Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson High School - North East ISD

The countdown to cap and gown is almost complete. 🎓

We can’t wait to celebrate the Class of 2026 as they walk across the stage and officially become graduates! Graduation ceremony information, including the date, time, and location, can be found on the graphic below.

Family and friends who cannot attend in person can watch the ceremony live on the NEISD YouTube channel. Find the graduation program, livestream link, and additional ceremony information on the District website at neisd.net/graduation

Congrats, Grads! 🎉

During a Special Board Meeting on Monday, May 18, the North East ISD Board of Trustees named Interim Superintendent Anthony Jarrett as the Lone Finalist for Superintendent.

“He has maintained a strong commitment to student success, academic excellence and community partnerships,” said Board President David Beyer. “We are confident that his leadership, experience, and vision will help guide our District forward, toward continued growth and opportunity for all staff students and families.”

Jarrett brings more than 25 years of experience in public education including six years with NEISD. He previously served as the District’s Chief Instructional Officer before being named Interim Superintendent in December of last year. Prior to joining North East ISD in 2019, Jarrett served as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent in Northside ISD.

Following the announcement, Jarrett shared his gratitude to the board and enthusiasm for this next chapter.

“Sitting in this role is a humbling experience,” said Jarrett. “The mindset of service first and self second is something that I fundamentally believe in. I think working alongside you guys, I know our District will continue to grow, get better and be one of the best districts in the country.”

Per state mandate, NEISD trustees must wait at least 21 days before officially voting to appoint Jarrett as our District’s newest Superintendent.

Congratulations Ella!

Service, leadership, and compassion . 💙

Congratulations to Johnson High School senior Ella Larson, NEISD’s 2026 Student Volunteer of the Year!

After learning how many students in her community faced food insecurity, Ella created the Johnson Cluster Food Pantry and dedicated more than 300 volunteer hours this year to supporting students and families across NEISD. Her efforts have helped provide resources to thousands of students and created meaningful work-based learning opportunities for ALE students.

We are proud to celebrate Ella’s commitment to serving others and the impact she continues to make in our community!

Congratulations to Savannah Martinez, our Johnson High School Teacher of the Year! Savannah is a Health Science teacher, and teacher leader on our campus. We are so lucky to have her at Johnson!

Due to the potential for high water and unexpected road closures, our school bus drivers will be exercising extra caution to ensure student safety. This may result in delays or adjusted routes. We appreciate your patience and encourage everyone to use caution when traveling in affected areas.

Six North East ISD students advanced to the 2026 Texas State Japanese Language Speech Contest in Houston this month, placing in several divisions and sending one student on to the national contest in May. 🏅

Johnson High School junior Onyoo Jung will head to Los Angeles in May for the 21st Annual All-USA High School Japanese Speech Contest. At state, he won first place in the High School Free Speech Division.

Out of 35 contestants at the state competition, four NEISD students won top honors. Johnson sophomore Aubrey Leal earned first place in the Poetry Recitation Division, while freshman Chanyoo Jung earned third place.

Johnson senior William Cook earned third place in the Haiku Division. Johnson students Bennett Brownell and Sarah Adeyemi also participated in the competition.

Johnson Japanese language instructor Yuka Kato supported the students throughout the competition. Their success reflects the strength of the Japanese language program and the commitment of our students to excellence in language learning. Please join us in congratulating them on their achievements! 👏

Johnson High School Freshman Lila Smethurst knows how to create an award-winning recipe. It’s what helped her win a recent season of Kids Baking Championship on Food Network.

But this year, her recipe for success will save lives. 💙

Lila recently won the 2026 Mission Pillar United for Research Award and was a runner-up for the 2026 South Texas Student Visionaries of the Year for Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).

Lila put together a winning team of students and adults, The Cure Crew, who helped raise nearly $240,000 for blood cancer research.

The South Texas Student Visionary Teams helped raise a record-breaking $1.1M this year!

The Cure Crew included fellow Johnson students: Dakota Hoyme, Tyler Bucks, Shay Costello, Alex Reynolds, Giuliana Farias, and Lila’s little sister, Cora, who is a sixth grader at Tex Hill Middle School.

North East ISD students make an incredible impact on their community, and we could not be more proud of Lila and her team’s efforts! Way to go Cure Crew!

Congratulations to these honorees!

Congratulations to our very well deserving Lifetime achievement and Extended lifetime awards recipients that were celebrated last night!

Great work Lila!

Teen baking champ aims to shatter $600,000 record in fight against blood cancer A local high school freshman and former Food Network champion is trading her whisk for a cause, launching an ambitious campaign.