Recent News
Each year, our Star 6th graders work on a meaningful community project to design and build animal enrichment devices for the rescue animals at the Austin Zoo. Students combine research, creativity, and hands-on problem-solving to support the zookeepers during feeding time and provide much-needed stimulation for the animals. The project begins with observation and research.... Read more »
Earlier this semester, College Success Day connected our current Stars with Ann Richards School alumni to learn firsthand what life looks like after graduation. Alumni joined us in person and via Zoom to participate in personalized Q&A sessions with middle and high school students. More than 30 Star alumni shared their college journeys, offering honest... Read more »
The 2025-2026 school year Teacher of the Year for the Ann Richards School was awarded to Ms. Amber O’Donnell. Ms. O’Donnell is the Math Department Chair and teaches 8th-grade math to our Stars. This fall, Ms. O’Donnell led the opening and operation of the Math Tutoring Center. The Math Tutoring Center meets our students at... Read more »
The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders has announced a search for its next high school principal, seeking an experienced and visionary principal to lead the nationally recognized, all-girls public school serving grades 6–12 in the Austin Independent School District. The new principal will guide a vibrant community of more than 900 students who... Read more »
Each year, our Stars begin the spring semester with Intersession, a unique two-day experience focused on exploration, creativity, and community connection. Held during the first few days back from winter break, Intersession gives students the opportunity to step outside the classroom, connect with faculty and staff in new ways, and reset before the academic pace... Read more »
Last month, three junior Stars from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders had a meaningful opportunity to attend the 50th Anniversary Women in Public Life Symposium, hosted by the LBJ Women’s Campaign School at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Presidential Library at The University of Texas at Austin. The bipartisan,... Read more »
The Ann Richards School Foundation is proud to announce that Maryana Iskander has been selected as the 2026 Ann Richards Legacy Award recipient. The award will be presented at Reach for the Stars, the Foundation’s annual fundraising gala, on April 17, 2026, at the JW Marriott Austin. A global leader with experience as CEO of... Read more »
The ARS Classic brought creativity and community spirit to the Ann Richards School campus as players tested their putting skills on a mini golf course designed and built entirely by our 7th-grade Stars. This unique fundraiser blended engineering, design, and imagination, transforming the MakerSpace into a hub of hands-on learning and inventive problem-solving. From Texas... Read more »
Last Monday, our Star 9th graders participated in the annual CREW Careers Day, hosted in partnership with Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). This hands-on learning experience introduced students to the process of planning an active development project in Austin. Throughout the day, CREW members mentored students as they worked in teams to design and propose... Read more »
The Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (KS WELI) Student Board from UT Austin visited the Ann Richards School to lead a Project LEAP (Leadership & Entrepreneurship Achievement Program) workshop with our 9th-grade Stars. Project LEAP gives students the chance to discover their leadership style and think like entrepreneurs. Through fun activities and meaningful conversations,... Read more »
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