News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Region One Partnerships, Marketing & Communication
aarizola@esc1.net | arihernandez@esc1.net
(956) 877-6441
EDINBURG, TX – Region One Education Service Center celebrated district teachers of the year and announced regional elementary and secondary honorees during its Annual Teacher of the Year ceremony on August 1, 2024 in Edinburg.
Brianne Castillo, first grade teacher at San Benito CISD, and Erick Morin, English teacher at McAllen ISD, were selected as the 2025 Regional Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, respectively.
Overall, 54 nominees were celebrated during the ceremony.
Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year
Morin serves at-risk students at the McAllen ISD Instruction and Guidance Center. At his district, he holds a unique position as a grant writer, securing multiple grants. He also serves as the campus team leader, robotics club instructor and podcast host.
Morin wrote in his nomination essay that serving students in multiple capacities granted him a unique perspective.
“Writing grants allowed me to reflect on my students’ needs and determine what could best benefit our school as a whole,” Morin wrote.
Through his grant writing, he secured funding to create an outdoor classroom, equipped with a gazebo, chicken coop and more.
“I often found that a few minutes of outdoor work made students more inclined to do classwork,” Morin wrote. “The outdoor space also allowed me to connect with students on a personal level.”
According to Morin, adaptability is a key facet of his teaching experience, especially because he does not interact with students year-round.
“My time as an educator has taught me that students want someone to believe in them,” he wrote. “What teens, and all other kids, want is someone who listens and cares. The power of listening to students is crucial to being a successful educator.”
McAllen ISD teachers have now earned 22 Regional or State Teacher of the Year titles in the past 34 years.
Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year
Castillo holds multiple roles in addition to teaching. She serves as a district curriculum writer, gifted & talented coordinator, family engagement committee member, among other roles.
In her nomination essay, Castillo wrote that inclusivity is the defining characteristic of her teaching.
“It is my belief that the most learning occurs when lessons are meaningful, relevant and brought to life,” she wrote. “The idea of selecting one content lesson or unit is difficult as every lesson matters, every lesson counts, every lesson serves a purpose. Ensuring my students are engaged during a lesson is a top priority because I know if they are engaged, then learning is taking place.
As an animal lover, it was easy to connect with students by incorporating pets and the outdoors into her lessons.
“Animals and outdoor learning helped instill responsibility and compassion into our students,” Castillo wrote. “During our second year as an Environmental Science Academy, a chicken coop was built on our campus. The plan was not to buy chicks, but to incubate eggs, and grow our own chickens. That way, students can proudly say, ’Those were the chickens from my class.’”
Along with responsibility, Castillo also instills the importance of service among all her students.
School systems represented at the ceremony include Brownsville ISD, Donna ISD, Edcouch-Elsa ISD, Edinburg CISD, Harlingen CISD, Hidalgo ISD, Horizon Montessori Public Schools, La Feria ISD, La Joya ISD, La Villa ISD, Laredo ISD, Los Fresnos CISD, Lyford CISD, McAllen ISD, Mercedes ISD, Mission CISD, Point Isabel ISD, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, Rio Grande City Grulla ISD, Rio Hondo ISD, Roma ISD, San Benito CISD, San Isidro ISD, Santa Maria ISD, Sharyland ISD, South Texas ISD, United ISD, Vanguard Academy, Weslaco ISD and Zapata County ISD.
District Teachers of the Year are nominated by their school districts and submit an application with essay questions. These questions ask nominees to describe a defining lesson or unit, a project or initiative that has improved school culture, how they ensure education transcends the classroom, a major public education issue and their message to the public.
Each of the state’s twenty regional education service centers submits their regional elementary and secondary teachers of the year nominations for the Texas Teacher of the Year award, organized by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). Judges meet in August each year to narrow the pool of 40 Regional Teachers of the Year to six finalists — three elementary and three secondary — based on the information provided in the Texas Teacher of the Year application. In Sept./Oct., the finalists are interviewed by a panel of judges who select the Texas Elementary and Texas Secondary Teachers of the Year.