SAN MARCOS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SMCISD Superintendent Michael Cardona focused on community ties and student accomplishments during “The State of the City & District” business luncheon last week at the Embassy Suites Conference Center. His talk featured short videos profiling top students and staff as well as a performance by Mariachi Nuevo Cascabel, the award-winning mariachi group from SMHS.
Hosted by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, the event provided area leaders with an overview of the accomplishments of the past year for both the city of San Marcos and the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District.
City Manager Stephanie Reyes spoke first, followed by Cardona, who continued the theme of community which Reyes stressed during her talk. The Daily Record reported on Reyes’ talk in the Friday edition.
“We’re all interconnected, we’re all human beings,” Cardona said. “How we go as a district, that’s how the city goes, how Texas State goes, and how the county goes.”
Wrestling state champion Mila Juarez, SMHS class of 2027, talked about the support she received from her coach, teachers and fellow students in a video profile, part of Cardona’s presentation.
“To have people look up to me is really nice, she said. “Because you’re helping people grow as a person. Hopefully I help them push to their goals.” Juarez attended the UIL State Wrestling Meet as an alternate when she was a freshman, was State runner-up as sophomore, and became Class 6A State Champ in the 120lb weight class earlier this year.
“Hard work actually pays off, and we can make things happen, Juarez said. “I’m a proud San Marcos Rattler and a proud State champion.”
In a different video, SMHS senior forward Azariah Fennell acknowledged the support she received to become a first team all-district selection for the Lady Rattlers basketball team.
“I always say that I have a village behind me, because no matter what, I know that my family or the people that I know in San Marcos, they’re behind me,” Fennell said. “If I’m failing, they’ll be there to pick me up, or if I’m on the highest mountain, they’re there cheering me on to keep going higher.”
Other Rattler athletes Cardona highlighted included Nellie Mauritz- Barboza, the current back-to-back Area champion in pole vault, Jessica DeLeon, now playing softball for the University of New Mexico Lobos and Texas State basketball star Kaden Gumbs.
One of the strengths of the community focus at SMCISD is the mix of athletics with academics and arts programs. “It is the community approach to nurturing the child to do what they want to do,” Cardona said.
He praised the educators in the SMCISD system, including Hernandez Elementary teacher Carol Fernandez, finalist for H-E-B Excellence in Education Award, and DeZavala Elementary teacher Diana Garcia, also recognized by H–E-B for a lifetime of excellence in teaching.
“We are not going to limit what kids can and can’t do inside the building. We’re going to support them, and it really is contributing to some wonderful things that are happening,” he said.
“In the past three years, you really see San Marcos starting to move in an upward trajectory very quickly,” Cardona said. “When campuses are distinctions, that means they’re competing against schools who look like them.”
According to 2025 data, SMCISD received a total of 36 campus distinctions, including top scores for: Crockett Elementary - 89; Mendez Elementary - 89; Rodriguez Elementary 87; and Hernandez Elementary - 86.
The relationship between Rice Tipps, the SMHS 2026 valedictorian, and his teacher/ mentor Mark Stedman, exemplifies the type of community relationships the school district prides itself on, according to Cardona. Tipps’ mother passed away when he was in seventh grade and his father passed away while battling ALS during Tipps’ junior year. Stedman was one of the many SMCISD educators and staff members who offered help and support to Tipps.
““It was my greatest pleasure to get to know more and more about this kid who has overcome so much and gone so far,” Stedman said during a video profile.
“The school has been immensely supportive. Rice is a perfect example of what can happen when all peoples, when all things, fall into place.”
Tipps acknowledged the support of the SMCISD staff as he strived to achieve his goals amid his hardships. “Of course it’s going to affect me,” he said. “I still want to be the person that I’ve always wanted to be. I’ll be going to Caltech, and I am so excited to represent the community of San Marcos with a full ride. I’m doing what my dad would want for me.”
In discussing the academic strengths and opportunities at SMHS, Cardona highlighted collaborations with Texas State, Tarleton State, Coastal Bend College and the Leonardo Institute of Technology, as well as the recognitions and awards received by top San Marcos students.
SMCISD was named by the Career and Technical Association of Texas as a top school district, with 70 kids earning their way to state competitions, taking home 30 state awards, with the FAA state competition still to come. Maebry Kraatz, Eleanor Hiner, Georgia Recio, Juliet Recio and Sam Salmi were national qualifiers for the Texas Associations of Future Educators.
The arts programs at SMHS have also received several honors this year, including both the 6A Varsity and Non-Varsity State Championships for Mariachi Nuevo Cascabel, which performed at the conclusion of the luncheon.
The theater arts program at SMHS received five Heller nominations for their production of “The Music Man,” including: - Best Music Direction - Libby Phelps for Student Achievement in Stage Management; - Aven Lee for Student Achievement in Marketing; and - Bee Smith for Student Achievement in Design.
The Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYAs), presented by Texas Performing Arts in association with Impact Arts, recognize outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre.
“We are doing what we need to do to meet our kids and our families where they’re at and to prepare for the next generation,” Cardona said.
