IN THE NEWS

Sally Wang knew she loved drawing as soon as she could pick up a pencil and scribble.

“It was like I could be inside my own world,” she explained.

Now, Wang’s ability to express herself on paper will take her to the University of Texas at Austin, where she has been accepted into the studio art and business programs.

The winners of this year’s HP Arts awards, who are working to enrich the lives of students both inside and outside the classroom. HP Arts, which is supported by La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, funds and encourages arts enrichment and arts education at every grade level in all eight HPISD schools.

HP Arts recognized the district’s outstanding teachers and community arts advocate during its annual Teacher Appreciation Reception on Feb. 15. MIS/HPMS theater arts teacher Genevieve Croft was named Fine Arts Teacher of the Year.

Longtime Highland Park ISD educator Linda Raya, known affectionately as “mama drama” and the “fearless” leader of HPISD fine arts, left behind a storied legacy in the district that spans more than 40 years.

Linda Raya died April 4 after battling cancer, her family shared. During her tenure with HPISD, she served as a theater teacher and district coordinator of fine arts. Before joining HPISD, she taught at the Northeast District in San Antonio and Long Beach ISD in Long Beach, New York.