How Ysleta Independent School District is building a more joyful, confident community of young creators

On a Thursday morning at Scotsdale Elementary in El Paso, Texas, a group of third graders gathered around their Chromebooks to begin what their technology teacher called a “spooky tech mystery” assignment in Adobe Express. One student debated between titling her poster The Day the Wi-Fi Vanished or Revenge of the Chromebook. Another student’s poster focused on solving the case of the missing tech teacher.

Laughter rippled across the room as the ideas grew funnier — and eerily plausible. What began as a simple creative warm-up became a chance for students to blend humor, imagination, and digital tools.

Moments like this have become increasingly common across Ysleta Independent School District (ISD). And behind much of this momentum is an educator who believed teachers deserved a gentler, more joyful way to explore creative tools.

A homegrown idea that gives teachers what they need

Ysleta ISD, one of El Paso’s largest and most historic districts with 59 campuses, requires its educators to complete six hours of Gifted & Talented (GT) credit every two years to help oversee gifted and talented students. Innovative Learning Specialist and Adobe Creative Educator Innovator Mesha Daniel wondered if those hours could serve a different purpose. She wanted teachers to experience creativity the way students do: with curiosity, not pressure.

Instead of waiting for a program to appear, Daniel built one herself. After validating requirements with the local education service center, she created a six-session, self-paced professional development course for teachers in Adobe Express. Every participant submitted a creative artifact that Daniel personally reviewed.

Her approach was to make learning welcoming, flexible, and immediately usable. And teachers responded. Within the first year, more than 1,000 educators across the district completed her Adobe Express courses, summer academies, and Tacobout Tech Tuesday sessions.

Teachers’ excitement shows up in how much they and their students are creating with Adobe Express. Ysleta classrooms produced 23,600 projects in 2024 and 27,600 in 2025, a 17 percent jump since Daniel introduced her GT trainings. Exports represent the work students and teachers choose to share, and they’re a strong sign of growing confidence with the tool. Today, 40 percent of users return to Adobe Express every month, showing it has become an integral part of how they learn and create.

“Teachers love that Adobe Express is easy to use and that there’s support behind it,” Daniel said. “They can explore, try things, and feel confident bringing it to their students.”

Two teachers in particular — Valerie Renteria and Veronica Macias — show how Daniel’s work is reaching students in ways that are personal and meaningful.

Valerie Renteria helps students discover their voices

Scotsdale Elementary technology teacher Valerie Renteria has spent 15 years working with students across Ysleta ISD. Today she uses Adobe Express in weekly sessions with her second through fifth graders and GT students, helping them strengthen not only creativity but also typing, vocabulary, trackpad navigation, and communication.

The “spooky tech mystery” assignment she designed — inspired by a real Amazon server failure that disrupted instruction — and the Grateful Journey activity capture what she loves about Adobe Express. Students can take an everyday moment and turn it into a playful, imaginative story, learning as they go.

Renteria often sees students take a feature she introduced briefly and explore it independently. Some record videos. Others manipulate text or images. Many surprise her by connecting creative choices to content they’re learning in class.

“Children are sponges,” she said. “They run with whatever you give them, and Adobe Express helps them bring their ideas to life in a way they feel proud of.”

Veronica Macias builds digital confidence from pre-K through fifth grade

At East Point Elementary, technology teacher Veronica Macias reaches every student in the school through rotating technology classes. For her, Adobe Express is an inviting entry point that feels colorful, intuitive, and unintimidating for young learners.

She guides students through projects that let them step into different roles. Some act as graphic designers, creating infographics about themselves. Others make commercials for imaginary restaurants, combining generated images with video and voice. Many students return to Adobe Express on their own to create cards, posters, or short videos for friends and family.

“I want them to feel comfortable clicking around, trying things, and not worrying about doing it wrong,” Macias said. “Adobe Express helps them explore.”

Macias is also working with classroom teachers to bring Adobe Express into assignment planning conversations, making it easier to include creative responses in math, reading, and social studies. Her goal is to help teachers see that creativity doesn’t have to be an add-on. It can simply be another way students share what they understand.

A culture built on encouragement

Daniel’s support for teachers extends well beyond formal professional development. She and a colleague created the “Hope Chest” to remind teachers that creativity can feel joyful even on the busiest days. The initiative began with handwritten notes they placed around the district and grew into a weekly message filled with short videos and ready-to-use templates.

That same spirit guides the work happening across Ysleta ISD, where teachers are experimenting with new project ideas and weaving Adobe Express into daily instruction. Students are discovering fresh ways to share their voices because their teachers feel supported enough to try something new.

“When teachers feel encouraged, they open doors for students,” Daniel said. “The impact reaches far beyond the classroom.”