San Angelo Restaurants Show Support to Teachers Facing School Relocation

SAN ANGELO, TX — Most San Angelo ISD students and staff returned for the first day of the 2024-25 school year Thursday. 

However, for some teachers, this school year is already off to an odd start as we reported earlier that teachers are having to combine schools while repairs are being made at another school. 

Following the recent seismic activity in San Angelo, the school district identified structural damage to a load-bearing wall in the main building at San Jacinto Elementary School. 

For the safety of students and staff, the building was closed until further notice. 

To keep the San Jacinto family together and due to limited available space, students and staff in grades K-5 are temporarily relocated to Reagan Elementary School for the start of the 2024-2025 school year until repairs are completed. 

San Jacinto and Reagan elementary schools will have a delayed start to the school year, and classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 19. Transportation will be provided for all students.

We’ve been told that this transition has been difficult for some. 

However, two local restaurants wanted to show love and support for the teachers. 

Blue Agave Bar and Mexican Kitchen, 1605 South Chadbourne Street, showed its appreciation by catering food for free at Reagan Elementary on Thursday. 

RJ’s BBQ, 1405 North Bryant Blvd., will do the same Friday.

Melissa Green, a librarian aid at Reagan, said that she appreciated the generosity from these local businesses.

“It makes us feel a part of the community, being able to share a meal with San Jacinto and come together for this new community we are creating for the students here at Reagan,” Green said. “We are looking forward to a great year and a new beginning.”

Kathy Beran, a second-grade teacher at Reagan who’s coming up on her seventh year with the school district, said that this act of kindness is “amazing.”

“To show up and know that things have been so crazy for everybody is very kind,” Beran said. “It’s just very kind to be acknowledged for the upset that has happened. We have each been buddied up with a grade-level partner at San Jacinto and check on them periodically. That’s been well received, so we just want to make this last-minute difficulty into something a little smoother.”

Lisa Owen, a second-grade teacher at San Jacinto said, “We absolutely feel so supported by our community, by our administration.”

“San Angelo ISD is one of the most supportive school districts that I’ve ever worked for,” she said. “I've had neighbors who have asked, ‘Can I go help you unload boxes and unpack your classroom?’ And so we've had a great task ahead of us, but absolutely, the outpouring of love and support in this community has been amazing. We feel loved right now. I think it's brought us closer.”

Candace Giroir, a fourth-grade teacher at San Jacinto, echoed those sentiments.

“We just feel all the love from the community and everybody to take time out of their day to do something kind for us,” Giroir said. “We just really feel the support from everyone, from the community, from the administration. I had people from administration packing and unpacking boxes for me, from the craziness that's been going on. To feel the support and to help keep us grounded, and then to be so kind, to give us such a great meal. It's amazing.”

Ami Mizell-Flint, Board Vice President for San Angelo ISD, was present as well. She told everyone in the cafeteria that she heard “nothing but wonderful things about the two different staff working together.”

“I know teachers like consistency, but when things are changed 10 days before the first school day, that’s not consistent,” she said. “But we really appreciate all of you.”

Blue Agave building owner John Young told San Angelo LIVE! that all of the food was donated. 

“We wanted to show the teachers how much we appreciate them,” Young said. “They’re going through such a difficult transition over there. That was just a lot of stress for those teachers trying to share classrooms and space, and they’ve done it with such a great heart and attitude. They're so anxious for school to start, and start taking care of those kids. We just wanted to take care of the teachers. We just wanted to say thank you, and the best way we can do that is through food.

“The teachers could not have been more pleasant,” he said. “It was just a lot of fun, and they were so appreciative. So it made that much more fun.” 

Francisco Hernandez and Jose Avilla are the owners of Blue Agave.