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Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD students earned top honors at the Texas PTA Reflections state level, highlighting a strong year of creativity and artistic expression across the district. In total, EMS ISD students earned 17 state-level awards, recognizing their work across multiple artistic categories. Among the honorees, Comanche Springs Elementary student Erik Alexander Sprinkle-Salas, who is often called Alex by teachers and classmates, received an Overall Award of Excellence and will advance to the national level of competition.

The PTA Reflections program invites students to explore their creativity through a variety of artistic categories, including dance choreography, visual arts, photography, literature, music composition and film production. This year’s theme, “I Belong,” resonated across campuses and is reflected in the powerful, personal expressions created by students throughout the district.

More than 870 student entries advanced to state-level judging across Texas this year, with only Overall Award of Excellence winners eligible to move on to the national level.

“I feel like Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s fine arts programs are top notch,” said Meg Farley, EMS Council of PTAs Reflections chair. “Each campus has people who support the program, and students are encouraged to share their creativity in ways that are meaningful to them.”

Farley noted that the variety of categories allows students to explore different forms of expression and find the best way to communicate their ideas.

“There are so many different ways for students to participate,” she said. “They can choose the path that fits them and share their passions.”

Erik’s award-winning dance choreography stood out for both its creativity and connection to the theme. He created his routine at home, building it around movement he enjoys most.

“I like doing flips and cartwheels, and I made up my dance as I went,” Erik said. “I was excited.”

After learning he would advance beyond the state level, Erik celebrated in his own way.

“I did flipping and cartwheels and more flips,” he said.

His principal, Dr. Lorene Johnson, said Erik’s achievement reflects both his creativity and his character.

“He is such a good friend and always super positive,” Johnson said. “He works really hard and is very creative. We are excited to see him represent Comanche Springs Elementary at the national level.”

Farley said Erik’s advancement is especially meaningful.

“We’ve never had a student move on to nationals during my time coordinating,” she said. “His work was recognized at the state level by judges outside of our district, which speaks to how well he communicated the theme.”

The Texas PTA Reflections state-level ceremony will be held in Austin on May 16.

The following Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD students earned state-level recognition in the Texas PTA Reflections program:

EMS ISD State Reflections Honorees

Overall Award of Excellence

• Erik Alexander Sprinkle-Salas, Comanche Springs Elementary, Accessible Arts Dance Choreography (Advancing to Nationals)

Award of Excellence

• Ileana Lozano, Dozier Elementary, Primary Dance Choreography
• Lennox Mueller, Eagle Mountain Elementary, Intermediate Visual Arts

Award of Merit

• Jacob Stigger, Copper Creek Elementary, Primary Literature
• Rachel Reyes, Lake Pointe Elementary, Intermediate Film Production
• Emery Metz, Lake Pointe Elementary, Intermediate Dance Choreography

Honorable Mention

• Jacob Grams, Dozier Elementary, Intermediate Music Composition
• Adelyn Stevens, Dozier Elementary, Primary Music Composition
• Amelia Blinn, Greenfield Elementary, Intermediate Literature
• Everleigh Pearson, Hatley Elementary, Primary Film Production
• Niko’lai Quiroz, Hatley Elementary, Primary Photography
• Ella Vierkant, Lake Country Elementary, Intermediate Photography

Participation

• Charlotte Paine, Chisholm Ridge Elementary, Primary Visual Arts

With 17 state-level honors and one student advancing to nationals, this year’s Reflections program highlights the strength of fine arts and student voice across Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD continues to prioritize student feedback through its Student Voice Committee, a group of 66 student leaders representing all district campuses for the 2025–2026 school year.

Established in 2019, the committee has become an important avenue for gathering authentic student feedback and aligning it with district goals. Committee members are selected by campus principals and remain part of the group through graduation, which allows students to develop their leadership skills and deepen their impact over time.

Serving as representatives of their peers, Student Voice Committee members engage in meaningful discussions focused on learning, engagement, and student needs. Their input directly supports the district’s Balanced Scorecard by helping guide decisions that enhance the student experience.

The committee typically meets three times each year; however, this year members met twice, continuing their important work of providing insight and perspective. During their first meeting in September, students shared back to school ideas and discussed ways to improve the opening weeks of school. These conversations aligned with the district’s Plan, Do, Study, Act framework for continuous improvement and focused on strengthening both the learning environment and campus safety.

In previous years, committee members have explored topics such as identifying personal leadership styles, strengthening communication skills, fostering collaboration, and encouraging inquiry-based thinking. These experiences help students grow as leaders while contributing meaningful ideas to the district. In the past, high school members were invited to attend a Fort Worth City Council meeting, highlighting the importance of student leadership and civic engagement.

To close out the 2025–2026 school year, students were recognized for their contributions. All participants received certificates, and the six graduating seniors were honored with an embossed EMS ISD leather portfolio and pen to recognize their leadership and service.

Through the Student Voice Committee, EMS ISD continues to be a Great Choice as it prioritizes student perspectives, ensuring that decisions are informed by those who experience learning firsthand every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As EMS ISD continues planning for 2026-2027 school year and beyond, district leaders are taking steps to better support students, families, and staff, both inside and outside the classroom.

Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, EMS ISD will adjust school start and end times across all campuses as part of a larger effort to ensure long term financial and operational stability, expand student opportunities and improve transportation.

At the center of this work is the introduction of a new 8-period schedule at the high school level, giving students more flexibility in their day and greater access to academics, career pathways, athletics and fine arts.

“These changes are about creating more opportunities for students while also building a system that works better for families,” said Dr. Walter Berringer, EMS ISD Deputy Superintendent.

In addition to expanding academic options, EMS ISD is also transitioning its transportation services in-house. This shift will allow the district to improve efficiency, reduce delays and ensure more consistent service across all campuses.

To support both initiatives, school start times will be adjusted district-wide. Elementary schools will move to a unified schedule, while middle and high schools will shift to new tiers designed to align with transportation routes.

This includes Gililland and Lake Pointe elementary schools starting their school day at 7:25 a.m., the same time as the other EMS ISD elementary schools.

School Level	School Day	Doors Open
Elementary Schools	7:25 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.	7:00 a.m.
High Schools	8:15 a.m. – 3:49 p.m.	7:45 a.m.
Middle Schools	9:05 a.m. – 4:22 p.m.	8:15 a.m.

 

While the changes will require adjustments for families, district leaders emphasize that the work has been thoughtful and student-centered.

EMS ISD will continue to share updates and support families throughout the transition.

For full details, including schedules and frequently asked questions, visit: www.emsisd.com/updatedschoolhours. 

The Spring 2026 edition of EMS PROUD! magazine, published in partnership with 287 North Living is now available with exciting updates on EMS ISD and our community.

View the EMS Proud! Magazine

Students at Gililland Elementary School recently stepped into a classroom on wheels—and into a new kind of learning experience.

 

Through a partnership with Learning Undefeated, Eagle Mountain–Saginaw ISD welcomed the Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory to campus, giving kindergarten through fifth grade students a chance to explore science, technology, engineering, math and fun.

“Bringing the Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory to the students of Eagle Mountain–Saginaw ISD is important because it expands access to TEKS based high-quality, hands-on STEM learning while directly supporting district and state instructional goals,” said Monica Padilla, Coordinator of Elementary Science Gifted and Talented for EMS ISD.

Learning Undefeated operates the mobile labs in partnership with the Texas Education Agency, which provides grant funding to support the program. The organization supplies trained staff, lab materials, and curriculum—making it easier for schools to host high-quality STEM experiences without added burden on campus resources.

“We're here in our mobile STEM lab at Gililland Elementary, and we're providing awesome hands-on STEM education to students from kindergarten to fifth grade,” said Oliver McSweeney of Learning Undefeated. “We’ve just expanded to have nine mobile labs… now we visit 270 schools a year. And so you have one of your schools, one of the lucky 270 picks, this year.”

Building, Budgeting, and a Big Bad “Test”

Inside the lab, students tackled design challenges that blended literacy, math, and engineering—especially a popular activity inspired by a familiar story.

“Three Little Pigs is one of my favorite curriculums that we have here,” McSweeney shared. “For all of our kinder through second grade curriculum, we have a little storybook… to bring in some English literacy into it. But then our students have to make a house for the little pig, using a budget of tokens… and then they have to budget that to buy materials, to build their house—which we actually try to blow down.”

The lesson goes beyond fun: students practice planning, problem-solving, and decision-making, while using simple, affordable materials teachers can replicate back in the classroom.

Engagement That Lasts

For teachers, the impact was immediate—students were energized, curious, and deeply involved in the learning process.

“My students were significantly engaged,” said Katterine Rojas, 2nd Grade Bilingual Teacher at Gililland Elementary. “This experience promoted critical thinking during their conversations and boosted their creativity when solving a task. This was an experience that will remain in their minds forever.”

"This experience has given the students of GES the knowledge that they can have a career in stem. They are already engineers, Learning Undefeated showed them that they are  problem solvers when completing the challenge in the lab", adds Angela Barrientos
Bilingual PACE teacher at Gililland and Willow Creek Elementary.
GES, WCES 

As the Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory continues its route across the state, EMS ISD students are gaining meaningful opportunities to explore STEM in a way that’s memorable, accessible, and connected to what they’re learning every day—one challenge, one question, and one creative solution at a time.