February 27, 2006

New School Names

Austin School Trustees have honored five outstanding Austin citizens, bestowing these names on new schools opening in 2006 and 2007 as part of the 2004 Apple At Work Bond Program:

Lance Corporal Nicholas Samuel Valdez Perez Elementary School, located at 7500 S. Pleasant Valley Road. The school will open in August 2006. Lance Corporal Perez graduated from Travis High School in 2003 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2003. He was killed in action while conducting military maneuvers in Iraq's Al Anbar Province in September 2004. He is the first Austinite killed in the Iraqi War.

Nan Clayton Elementary School, located at 7525 La Crosse Avenue. This campus will also open in August 2006. Ms. Clayton served on the AISD Board of Trustees from 1978-92, was the longest-serving Board Member, and only the second woman elected to the Board. She is active in a variety of local and state organizations dedicated to education, civic involvement, and quality of life issues.

Volma Overton Elementary School, located in the Colony Park area. The campus is scheduled to open in 2007. Mr. Overton was a civil rights activist who, as president of the NAACP, led the fight against segregationist practices in Austin. In 1971, he filed a lawsuit to desegregate Austin Schools. He was awarded the 2004 LBJ Award for Leadership in Civil Rights. He died in October 2005.

Gustavo "Gus" Garcia Middle School, located at 7414 Johnny Morris Road. This new school also will open in 2007. Mr. Garcia was a member of the AISD Board of Trustees from 1972-78 and was the first Hispanic elected to the Board. He also served as a member of the Austin City Council and was Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem of Austin from 2001-03 and 1996-98, respectively. He has served on numerous community boards including the Community Action Network, Greater Austin Chamber, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He has earned numerous awards including Humanitarian Award of the Martin Luther King Association and the Businessman of the Year Award of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chamber of Commerce.

John C. Blazier Elementary School, located in the Goodnight Ranch area. This campus opens in 2007, as well. Mr. Blazier founded the Travis Community Education Foundation and contributes significant time to supporting its educational initiatives; including the establishment of the Institute of Hospitality & Culinary Arts at Travis High School. He served as chair of Austin Partners in Education in 2002-03, implementing a number of initiatives such as seeking logistical technology support for schools from governmental entities and private businesses. He has been awarded the District's Partner of the Year Award and the Mentor of the Year Award, as well as the KVUE-TV Five Who Care Award.

The Groundbreaking -  AISD Superintendent Dr. Pat Forgione and the entire Blazier family break ground on the new Blazier Elementary School -