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100 years: Tornillo’s centennial class reflects on community, challenge and change [1]
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Date: 2025-06-01
TORNILLO — When Mia Cordova stepped to the podium on graduation night, she did more than accept her diploma as valedictorian. She made a quiet point to her older brother.
Cordova described her brother, a current freshman computer science major at the University of Texas at El Paso, as part of the inspiration that helped spur her academic success. But his arrival in college wasn’t preceded by the distinction of having the highest GPA in his high school class. So, Mia Cordova’s message to him was simple.
“I did something you couldn’t,” she said with a smile — a nod to their lifelong academic competition, one that’s propelled them both to push harder, aim higher.
The sibling rivalry — steeped in academics, sports and pride — has shaped her journey through Tornillo schools, pushing her to stay focused, even when things got difficult. On Friday, May 31, she was among the members of Tornillo High School’s 100th graduating class. Cordova leaves Tornillo with not only the top GPA, but also an associate degree, a semester of coursework at the University of Texas at El Paso, and years of leadership in student government, athletics and Future Business Leaders of America.
Her personal milestone unfolded against a broader story of this far East El Paso County farming town that has weathered decades of change — and whose school system is now fighting to sustain itself amid falling enrollment, aging infrastructure and growing economic strain.
Mia Cordova, center, poses for a photograph Friday, May 30, during the Tornillo High School graduation ceremony in the campus’ gymnasium. Cordova was the valedictorian of the school’s 100th graduating class. (Brandy Ruiz / El Paso Matters)
From cotton fields to classrooms
Tornillo, located about 35 miles east of El Paso, was born of speculation and irrigation. In 1909, a group of El Paso businessmen laid out the townsite, betting that the Elephant Butte Dam would transform the surrounding desert into farmland. They were right. By 1918, the area was producing cotton at scale, and the state’s largest cotton gin eventually operated here, processing 90% of the El Paso Valley’s crop.
The town took its name from the screwbean mesquite — a native species whose tight seed pods resemble small screws. Known for its resilience, the tree offers shade, shelter and nourishment for desert wildlife. Its roots run deep in the region’s ecology, just as Tornillo’s school system has in the lives of its residents.
Before World War I, the town had no permanent public school. Teachers held classes in adobe buildings and on farms. In 1923, the town of Tornillo separated from the Fabens Common School District and formed its own school in time for the 1924-25 academic year. Early trustees built a red-brick schoolhouse by 1926 along Cobb Avenue. It served as the core of the district’s primary academic complex until construction of a new high school in 2010. It wasn’t until 1960 that Tornillo became an independent school district.
“That red-brick building was it,” said Juan Flores, valedictorian of the Tornillo class of 1968. “From third grade to high school — that’s where it all happened. We had a couple little huts for the younger grades and home (economics), but we were all packed into that one school.”
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Flores was one of 10 students in his graduating class. His wife, Gloria, the 1967 salutatorian, graduated with 11 or 12. At the time, classes were held in the original schoolhouse that today serves as the district’s administrative headquarters.
Tornillo ISD Superintendent Rosy Vega-Barrio knows the building well. The office suite she occupies in the district’s highest seat was once her third-grade classroom.
Tornillo Superintendent Rosy Vega-Barrio
“I always tell everybody that it’s a hidden gem,” Vega-Barrio said of her hometown. She graduated from Tornillo High School in 1993 and returned to serve as the superintendent in September 2017 after spending 17 years in neighboring Socorro ISD as an elementary teacher, instructional specialist, assistant principal and principal. “It’s a community that is just very precious and we’re all striving for more for our kids. I think that’s the beauty of a smaller district that you know people by name, you know the kids, what their trials and tribulations are.”
Flores shared similar sentiments from six decades ago.
“We were close-knit. Everyone knew everyone,” he said.
A $14.5 million high school campus opened in February 2010 along Oil Mill Road. It welcomed more than 320 students. District officials at the time believed Tornillo would experience a population increase due to the construction of the Tornillo-Guadalupe International Bridge and an influx of new residents who were fleeing drug violence in Mexico. The high school was augmented with a state-of-the-art fieldhouse, track and football stadium after voters approved a 2016 bond. Today the campus houses approximately 230 students.
Shrinking numbers, expanding opportunity
Tornillo ISD, like many rural districts, has seen steep enrollment declines. Since 2011, its student body has dropped by nearly 47%.
But those who stay have access to opportunities Juan Flores could hardly imagine in 1968.
“I got a few scholarships, mostly to cover books,” he recalled. “Some kids were encouraged to go [to college], but not like they are now. Most of us went to work right away — a lot of us ended up at Farah (Manufacturing).”
Tornillo High School celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Cordova’s story reflects how much has changed.
Valedictorian, student-athlete, student council leader and early college graduate, Cordova finished her first semester at UTEP before receiving her high school diploma. She plans to study biomedical sciences and return to Tornillo as a pharmacist.
“I want to try to study abroad … and after that, I do plan on staying here,” she said.
Flores, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating and worked for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 30 years, retiring as leader of the agency’s postal distribution center in El Paso, said it’s that connection to place that resonates across generations.
“Most of us lived on farms,” he said. “Tornillo was home, even when we left it.”
Despite a rich past, Tornillo ISD faces urgent challenges. The district, which comprises three campuses has lost nearly half its enrollment since 2011, dropping from 1,362 students to 724 in 2025 — part of a broader trend of rural population decline, aging infrastructure and limited state funding.
Of the 789 school-age children who live in the district’s boundaries this year, 113 attend school elsewhere — some in Fabens and Clint, others in charter schools or larger school districts.
Tornillo High School, home of the Coyotes, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
“Yes, we are a small district, but face the same requirements as for a big district,” Vega-Barrio said. “We just happen to have less personnel to do it. We have less resources. Being one of the region’s poorest districts is an added challenge for us. We want to be able to provide everything that our kids should have access to, but there are limitations, because at the end of the day, it’s about funding.”
Vega-Barrio credits the district’s administrative team and board of trustees with passing balanced budgets up until two years when districts throughout Texas faced deficits after the Legislature did not increase the basic allotment during the 88th session. The basic allotment is the foundational basis for student funding in Texas. Without it, school districts have faced significant financial challenges leading to the adoption of budget deficits, program cuts and school closures.
In Tornillo, the district closed its Pre-K-2 facility and merged it with Tornillo Intermediate School, one of the campuses of the district’s K-8 center.
Students in a science class at Tornillo High School listen to instructions for an upcoming field trip, May 20, 2025. The school celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
“There’s been some needed readjustments and decisions that were not popular,” Vega-Barrio said. “To tell you the truth, I’m not even OK with them as a leader. But those are decisions that you have to make. I want to make sure that this district continues to stand solid not only academically, but also financially. That’s what we owe to our community. That’s what they entrust us to do and, so, we strive to do that.”
In 2024-25, Tornillo operated under a $12.8 million budget with a deficit of about $479,000, down from about $624,000 the previous school year. Vega-Barrio said the district is projecting a deficit of nearly $262,000 in the 2025-26 school year, a figure that is dependent on the passage of House Bill 2, which authorizes approximately $8.5 billion for Texas public schools to fund teacher and staff salaries, educator preparation, special education, safety requirements and early childhood learning. The bill awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
Final passage of House Bill 2, which will give schools additional money for teacher and staff salaries, educator preparation, special education, safety requirements and early childhood learning, comes on the heels of extensive negotiations between the House and Senate over how the final version of the bill would look.
Related Chronic absenteeism rises in El Paso schools post-pandemic Tornillo ISD was the only school district in El Paso County to lower its chronic absenteeism rate when students returned to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Tornillo ISD teachers earned an average salary of $63,656 — slightly above the state average by about $1,182. However, that figure lags behind several nearby districts. In Ysleta ISD, the average salary is $64,539, while Fabens ISD averages $62,630. In neighboring Clint ISD, teachers earn $63,075. More stark is the gap with San Elizario ISD, where the average salary is $73,946, and Socorro ISD, where teachers earn an average of $85,893 — more than $22,000 higher than in Tornillo.
Tornillo ISD received a “C” rating from the Texas Education Agency in its last available accountability ratings from 2023.
Despite the area’s challenges, many families stay — drawn by strong community ties and access to programs that provide academic head starts.
Learning to Lead in a Small Town
For Cordova, Tornillo’s size has been a strength.
“It’s been, like, the same group all these years,” she said. “So, we’re really close with each other. We’ve known each other for years.”
A banner in the Tornillo High School gym displays the Coyotes’ fight song, May 20, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
She played volleyball, basketball and softball, and said the juggling act of games and homework helped her learn time management and people skills.
“Sports taught me how to communicate with my teammates and all people and how to manage situations. Like, if things get heated up, I kind of know how to tone it down.”
Upon joining the early college program her freshman year, Cordova said it was “basically, like a switch clicked.” She began pushing herself harder.
“It makes me feel grateful because I like to make my parents proud, and I know I make them proud and I want to keep that going,” she said. “Being in the spot has led me to opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t valedictorian.”
She plans to attend UTEP where she intends to major in biomedical sciences, study abroad, then return to Tornillo as a pharmacist.
“I am proud of my community and I hope to inspire other people as well. I have a younger sister and I hope to inspire her to be better than me.”
Clockwise from top left, Ayleen Rodriguez, Mia Cordova and Danna Rodriguez pose at the Tornillo High School stadium, May 20, 2025. The three seniors are part of the class that will graduate in Tornillo’s 100th anniversary year. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Finding belonging
Another graduate, Ayleen Rodriguez, arrived in Tornillo from Valle de Juárez, in sixth grade. She said adapting to a new country and learning English was difficult — made worse by bullying.
“It was really hard for me to come to school,” she said. “I wasn’t able to understand my teachers or my friends.”
Flores, the 1968 graduate, recalled that many of his classmates also had ties across the Rio Grande.
“We had families from Caseta, Porvenir. People crossed and came to school here. There were families who lived on the farms, and families who made it over from Mexico,” he said. “It’s been that way a long time.”
For Rodriguez, the COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of hardship.
“It was really hard for me to adapt to the language and also to adapt to learning through a screen,” she said. “The teacher wouldn’t have the time to take time for me and then tell me in Spanish.”
Still, she persisted. Rodriguez credits the early college program and FBLA — where she competed at the state level — with helping her grow confident and connected.
“We got seven students to state, so that was really cool,” Rodriguez said. “Even though I came here without knowing any English, I have three scholarships now, I have a full ride scholarship and I have my associate’s degree. I just feel very grateful for being able to have all of that.”
She plans to major in nursing and become a certified registered nurse anesthetist — a decision shaped by the death of her grandfather.
“I lost my grandpa two years ago,” she said. “And the answer from the doctor was, ‘I don’t know what’s happening to him.’ So I want to be able to know what is actually happening, because this goes over generations.”
Hector Valadez, center, winds down the school year with students in his law enforcement class at Tornillo High School, May 20, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Vega-Barrio said these opportunities were borne of her initiative to start a dual credit program.
By 2018, the district established a partnership with Western Technical College allowing Tornillo students to earn certifications in welding, nursing, computer science and diesel mechanics. Partnerships with El Paso Community College and UTEP followed shortly after.
“Our kids are utilizing these programs,” Vega-Barrio said. “Over 90% from our graduating classes are walking out with a diploma or certification. They’re walkout out career-ready.”
A feeling of togetherness
Danna Rodriguez, also a top-10 graduate and student athlete, described Tornillo as a place where “people are always involved.”
“We were able to go on a mini field trip to (Coyote) Park and see the changes that they did,” she said. “It’s always been a big part of me.”
Tornillo senior Danna Rodriguez points to a bulletin board that features some of the high school’s special career preparation programs, May 20, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Rodriguez helped younger classmates — including recent arrivals from Mexico — feel welcome and took pride in helping others adjust.
“People from Mexico come over here, taking the opportunity to open up themselves,” she said.
Like others in her class, she was enrolled in early college and started UTEP coursework her senior year. She plans to major in marketing and minor in human resources, with hopes of opening her own business.
On the basketball court, she was a team captain and helped lead Tornillo to a playoff berth — a shared dream with Cordova.
“We were like, ‘We’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it,’” she said. “At last we did, so it was really exciting.”
Claudia Soto, an English instructional specialist at Tornillo High School, reminisces with graduating seniors who say that she is “like the mom” of all the Tornillo students, May 20, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
In 1968, Tornillo’s athletic teams traveled dusty roads to compete against schools in towns such as Sierra Blanca and Dell City in six-man football and other sports.
“We did everything in school,” Flores said. “Basketball, football, track, tennis — we didn’t have the numbers, so you played everything.”
Flores sees a shift in how today’s Tornillo graduates are supported to pursue higher education.
“I think they’re making more of an effort to get these kids to go to college than when we were (there),” he said. “Back then … some of us were encouraged to go, but it wasn’t like it is now.”
‘An amazing journey’
Graduation night carried weight far beyond a milestone number.
“I’m not going to be able to see my classmates anymore, like every other day,” said Danna Rodriguez. “So, it’s going to be hard.”
Flores’ class of 1968 graduated in the gymnasium of the original red-brick building, in what he described as a “small celebration.”
“Of course all the family was there,” he said. “But nothing big like now.”
Last August, Flores and the Tornillo Alumni Association helped host a celebration at the school and Cattleman’s Steakhouse to honor the district’s legacy. The group is now working to start a scholarship fund to support future graduates.
“What we’re trying to do is help the district… to encourage the kids to go to college,” Flores said.
From left, Tornillo High School seniors Mia Cordova, Ayleen Rodriguez and Danna Rodriguez tour their campus as they prepare for their graduation, which coincides with the school’s 100th anniversary, May 20, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Vega-Barrio said this year’s graduating class is not only momentous, it is a representation of the tenacious spirit that pervades throughout Tornillo.
“Our kids here, they’re raised different. They are hard-working kids with a big heart,” she said. “It really has been an amazing journey to see everything from where we started 100 years ago with only a handful of students. There’s a lot that has changed, but there’s certain pillars that are still remaining. We still have this community that is here for the best interest of the youth. A very visionary community.”
For Cordova, Friday night represented the culmination of years of striving — and a beginning.
“Some advice I would give is to never give up. You never know what can happen. And I would also like to say, like, to follow your dreams. Anything can happen. Y si lo que Dios quiera.”
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