In the end, the rich, smooth and slightly spicy hot honey pepper poppers proved to be the appetizer of choice Thursday during the Boerne ISD’s first-ever “After Hours Mixer.”
The successful event lends itself to renewal for next year, as Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce members toured the school district’s newest campus, Viola Wilson Elementary, enjoyed music from BISD students, watched school robotics teams perform, received bouquets created by the district floral design students and sampled delicious treats prepared by BISD culinary arts students.
Hours Mixer at Viola Wilson Elementary.
Star photos by Jeff B. Flinn “It was such an incredible day. I loved bringing together our community vendors that do so much for the community,” said Yvette Reyna, executive director of the Boerne Education Foundation and BISD Community Engagement.
“I believe we have well over 100 people at the event,” Reyna said, “and it’s been just an incredible evening of really showcasing our students and showing ... that they are not only amazing academically and athletically, but also kids of great character.”
Four teams of BISD culinary arts students prepared top-notch appetizers, giving attendees a tough choice for winner of the first-ever “Taste of Boerne ISD” competition. The aforementioned pepper poppers prevailed, edging the Rueben pinwheels, Mexican street corn dip and savory spinach artichoke profiteroles.
BISD Superintendent Dr. Kristin Craft joined Boerne Chamber President and CEO Kimberley Blohm at center stage, to draw business cards for the chamber’s door prizes, after announcing the winning appetizer and mocktail-drink entries.
While she declined to mention which appetizer she personally voted for, she did not hesitate to extol the accomplishments of the students in her district.
“This really encapsulates the ‘Boerne Advantage,’ when you think about everything our students aspire to, and all the opportunities and choices they have,” Craft said. “It just shows the sky’s the limit and we encourage all students to explore their interests.”
The mixer was several months in the making, Craft said. But just one phone call turned an idea into an event.
“This really came about right after graduation,” Craft said. “We were debriefing on the year and were thinking about other ways to engage our community. The Boerne Chamber is a fantastic partner, so it just took one phone call to Kim with an idea, and it took off from there.”
Reyna said everyone she spoke with during the two-hour event was impressed, expressing an amazement at the levels of talent on display.
“You know me, I am ready for 2026,” Reyna said. “I am ready to start planning it from the ground up. I feel like we’ve created a really good model for us, and we can just enhance it next year.”
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