Statesman teacher

PAGE 12 • THURSDAY • MARCH 8, 2012 THE CHANDLER & BROWNSBORO STATESMAN

Chandler Elementary School

We appreciateall the hardwork you do

with our kids.

CHANDLER FEED & SEED903-849-6881

sub. I applied for the job and they hired me,” she said.

Baley, a Stephen F. Aus-tin graduate, taught second grade the fi rst year as a sub before being hired as the school’s second third grade teacher.

She has been teaching third grade for the last 38 years and has no plans to stop.

“I love this age. They are not too old to still love their teacher,” she said with a smile. “When the students fi rst come to you they are pretty indepen-dent and I am able to give instructions and they fol-low them. Even though we have had to do the TAKS test over the years, I like it. It is a fun age, plus I like the curriculum we teach.”

During her tenure with the district Baley has seen a lot of changes. She said she is very excited about the plans Superintendent Chris Moran has for the district and is even more excited about the changes at CES.

“We are so excited about the new school. I am not actually going to have a room there, but I am go-ing to be moving to an-other room down in the newer part on the end. I have been here through almost all of the changes,” she said. “The cafeteria that we have now was just added right before I came to the school. The only part of the school that we had was the rooms from the of-fi ce back. Then they added an entire back section and

the section I am currently in. We had an old rock gym and they changed it to the one we have now. I have seen all of that happen-ing and it has really been a lot of fun. I am excited about this change the most because we have had an architect come in and ask what we wanted and teach-ers got to give input.”

The changes in the fa-cilities have been fun, but another big change Baley has seen is in the students themselves.

“A lot of the change has been in the behavior. It is not like it was back at the fi rst of my career. I think the media, and what the kids see, plays a big role in that. They see it in their movies, cartoons and other things they see on T.V. and

I think that is a big change for me,” she said.

Her experience has taught her how to fl ow with the change in behav-ior with an old fashion method – love.

“We were talking in a faculty meeting and the

biggest thing that teach-ers need to do these days is develop a relationship. That’s what I try to do. I try to have a good rela-tionship with them. I want them to love me so if I feel like they love, or like me, they will work for me,” she

saidWith teachers like Baley

– teachers who care for their student above the grades they make – Brownsboro ISD is in a good position to be an academic leader for years to come.

BALEY • FROM 11

Q&A with CES teachers Kim Birdwell and Mary Alice CadeWhat has been the biggest change?BIRDWELL: They have so much access to tech-nology at home and outside of school that I have to be more creative with my lessons to keep them engaged and excited about learning.

What is your fondest memory? BIRDWELL: I have so many memories that it is hard to narrow it down to one. I enjoy getting to see my ex-students after they graduate and be-come adults.

It means a lot to me when I get to attend their graduations, weddings, baby showers, etc. It is very rewarding to see how they have grown up and become wonderful adults. I have had several students that became teachers and it is extremely rewarding to feel that I might have had a part in their career choice. .CADE: My fondest memory is not only teach-ing fi rst grade for 21 years in the same room at Chandler Elementary, but all the students, par-ents, grandparents and families that have passed through my doors! Especially during the time of

the President’s Program. This program began with Rosie Bussman, Dorothy McHam and my-self teaching fi rst grade for the fi rst time. We want-ed a program that was “Patriotic,” depicting each President, First Lady, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta King, George Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, Betsy Ross, Uncle Sam, The Statue of Liberty, plus several others.

They each were dressed according to the time period they represented. These fi rst graders “learned and recited” a speech about their lead-ers. Everyone learned the President’s Oath of Of-fi ce, the Preamble to the Constitution, named all 50 States and Capitals by singing them!

Later, they wore tuxedos and long dress-es. Northern Cable would come out and fi lm our program every year. Students were so AWESOME! Jesse Owens, an Olympic Gold Medalist winner, was portrayed as A.J. (Aar-on) Ross. He is a defensive player for the New York Giants Super Bowl of 2012.

Even today students remind us of not only who they were, but can recite their speeches! Just ask one of them if you them!

All of my students are special and will always carry a place in my heart.

Why stay with the same district? BIRDWELL: I have stayed at Brownsboro ISD (28 years) because I enjoy working for a smaller dis-trict and because of the friends I have made and relationships I have built with the people at Chan-dler Elementary and throughout the district.

In a small town you get to know the families of the students you teach and develop lifelong friendships. This is my home and I feel a respon-sibility to do my part as a teacher to make our campus and district the best it can be.CADE: (31 years) This is my family. There are bonds for me in Brownsboro, Murchison and Chandler. I was born and raised in Chandler and graduated from Brownsboro. My father’s family helped build Chandler, and my Mother’s family was from Brownsboro and Murchison where my Grandfather was a country Doctor. He was “Dr. Horton,” from early1900’s through 1940’s, deliv-ering so many people and caring for them in the past. He was on one of the fi rst School Boards of Brownsboro.

Now, aside from living here all my life and grad-uating in Brownsboro, I truly feel a deep love for our children and district.

Statesman-TeacherTAB.indd Spread 1 of 6 - Pages(12, 1)Statesman-TeacherTAB.indd Spread 1 of 6 - Pages(12, 1) 3/2/2012 1:25:32 PM3/2/2012 1:25:32 PM

In appreciation for serving the community there will beNO ENROLLMENT FEE for teachers through the month of MARCH.

636 Hwy. 31, Suite AChandler, TX 75758903-849-3700chandlertx@anytime itness.com


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“As a school board member and a citizen of this community we are very fortunate to have the quality, caliber and dedication of the teaching staff we have at Brownsboro ISD. We can look the country over and not indany better.” ̶ Dusty Wise

March 2, 1836 is the date of the Texas Declaration of Independence and coincides with Texas Public Schools Week. Each year we celebrate those who work in the Texas Public Schools and serve our parents and students in the educational process. There are 1,237 public school districts in The State of Texas serv-ing nearly 5 million students taught by approximately 333,000 teachers. I encourage the Brownsboro ISD community to join me in showing appreciation to all school employees, and especially our teachers who

serve on the front lines each day with our students. Great teachers change lives for the bett er!

Thank you BISD teachers and employees for holding excellence as yourstandard as we improve our school district one child at a time.

A MESSAGE FROM BISD SUPERINTENDENT DR. CHRIS MORAN...

Honoring teachers with 20 or more years with Brownsboro ISD

Fay BlackwellBHS

41 years

Susan BaleyCES

38 years

Carrie YarberBHS

34 years

Willie HaggertyBHS

34 years

Betty EberhartBES

32 years

Mary Alice Cade

CES - 31 years

Sherri ChambersBES

30 years

Wanda CrabtreeCIS

29 years

Kent BradleyBJHS

29 years

MelissaStepherson

BES - 29 years

Linda FrederickCIS

29 years

Wayne RandolphBJHS

28 years

Janet BerryBES

29 years

Kim BirdwellCES

28 years

Fred Griffi nBHS

28 years

Mary MesserBES

27 years

Loretta RobersonBES

27 years

Rodney BoydACES

26 years

Cindy LukerBJHS

26 years

Paula VogtBIS

25 years

Susie OdenCIS

24 years

Sue RogersBHS

23 years

MaggiDebenport

BHS - 22 years

Linda PorschBHS

21 years

Kay HeadBES

24 years

Kay RobertsonBIS

21 years

NOT PICTURED are Kathy Daniel, BES, 20 years and Vicki Dingler, BES, 24 years. Information provided by BISD Administration and various teachers. Photos courtesy of BISD Journalism.

THE CHANDLER & BROWNSBORO STATESMAN THURSDAY • MARCH 8, 2012 • PAGE 11

Chandler Elementary School

Chandler Elementary has become one of the top schools in the nation and one key reason for that are teachers like Susan Baley.

A National Blue Ribbon award win-ner in 2004, and nominated for another blue ribbon this year, the school has been named Exemplary by the Texas Edu-cation Agency the last four years. As a third-grade teacher Baley has been in-strumental in the school’s success.

“I am so proud of us. It has been a major team effort on this campus. We started with Principal Rhonda McCal-lie, who really got us going in the right direction. That is where we got our fi rst Blue Ribbon,” Baley said. “We did well to with the next principal Sonya McCoy and now with Mrs. Eaton, again we have been nominated as a Blue Ribbon school. It’s exciting.”

While the third grade students are the ones tested to see if they meet the aca-demic standards, Baley said it takes a team effort from kindergarten up to help

the school be one of the nation’s best.“I think it is all the teamwork on our

campus. Even though we give the test in third grade and the third graders take the test, I don’t teach them to read, they teach them to read in Kindergarten and fi rst grade,” she said. “I don’t teach them their numbers, they do. Each year it builds and I think it is a major teamwork. Also, I think we all have such a good rapport

with each other. The lower grades are not timid to come and ask how they can help and also we meet a lot and talk a lot about things everybody can do to help. It is like a fam-ily.”

If CES is a family, Baley would be mother of the group as she is the longest tenured teacher at the school.

She started in January 1975 as a sub when another teacher had to take medical leave.

“The next year they added another third grade and I was hired as a teacher. I had just graduated from college in December of ‘74 and was lucky enough to get word that they needed a certifi ed teacher as a

National excellenceNational excellenceBaley grows with CES as it becomes an

academic leader in the United StatesBY CHAD WILSON

[email protected]

Chad Wilson PhotoSusan Baley, the 2011-12 CES Teacher of the Year, is the longest tenured teacher with the school. She began teaching at CES in 1975 as a sub.

“I am so proud of us. It has been a major team eff ort

on this campus.”- Susan Baley

See BALEY • 12


“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers, past and present, who

have shaped our lives and our children’s lives.”

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Ellis Motor Company201 Second St. • Chandler, TX 75758

903-849-6861


Brownsboro ISD

moment, when it clicks,” she said. “See-ing everything fall in to place is the best thing about teaching.”

Crabtree, who has never taught any-where but Brownsboro, says she believes BISD is one of the best and is proud of the team she is a part of.

“We have a really good system. We have

a brand new superintendent and brand new ideas, which I think is going to pull us into the 21st century. I like what Dr. (Chris) Moran stands for. He’s a good Christian man. I liked Mr. Caldwell. He was very community-minded. And that’s one of the reasons why I like it here so much, is the community.”

work for, it’s an awesome place to work.

Why stay with the same district for so long? FREDERICK: I grew up in West Texas and taught there for 8 years, but I LOVE East Texas! Plus, my husband, Coach Frederick, had a very successful coaching career here in Brownsboro! Our girls all started and fi nished school in the Brownsboro schools. We have a lot of great memories!ODEN: I love this district and the people I have worked with and the people I am currently working with. I have made some long lasting friendships at Brownsboro and I truly believe that is just one of the many reasons why I have been in the district for so long. I have never worked in another district so I have nothing to compare it to but I know that this is where I need to be. My three children graduated from K-12th grade in BISD. My happiness is in working with the students and this district and to take a risk and be miserable where some other district might pay more is not worth the risk.

through activities such as arts and crafts or even making their own paper, she says the biggest change she’s seen throughout her years as a teacher is tech-nology.

“After spending a lot of time on my six-weeks proj-ects with my students, I re-alized that technology had probably had the biggest impact over the years,” she said. “I can remember classrooms without com-puters, televisions, ipads and especially the Internet.

“This technology has changed not only the way teachers present lessons, but also allows students access to information that early years of teaching could never imagine.

“We live in a world that can give you information from all over the world in a matter of seconds. This,

I feel, has been the biggest change for education and it will change even more in years to come.”

Eberhart says her biggest rewards and her personal gratifi cation in this teach-ing profession comes from the kids, not any teaching awards she or the campus she teaches may have won, but simply the kids.

“Faces fl ash in front of me, just the kids in gen-eral,” she said. “When you go out in the hall and you hear them say your name and they say they’re ex-cited about being here, just kids in general.

“I try to follow the ones that I’ve had and they come back, and it’s just the interaction with the kids in general. It’s like you have a family in fi rst through sixth (grade), and after watching them all those years, that’s

a long time to be together. “You follow them and

see them grow up. That’s a reward right there is be-ing able to see it. You build something that actually breathes and something that continues. It’s not just a materialistic thing.”

Eberhart, who is from Leagueville, says she’s stayed with BISD for so long because it’s family.

“Why stay here so long?” she said. “It’s just my family. Everyone gets along. When one hurts, we all hurt. We’ve had some things that have happened in my family that was over-whelming and everybody stepped up to help. If one has joy, we all have joy.”

Eberhart received her Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at Ty-ler.

CRABTREE • FROM 8

EBERHART • FROM 9

CIS • FROM 8

Q&A with BES teachersSherry Chambers, Mary Messer and Loretta Roberson

share their thoughts on Brownsboro ISD.What is the biggest change you have seen?CHAMBERS: The greatest change I have seen is our growth. When I was hired for fi fth grade, our build-ing contained K-5. We are now PreK - 3 and running out of room. We have gone from a few build-ings to many. MESSER: Increasingly higher ex-pectations for students is an area of change. ROBERSON: The biggest change is the size of the district, adding several new campuses.

What is your fondest mem-ory of the last 20 years? CHAMBERS: Some of my fond-est memories are of Homecoming week. We used to have a parade through downtown Brownsboro that ended at the football fi eld, a bonfi re on Thurs. night and the all district pep rally. When I fi rst started, we could fi t all students from K-12 in the old high school

gym across from the elementary. Now we can barely fi t our elemen-tary.MESSER: One morning before class started, I was called to the of-fi ce. When I walked in, out jumped a student who had been gone awhile. We both just stood there smil-ing and yelling! What a morning!ROBERSON: My fondest memo-ries would be of co-workers who have retired.

Why stay with the same district for so long? CHAMBERS: I have stayed with the district because I feel it is one of the best around. My kids have all attended here and I liked be-ing in a small community where everyone cares about each other.MESSER: BES is a campus of caring people. We love our kids and work together to educate them. We are a faculty and staff who share each others’ joys and offer comfort in diffi cult times. Brownsboro Auto

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Brownsboro High School

There is dedication and then there is Fay Blackwell.

It is rare for one person to remain in the same school district for more than 25 years, especially someone who spent time in six different districts fresh out of col-lege.

Yet once Blackwell landed in East Tex-as and was hired at Brownsboro ISD in the fall of 1971, she knew she had found a school she could call home.

Fast forward 41 years and Blackwell is the longest-tenured teacher in the school district and has seen the district grow leaps and bounds.

“My fondest memories are those where I was able to help a student accomplish some-thing they really wanted to accom-plish,” she said. “I have a couple of students who call me, one called for the fi rst time in many years about two or three months ago and we have conversed two or three times since. Another one graduated 18 or 20 years ago and I hear from her a couple times a year. The fi rst thing she says to me on the phone is, ‘Mrs. Black-well, I still have that dress.’ She wanted to go to the prom, but she was not going to be able to go. I was in home economics at the time and together we were able to get her a dress and she felt like a queen and still remembers it. That is one of my fondest memories but it meant so much to her.”

Those types of life-changing moments are what Blackwell hoped she would fi nd when she decided to become a teacher.

“As I see students with families and jobs it is very rewarding. Since I am in marketing now, I run into people who are

managers at pretty high levels that started out with my class. That gives you a good feeling,” she said.

Blackwell joined BISD shortly after Chandler ISD and Moore Station ISD merged with Brownsboro, as a home eco-nomics teacher.

“I knew that kids were from Chandler or Brownsboro but they worked together, I thought, really well from the time I got here on. As far as the students were con-cerned I never saw any animosity,” she said of the merger.

Shortly after the addition of the districts she was a part of another big population boom when Lake Palestine was expanded

to the southern edge of Chandler. The lake expansion brought another wave of growth to the dis-trict.

“Once it was built, the area exploded population wise,” Blackwell said.

She remained a home economics

teacher for more than 20 years and during that time saw a couple of changes in that department as well.

“Many years ago they made (home eco-nomic rooms) like houses. You had class-rooms, but you also had a living room, dining room and you decorated and sewed in the dining room. You entertained in the living room and that was part of our teach-ing,” she said. “That little house (near Brownsboro Junior High) was the home making cottage and then we moved from that into a big medal building that is now the junior high science room. It is just a rectangular building but they created space enough for us to teach the number of students we had. They built it as class-rooms but we still went back to the cot-tage for the labs. Those two facilities were

The rock of BHSFay Blackwell has seen a number of changes

in her 41 years with school district

BY CHAD [email protected]

Chad Wilson PhotoMarketing instructor Fay Blackwell has been with Brownsboro ISD for 41 years mak-ing her the longest-tenured teacher in the district. During that span she has taught home economics and marketing.

See BLACKWELL • 3

“My fondest memories are those where I was able to help a student accomplish

something they really wanted to accomplish.”

- Fay Blackwell



Brownsboro High School

there until they built the high school.”When the district began looking into the

possibilities of adding a marketing depart-ment, it called on Mrs. Dedication and she was excited about the career move.

Blackwell has been the school’s market-ing teacher for 16 years and continues to fi nd it rewarding.

“I had always liked marketing. Market-ing is not the only one, but it is the larger, Co-op work program. Students come to school a half of a day and take class be-fore getting out of school early and go to work. Their work hours count as a school credit,” she said.

“Instead of getting one credit for the year they get three in marketing. At one point and time there had been a co-op work program through the home making department.

“I had a co-op work program in the home economics department for a few years be-fore they dropped it. I did not have it at the time (of the switch) but I love work-ing with employers and students looking

to get jobs. I thought I would like the pro-gram, and I do. I love it.”

The challenge of fi nding a student a job in today's tough market is something she enjoys.

“The part I really, really like is when kids think they are not going to be able to fi nd a job and together we are able to get them employed,” she said. “Then I see kids blossom from working in the public. They have to behave maturely, take responsibil-ity and that builds their confi dence and self-esteem.

“You can really see a lot of progress in a hurry after they get a job and are able to be successful in it.”

The marketing program is open to ju-niors and seniors only in large part due to the fact students must have reliable trans-portation.

From home economics to marketing, Blackwell has been a fi xture at BHS and she plans to continue making an impact in students’ live for as long as possible.

BLACKWELL • FROM 3

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Q&A with BHS teachersSue Rogers and Maggi Debenport have combined to serve BHS for 44 years. Find out their best memories and more.

What is the biggest change you have seen?ROGERS: The implementation and use of technology with students is a drastic change. An expert in education has said that the students today are the most communicative of any prior generation. This is true. It is a challenge to compete with the I-phone, let alone learn how to use one; however, it is vital that we use technology to keep our students at a competitive level. They are a lot more “chatty” during class, but at least I know what they are thinking. DEBENPORT: The decline in the importance of family unit. Also, the standard of raising children is not the same.

What is your fondest memory of the last 20 years? ROGERS: Seeing my own girls, Mary, Naomi and Rebekah walking down the beloved BHS halls with their friends and knowing they are in a safe, academically sound, and caring environment. Working with students to help other students through “Youth Alive” and “Uncommon.” Everyday can be a fond memory when you are doing what you love and are called to do. DEBENPORT: My years with the Golden Girls and relationships with my students. I am honored that I can go on Facebook and a former student wants to be friends. Or, I get an email from a former student who recently has come back to this area and wanted to say hello. Even when I am out in public, former students will make a point to stop and speak. If is funny how they ask about my children and can’t believe it when I tell them how old they are/what they are doing. Then we all have the “I’m getting old” feeling.

Why stay with the same district for so long?ROGERS: I believe whole heartedly that we are an educational cham-pion! We desire to see our students succeed not only in school but in life. As I have mentioned, my daughters are products of BHS. Mary is a nurse and served in the Air Force, and Naomi is in college studying for some type of career in dentistry. Their great start began with “Mini-Mom Wright” (I thank God for you Minnie Lou!) and continued with their educa-tion at BHS. My youngest, but not shortest, Bekah is a sophomore and hopes to teach kindergarten (for now). The extra curricular, educational and sports programs combined have been great contributors to my girls’ success! Thank you to everyone in our school district for all you do and have done!!!DEBENPORT: It is a good place to be. For my family BISD has accom-modated me when needed, supported me, given me freedoms to try new ideas, and has been consistent employment. When appropriate, I’ve been asked for input on several topics.


Brownsboro Elementary School

In this technology-heavy world that is so geared towards everything be-ing digital and hands-off, Betty Eberhart looks to-wards hands-on activities to teach her students.

“’I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand,’” said Eber-hart about what her phi-losophy is. “So hands-on is what I like to do. That’s why I like this program so much. Take the objective and run with it. Hands-on activities are my philoso-phy. If you let them do it, they’ll remember it.”

Eberhart, a Brownsboro graduate, has been a teach-er within the Brownsboro ISD since 1979, but she would never be heard bragging about how many years shes accumulated.

“I like to keep up with the kids, I don’t keep up with the years,” she said when asked how long she’s been a teacher at Brownsboro. “I like to see the spark in

AAhands-on approachhands-on approach

Eberhart’s method of teaching istimeless

BY A.J. [email protected]

the eyes and excitement about learning.”

Eberhart, who taught at Frankston for her fi rst fi ve years, has wanted to help kids learn and work with kids since she, herself, was in grade school, and now shes the Gifted teacher and can be found at a different campus nearly every day.

She teaches fi rst-through-third graders at Browns-boro Elementary School and at Chandler Elementary School, and she also teach-es fourth-through-sixth graders at both Brownsboro

and Chandler Intermedi-ate Schools, but her main classroom is a colorful, cre-ative room at Brownsboro Elementary, fi lled with pic-tures of things ranging from pyramids to dinosaurs.

She has taught at the fi fth-grade level and third-grade level before taking over the GT program

For a teacher who pre-fers hands-on activities, allowing the kids to create things with their own hands and apply what they learn

See EBERHART • 10


201 State Highway 31 E.Chandler, TX 75758

903-849-6442

In aappreciation ffor yyour many yyears oof tteaching

at BBrownsboro IISD�


Chandler Intermediate School

Wanda Crabtree has taught just about every subject in every grade at the in-termediate school level, ranging from reading to health, and no matter what subject or grade she has taught, her students have always been

cared for and prayed for.Currently, Crabtree teaches read-

ing, English and art in the sixth grade at Chandler Intermediate School, and the only subject she hasn’t taught in her career is his-tory.

“The fi rst position I held was sixth- through eighth-grade reading, English and health teacher,” she said. “God had a real good sense of humor because my ideal job choice at the time was K-1. I made lots of mistakes being green and wanting to make a dif-ference in education. My only saving grace is that all

my kids have been loved and prayed for since the day their

parents shared them with me.”Crabtree, who has been with

Brownsboro Independent School District for 29 years, was a Brownsboro student herself from 1973-79.

She knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in the seventh grade, and

she remembers spe-cifi cally when and why.

“That was the summer I started

babysitting in the area and I worked with a young student who couldn’t read,” she said. “And he was going to be held back in the second grade if he couldn’t pass the test, so I mentored him all summer and worked with him and he was able to go on to the third grade.”

Crabtree, who went to Tyler Junior College and Stephen F. Austin State Uni-versity, has been a teacher at CIS for fi ve years, after spending the fi rst 24 years of her teaching career at Brownsboro Ju-nior High School. She is currently taking courses at the University of Texas at Ty-ler, as well.

Crabtree says the biggest change she’s seen in her students comes with reading.

“One of the biggest changes in students has been reading books (novels) for their sheer enjoyment or pleasure,” she said. “Most children view reading as a punish-ment rather than a great escape. I blame this shift partly on advanced electroni-cally used devices. You’re fi nding more kids who don’t want to read. They don’t care to read anymore.”

Crabtree has never really considered leaving BISD because it’s simply home to her, after moving to the area in 1973.

“The community, church and friends of my parents in this area have always be-lieved in me and encouraged my endeav-ors. I love this community and the coun-try way of life. My entire family lives here now and the next generations will continue to keep our small town values and morals. It’s home.”

Crabtree, who plans on teaching a few more years, says her favorite aspect of being a teacher is seeing that light bulb moment.

“Seeing the kids have that light bulb

Teacher of all tradesCrabtree has always called BISD home


Q&A withCIS teachersLinda Frederick and Susie Oden discuss their love for

CIS and teaching.

What is the biggest change you have seen?FREDERICK: Both students and schools are more technologically advanced! When I started teach-ing, teachers had to use a calcu-lator, if you were lucky enough to have one, to average grades. Children and parents are totally different than they were when I started teaching in 1973. ODEN: The biggest change I’ve seen in children is the lack of respect and the attitudes they try in the classroom. The parenting of our children today is a lot dif-ferent because of the attitude and respect.

What is your fondest memory of the last 20 years? FREDERICK: The one that comes to mind most vividly is the sadness that I felt when leaving all of my friends at Chandler El-ementary in 2001 but the antici-pation and excitement of moving into a brand new school when CIS was completed.ODEN: My fondest memory being in the district is the friendships and the fellowships that this dis-trict has given me and my family. All the livestock shows, football games, basketball games and volleyball games are memories because of my children being involved. I love this school district and I believe in the people that I

See CIS • 10See CRABTREE • 10


Brownsboro Junior High

Three Brownsboro Junior High teachers have dedicated more than 86 total years to the school district.

Coach Kent Bradley (30 years), Cindy Luker (27 years) and Coach Wayne Randolph (29 years) have all been key components to the BJH campus.

Bradley is an art and DAEP teacher as well as an assistant var-sity football and basketball coach.

Randolph is an ISS (in-school suspension) teacher and coaches at the junior high level.

Luker, who says she has always wanted to be a teacher, joined BISD in August of 1985 and has held sev-eral different teaching positions during her tenure.

Her fi rst position was a seventh- and eighth-grade speech teacher and she also taught sixth-grade so-cial studies. She went on from those subjects to teach seventh-grade Texas His-tory, all subjects in sixth-grade except PE

and band, eighth-grade U.S. History and technology, and she currently teaches eighth-grade geography and technology.

“Most of the students like tech-nology now and are eager to learn how to use the computer,” she said. “Of course, many come in knowing how to do a lot of what I cover in class.”

Her favorite part of teaching is when she’s able to witness her stu-dents learn something new, and at the start of each school year, she looks forward to new beginnings and new faces.

“Meeting former students who say that they learned and remem-bered something in whichever sub-ject I had them for,” is her fondest memories throughout the years.

She says that she’s stayed with the same district for so many years because it’s a great school district to work in.

“The people at the junior high are terrifi c,” she said.

Teaming up for successThree BJHS teachers combine for 86-year mark


Thank you to Shana Boles, LynettaBragdon, Sherri Chambers, Brenda Meyer,

Melisa Stepherson, Allie Bierig, Micah Bierig, Charles Cox, Patricia Spence, Jennifer Lehr,

Kay Head, Tamme Johnson, Jeremy Edwardsand any teacher who has taught our girls.

Thank you for teaching and lovingKarlie and Treniti Loftis.

And thanks to all the principals and all theother teachers at Brownsboro ISD

Scott and Jennifer Loftis


Congratulations andThank You all for your years of

service and dedication.


Brownsboro Intermediate School

Change. Not many people like it but to remain with one organization for more than 20 years, especially in education, change is inevitable.

Brownsboro Intermediate sixth-grade teacher Paula Vogt has met change head on as she has held several positions in the district over her 26-year tenure.

“That is one of the things you learn when you start in this profession, you have to be fl exible and you have to be willing to change,” she said

In 1985 she started as a fourth grade teacher as part of Brownsboro Elemen-tary before BIS became its own campus. She has taught fourth-sixth grades, con-

tent mastery, has worked with reading and math kids who struggle and does ESL this year.

Change can be hard to handle, but when dealing with children each day can bring a level of excitement that makes all the change worth while.

“There are days when you are frustrat-ed and you ask yourself if you can do this anymore, but then the light will come on in one of those kids you have been work-ing with so hard and you realize this is why I come to work everyday,” she said.

She has been teaching sixth grade for the last four years and it was upon her re-turn to the grade-level that she had a life-changing moment.

From New York to BrownsboroPaula Vogt fl ows with life’s changes

BY CHAD [email protected]

See VOGT • 7

Chad Wilson PhotoBIS sixth-grade teacher Paula Vogt has witnessed many changes during her 26 years with the district. She prepared herself for those changes before she ever started.

Q&A with the BIS KaysKay Head and Kay Robertson have combined to serve BIS

for 44 years. Find out their best memories and more.

What is the biggest change you have seen?ROBERTSON: I would say that technology has brought about a big change in the students. It has affected they way they learn and how they communicate. HEAD: The biggest change that I have noticed in the students is the number of Hispanic students that have moved into our district. Our ESL classes seem to increase every year.

What is your fondest memory of the last 20 years? ROBERTSON: One of my fondest memories was teaching and getting to know all the students in a grade level. One year in particular, I had eight sets of twins in the sixth grade. That was the most number of twins I had ever taught at the same time. I still see some of them around in this area.

See KAY • 7

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Citizens State Bank is proud to recognize our teachers. Thank you, teachers, for all of the hard work

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Brownsboro Intermediate School

HEAD: My fondest memory would be in the spring of 2002. The interme-diate campus had just been completed and our principal at the time, Mr. Billy Beasley took the teachers on a tour of the new building and showed us our classrooms. We moved onto the campus the fall of 2002. It was wonderful. Our new campus was so clean and spacious. We loved it!

Why stay with the same district for so long? ROBERTSON:I have stayed with BISD because this is my home. It is a pleasure to work in the community where I live. I have been able to ex-perience watching these students grow into adults. It is wonderful to see many of these former students join BISD as an employee. I also enjoy teaching and getting to know children of former students. It is exciting to see this new generation.HEAD: I stay with the district for a number of reasons. I enjoy the close-ness of my co-workers, we really seem to work as a “family.”The administrators are great and very professional. My morning commute is only 10 minutes so proximity to home is another reason.

ROBERTSON started with BISD in 1990 after moving to Brownsboro from Irving. She fi rst taught sixth-grade math before teaching fourth grade math and science. She now teaches Response to Intervention for both intermediate schools. HEAD joined Brownsboro in 1988. She taught sixth grade for four years before switching to fourth grade.

KAY • FROM 6

“When I came back to teaching sixth grade I started teaching the STARR TAKS Reading Class. It was working with kids who pretty much failed TAKS in third, fourth and fi fth grade and now they are in sixth grade. It was those kids and myself in the classroom and I had one particular group who are now freshmen that worked so hard,” she said.

“They put out a lot of effort. There are two students that really stick out in my mind. One was a little boy who had never passed a TAKS test and he passed it that fi rst year. Then I had a little girl that same year who had passed one but it had been a long time since she passed another. We kept working and working and she just wasn’t getting there. She and I both went out in the hall and I was talking to her, ‘You know honey, this is what it is look-ing like. You are really going to have to buckle down. If you really try I think we can get there.’ But the whole time I was unsure. But the scores came back and she had this huge smile on her face because she had passed. She comes up and hugs me every time she sees me and tells me she is doing so good and is in honors classes now.”

It is for those moments that Vogt is glad she makes the journey from New York to

Brownsboro.“It makes you realize your job does

having meaning and purpose and that is why I do what I do,” she said.

Vogt started as a teacher in Cayuga making a long drive daily from her home in the New York, Texas community before coming to BISD.

From time to time she ques-tioned the move to BISD but it did not take very long for her to feel the family-like atmo-sphere in the dis-trict and know she made the right choice to stay.

“On a personal level, I got married since I have been here. I had a child since I have been here. Mr. Beasley was my principal for the longest amount of time and when-ever I had my daughter I got a call at the hospital and they said I needed to come home by Brownsboro. I said that is not the way I go, but they said I needed to come through Brownsboro because Mr. Beasley had put it on the marquee that you have had a little girl. It made you feel

like that everybody was proud of your moment and you are a family.”

Because of the “family-like” atmo-sphere within the community Vogt knew BISD was where she wanted to fi nish her career.

“This is a very loving and car-ing district. I don’t know that you would have that in some other dis-tricts. I grew up in a small town and I do not think I would be happy in a larg-er area because it would not feel like

you know the people,” she said. “It is nice to go to the football games and to know the majority of the people there. To see the kids you taught in town and for them to come up to you is special.

“It is really interesting this year because I have a lot of students who I taught their

parents. It is interesting to see how the kids react compared to how their parents reacted. It has come full circle and if it reaches the grandchildren I know I have taught too long.”

In fact, the students she teaches today bring new challenges to the table that their parents did not face.

“The students are more challenging to-day and want to be more entertained with their teaching. If you can capture it on the computer and show them a video of some-thing or if they can do it on an electronic device they would rather do that than the traditional paper and pencil tasks. We have had to adjust our teaching styles,” she said.

Vogt has rolled with the changes and is proud to say she has been with the district 26 years and counting.

“I never really thought I would stay anywhere this long but it has been an ac-complishment and I am glad I did it,” she said.

VOGT • FROM 6

“That is one of the things you learn when you start in this profession, you have to be fl exible and you have to

be willing to change.”- Paula Vogt

Southern Maid14509 Hwy. 31,Brownsboro, TX

903-574-3272Open 7 Days a Week 5am - noon

“Congratulations to my wife of10 years, Brownsboro Elementary

School Kindergarten teacherMrs. Vasquez, for her love and

dedication to her students.”

“Congratulations to my wife of10 years, Brownsboro Elementary

School Kindergarten teacherMrs. Vasquez, for her love and

dedication to her students.”


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