Visual Guide Dog Gives MISD Student More Freedom

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When Mady Walker was in the eighth grade, she began losing her vision. Doctors diagnosed her with optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve that causes blurred or dimmed vision.

“With my vision, I can’t see any of my peripheral vision, which means I can’t see anything to the sides of me. It’s black,” Walker explained.

Despite her visual impairment, Walker was determined to stay active as a student. She transitioned to Legacy High School and joined the band and student council, eventually becoming the student body president in her senior year.

With special accommodations and her cane, she is able to keep up with her peers. However, Walker wanted to gain even more freedom in her final year of high school by applying for a guide dog.

The 18-year-old went to a Leader Dogs for the Blind camp in the summer for training. Within five months, she received her new companion.

When Keeper is in his harness, he knows he's on duty.

“She went to go get the guide dog in December, which was phenomenal that it happened that fast,” said Shay Utley, certified orientation and mobility specialist. “She’s the first student that I know of in Mansfield ISD that has ever had a guide dog.”

The guide dog’s name is Keeper. He’s a 20-month-old black Labrador. Walker said she is already able to do more in the short amount of time that she has had him.

“I travel a lot faster. For the most part, he is able to take me places and make me more independent as a person,” said Walker.

She said staff members and classmates have been helpful to her and are getting used to having a canine walking through the hallways.

“They’ve been super accepting. They love to learn more about him,” she said. “Both students and teachers and administration alike have been very welcoming and helpful with this process.”

Walker said although her journey has not been easy, she has finally learned that she can do just as much as someone who has perfect vision.

The senior added that caring for Keeper can be tedious, but she and her dog have been inseparable since they first met.

MISD Student Publications to be Inducted into National Hall of Fame

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The Hall of Fame is reserved for the best of the best in a particular industry, and Legacy High School’s journalism team is about to be added to the list of elite student publications in the country.

The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) inducts a student publication into its Hall of Fame if the publication has earned 10 All-American ratings, the organization’s highest distinction, within an 11-year span.

Legacy High’s yearbook and student newspaper, titled “The Arena” and “The Rider Online” respectively, met that criterion. The Hall of Fame induction is an accomplishment that journalism adviser Leland Mallett said came sooner than he realized.

“It’s a huge honor,” said Mallett. “It just goes by fast. You’re like, ‘Really? That’s where we are? We’ve been here long enough to do that?’”

The newspaper staff prepare to cover a
football game in Oklahoma.

Students who have had a part in the success of the publications were also excited to hear the news.

“I worked on this publication for three years, and I’ve seen us get these awards all the way through,” said editor-in-chief Kathryn Pedroza. “To be part of this 10-year process, it’s been really cool to see it evolve and then us get to this point.”

Mallett said he is proud of every student who has contributed to Legacy High’s body of work and appreciates the former students who still reach out to give their feedback.

“It’s fun, their ownership in it all these years,” Mallett continued. “It’s an honor to say, ‘Hey! We’re on that list.’ Pretty proud of what the kids have done.”

Hall of Fame inductees receive a special plaque and are added to the NSPA Hall of Fame plaques, which are displayed at the semiannual national convention.

Legacy High School journalism students and staff will travel to Chicago in November to be formally recognized at the convention.

Staff members said they hope the recognition will help grow Legacy High’s journalism program and cause more students to become involved in it.

Never Forget – A Mansfield ISD Tribute to 9/11

Where were you on September 11, 2001 when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center? Many of us can remember it like it was yesterday; but there’s a growing number of people (like a majority of today’s students) who were not born or were too young to understand what this day really means.

It’s important that we never forget—not only to commemorate the lives lost and affect by the largest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but to make sure future generations don’t lose the meaning of a dark day in history that grew the country’s bond stronger.

Campuses across MISD started school with a moment of silence, followed by a spotlight of 9/11 in the morning announcements. Some schools took it upon themselves to invite the community to memorialize what is now called Patriot Day.  

A Step in Their Shoes
Legacy High School’s JROTC started the ceremonies bright and early by raising the flags before the start of school. Student Resource Officer Daryle Ryan took it upon himself to physically remember what the first responders at Ground Zero experienced. He climbed the stairs up and down at Legacy more than 30 times in honor of those who climbed the flights of stairs at the World Trade Center to rescue 9/11 victims.

A Tradition of Remembrance
Hundreds of people packed the front of Willie Brown Elementary school, where students held an assembly to remember 9/11. It’s a tradition the school has upheld since 2002. Many local law enforcement were present to be honored in the ceremony. The assembly began with the boy scouts raising the flag. Students also sang songs of unity and strength for those in attendance.

A Heart of Gratitude
Students and staff at Roberta Tipps Elementary School used Patriot Day to thank those in public safety positions. Students gave out cookies, thank you cards, letters, and Gatorades as a token of appreciation for the men and women in uniform who come to our “ade.” Mansfield ISD police, Mansfield police, Arlington police, and Mansfield fire crews attended the event, which is in its third year. Members of the police and fire units even signed autographs because the kids were very excited to see them all.

Whether campuses held events, or wore patriotic colors with hallways adorned with flags, today was a day of remembrance throughout the district for 9/11. And the message was very clear no matter which activity you took part in—our community will never forget.

View full photo gallery of Patriot Day events

Two MISD Seniors Receive Big Scholarships

As the end of the school year approaches, seniors have two things on their minds—graduation and scholarships.

Watch the stories of two Mansfield ISD students—Brady Moore from Legacy High school and Lizzy Hennessey from Timberview High School—to hear in their own words how they won their generous scholarships in a very competitive field.

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