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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
Every year, the Fine Arts Program at Mansfield ISD hosts an Art Show at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts. This year, student artwork was displayed from April 11th - 18th.
The art show is free and open to the public to view. Teachers from all campuses chose 10 pieces from each grade level or class to be entered into the showcase.
“We feel participation in a district-wide art show is very important so all of our kids can see the talent that we have across the district,” said Dr. Chuck Roe, MISD Assistant Director of Fine Arts. “They can see other students’ work. They can see other teachers’ styles of art. They get to show off their work and have a good time.”
The artwork includes drawings, paintings and sculptures created in art classes throughout the school year.
"I like art because I can express myself,” said Jazmine Johnson, an eighth-grader at Brooks Wester Middle School. “Art makes me feel great so I can fit in with my other classmates and other artists.”
The goal in hosting the event is for the district to be able to emphasize the importance of fine arts in schools.
"Fine Arts for our students whether its art, dance, theatre or music provides our students with the opportunity to express themselves creatively,” said Roe. “It also helps them really create connections to other curricular areas. Studies have shown that students that participate in Fine Arts score better in language arts, writing and math.”
For more information on the Mansfield ISD’s fine art program, click here.
The Empowering Girls Club, started by four Jerry Knight STEM Academy learners, held their kick off event on April 6 at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts. The event was meant to help build middle school girls self-esteem.
The club began as a school project created by seventh-graders Erica Christenson, Lillian Osborne, Rebecca Peck and Anna Tomlinson, and is now blossoming into an ongoing resource for female students to be empowered and inspired for years to come.
“The purpose of creating Empowering Girls was to mainly help teenage girls with their self-esteem,” said Tomlinson. “We saw a problem with their social and emotional learning and we really just wanted to help them maintain a higher self-esteem throughout their education careers.”
The event was for moms and their students. It featured guest speakers, breakout sessions and the Debully Band.
“I loved seeing all the girls during it and seeing how interested they were in the actual event itself,” said Peck. “It made me very proud of all the work we did.”
The event stemmed from a project focusing on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a psychology theory that states that there are certain needs that must be met before becoming self-actualized.
“We tasked all of our learners with identifying a need in the community,” said Jeremy Beckwith, a designer at the STEM Academy. “This is a significant need with the young girls in our society right now. I’m very proud that they chose something that is near and dear to them.”
Using the engineering design process, the creators began planning for the event in the fall of 2018 and in December, Empowering Girls was awarded a grant from the MISD Education Foundation.
“The research part of this project was probably one of the longest stages,” said Tomlinson. “We needed a lot of information to try to make our club the best it can be.”
In the future, the creators hope to expand the event to make it more purposeful and impactful.
“I’m proud of the event and the work we’ve done,” said Osborne. “Overall it was a lot of work, but it was really great.”
Six students from Ben Barber Innovation Academy and Frontier High School placed in the top three for StudentCam, an annual C-SPAN documentary competition.
Students in grades 6-12 were asked to create a five to six minute video documentary on what it means to be American.
“I told them don’t just find something. Make sure it’s something that you believe in,” said Ryan Tuomey, arts and audio/visual teacher at Ben Barber. “All my students hit that note, but there were a couple that stood out that I thought did very well.”
The students competed in groups of three. One group from Ben Barber placed second, receiving a cash prize of $1,500. The other group placed third and received $750.
“They did an amazing job,” said Tuomey. “We’ve done this competition for a few years and each year it gets better and better. They really put thought into it and we tried to make sure the actual message is there and it’s not just coming from a film production aspect. We actually want that message to hit home.”
Jenae Green from C-SPAN awarded the StudentCam winners on April 4 at Ben Barber Invitation Academy and Frontier High School.
“We figured we would do well, but we didn’t think we would do this well,” DJ Elliott, Frontier High School senior. “We’re very proud. It was cool to see that email saying we got third and it was a cool experience.”
When making the documentaries, the students set up interviews to convey the stories they wanted to tell. One team landed an interview with Lupe Valdez, a 2018 democratic nominee for Governor of Texas. The other interviewed the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban.
“Our process was very unconventional to most people,” said Tanner Fenton, Frontier High School senior. “We reached out to many different interviewees and we actually got a response from a politician. That was the biggest surprise that they wanted to talk to us kids.”
The deadline for submissions was on January 20.
“We’d gotten the prompt around the first of December, but the problem is obviously winter break,” said Fenton. “The time constraint hurt, but it also helped because it helped us be efficient and helped us not to sit there and lull around.”
The second place video, “’Til We Reach That Day” will air on C-SPAN throughout the day on April 10.
“I believe that being an American means that you have the opportunity to make a difference,” said Elliott. “You live in a place where if you want to do something, you can go out and have lots of resources available to you to go out a make that possible.”
To see the second place winner, “’Til We Reach That Day” go here. To see the third place video, “America: The Land of Opportunity!” go here.
The students and staff at Nancy Neal Elementary School invited the school’s namesake to the campus to celebrate her birthday.
“Today’s family time was extra special because Ms. Neal was here with us for her birthday celebration,” said Cheryl Ferrell, assistant principal at Nancy Neal Elementary.
All of the students signed a birthday card and sang Happy Birthday in the school’s gymnasium. The staff bought Ms. Neal balloons and flowers to honor her.
“They are all so loving and give me cards and give me hugs and they tell me how much they love my school,” said Nancy Neal, the school’s namesake. “I think they all think I own it, but it’s fun to hear them say they love being here.”
The students appreciate that Neal comes to spend time with them.
“My favorite part is when everyone was cheering for her and she was smiling, because I love when people have a smile on their faces,” said Neal Elementary fourth-grade student Evan Bedford.
Much like Bedford, Neal’s favorite part of visiting the campus is the smiles she sees on students’ faces and the high-fives they love to give her.
“Watching them laugh with me and just being there to say ‘Hi’ to me is the fun part,” said Neal.
Before retiring in 2003, Neal taught in MISD for 30 years. She now tutors at Roberta Tipps Elementary School, but she enjoys returning to Nancy Neal Elementary as often as she can.
“Any time we want her to come up and read to our students or do something special she’s always up for it,” said Ferrell. “She never says no. She’s always coming up to campus to be with us.”
Neal will turn 69 on Sunday and plans to spend the day with her family.
“My family will get together and they are going to take me somewhere,” said Neal. “I don’t know where because they won’t tell me, but we’re going somewhere.”
Mansfield ISD continues to prepare students to be more marketable in the real world and two-way dual language classes are preparing students for just that.
The classes are taught 50 percent in English and 50 percent in Spanish. The purpose is to produce a class of students that are able to read, write and speak in two languages.
“The dual language program in our district is based on a biliteracy model,” said Ana Munoz, dual language specialist for MISD. “The goal is for our students to be able to work in a global market and in order to do this they have to acquire all these skills in both languages.”
The program has been in effect for intermediate schools for seven years and for elementary students for two. Donna Sheppard Intermediate School is currently the only intermediate school with dual language classes.
“With our two-way program, we want to expand it as far as we can,” said Munoz. “It is set up to go through sixth grade and hopefully, if everything aligns, we are hoping to go past the intermediate level to middle school and perhaps high school.”
The program has benefits beyond learning two languages, students who participate in the program for five years are also eligible to receive one high school foreign language credit. In addition, the classes provide opportunities for small group work.
“It gives students the opportunity to collaborate,” said Rosalilia Vazquez, Donna Sheppard sixth grade bilingual teacher. “Students are paired with a strong English speaker and a strong Spanish speaker so when they have issues or they get to a word they don’t understand they can work with the partner to grow in both languages.”
According to Yanet Rubio, a fifth-grader at Donna Shepard, the teachers are what make the class more fun.
“My favorite part about class are probably the teachers,” said Rubio. “They are so sweet and when you need the help they will come to you and answer your questions. They have helped me control [my nerves]. The way that they support me, they say that I can do it and I don’t doubt myself.”
Because learning two language can sometimes be difficult, the teachers consistently tell the students “no te rindas” which means never give up.
For more information about the program, there will be an informational meeting on March 28 at 6 p.m. at D.P. Morris Elementary School or visit www.mansfieldisd.org.
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El Distrito escolar de Mansfield continúa preparando a los estudiantes para que estén preparados para el mundo real y el Programa Bilingüe Dual están ayudando a que esto sea una realidad.
Las clases se imparten 50 por ciento en inglés y 50 por ciento en español. El propósito es producir una clase de estudiantes que puedan leer, escribir y hablar en dos idiomas.
"El programa de lenguaje dual en nuestro distrito se basa en un modelo de alfabetización bilingüe", dijo Ana Muñoz, especialista en lenguaje dual para MISD. "El objetivo es que nuestros estudiantes puedan trabajar en un mercado global y para ello tienen que adquirir todas estas habilidades en ambos idiomas".
El programa ha estado vigente para escuelas intermedias por más de siete años y para estudiantes de primaria durante dos años. La Escuela Intermedia Donna Sheppard es actualmente la única escuela intermedia con clases de lenguaje dual.
"Con nuestro programa bilingüe dual, queremos expandirlo lo más que podamos", dijo Muñoz. "Está configurado para pasar a sexto grado y, esperamos pasar del nivel intermedio a la escuela media y quizás a la secundaria".
El programa tiene beneficios más allá del aprendizaje de dos idiomas, los estudiantes que participan en el programa durante cinco años también son elegibles para recibir un crédito de idioma extranjero de escuela secundaria. Además, las clases ofrecen oportunidades para el trabajo en grupos pequeños.
“Les da a los estudiantes la oportunidad de colaborar”, dijo Rosalilia Vázquez, maestra bilingüe de sexto grado de Donna Sheppard. "Los estudiantes tiene una pareja bilingüe, un hablante de inglés y un hablante de español, por lo que cuando tienen problemas o llegan a una palabra, que no entienden pueden trabajar con el compañero para crecer en ambos idiomas".
Según Yanet Rubio, estudiante de quinto grado en Donna Shepard, los maestros son los que hacen que la clase sea más divertida.
"Mi parte favorita de la clase son probablemente los maestros", dijo Rubio. “Son muy dulces y cuando necesitas ayuda, ellos acuden a ti y responden tus preguntas. Me han ayudado a controlar [mis nervios]. Por la forma en que me apoyan, dicen que puedo hacerlo y no dudo de mí mismo".
Debido a que aprender dos idiomas a veces puede ser difícil, los maestros constantemente le dicen a los estudiantes "no te rindas".
Para obtener más información sobre el programa, habrá una reunión informativa el 28 de marzo a las 6 p.m. en D.P. Morris Elementary School o visite www.mansfieldisd.org.
All engineers start somewhere, but in Mansfield ISD young engineers can get a head start at the Jerry Knight STEM Academy. The academy, located at Brooks Wester Middle School, offers students an advanced academic program designed to provide a rigorous and focused course of study.
This week the academy hosted Engineering Week, a national initiative started by Discover E, a foundation aimed to increase engineering education in grade schools.
“The goal of Engineering Week was to help expose our kids to different types of engineers and careers so that they might be able to make better educated decisions to know what they’re going to study in high school and possibly college,” said Laura Thomason, a designer (teacher) at Jerry Knight.
Approximately 30 presenters ranging from coders to pilots and everything in between spoke with students this Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Knight designers also spent time helping students implement what they had learned in the classroom using activities like vision boards.
The presentations gave students a better understanding of possible STEM careers and offered insight on future career paths.
Nathan Ninh, a sixth-grader at Jerry Knight with aspirations of becoming an astronaut said, “I’ve learned that there is a lot of design that goes into engineering and that you have to think outside the box on most jobs, and I think that you also have to have a lot of good team skills.”
Jason Daniels, a software developer for Saddle Oak Software who has a daughter at the academy, enjoyed the opportunity to talk about his job with other students.
“I’m very excited to be here today,” said Daniels. “I love what they’ve been doing here with the kids and how they’re teaching them the engineering practices.”
Both students and teachers think Engineering Week provides a unique and much needed perspective.
“I feel this week is important because it helps us learn about things I feel like we would never learn from anywhere else,” said Ninh.
After two hours of meticulously spelling out a list of vocabulary words, the word “cordial,” followed by the sound of an elimination bell, left only one student standing.
Tiffany Lam, a seventh-grader at T.A. Howard Middle School, stepped forward to the microphone. Her heart started to beat rapidly when she knew she was only one word away from being the Mansfield ISD spelling bee champion.
“When he first said ‘amputation,’ I thought it was really easy, but I went slower just in case,” Lam recalled.
She spelled the word correctly, and the crowd cheered with excitement to welcome the new districtwide winner.
MISD hosted its annual spelling bee on Feb. 8 at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts. The contestants are students from third grade through eighth grade throughout the district who have won at their campus.
“Last year, I think we went 17 rounds. This year, we went 53 rounds. That’s the longest, I believe, in our history,” said Kristi Gonzales, MISD coordinator of elementary language arts. “So it’s pretty incredible to see the growth, and I think that’s attributed a lot to some of our explicit phonics instruction in the classroom.”
Beekman says she was more nervous than Lam during the bee.
Lam knew the feeling of being in the final round all too well. She was a runner-up in the district spelling bee last year; but this year, she felt confident that the trophy would be hers. She said her strategy for remembering the correct spelling was to write the word with her finger on her hand.
“It felt amazing because I’ve been going to the district spelling bee since fourth grade,” said Lam. “Now, that’s all paid off.”
Event organizers noted that being part of the competition is about more than simply spelling. Participants are able to increase their social skills as well.
“We’re asking them to get up on stage and spell publicly, which is helping them with their communication, and their public speaking skills and their building their self-confidence,” Gonzales continued.
This is the second consecutive year a student from T.A. Howard Middle School has placed first in the district spelling bee. Her teacher said it is a very proud moment.
“She’s absolutely a phenomenal kid,” said English teacher Lisa Beekman. “We just have some phenomenal spellers. They’re just phenomenal spellers out there. We’ve been blessed for two years in a row to collect those kids.”
Lam will participate in the 2019 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 7 at 8 a.m. The event will take place at Texas Christian University.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the shores of Texas in August, and the effects of the devastation will take years to mend.
Bloomington Independent School District is one of the communities that was hit hard by the storm. The area has 85 percent of its homes still damaged, and rebuilding has been a challenge—even for its schools.
When MISD high school students heard that Bloomington ISD students and their families were still struggling to recover, they decided to put their rivalries aside and join forces to make the holiday season a little more joyful.
“What we’re doing is raising this money to give back to the kids in time for the holidays so they can have the stuff they want,” said Dejardin Moffett, a junior at Timberview High School. “Their families may not be able to pay for the toys because it’s not a necessity.”
The community fundraiser was held Nov. 28 at El Primo's in Mansfield.
The students held a silent auction fundraiser and invited the community to come out and bid on several baskets full of goodies. Their goal was $10,000, but they ended up raising $15,000.
Other community members also pitched in so that Bloomington ISD students could have books, a gift card and a t-shirt.
“I know a book isn’t everything they want, but I hope they appreciate it,” said senior Sadie Johnson of Legacy High School. “I hope they feel loved, and I’m really excited.”
MISD staff and a few of the students will deliver the presents to Bloomington ISD on Dec. 13. Moffett said he hopes high school students all across the district will continue to unite for the greater good.
“We are MISD, meaning we are all one district,” he added. “Projects such as this are an example of #WeAreMISD because we’re all coming together and using our power, our great student leaders that we have at every school, and putting it together to do something great—not only for our community, but for other communities outside of us.”
