Adv. Acad./GT Newsletter

Southwest ISD offers Gifted and Talented (GT) and Advanced Academics services for students in grades K–12. Students may be referred for GT evaluation at any grade level, and those identified receive services through their core content classes taught by GT-trained teachers who provide appropriately challenging instruction. In addition, GT students are encouraged to extend their learning by participating in enriching opportunities such as UIL, Spelling Bees, Destination Imagination, Speak Up Speak Out, Academic Decathlon, and more. The SWISD GT Program is dedicated to nurturing the abilities of high-performing students while fostering strong parent and community involvement.

Wishing our entire school district community a very happy New Year from the Department of Advanced Academics! As we begin the year ahead, we are excited about the engaging, enriching opportunities that await our students and look forward to continuing to support their growth, curiosity, and success. Here’s to a year of learning, innovation, and possibility!

January was a busy and exciting month for our Gifted and Talented students across the district! Middle and high school GT students made strong strides in Speak Up Speak Out, collaborating to identify community issues, research solutions, and prepare to use their voices as changemakers. At all levels, students continued their work on Destination Imagination Team Challenges, sharpening their creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. GT students also represented their campuses in academic competitions such as the SWISD District Spelling Bee, Middle School UIL, and Academic Decathlon, while others proudly showcased their learning through GT projects at events like Bilingual Literacy Night—a true celebration of talent, innovation, and hard work.

Middle and high school students showcased their voices and vision at the Speak Up Speak Out (SUSO) regional event hosted at Our Lady of the Lake University, competing alongside peers from districts across the region. Working in teams, students identified meaningful issues in their communities, conducted in-depth research, and proposed actionable solutions, which they presented to a panel of judges. Through this experience, students received constructive feedback, engaged with local decision makers and peers, and practiced presenting their ideas in a professional, real-world setting. We are proud to announce that the team from CAST STEM High School advanced to the state competition, to be held later this spring at University of Texas at Austin. The Department of Advanced Academics is incredibly proud of all of our SUSO students for their hard work, courage, and willingness to speak up and lead with purpose.

The SWISD District Spelling Bee took place January 13–15 and highlighted the incredible hard work and spelling talent of students across the district. First and second graders kicked off the competition on January 13, followed by third through fifth graders on January 14, and sixth through eighth graders on January 15. Across all grade levels, students demonstrated confidence, perseverance, and a strong command of language. Every speller did a phenomenal job, and we are so proud of all who participated in this exciting academic event.

SWISD high school students proudly represented the district at the Academic Decathlon competition on January 23, 2026, at Brackenridge High School. Students showcased their knowledge and critical thinking skills across a wide range of events, including Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science, and Social Science. This competition provided a rich academic enrichment experience, and several of our students even came away with wins! We are incredibly proud of all our Academic Decathlon students for their hard work, dedication, and academic excellence.

Congratulations to Southwest High School student Seth Griffin for his 1st place victory in the Economics event!

Congratulations to Southwest Legacy High school students Leonel Taveral and Y'Daniz Sotelo. Leonel earned 3rd place in the Literature event and Y'Daniz earned 3rd place in Math.

Sun Valley Elementary recently hosted a vibrant Bilingual Literacy Night where students proudly showcased their authentic research and learning. Second graders delighted families with procedural texts explaining how to make tortillas, demonstrating both literacy skills and cultural connections. Fifth graders impressed attendees with in-depth science reports on the solar system, highlighting strong research, academic language, and presentation skills. The evening was a wonderful celebration of bilingualism, inquiry, and the impressive work of our GT students!

Support and advocacy from teachers play a vital role in the success of our GT students. When teachers recognize and nurture students’ unique strengths, provide meaningful challenges, and champion their growth, they help GT learners reach their fullest potential—both academically and personally. This month, we’re proud to spotlight three exceptional educators who go above and beyond to inspire and empower our GT students across all grade levels.

My mission when designing my curriculum is creating learning

experiences that go beyond the four walls of the classroom. GT

students naturally gravitate towards this type of learning

because they work best through creation and exploration. They

design their own lessons and community-based projects. My

students have joined forces with Habitat for Humanity and

helped build a house, designed photo backdrops for the

Humane Society to generate adoptions through their website,

and served as Science Fair judges for elementary students.

Working with gifted students is rewarding because original and

innovative thinking is always involved. No one student has the

same perspective on an issue and students are not afraid to

take risks because they know the reward is worth it in the end.

Students are encouraged to challenge assumptions, defend

ideas, and revise thinking based on evidence and discussion.

As I enter my 25th year of teaching, my advice for other

teachers about engaging GT students is to allow them to fly,

give them ownership through choice boards and independent

passion projects that allow them to pursue their own interests

while still meeting the high-level thinking skills. Cultivate a

classroom culture that feels inviting and inclusive, where

everyone can let their guard down and only focus on creating

and learning, and truly becoming who they are meant to be.

• SWISD UIL Middle School Competition - January 31, 2026
• Destination Imagination - February 21, 2026
• SWISD UIL Triple A Competition - February 28, 2026
• Region 20 Middle School Conference - May 14, 2026

We are thrilled for the upcoming Destination Imagination Regional Tournament, taking place on Saturday, February 21, at Harlan High School! Our students have been hard at work collaborating, problem-solving, and thinking creatively, and we can’t wait to see the innovative and imaginative solutions they’ve developed for their team challenges. Best of luck to all of our teams—we are so proud of the creativity, perseverance, and teamwork they will showcase!

🌟 Exciting News for GT Students! 🌟
We are thrilled to announce that Southwest ISD will be launching Destination Imagination (DI) for the 2025–2026 school year! This innovative program will be open to GT students across all grade levels.

Destination Imagination is a global program that challenges students to work together to solve open-ended, STEAM-based challenges that foster creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. Through DI, students develop important real-world skills such as problem-solving, innovation, and teamwork—all while having fun and showcasing their talents.

We look forward to seeing our GT students shine as they take on this exciting new opportunity!

Reuben Madrigal, Director of Advanced Academics

rmadrigal9457@swisd.net

(210) 622-4735 ext. 3058

Maria Kreidel, GT/Advanced Academics Specialist - Elementary

mkreidel@swisd.net

(210) 622-4735 ext. 3061

Christina Wrob, Ph.D., GT/Advanced Academics Specialist - Secondary

cwrob8822@swisd.net

(210) 622-4735 ext. 4077