The Mansfield ISD Blog Site Moved!

Can't get enough of our weekly district features? No worries! We still cover the great things happening around Mansfield ISD; we just moved locations.

Since the MISD website has been redesigned to a responsive platform, we thought it would be best to migrate our blog to the new website to enhance accessibility.

Find our new blog location here: https://www.mansfieldisd.org/news-events/misd-blog.

MISD Teachers Kick Off Summer with a Week of Learning

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The students are gone, and the school bells are silent; but instead of packing for a vacation, some teachers in Mansfield ISD decided to begin their summer break by honing their skills even more.

Hundreds of educators attended the district’s free annual summer curriculum from May 29 through May 31. The sessions are open to all teachers in the district for a chance to learn new teaching techniques while earning their staff development equivalency hours.

“The teachers especially love that it’s them doing the presentations,” said Teresa Francis, advanced academics coordinator. “It’s not some person who hasn’t been in the classroom or doesn’t know what’s going or talking about some educational theory that doesn’t really have anything to do with what they do in their day-to-day job.”

A bulk of the planning for the conference begins January. Organizers said they research what’s relevant in teaching and use objectives they learned in other trainings to customize each session.

“We’re always looking for what we can offer our staff members that will be helpful to them,” Francis said.

Along with the core subjects, the classes covered topics such as leadership, CPR, gifted and talented, special education, dyslexia, college readiness and more. The sessions are centered around the district’s strategic plan, Vision 2020, which guides how  Mansfield ISD will fulfill its mission of inspiring and education students to be productive citizens.

“It continues year after year to be a very popular event for our teachers,” said Christie Alfred, MISD’s chief innovative officer. “They really appreciate the fact that it’s focused on Mansfield ISD to the things that are specific to our teachers and to our district.”

The summer curriculum classes are held at Legacy High School, a centralized location for the staff. Organizers said that the goal each year is to provide quality lessons that can be immediately implemented in classrooms.

Mansfield ISD Names Teachers of the Year

Two teachers have been named as the 2018-19 Teachers of the Year. The Teacher of the Year finalists are chosen by a selection committee who review all campus teachers of the year and identify the top three candidates from elementary and secondary education. Each finalist then participates in an external interview process with professors from TWU who identify the top teacher.

The elementary Teacher of the Year is Heather Carson, a fourth grade teacher at Carol Holt Elementary.


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Heather Carson teaches fourth grade math and science at Carol Holt Elementary. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies with a specialization in English as a Second Language from Texas Tech University. Her mission is to increase student engagement in the classroom by movement and extraordinary educational experiences. She stands true to her values by always putting her scholars first, building positive relationships with parents and scholars, amping up academic rigor, challenging her scholars to think beyond the standards, and always keep learning as an educator.

“She’s the kind of teacher you wish you had in elementary school,” said Thelma Foster, principal at Carol Holt. “The teachers admire her and respect her and I think they all want to be her when they grow up. I want to be Heather when I grow up.”

The secondary Teacher of the Year is David Roberson, the culinary arts teacher at Ben Barber Innovation Academy.


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David L. Roberson was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. Sooner born and bred, Roberson is the youngest of eight children which helped develop his character as a person, chef and educator. He is a Culinary Arts instructor for grades 9-12 at Ben Barber Innovation Academy and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Christian Education with a concentration in Theology from Liberty University. Chef Roberson co-wrote the curriculum for Culinary Arts, which includes ProStart industry certification and Certificate of Achievement developing real world opportunities on and off campus.

“Not only does he love the students, which is very important, he loves the staff,” said Ben Barber principal, Catherine Hudgins. “He brings a bright light to us every day he is on campus.”

Congratulations to these teachers.

Mansfield ISD Hosts Third Annual Innovation Conference

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Mansfield ISD held its third annual Innovation Conference on May 6-9 at the Dr. Sarah J. Jandrucko Academy for Early Learners.

The theme this year was focused on early childhood education and featured the research and plans that resulted in the Academy for Early Learners facility.

“We are very proud of what we do here in MISD and we want to share what we’ve learned,” said Mansfield ISD Associate Superintendent, Dr. Sean Scott. “Also, we grow incredibly from our visitors and colleagues from around the state and so we want to learn from them and make sure that we continue to stay on the cutting edge of education.”

The conference, which drew educators and leaders from across the state, included a tour of The Academy, history and research behind the creation of the unique facility and techniques/tips on how to provide experiential learning and instructional strategies for early learners. The conference featured four one-day seminars for participants to be immersed in the active explorative experiences.

“We first heard about the academy at the mid-winter conference and so we were very blessed to be able come and experience this opportunity for ourselves,” said Kelley Estes-Jones, assistant director of Region 10 for early childhood services. “To be able to see the young children engaging in their everyday learning through these wonderful experiences was magical.”

Over four days, the Innovation Conference served about 160 educators.

“We’ve gotten to learn from the staff here at Mansfield ISD,” said Estes-Jones. “I have enjoyed being here for the Innovation Conference because we are all about high-quality early childhood experiences, learning and anything that we can gain and take back to further the cause.”

The Dr. Sarah K. Jandrucko Academy for Early Learners, which opened in January, is the first prekindergarten campus of its kind in Mansfield ISD and throughout the state of Texas. It was designed for inquiring young minds using creative, hands-on, interactive experiences within a researched-based early childhood program.

For more information on The Academy for Early Learners, visit their website.

Ben Barber Students Partner with NASA to Make Packages for Space

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Mansfield ISD Ben Barber Innovation Academy students are working with the NASA HUNCH program to create secure packaging that will allow NASA to send objects to outer space.

The NASA program -- HUNCH, which stands for High schools United with NASA to Create Hardware -- is a STEM outreach effort designed to bring students new educational experiences with NASA projects.

“I saw an advertisement through Facebook and I just reached out to them to see if it was something we could get involved with,” said Tim Sherwood, the manufacturing teacher at Ben Barber. “They had us come down and take a look at their facility and here we are making parts for them now.”

The HUNCH partnership requires the students at Ben Barber to make lids for 40 storage boxes each year. Once completed, the boxes will be sent to space stations containing food, supplies and experiments.

“My favorite part of the project is probably just the challenge of doing it,” said Ryan Weisblatt, a Mansfield High School senior. “A lot of people don’t get this opportunity, so this part alone has really made me think and challenge myself.”

In preparation for making the lids, the students learned how to operate drawing files, manual coding and programmed software for machines.

“The students are really enjoying this type of work and to be able to see the parts and put them to real use, it really shows them what they can look forward to after high school,” said Sherwood. “A lot went into it and the kids were able to overcome it all."

After making the boxes, the students are allowed to sign their name onto the fixture.

“My name is going to be in space one day and that’s an amazing accomplishment that I can tell my friends,” said Weisblatt. “It’s an awesome experience all around.”

Elementary Schools Hold Senior Clap Out

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On April 26, Mansfield ISD held their annual Senior Clap Out for high school seniors all over the district to return to their elementary schools. The senior clap out allows high school seniors to walk through the halls of their former elementary school while the students and staff give them high fives and clap for them.

“It’s really nostalgic being able to come back to Annette Perry and see all my old teachers,” said Audra Slater, a Lake Ridge High School senior. “It’s so crazy just seeing all these kids supporting you not even knowing who you are but they still look up to you as if you’re their big sister or big brother.”

The teachers enjoy seeing their old students just as much as the graduates.

“There’s a couple emotions that you get,” said Kevin Dodge, a fourth grade teacher at D.P. Morris. “First you’re really jarred by how old they are which in turn makes you feel really old and you start contemplating how much longer you have left on this Earth. Then you think, but that’s okay because I was able to make an impact.”

When the students meet with their former teachers they often reminisce on memories from their time in elementary school.

“You get all these great memories back from when you were young,” said Lake Ridge High School senior, Omar Quinones. “Walking through the hallways, the school is so much smaller than it usually was because when you were a little kid you thought the school was humongous.”

The seniors also share what their plans for the future are.

“My heart fills just with pride to hear what their choices are and the decisions they’re making,” said Sondra Thomas, the principal of Annette Perry from 2009-2014. “I can’t wait to hear in five years what they’ve accomplished.”

The seniors wear their cap and gowns to show the current elementary students that they, too, will graduate one day.

“One day when I grow up I want to be just like one of those high schoolers,” said D.P. Morris fourth grader, Liliana Garcia.