Army Amputee Challenges MISD Students to Push the Limits

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Smith explains how he became an amputee.

“How would you feel if a person with one arm beat you in Ping-Pong? But guess what? I bet I will.”

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Smith’s candor and confidence is what captivated his audience of students and staff at The Phoenix Academy. He kept the crowd smiling with his anecdotes, but there was a period in his life that wasn’t very bright. In fact, Smith said he didn’t know if he would live to see the next day.

In 2011, Smith said he was riding his motorcycle when a woman who was texting while driving hit him from behind. The 35-year-old was thrown off of his motorcycle over the road barrier and was hit by another oncoming vehicle.

The accident caused him to lose his arm, but not his fighting spirit. The Texas native has a heart of a soldier. He served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and was determined to continue to protect and serve his country. After months of rigorous rehabilitation, Sgt. 1st Class Smith became the first above-the-elbow amputee to be deemed fit for duty in the army.

“No matter what your injury is—physical, mental, emotional—do not allow that to stop you from doing what you want,” Smith told the students.

With that mindset, he has won many medals in the army and for athletic competitions. He said he is even trying out for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team.

Sgt. 1st Class Smith and Principal Regenia Crane.

Junior Zyrinka Maclam said Smith’s words were inspiring. She said she came from a similar background as Smith, and it was good to hear how far he had come.

“I didn’t have a lot of support growing up, so this allowed me to see that anything is possible,” said Maclam.

Smith ended his visit by encouraging students to get out of their comfort zone and use the doubt people may have in them as motivation to go beyond expectations.

AEC Student Goes from Gangs to Student Mentor

Tiffani Miller showing off her contagious smile.

It’s no coincidence that the mascot of Mansfield ISD’s Alternative Education Center is the phoenix.

In Greek mythology, a phoenix was a bird that could be reborn or regenerated. And just like the phoenix, students at AEC are getting a second chance at life—like Tiffani Miller.

The 18 year old was initiated into a gang at the age of nine years old in Detroit, Michigan. She was involved with the gang until the age of 14 when she and her family moved to Texas to focus on her basketball career.

Miller’s transition didn’t go so smoothly, though. She started getting into fights and got transferred to AEC in September 2014. That’s when her life began to take a turn for the better.

“It provided me with a lot of focus,” said Miller. “I thought AEC was going to be a place where you’re rejected by the teachers, but they really do try to help you in the classroom and in the real world with the resources they provide.”

The 11th grader was able to tap into her people skills and help start AEC’s mentorship program. Every Wednesday, she talks to a group of girls to encourage them and remind them that they can still determine their own destiny.

“I know how hard it is when people aren’t there to push you into the right direction. I just want to show them love,” said Miller.

Miller has big plans for her future. She said she is getting basketball scholarships, and wants to enlist into the military’s police division after she graduates. After that, she plans to start her own inner-city youth program.

“For kids in similar situations, I want them to know that life happens; but it’s what you do about it that matters. It’s never too late to change—just put in the work to do it,” said Miller.

ACE Students Spread Cheer to Local Nursing Home

ACE students passing out Christmas cards.

Students in the ACE Program at the MISD Alternative Education Center spread some Christmas cheer Wednesday to a local nursing home—proving that you should never judge a book by its cover.

The ACE Program provides an alternative learning environment for students ages 17 to 21 wanting to receive a high school diploma, whose age and academic performance indicate that he or she has not benefited from the traditional educational setting.

Students and staff visited the Mansfield Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to pass out refreshments, stuff stockings with snacks and gifts, pass out Christmas Cards, make glitter snowflakes, decorate the residents’ rooms, and sing Christmas carols.

It’s an annual tradition that has been going on for five years.

Science Teacher Sally McClure getting into the holiday spirit
with the students.

Sally McClure, teacher and science department chairperson at the Alternative Education Center, said there is very little opportunity for the students to get recognized for something positive, so they get excited for events like this one.

“There’s a transformation that happens within the kids when they come here,” said McClure. “I love watching these kids—who have been written off by some people—turn around and put a smile on the face of a person who really needs a friend.”

The transformation could be seen in the faces of the nursing home residents as well. For a majority of them, the students were the only visitors they will receive in a very long time.

“70 percent of the residents here have no family,” said Gene Compton, administrator for Mansfield Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. “Today, I can see hope in their eyes and connections being made with the younger generation.”

Senior Devin Settle helping a resident make a snowflake.

Senior Devin Settle was just one of many students who showed an outpouring of love and support to the residents. It was an emotional experience for him.

“I loved being able to touch the hearts of these people," said Settle. “It choked me up a little. It’s sad to see that they don’t have support, but that’s why we’re here today.”

To encourage the ACE students to continue in a path of positivity after the two-hour visit, Compton gave the students a message he hopes will stick with them.

“Always remember that you can achieve your goals, even if people put barriers in front of you.”

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