Representatives from Mansfield ISD, the City of Mansfield and the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce loaded up on buses and took a trip down Highway 35 to let their voices be heard.
Feb. 15 was Mansfield Day at the Capitol; and MISD had its students, staff and board trustees take part in the day of advocacy.
“I wanted our kids to interact with [state legislators] so they can continue to see what great kids we have in our district,” said MISD Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas. “I also wanted for the kids to meet our legislators who represent us in Austin and hear them speak.”
The group took a full tour of the State Capitol in Austin.
Students were grateful to be in attendance because it gave them the opportunity to take what they learn in their textbooks and bring it to life.
“It’s a blessing to be here because a lot of people don’t get to see what it’s like to really be in a position where you get to see how your say gets put in the Capitol. It’s a good experience to see for yourself,” said Cierra Lockhart, senior at Summit High School.
The trip to Austin also gave the MISD school board a chance to share all the great things happening within the district.
“We’re really a voice for our kids,” MISD Board President Raul Gonzalez explained. “We’re making sure state legislators put the political agendas aside and make public education a priority.”
The day at the Capitol was hosted by the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce. The organization holds advocacy days every two years, but 2017 marks the first year the three entities have gone together to show strength in numbers.
Out of the original batch of 35 spelling bee contestants who made it to the district competition by being the winners at their campus bee, only two girls were left in round 10.
Ruth Oyerokun from Linda Jobe Middle School and Tojumi Olayiwole from Mary Orr Intermediate School battled it out for almost an hour on Feb. 10 to see who would be named the Mansfield ISD spelling champion.
Androcentric. Lithe. Folksiness. Polymer. Each word was spelled effortlessly—until the word to spell was hogan.
Olayiwole misspelled it, which gave Oyerokun the opportunity to correctly spell the next two words. T-r-a-w-l became her trophy-winning letters.
“I’m very happy,” said the seventh-grader. “This is my fourth spelling bee. I was runner-up in fourth and fifth grade.”
Olayiwole (left) and Oyerokun (right) were competitors and friends.
Winning was a little bitter-sweet for Oyerokun because the runner-up is her friend, but she said it felt satisfying to win after years of qualifying and preparing for the district bee.
“It feels good to finally not be behind someone,” she said. “I’ve been studying for the past two months for 30 minutes a day. My family has been very supportive and told me to learn from my past mistakes.”
The annual MISD Spelling Bee fosters public speaking skills, enhances vocabulary skills and builds self-confidence through friendly competition. It is just one of the ways the district and community come together to support literacy.
“One of the tenants of Rotary International is literacy,” said Randall Canedy from the Mansfield Sunrise Rotary Club, which sponsors the event. “[The spelling bee] isn’t the only thing we do, but it’s something we really enjoy and one of our favorite events of the year.”
Oyerokun already has her eyes set on her next prize. She’ll go on to compete at the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on March 2 at Texas Christian University.
Moncrief, nicknamed Super Sid, told the students about his NBA days.
He went from playing professional basketball to coaching it. Now, he uses his passion to coach people and inspire them to achieve greatness.
Five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief made a stop at Mansfield ISD’s Phoenix Academy and Behavior Intervention Center (BIC) to teach students about the road to his success despite his childhood difficulties.
“I used to get into trouble when I was younger,” the Milwaukee Bucks legend explained. “But once I got to high school, I found my calling, which was basketball.”
The 6-4 guard said he was very skilled in basketball, but his grades didn’t always make the score. Once he made the decision to apply himself, his grade point average (GPA) went from a 1.85 entering high school to a 3.85 by the time he graduated.
“I didn’t get smarter; I decided to put in more hard work and effort,” Moncrief said. “Here’s a guy that had everything going against him, and he was still able to do something very good. You have the same potential to be great. You just have to find a way to tap into that.”
The father of four detailed the habits needed to become a successful adult whom people can trust. Topics ranged from preparation and smart choices to kindness and respect.
Students were excited to welcome the Defensive Player of the Year.
Students like Ryan Redd said they connected to his message.
“I think it was the best presentation,” said the 11th-grader. “I relate to his situation more because I play basketball. I learned how key responsibility is.”
Moncrief is now a speaker, consultant and author. He said he wants to make sure everyone learns the real definition of success.
“Success isn’t only about who wins. Success is who gave all there was to give.”
