H-E-B announced the statewide winners of the 2024 Excellence in Education Awards during a special dinner and ceremony at the Marriott Marquis, 1777 Walker in Houston on Sunday, May 5. This year – the twenty second year of the awards -- a new school counselor category was added to recognize the contributions of elementary and secondary public school counselors.

During the awards ceremony, $480,000 in cash awards and grants were awarded to six teachers, two counselors, two principals, one early childhood facility, two school districts, and a public-school board for being among the best in Texas. Since its inception in 2002, the program has awarded more than $13 million in cash and grants to Texas teachers and schools. Emcees said that the program is the largest monetary donation program in Texas, and one of the largest in the nation.

The winner of the “Leadership Secondary” award – chosen from five finalists -- was Christian De La Cruz of Obra D. Tompkins High School in Katy ISD, who will receive $10,000.00 and a $10,000 grant. According to tompkinschoir.com, De La Cruz is in his thirteenth year of teaching and his first year as head choir director at Tompkins. He graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor's in music education and a minor in mathematics. The site said that choirs under his direction have earned consistent Superior ratings at UIL Concert & Sightreading and have consistently had multiple students earn a spot in the Texas All-State Choirs. In 2017 he helped direct and lead his former choir program to win the State Championship for choir with American Classic Texas Madrigal. De La Cruz has conducted and toured with his choirs in Peru, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Italy. In 2019 he directed a high school choir that was crowned Champion of Leonardo Da Vinci International Choral Festival in Florence, Italy, competing against choirs from Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Philippines, Indonesia, Costa Rica, and China.

De La Cruz is a member of TMEA, TCDA, TMAA, Mu Phi Epsilon, and has served on the Advisory Board for the Terry Foundation as one of its youngest members at the time, according to tompkinschoir.com. He immigrated from the Philippines at age 3 and credits finding his passion for choral music through the McAllen ISD choral programs.

“To my students – this is for you,” said De La Cruz in accepting the award.

J.J. Watt delivered the keynote address to a ballroom packed with hundreds of educators, community leaders and H-E-B employees. Watt, a Pewaukee native, was the number 11 Overall Pick in the 2011 National Football League (NFL) Draft by the Houston Texans, and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. Off the field, as president and founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, he provides after-school athletic opportunities for children. The foundation has distributed over $7 million in 40 states since its inception, he said. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Watt launched one of the largest crowdsourcing fundraisers in history, raising $41.6 million to aid Houstonians affected by the storm.

The school district, school board and early childhood facility winners are as follows:

· Large School District ($100,000 grant) was captured by Galena Park ISD; other nominees included Allen ISD, Klein ISD, Pasadena ISD and Wylie ISD.

· Small School District ($50.000 grant) was awarded to Gregory-Portland ISD; other nominees were Angleton ISD and La Porte ISD.

· School Board Award ($25,000 grant) went to Plainview ISD; other contenders were Corpus Christi ISD, Donna ISD, Garland ISD and Sharyland ISD.

· Early Childhood Facilities was won by the Early Childhood Academy in Donna; other finalists were Central Texas 4C, Inc., Del Valle ISD, Childhood Development Center Central, Melinda Webb School and M. Rivas Primary Discovery Academy.

H-E-B is now accepting nominations for the 2025 awards. To nominate an educator, or to learn more about the awards, go to heblovesteachers.com.