Mayor, SMCISD Superintendent speak at State of the City luncheon

With the sound of a trilling trumpet and the boom of bass drums, San Marcos High School’s Rattler Band made a grand entrance into Thursday’s State of the City luncheon. 

The Rattler Band led a trail of San Marcos Consolidated ISD performers into the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center. 

“[The students] are why we are here. They are my why. They’re our board [of trustees’] why. They are our staff’s why,” SMCISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Cardona said, later saying, “I think with that I’ve told you all of the wonderful things that are happening in our district. But, ultimately, you need to hear the wonderful things and I’m just going to leave it with our kids.” 

The Rattler band, mariachi band and treble choir performed for the crowd in Cardona’s efforts to highlight the district’s students. 

Above, the San Marcos High School mariachi band performs during the State of the City luncheon hosted by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. Daily Record photo by Lance Winter

Cardona and San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson spoke at the annual luncheon hosted by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Chamber of Commerce Board President Matthew Worthington introduced Thursday’s speakers saying, “this year’s State of the City comes at an important time.”

 “As leaders of businesses, community groups and vital organizations, we’re all aware of the unprecedented challenges we have collectively faced in our combined efforts to ensure that we continue to excel together,” Worthington said. “As we take this opportunity today to join together as a community, reflect on our endeavors and celebrate our achievements, we will hear from Mayor Jane Hughson and Superintendent Dr. Michael Cardona as they share the vision and priorities that will move our city and school forward while embracing continued growth and addressing critical needs such as housing, infrastructure and economic development.” 

Hughson began her portion of Thursday’s luncheon by highlighting the city’s role in “engaging, educating and empowering the citizens of San Marcos through the past year” amid the COVID-19 pandemic

“[City staff] worked with community leaders to answer questions in a live stream discussion. They encouraged everyone to wear masks and get vaccinated by spreading safety messages online and in collaboration with Hays County,” Hughson said. “Members of our fire department spent hours administering vaccines at local clinics. The city’s executive team proactively provided tests to everyone within the organizations so that employees could continue to offer services as safely as possible.” 

Hughson continued by showing videos highlighting the city’s work throughout the year, including remarks from interim City Manager Stephanie Reyes, Library Director Diane Insley, Parks and Recreation Department Administrative Coordinator Christie Murillo, Planning Manager Andrea Villalabos, Economic & Business Development Manager Kelsee Jordan Lee, Director of Public Safety Chase Stapp and Community Enhancement Initiatives Manager Amy Thomaides. 

“As we celebrate our many achievements and highlight our many great attributes, it’s easy to see why San Marcos is continuously recognized as a leader across the state,” Hughson said. “We know people are moving here to enjoy the benefits of available and thriving living. With more single family projects … it’s clear we’re moving in the right direction to create the foundation of a thriving business workforce. Together, the state of our city is strong.” 

Cardona followed Hughson’s portion of the luncheon where he spoke on the district’s mantra of the “Power of ‘Re.’”

“I think we can all agree the last few years have really been a struggle for families, for kids, for us as an educational system,” Cardona said. “So, we wanted to reinvent ourselves. We wanted to reimagine what education would look like moving forward. We wanted to rebuild. We need to rebuild relationships with our kids. This year is just a rebuilding year. It’s taken us up until this point to get some sense of normalcy with students and staff … ‘Re’ is a big word going forward: reinventing, rebuilding, reimagining, reconnecting, redesigning and revolutionizing.” 

Above, San Marcos Consolidated ISD Dr. Michael Cardona speaks to a crowd at the State of the City luncheon. Daily Record photo by Lance Winter

Cardona highlighted the district’s 37 AP scholars, five College Board recognized students, various academic scholars and sports and fine arts achievements. 

Multiple students from SMHS’ career and technical education programs also spoke to the crowd each sharing their respective CTE fields. 

“Career technology, I said this when I first came on board, it’s not my place as superintendent to determine a pathway for a student, it’s not any teacher’s job to determine the pathway for a student,” Cardona said. “It’s our job to understand the stories that kids and families bring into the building and support them in their learning journey, and then have them be career, college and military ready.”