On Sunday, May 5, H-E-B announced statewide winners for the 22nd annual H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards during an awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in Houston. During the ceremony, $480,000 in cash awards and grants were awarded to six teachers, two counselors, two principals, two school districts, one early childhood school and a public school board for being among the best in Texas. Since 2002, the program has awarded more than $13 million in cash and grants to Texas teachers and schools.
- Sellers Middle School Principal Amanda Ramos won the award for Secondary Principal. Each winning principal received $10,000 in cash for herself and a $25,000 grant for her school.
- The Garland ISD School Board was a finalist for best Texas School Board.
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.
Nominations for the 2025 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards are now open online.
Facebook.com/HEBExcellenceinEducationAwards.
About H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards
H-E-B asks customers, Partners (employees) and community members to nominate teachers, counselors, principals, districts, early childhood facilities, and school boards in Texas. Each nominee is sent an invitation to complete an application online and is asked about their professional experiences, educational philosophies and achievements both in and out of the classroom/district.
A team of judges reviews the applications, narrowing the field to semi-finalists. From that pool, five regional judging panels comprised of former winners, administrators, and university and community leaders not affiliated with H-E-B select 50 teacher, counselor, and principal finalists. Finalists and their schools receive a cash prize of $1,000 to $2,500, depending on category.
Three separate panels select eight school districts and five early childhood facilities as finalists, awarding $5,000 in cash prizes to each finalist. Up to five school boards may also be recognized and awarded $5,000 towards the district they serve. Additionally, one or more school boards may receive a special judge’s award totaling up to $25,000. Site visits are conducted to determine winners. Teacher, principal and counselor finalists are invited to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes totaling $480,000. A statewide panel of judges, not affiliated with H-E-B, conducts a personal interview with each finalist to select winners.