi elds with access to engineering and robotics. Career and Technical Education programs,
like PRO internships, graduate students career-ready. A 1:1 laptop program means a
notebook computer for every student for the duration of high school. AISD is home to the
Panhandle’s only International Baccalaureate Diploma program, considered the world’s
most prestigious high school diploma. Starting with the 2019-2020 school year, AISD
students will have another diploma option, not offered elsewhere in the Panhandle, the
AP Capstone. Both of these elite diplomas help highly motivated students stand out in the
competitive university admissions process.
For those students who want to start the pursuit of a certifi cate or degree at their
hometown community college, there is the Thrive Scholarship. Students who enroll in an
AISD high school in ninth grade and meet basic requirements can earn 60 hours of tuition
including books and fees at Amarillo College. Inside this magazine, you’ll meet a proud
scholarship recipient in the very fi rst class of Thrive scholars.
Beginning early and continuing through the years, Amarillo ISD is home to exclusive
choices, exclusive opportunities and now the exclusive Thrive Scholarship. Feel free to grab
a cup of coffee, kick up your feet, and read on about how AISD is shaping futures and the
future of our community… one start, one beginning at a time.
Editor’s Column