ABCD Award & Athletic Teams Recognized at Board Meeting

Updated: December 25, 2023

Iris Garcia
Special to LFN

Proud parents, supportive staff, and family members filled the board room on Monday, December 11th for the monthly Los Fresnos CISD Board meeting. The meeting was called to order and followed with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by students, Sophia Hernandez and Joshua Chavarria, from Lopez Riggins Elementary and students, Khloe Mills and Silus Sheldon, from Dora Romero Elementary.

The Board president, Mr. Ruben Trevino, the Board of Trustees, and the Superintendent then recognized the extraordinary efforts and accomplishments of district staff and students. Dr. Griselda Wells, Special Education Director, took the podium to introduce and present the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) award to Coach Mauricio Rodriguez for his dedication and service to the students of Los Fresnos CISD. This award is presented to a district staff member who exhibits leadership and excellence beyond the call of duty within the school district.

Mr. Rodriguez has been working with the Los Fresnos CISD for an impressive 27 years. He started working with the district as a Special Education teacher aide in 1996, and eventually worked his way to become the Head Coach for the District’s Special Olympics, where he has been serving students for the past 12 years. Coach Rodriguez, along with the Special Olympics’ coaching staff, trains students in a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, track & field, volleyball, bowling, and powerlifting. These students then participate in local, regional, and state competitions in all sports.

“Coach Rodriguez’s dedication to our students and Special Olympics is as such that he has continued to help our alumni student group. These students range from recent graduates to those who have graduated over 18 years ago. He helps ensure these alumni are involved in the community through Special Olympics, and has continued to keep them both mentally and physically active. The parents of these students have nothing but praise and gratitude for Coach Rodriguez, and everything he has done and continues to do for students, both current and alumni,” expressed Dr. Wells.

The board also recognized the (3) Los Fresnos High School sports teams— the Cross Country, Volleyball, Football varsity teams. Athletic Director, David Cantu, said that “Athletics— we do our best to make our school and community very proud, and our athletes embrace the fact they get to wear maroon and gold to represent our community.”

Dawn Aguilar-Snyder, Head Coach of the LFHS boys and girls Cross Country team, spoke about a particular sophomore who excelled this season, Tomas Tamayo. With a mindset of “running more, running longer, and running faster,” Tomas metaled in every race he competed in this season. Even after an injury setback, his persistence pushed him through to finish second in the District meet in Harlingen, and earning him a spot to compete in the Region 4 Regional meet in Corpus Christi. Tomas competed against 187 runners at Regionals, and finished in 55th place. “We are beyond proud of Tomas and all he has accomplished thus far. We look forward to how much faster and stronger he gets for next season.”

Also recognized was the Los Fresnos High School Varsity Volleyball team, led by Coach Lucio, for a successful season, finishing as Bi-District Champions and area finalists, with an overall record of 31 and 12. “We have many of awards and accomplishments to be proud off, including ranked Top 10 in the Valley throughout our season,” Coach Lucio explained. Lucio thanked each of her players and assistant coach, Norma Pena, for their hard work this season. “Our team showed a lot of heart and determination at every practice and games and I can’t thank them enough for the foundation they have set for our program,” said Coach Lucio.

Lastly, Coach Cantu, recognized the Varsity Football program for their 33 wins and 13 losses season. He mentions the varsity team is relatively young with 11 sophomores and 14 juniors, who play significant time. Coach Cantu says that’s 25 players who will be on the field next year and definitely something to look forward to, but a lot of work left to do.
He ends by saying, “I’m super excited about this young group of kids who is coming back, and seniors, thank you so much for everything you’ve done representing the Falcons—thank you!”

The next LFCISD Board Meeting is scheduled to be on Monday, January 8, 2024 at 6 PM.