(HOUSTON) — On Sunday, May 6, H-E-B announced statewide winners of the 17th annual H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards during an awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Houston. During the ceremony, H-E-B Chairman and CEO Charles Butt personally handed out $430,000 in cash awards and grants, and congratulated eight educators, two school districts, one early childhood agency and a public school board for being among the best in Texas. The program has given away more than $9.5 million in cash and grants since 2002.

Sal Khan delivered the keynote address to a ballroom packed with hundreds of educators, elected officials, community leaders and H-E-B employees. Khan founded the Khan Academy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

The following winners were selected from a pool of 58 finalists by judges who include former winners, school administrators, and university and community leaders.

The 2018 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award Winners Are:

Rising Star

The Rising Star Category recognizes teachers with less than 10 years of experience. Winners received a $5,000 check for themselves and a $5,000 grant for their school.

Rising Star Elementary: Allie Duffy, Joe Lee Johnson Elementary, Round Rock ISD (Austin)

Rising Star Secondary: Denisse Hernandez, Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Southwest ISD (San Antonio)

Leadership

The Leadership Category honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. Winners received a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their school.

Leadership Elementary: Stephanie Miller, Skyview Elementary, Richardson ISD (Dallas)

Leadership Secondary: Andrea Garza, United South High School, United ISD (Laredo)

Lifetime Achievement

The Lifetime Achievement Category salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. Winners received $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their school.

Lifetime Achievement Elementary: Bonnie Anderson, Coronado Village Elementary, Judson ISD (San Antonio)

Lifetime Achievement Secondary: Pamela Broussard, Cypress Falls High School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Houston)

School Principal

Winning principals received $10,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for each of their schools.

Principal Elementary: Zaida Gonzalez, Andrew Trautmann Elementary, United ISD (Laredo)

Principal Secondary: Jerry Jerabek, Frenship Middle School, Frenship ISD (Lubbock area)

Early Childhood

The winning early childhood facility received a $25,000 cash prize.

Levelland Academic Beginnings Center, Levelland (Lubbock area)

School Board

The winning public school board received a $25,000 cash prize.

Humble ISD, Humble (Houston area)

Small School District

The winning small school district received a $50,000 cash prize.

Lancaster ISD, Lancaster (DFW area)

Large School District

The winning large school district received a $100,000 cash prize.

Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land (Houston area)

*For a full list of the 2018 H-E-B Excellence in Education finalists, please visit heb.com/education.

About the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards

H-E-B launched the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 as a positive way to support public education in Texas. It has become the largest monetary program for educators in the state, spotlighting best practices and celebrating the passion and creativity of Texas educators.

Each year, H-E-B asks customers, Partners (employees) and community members to nominate teachers, 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.

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 40 teacher 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 $2,500 to $5,000 in cash prizes. 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 and principal finalists are invited to compete on a statewide level for larger cash prizes totaling more than $400,000. A statewide panel of judges, not affiliated with H-E-B, conducts a personal interview with each finalist to select winners.

Eight winners — two principals and six teachers — are announced along with two school districts, one large and one small, a public school board and an early childhood facility, at a celebratory dinner.

Each winning principal—one elementary school and one high school—receives $10,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools. The winning large school district receives a $100,000 cash prize and the winning small school district receives $50,000. The winning early childhood facility receives $25,000 and a school board could be awarded up to $25,000.

The six winning teachers include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of three categories:

The Rising Star Award — honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 check for themselves and a $5,000 grant for their schools.

The Leadership Award — honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their schools.

The Lifetime Achievement Award — salutes teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools.