One for the Record Books

by Oneida Aleman

My daughter, Angela Gonzalez, a former SHS alumni, graduated in December 2025 with her BA in Music Education. Music has been her passion since she was little, and seeing her achieve this dream fills my heart with joy.

I am incredibly proud of everything she has accomplished and of all the lives she will inspire and touch through music. 🎶💛

by Nicole H. Cruz

Nancy Basaldua, retired Sharyland ISD teacher, ScreenStrong Ambassador shared a moving presentation with Sharyland ISD Librarians at their district library meeting on Friday, January 30th. The meeting was hosted at Harry Shimotsu Elementary Library. Mrs. Basaldua shared multiple resources documenting research that shows the detrimental effect of too much unsupervised screen access for children and teens. She is willing to bring the presentation to Sharyland ISD parent meetings. She would prefer to speak to elementary parents. The librarians will work with their parent liaisons to bring this message to the larger community.

by Nancy P. Garza

Mrs. Garza hosted a Discovery Education Lunch & Learn for teachers, providing an overview of how Discovery Education can enhance classroom instruction. Discovery Education is a digital learning platform available through Clever, giving teachers easy access to high-quality video that support and enrich daily lessons.

During the session, teachers explored how the platform offers engaging videos, interactive tools, and standards-aligned content that can be seamlessly integrated into instruction. The Lunch & Learn highlighted how Discovery Education supports differentiated learning, boosts student engagement, and helps teachers save time while creating meaningful learning.

by Nicole H. Cruz

Sharyland ISD proudly welcomed author Donna Janell Bowman on Friday, January 23rd, where she shared her inspiring presentation, “Authors and Athletes Have a Lot in Common,” with students from all eight elementary schools. This collaborative effort would not have been possible without many people at the host school. Thanks to Mary Muniz, library aide, Norma Saenz, library community volunteer, Mr. Guillermo De La Cruz Technician, Mr. Jacob Rodriguez Technician, art students from Raul Perez's class for creating the display, SA3 students Alexa Vasquez, Nahima Galindo, and Cecilia SanMiguel for introducing the author, Assistant Principal Mr. Andres Benitez for working with maintenance to improve the temperature of the lecture hall, Step18+ student volunteers for sharpening pencils and making handout copies, and district lead librarian Nicole Cruz for tackling all of the necessary paperwork, purchase orders, and communication with the author.

by Monica Silva

Congratulations to our JHS Battle of the Books champions: Isaac Compean, Maya Bensen, Jorge Bernal, and Nathan Ramirez! Their hard work, dedication, and love for reading truly shined throughout the competition. We are so proud of them and their amazing achievement. Next stop: Regionals!

by Jose Guerrero

The library hosted a variety of engaging activities that brought the love of joy of reading to life for Bentsen students and families. Family Reading Night was a highlight, made extra special by a visit from the Magic Club, which added excitement and fun to the evening. Students were also inspired by an author's visit that gave them a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process, while the Battle of the Books encouraged teamwork, friendly competition, and a deeper connection to stories. Together, these activities helped inspire a lasting love of reading and learning throughout our school community.

by Josie Saldaña

Genre Café at the SNJH Library was a fun and engaging way for classes to explore new books. Students rotated through café-style tables, each featuring a different genre, where they could browse and “sample” a variety of titles. From Adventure titles to Mysteries, this experience encouraged students to discover books they might not have picked on their own. Along the way, they learned how to find key information like the synopsis, author, and helpful text features. By the end, students walked away feeling more confident and empowered to choose books independently.

by Nicole H. Cruz

SA3 teacher Yesenia Jaramillo-Medina had her 4th block class participate in the Texas Letters About Literature Contest. Students could choose any author of a book, poem, play, or speech to write a letter to. The students explained how the story, topic, or characters inspired them to be better individuals or to have a more global perspective of the world around them. Students who place 1st in their grade level may win $300; a $400 travel stipend, and $300 donation for their school library. Thanks to Ms. Medina-Jaramillo for collaborating with librarian Nicole Cruz on this project. Best of Luck to all the students.

by Monica Arguelles

The first-grade students at Donna Wernecke Elementary had a delightful reading time at the library with the Robotics team and Student Council members from Shary North Junior High. The students enjoyed listening to Don't Let the Pigeon Ride the Sleigh by Mo Willems and The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser. Afterwards, the students colored festive holiday pictures together.

by Thanya Montemayor

Students enjoyed a lesson on the Caldecott Awards. The students were able to examine different books that were eligible to win the Caldecott this year and they made their predictions about who would win. The students looked at the history and process by which the Caldecott is awarded. They were also able to enjoy some read-alouds of previous winners.

by Albert Ramos

Jessie Jensen Elementary students enjoyed two Incredible Competitions this year with Jensen Librarian Mr. Ramos! They had great success with UIL Art Contest and also The Battle of the Books Competition. They enjoyed the learning and friendship bonds that they experienced during these competitions. Mr. Ramos is proud of all the efforts that they put into them and hopes that they enjoyed it and will have many good memories of these accomplishments!

by Alma Paredes

Our Shimotsu students had a quacktastic time in the library as they gathered for a read-aloud of The Quacken by Justin Colón. As they listened closely to the story, students shared laughs, predictions, and thoughtful observations about the mysterious Quacken. After the read-aloud, they put their creativity and problem-solving skills to work during a hands-on STEM challenge—designing and building a cage to trap the Quacken using Magna-Tiles. This engaging activity encouraged collaboration, critical thinking, and imagination, making learning in the library both fun and memorable.

by Wally Trevino

Nonfiction is an important part of learning and reading because it helps students understand the real world around them. Through nonfiction texts, readers gain information about people, places, science, history, and many other topics that spark curiosity and learning. Reading nonfiction allows students to learn facts while developing important reading skills that support success in school and beyond.

One way we promote nonfiction reading is by playing Nonfiction Bingo. This fun and engaging activity encourages students to explore different nonfiction topics and formats while making reading exciting. As students work to complete their bingo cards, they are motivated to read a variety of nonfiction texts and discover new subjects they may not have explored before.

Nonfiction reading helps build a strong foundation of knowledge. It expands vocabulary by introducing new words and concepts, and it encourages students to become “fact detectives” who analyze information and think critically about what they read. Most importantly, nonfiction can ignite a passion for learning by helping students discover interests that may turn into lifelong hobbies or future careers.

By promoting nonfiction reading in creative ways like Nonfiction Bingo, we help students develop curiosity, confidence, and a love for learning that will last a lifetime.

by Denise Cirlos

Mrs. Conners’ GT Math students visited the B. L. Gray library to learn how to use MackinVia as a research tool for their current GT projects. Students explored ebooks and digital databases to locate reliable sources that will help strengthen their work.

This collaboration gave students the skills they need to research with confidence while showing how the library supports learning across all subjects. We love being part of their academic journey! 📚✨

by Oneida Aleman

They built settings and characters with blocks and LEGOs, tackled puzzles, and even designed their own video games using Bloxels.

It was amazing to see so much creativity, collaboration, and teamwork in action! 💡🤝📚

by Nancy P. Garza

Pioneer High School recently hosted a professional learning session organized by librarian Nancy Garza that focused on using SchoolAI to support classroom instruction and amplify student voice. Teachers explored how the platform can help build important 21st-century skills like critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and personalized learning.

The session was led by Felicitas Garcia, a technology integration specialist with SchoolAI, who walked teachers through the platform and shared practical, hands-on ways to use its tools in the classroom. Teachers learned how SchoolAI can help personalize learning, encourage deeper thinking, and give students more chances to engage, reflect, and show what they know. Overall, the session provided useful strategies teachers can start using right away to boost student learning and engagement.

by Thanya Montemayor

A wonderful crowd joined us in the RHE Library for our December Reading Night. The SHS Magic Club entertained us with their balloon twisting skills. Students and parents were able to read and use Beanstack as well as participate in raffles and other coloring activities.

by Monica Silva

This December, the JHS Library turned into a festive winter wonderland filled with reading, creativity, and holiday spirit. During our Polar Express–themed Family Reading Night, families enjoyed hot chocolate, crafted silver “Believe” bells, wrote letters to Santa, listened to a cozy read-aloud, and spent time reading together. Students also learned fun facts about reindeer and made origami reindeer bookmarks. To complete the celebration, classes explored Christmas traditions and built holiday creations with LEGO bricks as part of our STEM activities.

by Nicole H. Cruz

The Penny Payte McLeaish LRC has been blessed to have a student office aide 5th block. SHS Senior Charity Montoya is the Secretary for the BCM Club and now assists with multiple tasks at the library every day. Recently, she submitted a letter to author Julie Schumacher for the Texas Center for the Book State Contest Letters About Literature. In addition Charity submitted photographs both color and black and white for the Texas Youth Creators Award contest. Charity is the epitome of a dedicated Sharyland High School Rattler!

by Josie Saldaña

In the library, the Venombots robotics team enjoyed a virtual visit with a young pilot named Mikaela Saenz. Ms. Saenz shared her journey through flight school and pilot training. Additionally, she explained how technology and weather affect flying. The event was organized by Mrs. Saldana, the Venombots' coach. Students were able to ask thoughtful questions and make real-world connections between robotics and aviation, inspiring them to see how STEM skills can lead to exciting careers.

by Alma Paredes

Harry Shimotsu Elementary was filled with joy and excitement as students celebrated a variety of fun and meaningful December activities. Students enjoyed a merry Winter Festival, complete with a visit from Santa and exciting carnival rides that brought holiday cheer to our campus. In the library, we celebrated our Beanstack Top Readers with a special board game celebration, recognizing students for their dedication to reading while encouraging collaboration and fun. Students also delighted in a holiday-themed read-aloud of The Santa Trap by Jonathan Emmett, sparking creativity as they designed and built their own Santa traps. These activities created lasting memories and showcased the joy of learning, reading, and celebrating together during the holiday season.

by Albert Ramos

Jessie Jensen Elementary hosted a Scholastic Book Fair and Family Reading night! The McAllen Public Library was invited to issue Library cards and Event Information to the parents and students. Parents and students also enjoyed a time of reading together and seeing the new books offered by Scholastic. Parents also became more familiar with the new Reading Monitoring Application, Beanstack. Parents enjoyed learning how students log their reading minutes. Students that attended the event were placed in a drawing to win a prize!

by Denise Cirlos

During lunch, students visit the library to enjoy a warm, welcoming space where learning and fun go hand in hand. Students work on homework or play board games. These lunchtime library visits support important social-emotional learning skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, and respect for others. We love seeing our students build friendships, support one another, and make great choices during their free time!

by Monica Arguelles

Wernecke Elementary had its first Junior team participate in the Battle of the Books Competition. A group of second graders gathered weekly to read and practice for the big day! Students enjoyed meeting and discussing key details of the book, character traits, and distinct plot elements. As their coach, it was fun to watch the students work as a team and represent the school with pride!

by Wally Trevino

On January 28, 2026, Garza Elementary had the opportunity to partner with our local McDonald’s to celebrate reading.

The event began with a brief welcome and an engaging motivational presentation about the importance of reading, delivered by one of McDonald’s Fun Ambassadors. Following the presentation, students and teachers participated together in a variety of fun and interactive games.

To conclude the event, all participants had the opportunity to win McDonald’s food coupons or other small prizes through the McGame of Chance, adding an extra element of excitement for everyone involved.

"One for the Record Books" was recognized by the Texas Library Association for a PR Branding Iron Award in 2016. Submit photos and stories by the deadline each month to be included in "One for the Record Books." Please make sure any students are not on the "Do Not Photograph List" before submitting their photos for publication.

Email: ncruz@sharylandisd.org
Website: https://www.sharylandisd.org/departments/library_services
Location: 1216 North Shary Road, Mission, TX, USA
Phone: 956-580-5300
Twitter: @Cruz23Mac