Aldine ISD End Of Year 2023-24

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AISD NEWS

ALDINE HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTER BRIANNA PONCE IS A STATE CHAMPION!

Aldine ISD had three high schools that earned national, state and Houston-ar ea rankings in U.S. News’ 2023-24 Best High School Report, which was released this spring. Victory Early College High School, under the direction of Principal Phyl lis Cormier, was ranked 404th in the national rankings and was ranked 53rd in Texas and 13th among Houston-area high schools. Victory was ranked No. 1 among Aldine ISD high schools. Blanson CTE High School, under the direction of Principal Ben Ibarra, was ranked 220th in Texas, 2,211th in the nation and 70th among Houston-area Aldine ISD is home to a state champion! Aldine High School senior powerlifter Brianna Ponce brought home the gold medal in the unequipped division (165 pounds) recently at the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Associa tion’s State Tournament. Ponce lifted 280 pounds in the squat, 140 pounds in the bench press, and 355 pounds in the dead lift for a total of 775 pounds. Brianna becomes the first student-ath lete in the history of Aldine ISD to be crowned a state champion in powerlifting. Not bad for a program that’s only been in existence for two years. Brianna and her teammates Paola Saenz and Liz Carrizales finished fourth overall as a team at the state tourney. Carrizales, who finished first at re gionals as a junior, finished fifth in her weight class while Saenz placed ninth in her weight class. Power lifting coach Todd Polvado said Brianna saved her best performance of the year for the most important meet of the year.

Pictured with Brianna Ponce, second from left, are head coach Todd Polvado and team mates Paola Saenz and Liz Carrizales. The Aldine team finished fourth at state.

“Brianna was just phenomenal,” said Polvado, who has been coaching power lifting for 13 years. “She had a great day. She hit all of her lifts. She came in prepared. She also set a state record for the dead lift.” Polvado said Brianna has a strong work ethic, which is key to being a successful power lifter. “She’s a hard worker,” he said. “She’s mature and is a self-motivator with high character. You can trust her to work out on her own and she’ll do it (workout) right. A power lifter has to be consis high schools. Blanson was ranked No. 2 among Aldine ISD high Schools. Carver High School, under the direction of Principal La’Keishia Williams, was ranked 568th among Texas high school, 6,447th in the nation and 132nd among Houston-area high schools. Carver was ranked No. 3 among AISD high schools. The 2023-24 edition of the Best High Schools includes a numerical ranking of nearly all public high schools nation wide, totaling more than 18,000 based on multiple objective data sources. Data used to rank high schools includes, enrollment, graduation rates, student body demographics, location, type of

tent and have unwavering dedication. Brianna falls into those categories. She really hit the gas this year. She was very determined.” In addition to the gold medal she won at state, Brianna also won medals at five other meets. “It meant a lot,” she said, about being a state champion. “It made me realize that if I work for it, it could be accom plished. I started lifting to get stronger and I just thought I’d give power lifting a try. I’m glad I did.” And it certainly worked out for Brianna. school, state assessment results and Advanced Placement (AP) and Interna tional Baccalaureate (IB) tests. RIT International, a global research firm, produces the Best High School rankings U.S. News does not collect data directly from high schools. All data collected comes directly from third-party sources. AP and IB data comes directly from the College Board and International Bacca laureate for use in the rankings. The state assessment data and grad uation rates are collected from each state, and other data comes from the U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Date.

ALDINE SCHOOLS EARN NATIONAL RANKINGS FROM U.S. NEWS BEST HIGH SCHOOL REPORT

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