SAISD SPOTLIGHT:  Bryson Adams, Sam Houston High School Drum Major
 
Bryson Adams is a senior at Sam Houston High School who is in his second year serving as Drum Major for the award winning Hurricane marching band. The Sam Houston unit is nicknamed “the Best Band in the Land” for their high energy routines.

As Drum Major, Adams is responsible for being at the forefront of bringing that big Sam Houston sound and swag to their performances. That is most evident during Fiesta season. The Hurricane band is a crowd favorite at both the Battle of Flowers and Fiesta Flambeau parades. They deliver standout shows at the Fiesta Battle of the Bands.

The Fiesta Commission even invites the Sam Houston marching band to kick off San Antonio’s 11-day party at the official “Fiesta Fiesta” kickoff event that happens at the Alamodome this year on Thursday, April 18.

Bryson Adams is the son of Sam Houston HS Band Director Bruce Adams. Bryson said, “I grew up with band. It’s in my blood. I was meant to do this.”

As a seasoned Fiesta veteran who started off in the Sam Houston Drum Line, Bryson Adams can talk about the hard work and training he and the band goes through to prepare for San Antonio’s signature event. About how the Sam Houston HS band works out to prepare for the physical toll marching in hot April temperatures takes on them, especially if you are a dancing Drum Major. Bryson Adams can also speak to the joyful emotion and energy that is shared between the band and parade audience. “When you hear the crowd react, that feeling you get is why we play,” he said.

*Contact us to set up a time to visit Sam Houston HS to talk with Bryson Adams*
 
Calendar items? 
 
April 13 (Sat) – SAISD Fiesta Educator Career Fair 
9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lanier High School, 1514 W. César E. Chávez Blvd., 78207
San Antonio ISD is kicking off Fiesta with its Educator Career Fair on April 13. The district is recruiting teachers, substitutes, instructional assistants and more. There will be on-site hiring and in-person interviews – plus mariachis, folklorico and Fiesta celebrations. SAISD offers teacher salaries starting at $57,500 with opportunities to earn up to $25,000 extra with the Master Teacher Initiative, summer and winter breaks, plus more.
 
April 14 (Sun) – Burbank High School Fiesta 5K Run
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Burbank High School, 1002 Edwards St., 78204
Burbank High School will host its inaugural Fiesta 5K Run around campus. More than 300 participants are expected to compete. The goal of this event is to bring the Burbank Bulldog community together to encourage healthy lifestyle and family fitness. The event also serves as a fundraiser for the Bulldogs Class of 2026 to help students in need with upcoming costs such as the prom, senior trip plus cap and gowns for graduations.
 
April 15 (Mon) – SAISD Foundation Surprise Grants 
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., **Various Schools – see schedule below** 
The SAISD Foundation is back on the “Surprise Patrol” trail! More than $23,000 will be awarded to very surprised teachers at three SAISD high schools. Here is the schedule of award surprises plus grant descriptions:

• 8:30 a.m. – Fox Tech HS/Advanced Learning Academy/CAST Tech HS, 637 N. Main Ave., 78205   **((2 Grants))**
A $5,000 grant will be awarded to the Modern Rock and Jazz Band classrooms at Fox Tech HS/ALA/CAST Tech HS to purchase professional studio equipment to properly record student performances. 260 students fill the Modern Rock and Jazz Band program, which sees students form their own groups and write their own songs and music. Student acts perform at community events. Students will also gain real world career skills of professional audio recording. 

$4190 will be presented to the award winning Fox Tech/ALA/CAST Tech Mariachi program. The funds will go towards purchasing higher caliber instruments to keep the program’s trajectory to continue moving upward.
 
• 10 a.m. – Edison High School, 701 Santa Monica Dr., 78212  **((2 Grants))**
$5,000 will be awarded to the Conjunto Music program at Edison HS. SAISD is the birthplace of Mariachi education. Now the district is taking the lead with Conjunto music, a traditional style to South Texas with deep roots in San Antonio. This past August, Edison HS Mariachi instructor Jose Villanueva turned one of his classes into a Conjunto course with no funding. He has used a mixture of personal and school instruments to teach the class. This grant will now provide students with their own accordions and bajo quinto instruments that they can use and take home to practice.
 
A $3,865 grant will be presented to the Art class at Edison HS. The grant will purchase a pug mill to help students knead their clay in a way that will result in zero air bubbles to stop their pieces from exploding in the kiln. It also gives the students the opportunity to learn about what types of equipment can be available to them as college students/professional ceramicists.
 
• 11:15 a.m. – Brackenridge High School, 400 Eagleland Drive, 78210
A $5,000 grant will be presented to the Brackenridge HS marching band to upgrade the percussion instruments. This Brackenridge High School Drum Line will have upgraded drums, cymbals, mallets, to create better sounds in the Eagle percussion section.
 
April 15 (Mon) – SAISD Board Meeting 
5:30 p.m., SAISD Board Room,?514 W. Quincy St., 78212?or online 
Link:?https://www.saisd.net/page/dis-board-videos 
The SAISD Board of Trustees will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at the central administrative office. 
 
April 15 - 18 (Mon to Thurs) – “Ride the Bus” with SAISD 
6 p.m. to 7 p.m., **Various school – See list below **
The SAISD Transportation Department invites families to see the planned 2024-25 bus routes for schools impacted by rightsizing at a series of ride-along events. At these events, parents and children will be able to board a school bus, see the safety features of the bus (seat belts, Wi-Fi, and cameras), and even have a chance to ride the actual route. Buses will be parked at the campuses listed below for the Ride the Bus with Us events. These events are open to any families who want to learn more about bus transportation and see the bus route information for next school year. The “Ride the Bus” program runs from March 25 through May 24, giving families ample time to explore the new routes for themselves. The full program schedule can be found here. Here is the schedule for this week:
• April 15, 18 (Mon and Thurs) – Japhet Academy, 314 Astor St., 78210
• April 15, 18 (Mon and Thurs) – Highland Park Elementary, 635 Rigsby Ave., 78210
• April 16-17 (Tues and Wed) – Riverside Park Elementary, 202 School St., 78210
• April 16-17 (Tues and Wed) – Green Elementary, 122 W. Whittier St., 78210