Cherish Center
8800 McPherson Rd. Laredo, Texas 78045
The United Independent School District Cherish Center is a renovated 21,000 square-foot facility serving special needs students from the District's four high schools. The Center offers two specialized programs. One is designed to help our students with life after graduation through an alternative vocational/career curriculum. This includes hands-on training in the following areas:
- Business Media
- Commercial Food Service
- Hotel Hospitality
- Horticulture
- Retail Merchandising
A separate program for severely disabled students will offer them an alternative to homebound services or placement far away from home. The specialized units include:
- PLC (Pre-Vocational Learning Skills)
- SLC (Structural Learning Center)
- Medical Fragile
The Center will advance the goal of the District's Special Education Program to provide education and training to all special needs students so that they have the opportunity to live more independent, successful and fulfilling lives.
Staff
| Name | Position | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violeta Polendo | Secretary | vpolendo@uisd.net | (956) 473-1771 |
| Lucy Gutierrez | Lead Teacher | lgutierrez@uisd.net | (956) 473-1778 |
| Blanca C. Almaraz | Teacher, Retail Merchandise |
balmar47@uisd.net | (956) 473-1787 |
| Sanjuanita M. Avalos | Teacher, Business Media |
sjavalos@uisd.net | (956) 473-1779 |
| Geraldine E. Botello | Teacher, Hotel Hospitality |
gbotello@uisd.net | (956) 473-1773 |
| Abraham R. De la Garza | Teacher, Horticulture |
adelag14@uisd.net | (956) 473-1780 |
| Jose Maldonado | Teacher, Culinary Arts |
jmaldonado78@uisd.net | (956) 473-1782 |
| Violeta Garcia | Teacher, Vocational |
vsgarcia@uisd.net | (956) 473-1780 |
| Gerardo Palacios | Teacher, SLC |
gpalacios@uisd.net | (956) 473-1783 |
| Sheila Peer | Teacher, PLS |
sheilap@uisd.net | (956) 473-1790 |
| Arturo Flores | Teacher, SLC |
aflores1@uisd.net | (956) 473-1784 |
| Erika Sanchez Perez | Nurse | esanch42@uisd.net | (956) 473-1792 |
| Jesus Diaz | Teacher, Medical Fragile |
jdiaz68@uisd.net | (956) 473-1781 |
| Diana Barrios | Office Clerk | dbarrios@uisd.net | (956) 473-1770 |