Staff News

As a parent specialist, Beverley Gray serves her school with passion, supporting the families and students she encounters every day. At Billy Earl Dade Middle School, Gray acts as the bridge between school and home, fostering connection and a sense of care throughout the community. 

“I think a great parent specialist is able to connect with their surroundings and with the community they are a part of,” said Gray, who serves the only middle school for both Lincoln and James Madison high schools in South Dallas. “It’s important that you lead from your heart, and I always listen to what the parents’ needs are. I think that automatically shows other people that you care.”

Through a series of school events, Gray creates opportunities for families to bond. Two of her favorites are Grandparents Day and the school’s annual Turkey Trot.

With generations of families who have previously attended school in South Dallas, many grandparents are excited to be involved in their children’s school experiences. The celebration of their presence on Grandparents Day is a meaningful tradition in the school community. 

The Turkey Trot, held each year before the Thanksgiving break, offers families a day of fun and food. Last year, Whole Foods partnered with the school to provide bags of red potatoes and oranges, in addition to the turkeys handed out to families. 

“The family, the culture, the neighborhood, the community—it’s a very warm and loving place,” Gray said. “There is a generational history. When you share love here, you’re destined to receive an abundance of love from the community.”

A key part of Gray’s work as a parent specialist is developing meaningful relationships with families because parent support and engagement is key to student success. As a single mother, who raised a daughter who earned her doctoral degree, she knows how to support parents because she understands what many are experiencing. 

That is why she provides firsthand encouragement to other single parents, reminding them that their child can thrive too. 

“We focused on education. When my daughter was a toddler, we knew she was going to get a doctorate degree. That was our goal,” Gray said. “So the students here, and the parents, I just want them to be able to have that legacy of education, too.”

As a child, Beverley Gray attended Boude Storey Elementary School and even returned later in life to teach there for three years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Paul Quinn College.

The support Gray provides is not limited to encouragement. Alongside other team members, she also supports families by providing food and clothing for students. 

The on-campus food pantry ensures that basic necessities are available for  families within the school community.

Whether students continue on to Lincoln or Madison high school and eventually college, her goal is for students at Dade to feel that the school puts their well-being at the forefront as they prepare for academic success.

“The best thing to hear is when a parent says, ‘Beverley, thank you for taking care of my kids,’” Gray said.  

Tana Takes Horse is shaping the future of the American Indian Education Program in Dallas ISD. In a role deeply rooted in her experience as a professional, a Native woman and a mother, she is guiding students on a journey to understand and embrace their Native identity. 

November, Native American Heritage Month, is a time to honor the histories, traditions and resilience of the indigenous peoples of North America . But in Dallas, where a distinct Native community has existed for more than 70 years, Takes Horse said many remain unaware of it.  

“There are quite a few descendants in the American Indian program,” she said. “We are trying to fill these students’ gaps in learning. A lot of times, that’s uncovering identity, especially since many students have never been back to their reservations.” 

The roots of this community date back to the 1950’s, when the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 brought Native Americans from reservations across the country to West Dallas. Now, three generations later, many of their descendants in Dallas ISD have not had the opportunity to learn about their culture.  

“When I first started with the program, a lot of my students could not tell me about their tribe,” she said. “So that’s been a major goal for me, to teach them, so they are able to say where they are from.”  

To reconnect students to their heritage, Takes Horse hosts a Native Book Club and runs a mobile library that visits schools once a month. She reads with students and leaves them with a free book written by Native authors, helping to expose students to native cultures even beyond their own.  

And as a native herself, she embodies the journey of reclaiming one’s identity.  

“I am Crow,” said Takes Horse. “My father is from the reservation in Montana, and I grew up in southeast Oklahoma, which is Chickasaw territory. I am also Chickasaw, Choctaw, Chippewa and Hidatsa. My kids are enrolled in the Choctaw tribe.”  

A native of Oklahoma, she graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and brought her passion for Native culture and education to Dallas ISD. She said joining the district’s Native community has been both eye-opening and inspiring.  

Takes Horse balances her role managing the program with her role as a mother. Her children are students at Emmett J. Conrad High School and K.B. Polk Elementary School and they regularly participate in AIEP events and festivals.  

“It is wonderful because as parents, we’re so busy with football games, dance and piano that you sometimes forget to teach your children about their tribe,” she said. “These experiences give me a chance to tell them that we have this rich history and help other parents do the same. Those conversations might not have happened otherwise.” 

Takes Horse often travels with students and families on cultural field trips. In June, after attending a cultural camp in Durant, Okla., she took her children to the Choctaw Culture Center to deepen their connection to who they are.  

Through other events, such as the Native College Fair, Takes Horse is creating opportunities within the program that prepare students for success in college.  The fair focuses on topics about financial aid, scholarships, and budgeting and features representatives from colleges with thriving Native American Student Associations. 

Among her proudest accomplishments is establishing a graduation ceremony for Native high school seniors, first held in May 2025. Surrounded by their Native American traditions, students were able to celebrate themselves in a meaningful way. With a strong commitment to student well-being, she also ensures Native students have access to vital resources. 

“It’s great to see this kind of program take off in Dallas,” she said. “I’m proud as a parent, as the administrator, and as a Native American.”  

From the outside, the Seagoville Youth and Family Center—the largest mental health services provider in the Seagoville community—looks like a cluster of simple portable buildings. But as soon as visitors step inside, they are greeted by a welcoming, modern setting where a dedicated team of clinicians, led by manager Robert Martinez, find innovative ways to provide mental health care to students.

Recently, the center unveiled a range of pioneering methods to address some of the mental health challenges among youths, including video game therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and an equine therapy summer camp. 

The Seagoville YFC is the first in the district to introduce video game therapy, Martinez said. 

“Video game therapy has been proven to help students with autism and ADHD communicate. If they’re playing a video game, they’ll speak to the therapist and answer their questions,” Martinez said. 

So far, Minecraft is the only video game available and in use for therapy at the clinic and has already proven to be efficient, Martinez said, as it provides a creative, open-end

ed “sandbox” that allows students to build things that represent their grief, anxiety, and other feelings.

“In therapy, we use sandboxes—literally containing sand—where clients use figurines and objects to represent their emotions. Minecraft offers the same thing. You can create anything,” Martinez said. “Students can build memorials for loved ones or create worry boxes for anxiety.”

The structure and timing elements in gaming, such as countdowns and clear session limits, also help students develop time management and transition skills that they can apply in daily life, Martinez continued. Even the design of video games, including the music, stimulate the brain to release dopamine, which increases focus and attention.

“This is why students with ADHD can focus while playing games and can benefit from listening to video game soundtracks even during schoolwork or tests,” Martinez noted.

Student feedback is crucial and ongoing in shaping the video game therapy program, Martinez said. A Seagoville High School student with autism has been especially influential, providing detailed input on the physical environment—such as TV placement and lighting—and recommending Minecraft. This student is also compiling a list of games that are therapeutic, relevant, and accessible. Martinez’s goal is to slowly expand the video game library, selecting titles that simulate social situations.

“There are also specific games used for therapy where you can practice social skills, like going into a restaurant and talking to people, which help people with autism practice learning social skills. Our goal is to get those kinds of games as well,” he said. 

In addition to video game therapy, the clinic partnered with Equest to provide equine summer therapy to students, making Dallas ISD one of the few in the nation to offer this program. Funded by the Susan L. Canole Foundation, the summer camps are free to students who need them. 

“This past summer, we held our first equine therapy summer camps for our students. We ran two summer camps: one for the younger students and one for the older ones,” Martinez said. “We also have a connection with Broken Boat Ranch in Seagoville, where students and their families can go on trail rides. A nonprofit organization covers the cost.”

The clinic also organizes a variety of support groups, such as the only Spanish-speaking group for parents of children with autism, a girls mentoring group at Seagoville Middle School, and a teen parent support group that, beyond the physical and material, addresses the social and emotional needs of new parents.

“To start the year, I asked each clinician: ‘If you could have a passion project, what would it be?’” Martinez said. “Clinician Paula Agulefo chose to work with teen parents, Victoria Sanders with middle school students, and Pablo Estrada leads the Spanish-speaking group for parents of children with autism.”

The Center offers several key services: EMDR, which uses eye movement to help patients access and work through trauma; the Creative Canvas, a new art therapy room; and basic medical care for students, families, and local Seago

ville residents, filling an important gap in community health resources.

“We are committed to serving the students and we deeply value being part of this community. We hope these kinds of events will help spread the word,” Martinez said. “We are the largest provider of mental health services in Seagoville, a role we take seriously. We appreciate being part of the school district and look forward to working with as many students as possible.”

Parents and guardians can visit the Seagoville Youth and Family Center every Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. to meet with a manager or clinician, access resources, or enroll their child in mental health services. No appointment is necessary.

Find more information on all 13 Dallas ISD youth and family centers, click here.

Dallas ISD student groups are helping to bring more kindness into the world by partnering with Thanks-Giving Square to celebrate Kindness Week. Students from several schools will participate in the Kindness Festival hosted and the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Dallas ISD student performers will join businesses, nonprofits, houses of worship, government groups, and other organizations and individuals who believe it’s important to decide to be kind. The festival is one step in promoting kindness by creating awareness of the opportunity to choose how to treat others.

The Visual and Performing Arts Department is coordinating student performances that will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, on two stages—Annett Strauss stage and Hammond Hall stage—in the Dallas Arts District.

Students will also participate in a Story Corner and face painting booths that are part of the variety of activities offered during the festival, which is a citywide celebration of compassion, connection, and inclusion, organized in conjunction with the Thanks-Giving Foundation’s week-long observance of kindness. 

Kindness Week is an initiative of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, which owns and operates the iconic Thanks-Giving Square in downtown Dallas. The Foundation hosted a kindness festival 30 years ago and is restoring it this year with plans to make it an annual tradition.Details will be posted at www.thanksgiving.org/kindness2025-kindness-festival.

Performers:

Dallas ISD Honor Choir

School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove The Owl Band

J.T. Brashear Elementary School JTB Choir 

Sam Tasby Middle School Orchestra

Piedmont G.L.O.B.A.L. Academy Might Mustang Varsity Band

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy The Bengal Dance Company’s Tiny, Mini, Youth and Junior Divisions 

George Herbert Walker Bush Elementary School Ste Team

South Oak Cliff High School Theater Group and SOC Nation Choir

J.L. Long Middle School Treasurettes

Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy Jazz Orchestra

W.W. Adamson High School Dance Company and Leopardettes

Woodrow Wilson High School Variations Choir

W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy Mariachi Los Unicos and piano students

Judge Louis A. Bedford Jr. Law Academy String Ensemble

Jesus Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard piano and theater performers

The week of Nov. 17-21, thousands of communities across the country will celebrate the wide range of education professionals who help students succeed—from support and clerical team members to bus drivers, technical specialists, and student service workers—during American Education Week.

According to the National Education Association, every one of these individuals plays a vital role in supporting students and families while keeping schools running and thriving.

The first observance of American Education Week took place on Dec. 4-10, 1921, under the sponsorship of the NEA and the American Legion. A year later, the then U.S. Office of Education joined the effort as a co-sponsor, and the National PTA followed in 1938.

After the kickoff on Nov. 17, NEA has designated days to highlight the different team members whose support is crucial to student success:

Nov. 19: Education Support Professionals Day

Education Support Professionals Day was first celebrated in 1987 to honor the contributions of all school support staff.

Nov. 21: Substitute Educators Day

Substitute Educators Day is celebrated to show an increased appreciation of school substitute employees who provide a critical link in the education by stepping into teacher roles to maintain continuity of learning in the temporary absence of regular classroom educators.

Communication Services is looking to celebrate Dallas ISD students! If your school is planning an exciting event, project, or activity involving students, let us know. We are also interested in students who have unique stories or accomplishments. The district’s photographer is always looking for student centered events to potentially photograph. 

Because we have 230 schools doing interesting things, the photographer will not be able to get to everything that is submitted. Events and student features will be chosen based on timing, impact, and uniqueness—so the sooner you submit, the better your chance of being selected.

If you are planning a visually interesting event that highlights our students or their activities, in the next few months, complete the form below with details. The communications team will review all submissions. 

Tips for a strong submission:

• Include specific dates and times
• Submit early—events with planning time are prioritized
• Provide plenty of detail—help us picture your event and why it’s worth sharing
  Submit multiple events if you’d like (use a new form for each) 

Examples of events:

• Large campuswide events 
• A standout student excelling in a unique or creative way
• School spirit events: pep rallies, students celebrating teachers or other team members, special projects, student-led causes, science or visual classroom experiments
• Unique and visual programs or classes 

To enter, complete the form by clicking here.

Dereck Enderle, agricultural science teacher and campus military liaison at Seagoville High School, likes to joke with his wife that he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps to impress her. In truth, he said, he enlisted in 1999 after a year of college left him uncertain about his future. 

“I come from a long line of service members,” he said. “My grandfathers fought in World War II and the Korean War, and my father served in Vietnam. I was a year into college and didn’t know what to do. One Monday, I saw a Marine recruiter, and by Sunday, I was in boot camp.”

At Seagoville, he wants his legacy to be one of expanding possibilities for students—helping them realize there are many valuable paths—military, trade school, college—and encouraging them to build successful futures no matter what they choose.

“The legacy I want to establish is the fact that there are other options for students. Not everybody needs to go to college. We need all types of people—even in the trades, like plumbers and electricians,” he said. “My daughter is in the Air Force doing aircraft mechanics. She’s learning the electrician side, taking those aspects, and then branching out and using them to better her future.”

Teaching turned out to be the path for him. In 2004, while serving as an aviation ordnance technician sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves, Enderle completed Dallas ISD’s Alternative Certification Program and was hired as a teacher. However, he was deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom before the school year began. 

“About two months after I got hired, I got called to go to Iraq for a year. So my first year teaching in Dallas ISD was actually over in Iraq,” he said.

Once he returned to the district in 2005, he said he rejoined the AC program and taught at W.H. Gaston Middle School for a few years. After a stint writing curriculum and pacing guides, he started at Seagoville High School as an assistant principal, a position he held for eight years. 

While at Seagoville, Enderle spoke with Texas Army National Guard recruiters stationed in the lunchroom one day, who persuaded him to join. Because of his prior military experience, Enderle was able to trade his enlisted rank for a commission as a first lieutenant without repeating basic training.

And then it happened again: Enderle had to pause his teaching career to deploy to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve in 2022.

“I was in flight operations, attached to a unit that flew helicopters. My job at the time was the night battle captain. I was in charge of tracking flights—where they were going and when they were returning—acting, in a sense, as an air traffic controller,” he said.

His deployments are not always to conflict zones. As a member of the reserves, he also serves in the state during times of need. 

“We report to the Army, but unless we’re under federal orders, we basically take our orders from the governor of the state,” he said. “Last year, I had to leave for two weeks because there was flooding. They called up my unit, and I drove 600 or 700 miles around the state helping with flood recovery.”

After returning to Seagoville from the Middle East deployments, Enderle began teaching agriculture and two welding classes; and even though he transitioned from serving as an assistant principal back to teaching, the experience has been engaging, he said.

Through his continuous involvement with the military, Enderle sought out and obtained for Seagoville High School a Purple Heart Campus Designation, which recognizes Texas district schools that demonstrate exceptional support and commitment to meeting the unique needs of military-connected students and their families. 

“I applied for the distinction in the spring of 2023, and we received the results in the fall of 2024,” he said. “Currently, we are the only Dallas ISD school with this honor and one of only about 10 schools in Region 10. The distinction requires reapplication every two years, which I will be doing at the end of this cycle.”

Although Seagoville does not have many students with parents in active duty, Enderle said he is currently working with 20 military-connected students, helping them to access benefits, including scholarships and medical care.

“I work with parents and students to find and get access to benefits they may not have known about,” he said. “This includes GI Bill funding for college, counseling, and Veterans Affairs health benefits.”

Last year, Enderle said he helped one Seagoville father to secure disability benefits that had been denied to him in the past. Similarly, he assists other veterans with the paperwork needed to increase their disability rating, which guarantees a higher monthly compensation rate. 

“The thing that I want to push is that we’re not alone out here,” he said. “A lot of times military men don’t let things bother them. For me, it’s about working with those veterans and letting them know, ‘Hey, there’s somebody you can talk to.’”

With Veteran’s Day on the horizon, he said supporting veterans is doable. Everyone can support veterans wrestling with PTSD and other conditions by giving them time.

“Even if all you do is take a moment to message someone battling and let them know you will make time for them when they’re struggling,” he said. “You may not have the solution to their problems, but you can be a shoulder to lean on and a vital reminder that they’re not alone. Sometimes that support is what makes all the difference.”

The Benefits Department invites all expecting and new parents, as well as those welcoming children through adoption or foster care, to the Baby Steps baby shower events this fall and spring.

The Benefits Department assists employees in understanding the benefits available to them and provides support with resources for leave of absence, the Employee Assistance Program, and other relevant services. Employees are encouraged to join in person for fun and informative sessions covering all the essential topics that will help employees prepare for their parenting journey.

What’s in store:

• Leave of Absence: Learn about leave options and how to plan.
• Benefits Overview: Understand how medical, dental, and vision benefits might change.
• Disability Insurance: Learn how short-term disability can benefit employees.
• Benefit Programs: Discover the Sick Leave Bank, its eligibility, and how to apply.

Seminar details:

Seminars will take place at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building.  Employees have a choice of two dates to select the date that works best for them.

• Nov. 5 | 5-6 p.m.–Room 1101
• April 22 | 5-6 p.m.–Room 1211

Employees may click here to register for the Baby Steps events.

At Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, inspiration doesn’t just walk the halls; it sings, sketches, and dances through them.

“It’s a community of one mind. Everyone thinks alike,” said Lucas S. “No one judges you and everyone accepts you for who you are.”

Lucas, whose older brothers all graduated from Booker T., initially came thinking he would follow in their footsteps as a painter. Over time, his focus shifted to 3-D art, using scrap metal to create sculptures of Texas wildlife.

Students at Booker T. can choose from four conservatories or pathways : dance, music, theater, and visual arts. All of them, like Lucas, are getting a well rounded education at the arts magnet. 

“I came here for visual arts, but I started to learn instruments and play guitar,” Lucas said. 

He said it’s common for students to broaden their horizons and express themselves in all kinds of art, regardless of their conservatory. 

Ben S. best exemplifies this. A member of the music conservatory, Ben is a talented visual artist and said his parents encouraged him to check out Booker T. when he was in eighth grade. 

“They thought I was going to go for drawing,” he said. “My dad took me on a tour and, once I was in the building, I knew I wanted to try it out.”

He now studies the saxophone, and also plays the piano and guitar. 

“I can never leave instruments alone. I find myself playing around with stuff,” he said. “Once you learn one, it’s easy to pick up others.”

While his favorite genre is jazz, Ben said his teachers introduced him to different types of music, opening his eyes to a world of opportunities. 

“This school does a really good job expanding skillsets. I’ve learned how to play classical music here, and I’ve learned to appreciate it,” he said. “It’s beautiful to see everything as art, because it is. Booker T. does a good job teaching that.” 

Since many of the teachers have work experience in their fields, students learn how to become working artists. 

“They are actually doing the things we want to do,” Ben said. “All music teachers were former performing musicians. They can tell you how to fully prepare, and they love doing that.”

In the visual arts conservatory, teachers work on their own projects alongside their students, Lucas added. 

Both seniors, Lucas and Ben, are looking ahead to life after high school. Ben plans on pursuing a music career, while Lucas wants to become an electrician. 

“Being here taught me how to work with my hands,” Lucas said. “I started looking at trade schools, and everyone here is really supportive of it.”

When Jeff Vick, lead custodian at Skyline High School, started his Dallas ISD career in 1986 as a custodian at J.P. Starks Math, Science and Technology Vanguard, he meant the job to be temporary. 

“I was only going to work here for six months,” he said, reflecting on nearly four decades of service. 

What should have lasted six months ended up turning into decades, emulating his father who was a 35-year Dallas ISD employee. Now, Vick, a Wilmer Hutchins High School graduate, said he can’t see himself anywhere else.

“I think the district is one of the best places I have worked at. I went from having a job to a career, and If you want to move up and advance and be successful, Dallas ISD is the place,” he said.

After managing Church’s Texas Chicken and Kentucky Fried Chicken locations, Vick joined J.P. Starks as a custodian to seek better opportunities. His hard work propelled him through the ranks to serve as a lead custodian at N.W. Harllee Early Childhood Center and later as a supervisor at Margaret B. Henderson Elementary School.

He eventually worked at  W.T. White High School and at Skyline High School, where he has been for 17 years. The largest Dallas ISD high school has provided some challenges, like when reductions in staff left him with 20 custodians for the entire school instead of the usual 35. 

Vick is proud of his staff for rising to the challenge and maintaining the campus to the standards that had been set, keeping a clean, safe and welcoming environment for nearly 5,000 students. He noted that each custodial member cleans about 25,000 square feet and works diligently because, as he reminds them, “If it’s not clean enough for your kids, then it’s not clean.”

“We have to remember these are somebody’s kids, and they trust us with them,” he said.

Vick officially retired in September 202 after 35 years with the district, but he was called back into service a year later specifically to help with the 2020 Bond Program renovations at Skyline. 

“I came back to help with the bond program, because since I’ve been here so long, I know the building,” he said. 

According to Vick, the Bond Program not only will remodel the inside of the existing buildings, but it also will add two new buildings to the campus: a fine arts campus on one side, and a field house in the back. Construction is slated to begin in December. 

“My role is to help manage and oversee the contractors—determining where they will be and the areas where they are needed—and try to guide them using my knowledge, such as where the power is, how to get to it, and where they need to tie in to get things like that working,” he said.

Vick, who lives two miles from Skyline, feels a strong sense of pride for his community. Knowing that he is playing a small, yet significant, role in the students’ education gives him a sense of purpose: a clean school isn’t just a task—it’s a promise to the community and each family that he and his team are providing a safe, healthy, and welcoming environment every day, he said.

“We try to make sure that all the restrooms, classrooms, and the building are clean, safe, and germ-free, so that the kids come into a nice, clean area every day,” he said.

Planning to retire again in three years, Vick continues to be driven by a commitment to students and by a dedication to leaving a positive legacy. But Vick jokes that he will not retire unless he does one final thing.

“When I leave this time, I’m changing my number. I think this is going to be it. I’m planning on leaving again at 65,” he said. “I want everybody to say that I did a good job and tried to accomplish the goals that I had.”