When floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country last year, Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) student Katherine Ferruzzo was among the lives heartbreakingly lost.

Today, her name and spirit live on through The Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation, which is transforming classrooms and changing lives across the community she loved.

A fireball of energy and a heart for others

To those who knew her best, Katherine was unforgettable, filling the world around her with laughter, light and determination.

"She was a fireball of energy," said her mother, Andrea Ferruzzo. "She was always ready to go and do what needed to be done and made everything fun. She wanted to do her best in everything, from school to volunteering to friendships. She just had this way of making everyone around her smile."

Katherine’s compassion ran deep. A speech-delayed toddler who once attended The Parish School before joining SBISD, she learned early on the power of empathy and inclusion. As she grew older, she found her calling in helping others who faced similar challenges.

A calling to serve

By the time she reached high school, Katherine knew exactly who she wanted to teach and why. At Memorial High School (MHS), Katherine worked as a student aide in the Life Skills classroom and later joined the Future Teachers program, serving at Frostwood Elementary under APPLE teacher Madeline Margraves.

"She came home one day and told me, ‘I’m really good at this, Mom. These students respond to me. I love it,’" Ferruzzo recalled. "That’s when she knew for sure she’d become a special education teacher."

Her passion was unmistakable. "She connected with every student she met," Margraves said. "She saw ability where others might only see difference."

From grief to giving

In the days following the flooding, as friends and community members reached out in support, the Ferruzzo family realized how many lives Katherine had touched.

"Our friend Jeff Green told us that people wanted to honor Katherine’s life," Ferruzzo said. "That’s when we opened a donor-advised fund, and the outpouring of support was immediate."

What began as a way to channel grief has since become a movement of purpose. Through The Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation, teachers of special education students across SBISD receive reimbursement grants and funding for classroom materials, sensory tools and adaptive learning items. This support makes a big difference for students and teachers alike.

A ripple of impact

"When I delivered checks to teachers, they hugged me," Ferruzzo said. "They showed me what they bought, materials that kept their students engaged and gave them joy. One teacher told me the students were so busy exploring their new learning tools that she actually got to sit down and eat lunch. That made me smile. Katherine would’ve loved that."

"Knowing that Katherine’s foundation made such a big difference in a teacher’s day brings us great joy," Ferruzzo said.

At the schools receiving funds this year, teachers describe the experience as both humbling and uplifting.

"This grant let me create hands-on task boxes for my Life Skills students," said Kayla Van Buren, special education teacher at Hunters Creek Elementary. "Each activity builds independence, focus and joy. It's exactly what Katherine wanted for every child she worked with."

"We talk about legacy a lot in education," said Margraves. "Katherine’s legacy is love in action. These materials touch students who may never know her name but are learning because of her."

A community that cares

At MHS, Principal Lisa Weir reflected on the broader meaning of the foundation’s work.

"Katherine represented everything we hope for in our students," Weir said. "She showed compassion, courage and conviction. Seeing her family’s efforts reminds us that tragedy can spark something enduringly good when it’s driven by love."

Looking ahead: Carrying the legacy forward

The Ferruzzo family plans to expand the foundation’s support beyond SBISD with a statewide scholarship in Katherine’s name to help future special education teachers pursue their degrees.

Volunteer opportunities are also in development, offering students and families ways to roll up their sleeves and serve.

"Katherine would be beaming with pride," Ferruzzo said. "She dreamed big. She would love that her legacy is giving other students and teachers the chance to thrive."

A challenge to give back

Ferruzzo says her daughter’s story is both a reminder and a challenge.

"I’d tell families, students and educators to find what makes your heart sing and give back," she said. "Whether it’s reading to kids, helping at a ballgame or volunteering for a cause, go do it. That’s how you make a difference."

For the Ferruzzo family and the SBISD community, that difference is being felt one classroom, one teacher and one smile at a time.

"I feel blessed that God chose me to be Katherine’s mom," Ferruzzo said. "As long as I’m able, I’ll keep doing this work. This district has wrapped its arms around us, and together, we’re making sure her light never fades."

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