Members of the Highland Park ISD board of trustees were thanked for their service during their Jan. 20 meeting and formally introduced to two new members of the HPISD family who are already making a difference on campuses.
Because January is School Board Recognition Month, the members of the board of trustees were honored with a video, posters made by students from each HPISD school, and plants.
HPISD Chief of Police Mark Rowden and Officer Michael Bridgewater then introduced Piper and Lassie, the district’s therapy dogs. Rowden explained that the district considered acquiring therapy dogs before the summer, but started discussing them in earnest after observing their impact during the tragic July 4 Hill Country flooding.
“We saw the use of therapy dogs like you could not imagine and the good work that they did,” Rowden said.
The Highland Park Education Foundation approached La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas about funding a single dog. But La Fiesta, which supports 17 Park Cities nonprofits, loved the idea so much that it gave sufficient funds for two, the foundation’s executive director Meg Boyd explained.
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Though Piper and Lassie are newcomers to HPISD, they’ve already had an impact on students, staff and the community.
“I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to have these dogs in this district and to be in a position to be able to see the work that they’re doing and the difference that they’re making,” Rowden said.
Readers can learn more about the Bernedoodle puppies in the February issue of Park Cities People, which will be delivered the week of Jan. 26.
The district’s Mission and Vision Statement, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Texas Pledge were recited by a group of Hyer Elementary students representing “the Baker Girls,” Annie Allen, Cannon Cooksey, and Janie Hunt.
Last winter, the three best friends decided to have a bake sale to support Hyer. By delivering baked goods to neighbors on one of the coldest days in January 2025, they raised $400 for the school and teachers they loved, HPISD director of communications Makenzie McGurk explained.
Also during the meeting:
- Board member Bryce Benson sent his condolences and prayers to the family of Mike Sorrells, a 1959 Highland Park graduate and HP swim coach who recently passed away. Over the course of his 33-year career in HPISD, Sorrells coached more than 40 individual and relay state champions, and sent five swimmers to the Olympics, Benson said. A service celebrating Sorrells’ life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. at University Park United Methodist Church.
- The board held a public hearing concerning the district’s 2024-25 Texas Academic Performance Report. The report includes information on student performance, graduates’ college, career, and military readiness, student and staff demographics, and district programs. Click HERE to view a copy of the report.
- The board heard an update on the district’s current budget and financial planning for the 2026-27 school year.
- The board heard from Sanjay Narayan, who is running in the Republican primary to represent District 108 in the Texas House of Representatives. Narayan spoke about the impact of recapture on the school district and said that, if elected, he would fight against the recapture model in Austin.
