MISD Teacher Reunites with Former Student Turned Author

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A teacher at Willie E. Brown Elementary School got the opportunity to see how a simple certificate that she handed out 25 years ago helped propel a young man to chase his dreams.

Lafayette Dennis, a 2005 graduate of Summit High School, recently published his first book. He was invited back to his old Mansfield ISD elementary school to read the book to some students.

While preparing for the presentation, he found a framed certificate that was given to him by his first-grade teacher, Mrs. Fregien. He was named “Best Story Writer” in the class.

“Remembering the certificate made me realize, ‘Oh wow. This is what I’m supposed to do,’” he said. “I have a real talent for it, I have a passion for it, and I think it inspires me a lot more now than when I was in first grade.”

Dennis wanted to show the certificate to his former teacher during his visit to show how she always believed in his writing abilities, but there was one problem—Mrs. Fregien was no longer working at that school.

Lawless and Dennis were reunited on Dec. 4. 

The 32-year-old author went on a search to see where his former teacher had gone. After some conversation and email exchanges, he found her. 

Mrs. Fregien was now Mrs. Lawless, a second-grade teacher at Willie E. Brown Elementary School. 

“I reached out to the principal and assistant principal, and they told me that they’d love to have me come out and surprise her,” Dennis explained. 

Dennis, who said he was excited and nervous at the same time, was escorted by the principal to the teacher’s room. Jill Lawless didn’t know she was about to see firsthand the impact she had on a child’s life.

“He looks at me and he goes, ‘Do you remember me?’” recalled Lawless, who initially did not recognize him. “But when he said his name, I absolutely remembered the name. He was six when I met him.” 

Dennis went on to tell Lawless that he just published his first book and showed her the old certificate she gave him.

“As a teacher, you always wonder what’s happened with your kids,” said Lawless. “You try to make a difference in everyone’s life; and a lot of times, you never know if you do. So, it’s so cool that he looked for me and found me to tell me that. It’s amazing actually.”

Lawless said she hopes her story encourages other teachers to always give their best to their students because it makes a lasting impact.

“You know, I was going through a hard time back then, so it really had me thinking that even when you have your rough days, you have to keep pushing through for the kids. You never know how your words or actions could inspire them.”

Dennis’ first book, "Gresham the Dreamer," is about a boy who followed his passion instead of obtaining a traditional job. Dennis said it is loosely based on his own personal career path.

MISD Community Heads North to Support Border Brawl Football Games

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A battle over state lines kicked off the Mansfield ISD 2018-19 high school football season.

MISD football teams, bands, cheerleaders, drill teams and fans made the trip up north to celebrate the inaugural Border Brawl football competition on Aug. 31, in which five MISD teams faced five Oklahoma teams.

“This is something special for our school district and for our kids to experience,” said Legacy High School head coach Chris Melson. “It’s not just the football team. You got the bands, drill teams, cheerleaders, supporting staff… everybody gets to experience it.”

Border Brawl was brought to life by MISD Athletics Director Philip O’Neal and Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas.

Legacy High rush onto the field against Jenks.

The idea was to provide students with new opportunities while engaging in friendly competition.

“I think it’s important for us to create experiences for them,” said O’Neal. “The connections and lessons they learn from going beyond their region will help them in college and in life.”

“Our kids have never gotten to do something like this,” said Daniel Maberry, head coach at Mansfield High School. “You get to see games on T.V. all the time where teams sometimes travel to Florida or Nevada to play some of the private schools, but these are two quality programs coming together to experience something they never have before.”

The Oklahoma competition included teams from Union, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Bixby and Sand Springs.

Even though the games took place hours away, there was no shortage of MISD fans. Hundreds of people filled the stands to show their support.

“To be here at the Border Brawl is just showing that Texas and Oklahoma can come together and make something like this possible,” said Brandon Jones, junior at Summit High School.

O’Neal said that apart from the competition, Mansfield ISD being able to come together as a unit was priceless.

“This is an opportunity for Mansfield ISD to be unified in their effort to come to Oklahoma and compete against the Tulsa-area schools as one,” he said. “The benefits of that go way beyond the sports field.”

The same schools will face each other again in the Border Brawl track meet, which will take place at the start of the 2019 track season.

Inaugural Texas/Oklahoma Border Brawl Creates New Competition

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There will be a battle over state lines in the upcoming track and football seasons. Five high schools from Texas and five high schools from Oklahoma will be competing with each other to see which teams are the best.

It was an idea that formed after a brainstorming session between Athletics Director Philip O’Neal and Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas.

“I wanted to find a new way to bring attention to our student-athletes,” O’Neal said. “After tossing some concepts around, Dr. V said that we should try to contact schools in Oklahoma to play against.”

The athletics director put in a few calls and knew he had made the right connection when the voice on the other line was just as excited as he was.

Steve Dunlap, assistant athletics director for Union Public Schools, accepted the challenge for the Sooner state. He is enthusiastic about this new relationship and friendly rivalry.

The competitors met each other for the first time on Feb. 27.

“I have no doubt it’s going to be a great event,” said Dunlap. “We start March 10 with the track meet, so I’m excited about that.”

The Border Brawl track meet will feature athletes from all of the Mansfield ISD high schools, along with Oklahoma high school athletes from Union, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Bixby and Sand Springs. It will take place at MISD’s Legacy High School.

The same schools will then compete throughout the 2018-19 school year in football and track.

Each region has a tradition of excellence; and although O’Neal said he looks forward to the intense competition, his favorite part of the Border Brawl is the experiences it will give students.

“I think it’s important for us to create experiences for them,” he continued. “The connections and lessons they learn from going beyond their region will help them in college and in life.”

The announcement of the inaugural Border Brawl was officially made Feb. 27 in Tulsa. Coaches and student-athletes from all participating schools attended the press conference.

MISD High School Students Unite to Help Hurricane-Devastated School District

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.”

Rewarding the Determination to Succeed

Having a high grade point average (GPA) is great, but proving that you have the drive to roll with life’s punches on your journey to college is also important. And for three Mansfield ISD seniors, that trait is being rewarded.

The Dell Scholars Program annually awards $20,000, a laptop, textbook credits and ongoing support to students who demonstrate that they have a different type of GPA—grit, potential and ambition.

Medina (left) and Ali (right) said they value service
and want to make a difference in people's lives.

Timberview High School’s Maria Medina and Hana Ali, along with Summit High School’s Samira Bideh, were three of the 400 finalists nationwide.

Medina said she has come a long way from being the little girl who moved to the U.S. from Mexico and didn’t learn English until the second grade. Despite the naysayers and doubters she encountered, she was determined to make something of herself.

“I started getting really good at English by fourth grade,” Medina said. “The next year, I was taking Pre-AP classes. I was nervous at first, but my teachers kept encouraging me to try it.”

The senior is now graduating from high school with enough credits to enter Texas A&M University as a sophomore this fall in hopes of becoming an immigration lawyer and, eventually, the president of Mexico.

Her classmate Ali also knows a thing or two about not letting life’s experiences deter the future. The fellow Dell Scholar lost her father when she was in the eighth grade. Instead of making excuses for herself, she pushed herself even harder.

“It was a hard time for my family,” Ali explained. “But I’ve always valued education, and I knew it’s what my dad would have wanted. Doing good in school would make my parents proud, and that’s what I wanted to continue to do.”

And there’s certainly a lot to be proud of. Ali will be graduating as valedictorian of her class. She will also be attending the University of Texas at Arlington with a full ride and some leftover money for medical school.

Bideh said she's ready to take on college
and further her education in graduate school.

Over at Summit High School, Bideh spent her high school years striving to succeed by juggling school, a job and her extracurricular activities—all while still keeping up with her grades. She said her determination comes from her parents who came to America from Somali speaking little to no English when she was an infant.

“They didn’t know the system or how anything worked since it was a new country,” she recalled. “I just kept putting education first. But even if you don’t have the best grades, showcase the different things you’re good at to prove to colleges that you have what it takes.”

Bideh, who is one of six siblings, said that she plans to attend the University of Arlington. She wants to major in biology to become a physician assistant.

Although these ladies may have had different life paths and obstacles, they kept their positive attitude through it all. Now, with the welcomed surprise of being a 2017 Dell Scholar, they will be able to use their positivity to help others through their respective careers.

Teen Leadership Students Help Girls Battling Cancer

For the past two years, Mansfield ISD has been encouraging the community to take part in Colors for Caring. The initiative, started by Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, is celebrated on the first Monday of every month in honor of those who have been affected or have had loved ones affected by cancer.

Summit High School seniors Elliot Adway, Lauren Blue, Dacion Tatum and Cierra Lockhart have taken part in many of the Colors for Caring days, but knew they could do more when they were given a special project for their Teen Leadership II class.

The students were asked to find a passion and come together to help a cause. The only stipulation on the project was it could not be a traditional money fundraiser. Senior Lauren Blue knew she wanted to do something to help children.

"In Teen Leadership II, Mrs. Cullen asked all of us to research non-profit organizations and see how we could meet their need. I was researching and I found Bow Dazzling," she said about how the group project started. "I thought it was the neatest one so I asked the members in my group if they wanted to do that one also they said yes."

Lauren and her group have reached out to each middle and high school campus' cheer sponsor in hopes of getting their programs involved in this project.

Their plan is for each middle and high school to have posters about the bow and ribbon drive displayed throughout the various campuses with information about how to get involved. Each campus will have a basket in their cheerleading room for students to drop off donated bows and ribbons.

Lauren understands the potential impact this project could have for the young girls involved.

"Helping little girls with cancer makes me feel amazing! Knowing that I can help someone going through something ten times harder than my life means the world to me."

Bows for Beauties is districtwide service project that is accepting new/unused bows that will be going to young girls of all ages. For more information on how you can contribute to this project, contact Cierra Lockhart (Cierra.lockhart17@gmail.com) or Lauren Blue (live4ballblue@sbcglobal.net)

For information and a photo gallery of MISD’s Colors for Caring Days, visit the district’s website.

MISD High Schools Give Back in Big Ways

Timberview High raised money for more inclusion in advertising.

Whoever said that kids these days don’t care about others obviously has never heard about the charity weeks that happen each year on the Mansfield ISD high school campuses.

Timberview High, Summit High, Legacy High, Mansfield High, and Lake Ridge High all get the entire campus to rally around a noble cause for a week-long fundraiser filled with pep rallies, contests, product sales, and dress-up days.

This year, students from Frontier High School—a school solely for juniors and seniors that focuses on post-graduation preparatory programs—decided they wanted to join their fellow campuses and give back to the community in a big way too.

“Our student council met over the summer and said they wanted to serve the community and create those unique experiences like the rest of the high schools in the district,” said Catherine Dearing, student council sponsor at Frontier High School.

The planning then began for Students Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) Week. Dearing said the kids chose to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association because a number of people, including herself, have had loved ones struggle with Alzheimer’s. The goal was to create support and awareness for the disease.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about Alzheimer’s,” said the English teacher. “We were able to have an Alzheimer’s Association representative do a Q & A at our campus. I was really proud of the students and was excited to see some of the light bulbs coming on as questions were answered.”

At the end of SPARK Week, students created a promise garden to represent how each person is connected to someone with Alzheimer’s.

“It brought people together to see others going through the same thing,” said Dearing. “It certainly increased everyone’s morale and buy-in into our mission.”

She said the total amount of funds raised is still being calculated, but it was not about the money. She was happy that the week allowed students to serve the community in a way that was meaningful to them.

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Take a look at what other MISD high schools did for their charity weeks:

• Timberview High’s Helping Others Through Giving (H.O.G) Week raised more than $19,000 for Changing the Face of Beauty to drive home the need for more inclusion in advertising.

• Summit High’s Friends Reaching Out and Giving (F.R.O.G.) Week made a dream come true for a child in the Make-a-Wish Foundation who desired to go to a Manchester United soccer game.

• Legacy High’s Legacy United through Caring and Kindness (L.U.C.K.) Week contributed to the medical bills of an eight-year-old named Christian who has health complications and has undergone multiple surgeries.

• Mansfield High’s People Encouraging And Caring for Each other (P.E.A.C.E.) Week will be May 14-20. The campus will raise money for a little boy who has ganglioneuroblastoma, an intermediate tumor that grows nerve tissue.

• Lake Ridge High’s Boldly Embracing Acts of Kindness (B.E.A.K.) Week will be May 13-20. Students and staff will raise money to support a suicide prevention agency.

MISD Students Create Stroke of Kindness for Children in Need

Portraits that are ready to be shipped to children overseas.

The students in Summit High School’s Pre-AP and AP art classes have a knack for bringing objects to life on a piece of paper; but they never expected that their talents would be able to change the lives of children in impoverished countries.

Through The Memory Project, the students created portraits for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents, and extreme poverty. The finished portraits are then sent back to the nonprofit organization and personally delivered to the child.

Art teacher Jennifer Messer learned about the project and presented the idea to her students. She said it can be difficult for an artist to give away his or her work, but her students didn’t think twice about it.

“They were super excited about the project,” said Messer. “I wanted them to have a sense of how much their talent would mean to somebody else and the kindness that the child would see from getting such a personal art piece.”

Junior Drew Johnson putting the finishing touches on his artwork.

Many people wouldn’t consider having a picture of themselves as being a luxury; but for thousands of underprivileged children around the world, it is the one thing they can finally call their own.

“A lot of times, these kids have to share their belongings, so this is something just for him to keep,” said junior Drew Johnson about the boy from Madagascar who will receive his portrait. “I hope he’s really happy with it.”

Senior Katelynn Sigrist used her portrait to share a message of thinking past current circumstances and setting bigger goals.

“The background of his portrait is outer space because I wanted him to feel like he can go anywhere and do anything,” said Sigrist. “I wanted to put him somewhere he wouldn’t have thought to go.”

Katelynn Sigrist paints a picture she hopes will give
inspiration to the young boy who receives it.

Messer said she’s proud of her students and is not surprised about the level of talent she saw with the finished artwork.

“They all did a fantastic job,” Messer added. “Each of them got to use their own artistic voice, and they brought true passion to each portrait.”

With the help of talented artists like the students in Summit High's advanced art classes, The Memory Project has been able to create more than 80,000 portraits for children in 35 countries.

Land of the Free Because of the Brave

No matter which Mansfield ISD school you stepped foot into on Veterans Day, there was a recurring theme of extreme gratitude from staff and students.

Veterans were invited to an array of events, which included flag raisings, free breakfast, patriotic programs, and parades. It may not seem like a big gesture—and compared to the sacrifice our service men and women make to serve our country, it’s not—but it was a token of appreciation that went a long way for those who served and are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

A veteran at one of the campus events wearing
a reminder that freedom costs.

For Lyle Keith, who retired from the U.S. Army with a ranking of Spec. 5, programs like “Bring a Vet to Lunch” at Elizabeth Smith Elementary are special.

“I’m the only vet in the family for my granddaughters, so I took a day off to be here,” said Keith who has two granddaughters at Smith Elementary. “I feel it’s very important because it gives these children a heritage and teaches respect for veterans.”

Grace Lindsay, second lieutenant in Summit High School’s JROTC program, said she’s proud to celebrate Veterans Day because veterans are the foundation of the country.

“They’re the people who’ve given us what we need—the people who’ve shown us that we can do our stuff with them as our front line,” said Lindsay. “They can protect us and still keep us safe even when we’re at school.”

Because we realize that freedom is not free, MISD thanks all those who served the U.S. in times of war and peace. Veterans Day is celebrated once a year every Nov. 11, but our appreciation will last a lifetime.


View the full Mansfield ISD Veterans Day 2015 photo gallery here.

MISD Seniors Prove Hard Work Literally Pays Off

L-R: Grant Wilkie, Kendall Curtis, and Ifeoluwa Obayan

For three Mansfield ISD seniors, hard work in their junior year paid off—literally.

Grant Wilkie from Summit High School, Kendall Curtis from Mansfield High School, and Ifeoluwa Obayan from Timberview High School all received very prestigious scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

Wilkie and Curtis received the National Merit Scholarship. Obayan was awarded the National Achievement Scholarship, which is given to high-achieving African-American students. Both of the scholarships are awarded based on a student’s high Preliminary SAT (PSAT) scores.

The winners of the scholarships receive $2,500, and universities often discount their tuition to finalists. For Wilkie, the news couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This is definitely the most important thing that’s happened to me in my life,” said Wilkie, who will be headed to Baylor University in the fall with his tuition fully paid. “I’m finally able to give back to my parents by saving them money. It’s a huge blessing.”

Out of 1.5 million National Merit entrants nationwide, only 7,600 are named as scholarship winners. Curtis, also headed to Baylor, explains what she did to help her odds.

“AP classes helped,” said the future law student. “I would suggest reading a lot of high-level literature and taking the harder math classes.”

Obayan can boast that she’s one of 800 winners out of 160,000 total applicants to receive the National Achievement Scholarship. She said looking back, she’s glad she put in the countless hours to review for the PSAT.

“I really worked hard,” said Obayan. “The District offered a PSAT prep program in the summer in my junior year, and I remember spending every Monday in that class for two to three hours. It really paid off.”

Obayan, valedictorian of her class, will be going to Harvard University to major in biomedical engineering.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and their awards, visit the NMSC website.