North East ISD Summa Cum Laude students will graduate from high school with 100+ grade point averages. It’s an incredibly impressive feat that deserves special recognition – not just for the students, but also for the educators who helped get them there.
This spring, each NEISD high school will host a celebration to honor these exceptional students and the teachers they want to thank for helping them along their journeys. Roosevelt High School will celebrate its Summa graduates with a ceremony on April 20.
Roosevelt senior Ryne Gray is among the honorees. Tonight he’ll honor Tracy Thomas, who taught him at the Krueger School of Applied Technologies (KSAT).
“Mrs. Thomas, when I first stepped into your classroom, it felt as though I was stepping into any other, just with more rockets and power tools in it. It didn’t stay that way for long. As the first few days passed, you began to open my eyes to a whole new part of the world, engineering. Although I can’t remember it myself, after just two weeks in your class, I came home to my parents and decided that I wanted to be an engineer. It was your teachings that inspired me to continue my path of becoming a mechanical engineer. Thank you.”
Eunice Rodriguez is another Roosevelt Summa candidate. She chose to honor Tina Finley.
“I’m honoring Ms. Finley who wasn’t just my biology teacher, but also a second mother. Classmates who’ve known me since middle school say I’ve inched out of my shell, but I was actually yanked out of my comfort zone. Ms. Finley pushed me farther than I could’ve gone by myself. She helped the scientist inside me flourish and lovingly threatened me when I continuously put off my driver’s test. Words cannot express my appreciation for everything Ms. Finley has done. Thank you and know I’ll take your words and use them for guidance and motivation.”
Many more heartfelt tributes will be shared this evening. Roosevelt’s Summa celebration will be held in the auditorium with a reception at 6 p.m. and ceremony at 7 p.m.
