MPHS Future Educator competitors 

Bottom (L to R): Araceli Landaverde, Jasmine Landaverde, Sidney Beles, April Ruiz, Cinthya Ramirez, Michelle Sandoval, Grace Zittel, Gabriella Garza / 2nd row (L to R): Angie Castro, Haylee Zaldivar / 3rd row (L to R): Lesly Flores, Celeste Portillo / 4th row (L to R): Diana Gutierrez, Marlyn Estrada

Contact: Kelly Cowan

MPHS Future Educators advance to State competition

The Mount Pleasant High School chapter of the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) attended their annual Area competition at Texas A&M Texarkana on Friday, December 8. Thirteen members competed, and seven qualified for the State competition in March.

Sophomores Lesly Flores and Celeste Portillo advanced to state in the Junior Varsity Children’s Pre-K Literature event with Ted’s Terrible Tummy Ache, their original children’s rhyming book about a dog who eats way too much that encourages prediction skills and anticipated results.

Juniors Gabriella Garza and April Ruiz advanced to state in the Varsity Teacher Created Materials event with a fourth-grade game, Needle in a Haystack, incorporating vocabulary and matching skills.

Seniors Araceli Landaverde and Sidney Beles advanced to state in Varsity Children’s K-3 Literature with their original children’s book, Dear Mom and Dad, about the sacrifices parents make for their kids and the realization of those sacrifices from a child’s point of view.

Senior Jasmin Landaverde advanced to state in the Varsity Job Interview. In this event, Landaverde submitted a cover letter and a resume and participated in an on-site live interview.

Also competing were the team of Haylee Zaldivar and Diana Gonzalez, the group of sophomores Angie Castro and Grace Zittel, and the team of juniors Cinthya Ramirez and Michelle Sandoval, who all created interactive bulletin boards.

Those who advance will compete in the Teach for Tomorrow Summit state competition on February 28-March 1, 2024, at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock. The MPHS TAFE Advisor is Aimee Sweeden.