Service Award
Rose Avalos
Awarded 2023
Rose M. Avalos is an educator, community leader and champion for children. She currently serves as a member of the Aldine ISD Board of Trustees, a position she has held since 2006. Avalos has strong ties to Aldine and the district, as she grew up and studied in the area. She has great pride in her alma mater and home in north Houston.
Even after graduation, Avalos didn’t stray far from home. She attended Sam Houston State University and earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees in 1972 and 1976. While earning her degrees, Avalos began working for the district that raised her, starting with a teaching role at Stovall Middle School in 1972.
She went on to teach at MacArthur High School and served as a counselor at Hambrick and Grantham middle schools. As she worked at Aldine ISD, she served in many different roles. Avalos later took on the role of program director for the bilingual English as a Second Language courses and as assistant principal of MacArthur High School. She was later named the founding principal of Escamilla Intermediate School.
Avalos was a trailblazer. She became Aldine ISD’s first female high school principal when chosen to lead MacArthur. Avalos served in this role for her last 11 years of working for the district, rounding out a 33-year career in teaching and educational leadership in 2005. Throughout her time as a principal, she was twice named Principal of the Year by her peers.
After retiring, Avalos continued to serve the district as an elected member of the school board. As a board trustee, she has held all possible offices and has chaired numerous committees for the enrichment of the district. She has also continued to serve the district by mentoring student-teachers and rising principals.
In 2014, Avalos was chosen to be a member of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)Leadership Class of 2014. She now serves on the Board of Directors for TASB and also serves as a founding member of the Aldine Education Foundation. Avalos is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the North Harris County
Association of Retired Teachers and School professionals.
Avalos is also known for her giving spirit outside of the district. She volunteers in her community and interacts with her many friends from her work. She is known by those friends for her ability to make people laugh and her aptitude for tackling problems. To those who fall on hard times, Avalos is known to provide a homecooked meal or a visit to the hospital they are staying at.
SHSU is honored to have such an outstanding alumna making a difference in children’s lives through education. Because of work in her community and beyond, the Alumni Association is awarding her the Service Award this year. Avalos was previously honored by Aldine ISD, which named the Rose M. Avalos Pathways in Technology Early College High School in her honor in 2019.