Principal Raising Champions in Inner City
As the bell rings for one class to end, and the transition to another, children walk with smiles as teachers stand at the doors, calling them by name. Unruly behavior, sloppy dress, and disrespect, are not tolerated here. This wasn’t always the case.
Before 2012, by the time elementary students were nearing completion of their final school year, their parents began looking where to send them out of the DISD system for middle school.
Parents had seen the five feeder elementary schools in West Dallas transformed via local nonprofits like Mercy Street, which matches mentors with elementary school students, and Voice of Hope, which tutors nearly 250 elementary kids each afternoon.
They listened with hope during Former Mayor Tom Leppert tenure, who had begun the work to make Dallas schools a priority with a focus on West Dallas. By the time he left office, and current Mayor Mike Rawlings increased the focus, it was too late. Their children had reached middle school. They needed good teachers in safe schools with strong principals, now. The critical early teenage years were here.
The parents listened to local business leaders like Don Williams, who warned of the weakening workforce with the loss of DISD graduates, and worried that their children who had so much promise and hope, might become another statistic.
“To watch our kids with great promise finish elementary school, and then began to change in middle school was too much.” said one West Dallas mother. “I couldn’t sacrifice my children future to that middle school. So I sent them out of the district to live with relatives.”
School parents were fearful to send their children to Thomas Edison Middle School in West Dallas.
The nearly 800-student school was known for its lack of discipline, safety issues and aging structure. A significant and major change occurred in 2012 with the long term principal retiring and the appointment of it’s new principal- Derrick Spurlock.
The young energetic principal has caught the attention of West Dallas leaders, parents, and donors to inner city projects.
Spurlock tirelessly works the halls, from early morning to late afternoon, making sure students and teachers are raising the standard for academic excellence, character education and a safe environment.
Parent involvement has increased 20% with parent-teacher conferences and tutoring of students has increased dramatically. Local nonprofits Young Life and FEED 3 provide food for the tutoring sessions.
Spurlock insistence on parental involvement has changed the atmosphere of discipline problems, which previously plagued the school like widespread cancer. Parents are called from work to pick up their child, when dress, behavior, or schoolwork is not acceptable.
Longtime community activist and DISD educator, Rev. Rayford Butler says: “Principal Spurlock is exactly what Edison Middle School needs with his leadership. These students needed an authoritative figure as their principal, not their friend. Someone who will model a lifestyle of discipline, success, and character, day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by year of their education.”
Spurlock has required teachers to step up as well. He believes that failing teachers produce failing students. Failure in the classroom is not acceptable. Teachers have to do better. Spurlock has insisted that teachers be removed who don’t produce, and this has been met with expected resistance from those teachers.
As a part of helping Principal Spurlock succeed with teachers and students, FEED 3 presented Thomas Edison with a $20,000 grant for Heart of a Champion character program that is being used in every classroom throughout the year.
The nationally acclaimed program is being used in 25 states with significant results. Spurlock has already seen results with the class instruction.
Comments such as: “It has helped me be motivated to finish my education”, “…the leadership lesson inspired me to be my own person.” are often heard.
One sixth-grade female student said: “It changed me, and it re-created a new and improved me with lessons on teamwork, honesty, responsibility, and friendships.”
Another sixth-grader said: “It has shown me how to respect my teachers and classmates” while a seventh grade male related to the pro-football players and coaches who are used to teach character traits via video lessons.
“I learned about what it means to be a champion…it’s commitment, perseverance, teamwork, respect, self-control and compassion. These Super Bowl coaches cared more about their athletes as people, than players”.
Community leaders like Pastor Butler are hopeful. “We have a real leader at Edison in Principal Spurlock, that cares about the students and wants to see them succeed in life, and help change our community.”
The success of Principal Spurlock will depend on school administrators and the continued community support of the young principal.
For many of the students at Thomas Edison Middle School, it looks as if they have already found their champion with a heart – their principal- Dennis Spurlock.
FEED 3 along with providing providing nutritional snacks for kids being tutored in after school programs, has developed a food pantry for Edison parents in need.
FEED 3 works with local nonprofits, churches and schools to develop food pantries, character programs and outreach programs serving low income areas to help them with pro-business solutions to poverty and hunger. To donate to our work, click here.
FEED 3 works with local nonprofits, churches and schools to develop food pantries, character programs and outreach programs serving low income areas to help them with pro-business solutions to poverty and hunger. To donate to our work, click here.
Organized Crime Ring “Bulldozed”
Out of West Dallas
West Dallas residents stood side-by-side with law enforcement officials this week celebrating the demise of an organized crime ring that for the past decade used violence, intimidation and terror.
US Attorney Sarah Saldana, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, and Sheriff Lupe Valdez joined local West Dallas leadership as former drug houses were bulldozed and property rights turned over to Habitat for Humanity.
The organized crime ring called the West Side Gator Boyz that had between 30 and 50 members, used savvy business approaches within its organization. The group had a massive collection of weapons, cash and property, along with exotic animals that were used to lure young children into the drug trade. The group had up to 30 drugs houses throughout West Dallas.
Local West Dallas leaders included local pastors Arrvel Wilson and Rayford Butler, neighborhood association and crime watch leaders Pat Stephens and Debbie Solis, along with non-profit leaders Trey Hill of Mercy Street and Ed Franklin of Voice of Hope Ministries.
“Today is a celebration of the hard work of our partners in West Dallas” said Randy Skinner, longtime West Dallas leader and Strategic Justice Initiatives President. “From the local patrol officers, police gang units, ATF agents, and US Attorney investigators, we owe a debt of gratitude.” (www.randyskinner.com)
"It's sad because these kids that are out there in this neighborhood, they see this [behavior] as acceptable, and that in and of itself does harm," said Dallas police gang Detective Danny Torres, who along with federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agent April Howell, headed the three-year investigation of the gang.
Speaking to Dallas Morning News reporter Selwyn Crawford in a recent interview, Torres said: "To them, it's acceptable to see drug houses, it's acceptable to see dope dealers, it's acceptable to go to jail. I wanted to change that," He continued: "I wanted to make things better for all of those little kids out there in West Dallas and I think we did that."
More than 20 Gator Boyz members have been sentenced with some receiving 22-30 year prison sentences. Authorities say the arrests and heavy sentences have crippled the gang and brought relief to the neighborhood it once ruled.
Many of the drug houses were located close to West Dallas Pinkston High School and C.F. Carr Elementary where students were targeted to become a part of the distribution chain. The lure of a lavish lifestyle in the 11th poorest zip code in the nation was attractive to students as the gang members drove around in BMW’s, Hummers, and even a Bentley.
Torres said in interviews that gang leaders were so organized in their "business" that their drug-dealing employees worked around-the-clock shifts, much like a factory. And he said the gang operated with a three-tiered hierarchy with the gang leaders at the top, then mid-level managers who oversaw the handling of drugs and money at their more than 30 dope houses, and the young boys at the bottom who did much of the actual sales.
Authorities revealed it was the youngsters who fueled the machine, and the gang often shrewdly bought allegiance - and future employees - by doing nice things for children. Torres said gang leader Tyrone Weatherall would allow kids to ride his horses along the Trinity River Bottoms. And he said he's heard that the Weatheralls would often go to a store and personally pay for the school clothes and supplies of West Dallas children.
In public statements at the ceremony, Mayor Mike Rawlings recognized local leaders like Pat Stephens of the Westmoreland Heights Neighborhood Association who were making a difference.
US Attorney Saldana commended West Dallas Weed and Seed, led by Melva Franklin, and local nonprofits represented (Mercy Street, Voice of Hope Ministries, FEED 3) who were making a difference to counter the drug culture.
Mercy Street Ministries, along with Voice of Hope Ministries have been widely recognized for their reclaiming the five elementary schools in West Dallas, and impact on Thomas Edison Middle School and Pinkston High School. They provide tutoring, mentoring, and assistance for students.
FEED 3 most recently awarded Thomas Edison Middle School a $20,000 grant for the Heart of a Champion Character Program where each of the 800 students go through character education each day of the school year. (www.feed3.org)
Public officials and local West Dallas leaders admit that there is still much work to be done, with eight drive-by shootings with assault rifles since last August, meant to intimidate local residents. However, crime has been drastically reduced in West Dallas. The steady buy-out of slum houses by Habitat and Builders of Hope CDC over the past decade has resulted in real transformation.
“Today we celebrate husbands not having to fear their wives and daughters being assaulted, that mothers do not have to fear their children playing in the streets with gunfire, that families can go to the grocery store without having to hide their valuables.” said Skinner of these reclaimed areas. “Today is a new day in West Dallas.”
To support our pro-business approach to end hunger, poverty, and crime, please visit www.feed3.org or www.randyskinner.com.
Portions of this article were from interviews by Selwyn Crawford of Dallas Morning News, Dallas Observer, U.S. Justice Department, and Dallas Police reports.
FEED 3 works with local nonprofits, churches and schools to develop food pantries, character programs and outreach programs serving low income areas to help them with pro-business solutions to poverty and hunger. To donate to our work, click here.
Your tax-deductible gifts can also be mailed to Strategic Justice Initiatives. P.O. Box 222026, Dallas, Texas 75222.
About Strategic Justice Initiatives Inc. - SJI in 2009 became involved in laying the groundwork for the citywide movement called the Greater Dallas Justice Revival. SJI was the parent nonprofit for it till 2011 when its mission of starting 25 school church partnerships, and placement of 700 chronic homeless into housing were accomplished. SJI then launched www.homesforourneighbors.com as the faith partner for Dallas Housing Authority and Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance support of 2000 chronic homeless were placed into permanent supportive housing. www.feed3.org was launched to support the school-church partnerships and hunger projects throughout North Texas. Both efforts carry on the misson of Greater Dallas Justice Revival.
To help end hunger and poverty in our region, please consider a generous donation: Click here:
Give Now
