A Winning Performance

Photograph by Jesus Marquez

At Houston Elementary in El Paso, the second- and third-grade students in Guadalupe Torres’s bilingual classes improve their English not by repeating textbook phrases but by putting on plays.

The productions, which bring to life classic children’s stories, help students — like those shown here in a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — develop key communication skills and self-esteem, as well as an appreciation for the theater.

The program is one of dozens of creative projects flourishing in the classrooms of the El Paso Independent School District thanks to support from the EPISD Fund.

The fund was established in 1994 by school officials, business leaders, and other citizens as a way to encourage teachers to come up with innovative techniques that would help the district’s 64,000 students think more creatively.

“In the world, we look for creative people to be at the helm of organizations, and in order to develop your creativity you need to see things in a different way; you need to jump out of the box,” says Betty Jaraba, the fund’s coordinator. “That’s what we are helping these children do.”

The charity so far has raised $500,000, primarily from corporate donors. Some $216,000 has been parceled out to teachers in small grants of $1,000 or less.

Among the programs is one called “Cooking Made to Learn” in which students write recipes, learn how to measure and estimate quantities, and learn about nutritional values. The program also teaches them an appreciation for foods and culinary customs of various cultures.

The fund is working on ways to expand, Ms. Jaraba says. Two years ago it opened Galeria Maravilla, a venue for local artists and district students to exhibit their work. The artists donate a percentage of their sales to the foundation.