Tomball ISD Recognizes ESL/Bilingual Teachers of the Year

TOMBALL - For their high-quality teaching and the impact they have on students, Tomball ISD campuses recognized their ESL/Bilingual Teachers of the Year and from that list, three were named ESL/Bilingual District Teacher of the Year finalists. 

• Cori Coombs, Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year - Timber Creek Elementary
• Rocio Rincon, ESL/Bilingual Secondary Teacher of the Year - Tomball Intermediate
• Araceli Salinas, Bilingual Teacher of the Year - Oakcrest Intermediate

Cori Coombs (TCES) was named the District Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year. She has been teaching since 2005 and has been recognized as a Most Valuable Teacher here in Tomball. She has worked in Special Education, Early Childhood, and ESL classrooms and is a graduate of Prairie View A&M and Texas Woman's University. Coombs says, “I have always enjoyed working with children and helping them find success in learning!”

Rocio Rincon (TIS) was named the District Bilingual/ESL Secondary Teacher of the Year and holds 8 certifications. She shares 13 years of experience in education and is a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake & St. Thomas University. Her personal philosophy of bilingual education is that "Learning goes beyond the curriculum and the classroom.”

Araceli Salinas (OIS) was named the District Bilingual Teacher of the Year. Ms. Salinas began her teaching career in 2013 and was previously nominated for her campus Teacher of the Year. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Downtown & Texas A&M University. Salinas says, “My number one goal at the beginning of each day is to ensure that my students feel that we are not simply a class full of students, but a family … where mistakes are embraced as opportunities to learn, where every question deserves an answer, where I talk to and with my students - not for them, where cultural diversity is displayed in all we do, where it is not all about language acquisition but about building content knowledge and valuable experiences, where we demonstrate mutual respect for individuals in a social environment, and where acceptance, encouragement, and recognition are practiced daily.”

The Houston Area Association for Bilingual Education (HAABE) recognizes outstanding bilingual and ESL educators from Houston and its surrounding areas. Districts’ TOY finalists will be publicly acknowledged and honored during the annual HAABE TOY Banquet on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 11 am at the Hilton Hotel University of Houston.

Tomball ISD campus ESL/Bilingual Teacher of the Year honorees:

• Laura Rocio Garcia Marquez - Bilingual - Canyon Pointe Elementary
• Thanh Do - ESL - Canyon Pointe Elementary
• Kimberley Trisha Kranson - ESL - Creekside Forest Elementary
• Virginia Nichols - ESL  - Creekview Elementary
• Mary Joan Nelson - ESL - Decker Prairie Elementary
• Alison Forstrom-Cruz - ESL - Grand Oaks Elementary
• Jessica Comer - ESL - Lakewood Elementary
• Carmen Morales - ESL/Bilingual - Oakcrest Intermediate
• Araceli Marlene Salinas - Bilingual - Oakcrest Intermediate
• Natalie Dildy - ESL - Oakcrest Intermediate
• Amy Rene Zampini - ESL - Rosehill Elementary
• Maria May - Bilingual - Rosehill Elementary
• Cori Coombs - ESL - Timber Creek Elementary
• Rocio Rincon - Bilingual - Tomball Intermediate
• Maria Rios - Bilingual - Tomball Intermediate
• Gina Molinar Cox - ESL - Willow Creek Elementary
• Jennifer Velasquez - ESL - Wildwood Elementary
• Kristi Lowery - ESL/Bilingual - Willow Wood Junior High

ABOUT TOMBALL ISD
Tomball ISD educates students to become responsible, productive citizens by providing innovative, individually rigorous, and personally valuable educational experiences. Founded in 1908, Tomball ISD now encompasses 83 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, and is located approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. The district currently educates over 20,500 students at 22 campuses.