Former ‘Garfield Elementary’ Staff Gather for Emotional Reunion Ahead of Reconfiguration into Middle School: "Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang"

As of the 2025-2026 school year, Garfield Elementary will be no more as it becomes Garfield Middle School. After catching wind of the news, former Garfield Elementary staff planned a reunion outside the school entrance at 300 W Martin Street while its signage still reads ‘Garfield Elementary’. 

As about 45 former teachers, coaches, and principals from Garfield Elementary-past began to arrive, sparks started to fly immediately as old co-workers, turned life-long-friends, reunited. Laughter, shouts of joy, and a few tears came from the lively group of educators as they gathered outside the elementary school, with warm hugs all around.

"Garfield was always proud of our sense of family. When we worked together we considered ourselves family," says Eliza Diaz, former principal of Garfield Elementary who has since become superintendent of Brackett ISD. "As we started to hear about the elementary closing and it becoming a middle school, several of us began to reach out and said, ‘Let’s bring our Garfield family together in front of the school and fellowship and reminisce.’"

The story of Garfield Elementary is one of great purpose. Situated in a historically underprivileged area, 89% of Garfield Elementary’s large population of students are considered ‘economically disadvantaged’, according to data from the Texas Tribune. Diaz says she and her teachers worked to create an atmosphere of love and belonging for the children of the neighborhood they served.

"We were the largest elementary school. At one point this school housed almost 900 students. So even having that many students, we knew our kids by name, and our teachers worked really, really hard to do the best for their kids,’ Diaz shared. "It’s always about putting kids first. I learned from great leaders such as Julio Ramos and Sylvia Gonzalez, who always reminded me that if you make decisions based on kids’ needs, that’s where you’ll make the biggest impact."

SFDR-CISD plans to designate Garfield Middle School as the district’s 7th grade campus, which means middle school students will now come from all corners of Del Rio to Garfield, and the neighborhood’s elementary students will be re-zoned to farther schools. Diaz says this means that a sense of togetherness at Garfield might be lost on the new configuration. 

"Garfield was always a family, neighborhood school. Our parents [felt] welcomed, and we always had a lot of parental involvement. So I know the neighborhood school is definitely going to be missed."

Garfield Elementary’s mascot is a mustang, an homage to the mustangs of San Felipe High School, which closed in 1971 after consolidating with Del Rio I.S.D. and was commemorated in 2009 by the Texas Historical Commission. A historical marker placed at the San Felipe High School campus (now San Felipe Memorial Middle School) reads, "San Felipe High School was known for its caring teachers, who along with administrators helped to create a close-knit community." At Garfield Elementary the spirit of San Felipe shaped the lives of its young students, and imbued its teachers with a sense of purpose in the work they did. 

"We always said, "Once a mustang, always a mustang"