A First: Family Ties for Waller ISD Teachers of the Year

     When Shelly Smith Elizalde and her brother, Robert Smith joined Waller ISD they added to a long line of WISD teachers and administrators in their family, but what makes Shelly and Robert so special? According to Region IV Education Service Center, they are the first known brother and sister duo to be named Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year in the same district and school year since the Teacher of the Year Program began in 1991. The uniqueness of Shelly and Robert’s story is just beginning; someone in their family has been working for Waller ISD since 1887.
     In April, Shelly Smith Elizalde was chosen by her peers to be the 2006-2007 Schultz Middle School Teacher of the Year. In May, Elizalde submitted her application to be the District’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. She competed against four other elementary Campus Teacher’s of the Year to be named 2006-2007 WISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Elizalde has been a teacher at WISD since 2004. She teaches Depth, Complexity, and Rigor (DCR), a course designed to strengthen students’ skills in all content areas. Elizalde is a 1993 graduate of Waller High School.
     Robert Smith is a 1997 graduate of Waller High School. He began teaching Mathematics at Waller Junior High in 2002. Smith was chosen by his peers to be the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 WJH Math Teacher of the Year. In April, he was named 2006-2007 WJH Teacher of the Year, and in May, 2006-2007 WISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
     Smith, and sister Elizalde, will now compete to be the Region IV Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, but what they are most proud of is their family and its heritage in Waller ISD. Their parents, Bob and Debbie Smith are also employees of WISD; Bob since 1969 and Debbie since 1987. Their grandmother, Melanee Smith, taught at WISD in the 1930s, great-grandfather, James Garrett, was one of WISD’s first School Board Members in 1911, and on goes the list of family members who have been teachers and administrators in Waller, TX since 1887.
     Like Waller ISD, the Smith Family is proud of its tradition and excellence in education.