Hardin-Simmons University Irvin School of Education

08/31/2026

Camp Able of Buffalo Gap is bringing Dr. Temple Grandin, animal behavioral scientist and autism advocate, to Potosi Live-Abilene, TX for a special benefit dinner on Tuesday, November10 at 6:00 pm.

08/31/2026

Huge congratulations to our EC-12 Art alum (2020), Emilio Tolentino. He is now a published illustrator for the new book, If I Were a Bear, written by Haley Kraatz. This wonderful rhyming book tells about a bear's daily activities, and Emilio Tolentino did a wonderful job capturing the story's charm through his imaginative artwork.

08/29/2026

To all of our HSU Irvin School of Education alumni:
please let me know if you are teaching or serving as an administrator or counselor in or around any of the following ISDs in public or private schools: McKinney ISD Allen ISD, Frisco ISD, Prosper ISD, Melissa ISD, and Lovejoy ISD?

I wanted to share how many alum are serving Texas children in that area to a friend of our program.

08/05/2026

What an exciting time with Dr. Tim Odegard. Thank you, Andrea Gililland, for coordinating the event.

07/16/2026

We are so proud of one of our SOE alum, Emily Greer (04). She was awarded Region 7 Elementary Teacher of the Year Award.

🏆 Congratulations to Our 2027 Region 7 Teachers of the Year! 🏆

Please join us in congratulating our outstanding winners!

🍎 Elementary Teacher of the Year: Emily Greer
Jackson Elementary Chapel Hill Texas • Chapel Hill ISD

🎓 Secondary Teacher of the Year: Sharon Garner
Whitehouse High School • Whitehouse ISD

These exceptional educators will now represent Region 7 as they advance to the Texas Teacher of the Year program, where they will compete alongside 38 other outstanding educators from across the state.

We are incredibly proud of Emily and Sharon and wish them the very best as they continue this exciting journey. Thank you for the lasting impact you make on your students, schools, and communities every day!

To learn more about the Texas Teacher of the Year program, visit https://tasanet.org/awards/texas-teacher-of-the-year/

06/18/2026

What an incredible morning of learning and growth at the Houston-Lantrip Center at HSU. The Irvin SOE just wrapped up our morning conference, "Making Space for All Learners: Thriving Together in Autism-Inclusive Classrooms," led by the phenomenal Emily Striker-Morris.

Thank you to all the teachers, parents, healthcare professionals, diagnoticians, SPED directors, public/private administrators, education major, and SOE faculty member who joined us to learn how we can build truly inclusive spaces for all students.

A huge thank you to the dedicated groups and individuals who made this event a success:

Dr. Amber Prentice, Event Coordinator and Asst. Professor of KCOBPS

Dr. Renee Collins, Associate Dean, Irvin SOE and Professor of KCOBPS

The Conference Task Force

Donna Snook, Billye Sneed, & Cassie Mattern

Other HSU staff members assisting with technology, marketing, and setup for conference.

We are grateful for the sponsors of the first summer conference:
Tiny or Grand Realty Group
Grounded Roots Family Development Center

Together, we are transforming practices and building true belonging!

06/16/2026

One of the best parts of summer is catching up with SOE alumni! 🎓 It was so wonderful to welcome Rebekah Feese Springer (2011) and Neal Springer (2010) to HSU yesterday.

It was great meeting their son and hearing about their continued success: Rebekah: A dedicated elementary teacher since 2011, gearing up to teach 5th grade ELAR and Social Studies. Neal: Thriving as the Orchestra Director at Fort Bend ISD in Katy, TX.

What a wonderful time recalling special memories of Rebekah and Neal at HSU.

06/11/2026

Dream-Makers Professional Development 2026...a time of affirmations, inspiration, and confirmations as teachers and life-long learners. We had four presenters, all HSU Alumni, Mrs. Hillary Brown, Mrs. Shannon Maynard, Dr. Amber Prentice, and Dr. Renee Collins, along with a room full of educators from various schools participating for four days.

Topics included motivation, engaging diverse learners, formative assessments, assistive technology and technology standards (ISTE) along with resources like SAMR, topics in Special Education like ARD meetings, IEPs, accomodations/modifications, and numerous current resources to support the teacher during the school year in areas of curriculum and special education.

So many people behind the scenes helped to make the Professional Development PD happen - a big thank you to Donna Snook, Billye Sneed, and Tim McCarry. Thank you, Community Foundation of Abilene for the grant money. What a wonderful time of learning together!

From Learning to Leading: Inside Irvin SOE’s Dream-Maker’s Professional Development Program June 11, 2026 Share: Hardin-Simmons University’s Irvin School of Education recently hosted its second annual Dream-Makers Professional Development workshop, a four-day event designed to support and equi...

06/10/2026

So happy for one of our recent graduates, Maddox Bella. Congratulations on your new position with Friendship Elementary School.

🎉✨ Who’s New Wednesday! ✨🎉
Help us give a big Friendship welcome to our new Music Teacher, Maddox Bellah! ❤️🎶

Mrs. Bellah is beginning her very first year in education, and we are thrilled that she is starting her teaching journey at Friendship Elementary! She is passionate about helping students develop a love and appreciation for music through singing, creating, and making music together. 🎵✨

What excites Mrs. Bellah most about joining Friendship is the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with her students and support them throughout the school year. She looks forward to creating a classroom environment where every child feels valued, encouraged, and excited to learn. 🌟

When she's not sharing her love of music, Mrs. Bellah enjoys playing the piano, visiting coffee shops, crocheting, hiking, playing pickleball, and spending time with her husband. ☕🎹🥾🏓

Fun fact: Music education runs in the family! Mrs. Bellah's dad was also an elementary music teacher, making her passion for teaching music a family tradition. 🎶❤️

We are so excited to welcome Mrs. Bellah to the Friendship family and can't wait to see the joy, creativity, and enthusiasm she brings to our students each day.

Drop a comment below and help us welcome Mrs. Bellah to Friendship! 👇🎉

06/10/2026

Congratulations goes to one of our doctoral alumni, Dr. Sarah Hernandez, on her award as the 2026 Region 15 Secondary Principal of the Year. We are so proud of her.