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Page 1: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf
Page 2: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf Volume 126, No. 4

Letter from the Editor

Salutations,After a year of service here as your Lone Star Edi-tor, I’m still amazed at the dauntless dedication of some of the staff that I’ve seen here. There are, of course, literally hundreds of teachers and staff that deserve kudos and accolades; however, four teachers in particular have received special recognition and/or an award from outside organizations this spring and summer. I wanted to use this issue as a way to show these teachers how proud we are of their ac-complishments. Take time out to congratulate these dedicated [email protected] (V/TTY)Sincerely,

John Locke Alderson III

Lone StarEditor: John Alderson

Editorial Assistance: Claire Bugen, Cynthia Foss, Diana Poeppelmeyer and Twyla StricklandPhotography: John Alderson and TSD Staff

Production: John Alderson and TSD students

Front CoverBobbie Guerra, Chris Costello and Marie Dickinson all received awards from outside organizations com-

mending their teaching stature.

Subscription InfoA one year subscription to Lone Star, the quarterly journal of the Texas School for the Deaf, costs $5.

Send check and mailing address information to:Lone Star Editor

Texas School for the Deaf1102 South Congress Ave

Austin, TX 78704

Features

4 Marie Dickinson Named TAD’s Teacher of the Year

5 Christina Costello Selected for LiftOff Summer Institute

6 Mechelle Marler Receives “A+ Education Foundation” Grant

7 Bobbie Guerra Wins Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year

Other News

8 Gina Wood and Pamela Logan Lend a “Happy” Helping Hand in Honduras

9 Austin Hosts 2005 TAD Conference

10 TSD Teachers Participate in Danskin’s Annual Triathlon

11-12 TSD’s New Identity Revealed

Lone Star Summer 20052

Page 3: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Good teaching really matters.

Our nation has a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. It’s important that each and every day our teachers and staff are appreciated for the important work they do in changing student lives. This issue of the Lone Star highlights just a few of the many outstanding examples of quality teaching, professional development and staff accomplishments that occur both and on and off the TSD campus.

No Child Left Behind establishes new criteria for teacher quality based on the as-sumption that if teachers know their content they will be adequately prepared to teach all students. For our teachers it means far more than knowing the content of their subject matter. They also have to be skilled in the methodologies that address deaf learner’s strengths and possess the ability to communicate effectively in the language of our students. We know that preparation and certification of teachers is only part of ensuring a qualified teacher for every classroom.

When any of us reflect back on our experiences in school and college we remember differences in style, personality, goals and patterns of interaction with students. Edu-cation is forever addressing issues of technique, content and presentation. But we all know people who have tremendous knowledge but fail to communicate it; people who have on paper, a great lesson, but whose students are bored or frustrated. If we reflect back honestly, we might admit that good teaching often has less to do with our knowledge and skills than with our attitude towards our students, our subject and our work. Good teachers connect with their students. When we remember our good teachers we most often remember how they made us feel.

A Good Teacher: Is Enthusiastic

Makes Learning Fun Admits “I Don’t Know”

Knows Her/His Audience Promotes Active Learning

Knows the Content Is Motivating

Uses Positive Reinforcement Is Affectionate and Nurturing

Encourages Student Independence Meets the Needs of All Learners

Makes all of the Students Feel Special Listens and Responds to Students’ Ideas

Creates a Safe and Risk-Free Environment Creates a Positive / Welcoming Atmosphere Teaches Children To Be Responsible Citizens

Creates a Good Student

Claire BugenSuperintendent

AdministrationClaire Bugen

Superintendent

Betty BoundsDirector of Instruction/

Assistant Superintendent

Gloria Seidlin-BernsteinDirector of Student Support Services

Gary BegoDirector of Business and Operations

Vicki WhiteDirector of Residential Services

Governing Board

Charles Estes, President Beatrice Burke, Vice President

Dale Kesterson, SecretaryJean Andrews

Walt CamenischNancy CarrizalesNancy MungerLesa Thomas

Message from the Superintendent

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 3

Page 4: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Marie Dickinson NamedTAD’s Teacher of the Year

Marie is a teacher, a compassionate listener, and an encouraging leader among peers and students alike. Every year the Texas Association of the Deaf names

one exceptional educator as their Teacher of the Year Award, and Marie Dickinson was this year’s titleholder. Chief among the reasons for the well deserved recogni-tion is her tireless involvement in the students’ academic and extracurricular lives. One indisputable example of her selfless giving is her sponsorship and training of TSD’s Academic Bowl team. During the height of the Academic Bowl season,

she devotes be-tween four and ten hours a week after school to train the students in rules and procedures, use of equipment, and materials. In addition, she trains their minds by taking them through multiple competition simulations. She also takes the team on an out of state trip, sacrificing a weekend to be coach, mentor and cheerleader. Graduating from the University of Georgia, Marie was all too familiar with heavy extracurricular involvement as she was extremely active in their theatre program, both on and off the stage. Continuing her love of the stage, Marie has spent several years as Assistant Director to TSD’s Theatre Director, Andrea Fernandez. Also the International Thespian Society Sponsor, Andrea says of her assistant, “She is an indispens-able part of the program. Without her I would not be able to run the program, or make it as successful as it has been. She is an invaluable asset... She kept me balanced and focused throughout all of our productions.” No one could dispute this in anything Marie does. Marie also works unremittingly to better the entire school. This is her sixth year as a voluntary member of the High School Site-Based Team, a group that comes up with

innovative ideas to improve the high school. “A big part of what I did for the site-based team was to help TSD satisfy the No Child Left Behind Act by developing new Social Studies curriculum”. She also developed a portfolio system for high school. Adding to her list of ‘above and beyond’ involvement for the betterment of the school, this year she volunteered as a member of the Accreditation Planning Team. She devoted hours to research and meetings to help TSD come up with new plans to improve the school over the next five years. In spite of her altruism, her giving nature, her donation of time and energy, she still wishes she had more time to ac-complish everything she would like to see done in any given day. “The greatest challenge I face as a teacher is time—not having enough of it. It seems like there’s just never enough time to do everything that needs to be done.” As the High School Technology Mentor she has first hand knowledge of how to apply technology into her classroom and does so consistently, in addition to helping other high school teachers integrate technology in their classrooms. Professionally, she has taken over the position of Lead History Teacher. From this vantage point she has been

instrumental in t h e c h o o s i n g and ordering of new curriculum m a t e r i a l s f o r her department. Marie has trav-eled extensively

in Europe and so much believed it was an experience our students should have that she developed our International Studies course. Students will learn about European culture and customs and then go to Europe during spring break, all under Marie’s watchful eyes.

“...there’s never enough time to do everything that needs to be done or teach what needs to be taught.”

Lone Star Summer 20054

Page 5: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Chris Costello Selectedfor Liftoff Summer Institute

The year 2005 marks the sixteenth consecutive year that teachers from around the country increase their knowledge of space education through the LiftOff

Summer Institute. Christina Costello, TSD’s noted Middle School science teacher, was chosen as one of the educators to participate in this year’s program, and she was thrilled at the opportunity. The week long institute ran from July 11th to the 18th and provided an extensive overview to all aspects of the space program. LiftOff 2005 combined the strengths of collaborators such as the Texas Space Grant Consortium, NASA, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute, to enrich teaching and learning of science, mathematics, and technology. Christina is often asked of her students what tangible impact does the space program have, and what justifies the billions of dollars spent on a race to Mars when there are so many other troubles closer to (and on) our own planet. After her second trip to the LiftOff program, she now responds, “I came back with a very clear, very complete picture of how far reaching the science involved in the space program really is. It has affected and improved almost every aspect of our ev-ery day life.” The week long series in-cluded work-shops , hands -on activities, and field trips, featuring presentations from Jerry Woodfill of NASA Johnson Space Center and Becky Nelson from the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Getting a certified, official space shuttle tile was one of her, admittedly ‘geek-out’, highlight moments of the whole experience. “For a classroom demonstration of

thermodynamics, to be able to hold a torch to one side of the tile while the other side stays completely cool is... well, it’s cool!” Between the thirty one teachers from seven different states, there was an entire bookshelf’s worth of resource sharing that passed hands—another huge benefit from the experience to directly impact her lesson plans back here at TSD. With this year’s JASON project focusing on the Mars expedition, Christina will find countless ways to integrate this summer’s experience into the school year. All of the teachers had the opportunity to visit the Hous-

ton Museum of Natural Science to conduct a sim-ulated mission to the Moon and on to Mars in the

Challenger Center. They were also scheduled to watch the Discovery shuttle launch from an observation pavilion right across from Mission Control; and, needless to say, were all disappointed the launch was cancelled. They did, however, get to experience first hand the intricacies of what’s involved in a shuttle launch. They had up to the minute reports from NASA engineers about the status of sensors around the country and learned exactly why the launch was cancelled—even before that information was released to the major media. Overall, the experience has already made its imprint onto the TSD classroom, and the LiftOff program will hopefully continue to enrich classrooms throughout the nation. “There’s just so much in science that I really love teach-ing, it’s hard for me to focus on just what’s applicable to a testing situation. I’d love for all of my students to learn more how to process the learning experience, than just memorizing a list of facts. How to think, not just what to

“I’d love for all of my students to learn... how to think, not just what to think”

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 5

Page 6: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Mechelle Marler Receives“A+ Education Foundation” Grant

The A+ Education Foundation was established earlier this year to help fund grants for pro-grams and training for educators in the com-

munities served by the A+ Federal Credit Union, and TSD’s Mechelle Marler was one of a select number

of $1,000 grant recipients. Mechelle’s Career Cen-ter project has always been an exemplary feather in the Career and Technology De-partment’s pro-verbial cap, but the recognition and receipt of this grant mon-ey goes a long way to provide further support of the program. Mechelle was delighted to find out her project received recognition from the fledgling foundation program. She was also thrilled to have something she felt an absolutely necessity for the kids be recognized as such outside of the TSD community. The crux of the grant money was earmarked for an on-line job training and job marketing software called Career Cruising. The web-based application has resume building tools, a place to house on-line portfolios, planning software and more. “With ex-ceptional assessment tools, detailed occupation pro-files, and comprehensive post-secondary education information, students move seamlessly through the career exploration and planning process. At the same time, teachers have access to the real-time information

and statistics needed to track students’ progress and achievement.” While the grant money and recognition are wel-comed, Mechelle would still like to see the Career Center get bigger every year. She feels having the Career Center be a central location for students and career resources will help save time and maximize the students efficiency. Having the computers, counselors, teachers, and meeting rooms for outside agencies to come and give presentations and/or training seminars is a good, palpable goal for the next couple of years. More than the software or the new equipment, Mechelle feels the best thing to come from receiving the inaugural A+ Grant is the relationship gained with the A+ Federal Credit Union as a Career and Technology Work Training Intern partner. This se-mester, Elizabeth Hamm, TSD Senior, was hired as a paid intern by the president of the A+ Federal Credit Union.

I f s h e could impart just one thing to all of the stu-dents she af-fects, it would be “for the stu-

dents to gain as much experience as possible when they have the support and the resources available here at TSD and the Career Center. After graduation, they will all find out it’s a whole different ball game.”

“Gain as much experience as possible while you have the support and resources available...”

Lone Star Summer 20056

Page 7: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Bobbie Guerra WinsSam’s Club Teacher of the Year

On May 3rd, Jim Owens, Marketing Supervisor of Sam’s Club, awarded Bobbie Guerra the Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year. More than nifty

plaque, she received $1,000 by to spend on her classroom needs. The nomination was a complete surprise to Bobbie, and her winning the award came as even more of a pleasant surprise when she was told to be in the cafeteria at 11:30 a.m. on the 3rd, and “....oh, and wear something nice”. Bobbie was honored with this award for promoting the use of technology with deaf and hard of hearing stu-dents in a variety of creative modes. With the training of her then called ‘Synergy Studio’, students are taught to be ambassadors for the Texas School for the Deaf and also taught how to promote a positive image of TSD in the community. This year, the video technology students have chosen ‘Velocity Studio’ as their yearly moniker—a telling title for the year to come. Among one of the most sought after classes on campus, Bobbie’s video technology class each year becomes more of an extracurricular association than just a class. The stu-dents’ involvement constantly exceeds the time spent be-tween the bells, and its exposure in the commu-nity is helping to make TSD a magnet school for this type of hands-on instruction. The $1,000 cash award will be spent on the purchase of a new camcorder, and if there’s any left over, Bobbie wants to start a video technology fund or endowment to be used as special needs arise.

Teaching has always been, and will always be, both extremely challenging and extraordinarily rewarding. Of

all the challenges teachers face today, Bobbie’s biggest challenge “...is the increased diversity of skills and learning abilities within the same class. It’s a challenge to meet every students needs in a 50 minute class. Technology is con-

stantly improving and so are kids’ computer skills.” H a v i n g an open, honest rapport with her students has been

essential in building trust and establishing a mutual synergy with her kids. Bobbie added, “Be a lifetime learner. Chal-lenge yourself with new experiences and work to make your dreams come true.”

“Challenge yourself with new experiences and work hard to make your dreams come true.”

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 7

Page 8: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Gina Wood & Pamela LoganLend a ‘Happy’ Helping Hand in Honduras

On a service based mission trip sponsored by Baylor University, Gina Wood and Pamela Logan spent 3 weeks in July helping to establish the first deaf edu-

cation program for teachers in Honduras in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. One of the greatest challenges they faced on the trip was the language barrier. As they stood in front of a class to teach, three people stood to address the class for every lesson.

The teachers would speak without signing in English. That was then translated from English to Spanish and then from Span-ish to LESHO, Honduran Sign Language (Lengua de Senas de Honduras). With the help of New Life Deaf Ministry, the Happy Hands School for the Deaf children is just starting to get off the ground with 30 students currently enrolled in both Tegucigalpa and a branch school in Siguatepeque, approximately two hours from the capital. Christy Owen, a missionary from Arkansas who has been in Honduras for six years, began Happy Hands to help bring a proper education, equal rights, and secure a foundation for an emerging Deaf Culture in a country (and part of the world) where these were previously nonexistent. “I started realizing the harsh reality of millions of deaf people in the world without language, and even more assaulting, without hope.” Gina and Pamela had a lot of interaction with the students,

but their main objective was to help train the would-be teach-ers to become certified deaf educators. The school is now only pre-kindergarten through 1st grade but has a goal to be a fully functioning, K-12 residential school that graduates high school students. The school building itself may seem a little slipshod to the American eye, but next to the surrounding dirt floor and cor-rugated tin roof shanties in the surrounding area of Tegucigalpa, Happy Hands is quite palatial for most of the students. The entire building is about the size of the TSD cafeteria and currently provides adequate facilities for the children; however, Happy Hands will soon outgrow their building with future expansion. Enrollment in the school is taken very seriously and the teach-ers feel it should be treated as an honor. Students are required to wear clean uniforms to school and both the student and their parents must show consistent progress in learning LESHO to remain enrolled. The group Gina and Pamela travelled with consisted of 2 Deaf Ed teachers and 3 students from the Baylor Deaf Ed Program. While a formal LESHO dictionary still does not exist, before their trip, they were all sent a CD with over 200 illustrated LESHO vocabulary to familiarize themselves with some of the more basic signs. In the first few weeks of TSD’s fall semester since their return, Gina’s own students have been fascinated to learn about Honduran culture and see the differences in the languages. “There are a lot of ASL signs that are offensive to them that to us seem commonplace... It’s peculiar what different cultures consider offensive in terms of signs”, said Gina. While fascinated by the differences in the language, she was surprised to see the similarities, such as Deaf identity and student behavior, that exist between Honduras and US. “I’ve always tried to stress the importance of identity to my students. The importance of their own cultural heritage and the importance of their rights as a people. It was interesting to see these types of skills transfer beyond TSD, especially to a land where Deaf Culture has never existed before.”

Lone Star Summer 20058

Page 9: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Austin Hosts 2005TAD Biennial Conference

The Texas School for the Deaf, along with Sprint Relay Texas, CSD, and Lamar Univer-sity is proud to have been a major sponsor of

the 43rd Biennial Conference held at the Interconti-nental Hotel on Congress Avenue in Austin this past June 2005. The Conference took place on June 23 -25. The theme of the conference was “Education, Law, Tech-nology, Culture.”—issues that current concerns of deaf and hard of hearing people. The conference promoted reflection on how far we have come in terms of gaining equal access to education, legal services, technology, jobs and the support that is so valuable in becoming independent, contributing citizens. The presenters prompted us to reflect on our lives and in-stilled in each of us all over again pride in our language and culture. There were approximately 170 people in atten-dance: members of the Deaf Community, parents of deaf and hearing impaired students, professionals in the field of Deafness, sign language interpreters and such a great variety of people from around Texas with a vested interest in the topics. Michele LaVigne, presenting from a lawyer’s perspective “An Interpreter is Not Enough”, Claire Bugen, Superintendent of Texas School for the Deaf shared with us the “National Agenda” on Deafness as it relates to Deaf Education in American today. Also Presenting were Jean Andrews of Lamar Uni-versity along with her team of doctoral students Byron Bridg-es, Nathie Marbury, and Ying

Li, who presented a wealth of interesting information on Deaf Culture which included the story of Leroy Colombo, Deaf Lifeguard. Ed Bosson, Relay Texas Administrator with Texas Public Utilities Commis-sion shared information on Technology and how it has evolved from the first teletypewriter phone access to Video Phone and Video Relay service. David Myers, Director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services for the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitation Services in Austin presented on what current services are available at the regional offices across the state, introducing the staff from each office. The officers of the Texas Association of the Deaf held a general meeting on Saturday afternoon. Henry Whalen was re-elected as President, Byron Bridges, TSD graduate, was elected Vice President, Kathy Wal-ters as Secretary, LeRoy Terrio as Treasurer, Nathie Marbury, Krystal Minter and Steven Hunter as board members. New to the conference this year was the Miss Deaf Texas Pageant held on Saturday evening. In the past it was a separate event held at a different location and different date. It was a very successful pageant. TSD’s own Tara McAvoy was crowned at the end of the pageant. Talk about TSD pride!! It was such a great pleasure and learning experi-

ence to work with Robert Giuntoli of Sprint, Dr. Jean Andrews of Lamar University,

Rogelio Fernandez, Jo Bienvenu of CSD, and Danny Lacey of Kramer

Financial on campus at TSD in planning this conference.

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 9

by Betty Bounds

Page 10: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

TSD Teachers Participate in Danskin’s Annual Triathlon

In its 16th year, the Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series has become the largest and longest-running series in multi-sport history. On June 11th and

12th, Austin hosted one of the eight national races and TSD’s own Trish Grooms, Sarah Bannon, Kim Jennifer Hamilton and Rachel Bullock completed the team relay. These ladies joined thousands of other women who got together to raise awareness, money, and support for the fight against breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is the Official Charity for all of the 2005 Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series and Danskin donates 10% of all the entry fees to this very worthwhile organization. Some of the TSD triathletes had participated in the Danskin triathlon before, some had even had com-pleted in other triathlons. Sarah, Kim Jennifer, and Rachel all completed as a team relay in three athletic disciplines: a half-mile swim, a 12-mile bike relay and a 3-mile run. Sarah Bannon reported that, “this was my second time participating in the Danskin triathlon. I first participated in 2004. I loved it.” Since its inception 16 years ago, the race has evolved right along with the technology involved. Now a computer chip encoded with the athlete’s name, race number and wave start is attached to a plastic strap that the athlete wears securely around her ankle. A “scan-

ner” located in the orange mats posi-tioned at each transi-tion “reads” the chip and records the time as each athlete steps on the mat. Trish Grooms competed as a solo triathlete on her own but needed just as much moral sup-port from friends and on-lookers as everyone else. Trish said, “It was my first Triathlon. I trained

about 3 times a week for about three months. The greatest challenge in preparation was the swimming part because I did not have a lot of access to swimming

since I live out in the country plus I also was concerned and somewhat fear-ful due to not being a strong

swimmer.” All of the TSD team members said it was an over-whelming experience full of personal victories and team building triumphs. “Just seeing all these women from all over and the men or partners taking care of the kids and watching us was just an awesome feeling that’s hard to describe.”, said Sarah. Trish added, “Little did we know what we were getting into but ultimately we came out on top because we overcame some fears that we had and boosted our self confidence even more.” The photo to the right was taken by none other than Larry Bugen, who was there watching his own daughter compete. Congratulations ladies. From all of us at TSD, and on behalf of all of the lives you’ve af-fected, we want you to know we are very proud of your accomplishments.

“...we came out on top because we overcame some fears and boosted our self confidence.”

Lone Star Summer 200510

Page 11: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

Family Weekend RetreatBigger than Ever!

New TSD Identity Unveiled

What do 89 adults + 92 children equal? In this case, it equals the 38 families that attended our annual Family Weekend Retreat (FWR). This was our big-

gest turnout ever and all participants (visiting families, TSD staff, and presenters) found the maxim to be true... there IS strength in numbers. All are encouraged, inspired, supported, and educated when so many get together and everyone is given the opportunity to be a part of the interaction between parents, children, and professionals. Our FWR schedule was built to provide a balance between family time together and times when children could go one way and parents another. While children were engaged in fun, age appropriate activities, their parents were involved in workshops that were also fun and age-appropriate! Though the kids may have been playing with literal building blocks, parents were learning about building blocks for nurturing their child’s opti-mal development. Pictured to the right are the workshops that were offered this year. Initially, Dan Brubaker, had created a foundation for putting these together with his keynote address, “A World of Possibilities: Our Children’s Potential.” Parents were able to consider all of this information in the context of real lives through the examples and experiences that were shared in the Teen, Deaf Adult, and Parent to Parent Panels. Meal times and an evening carnival provided opportunities for families to reconnect and for people to meet. In these time and in the down times between workshops and presentations, the real magic of Family Weekend Retreat occurred as parents,

children, and professionals got to know each other as people working together toward the common goal of successful Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their families. It may not always be true that bigger is better, but in the case of Family Weekend Retreat, the more people there are to share, the better and richer the experience for all!

Clearly, Texas School for the Deaf is a very special place for each respondent group with any ties to the campus. A sense of “like” community is the most powerful aspect

of TSD. Because that allows for education to take place, it al-lows for social skills to develop, it allows for confidence to take hold. In addition, there is a strong sense of pride and loyalty. Every focus group we conducted—whether they were students, former students or hearing/deaf parents—clearly understood that TSD was key in helping develop potential. While developing the new TSD identity, the adult groups we talked to wished the reputation of the school would provide for a higher profile and become better known as an academic, cultural community. Texas School for the Deaf has a great opportunity to repo-sition itself in the eyes of the deaf and hearing communities. The good news is, everyone likes a success story, and every year hundreds walk the halls of TSD. We’ve got the stories. We’ve got the successes. We’ve got the personalities. This was what brought about the new tag line “Learn. Grow. Belong.”.

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 11

by Diana Poeppelmeyer

by Mark Brinkman

Page 12: Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf

The TSD football team in 1894 was called simply, ‘Texas School for the Deaf’. From 1895 to 1898, it was labeled the Roses, named after the school superintendent, A.T. Rose.

After Superintendent Rose resigned in 1899, the TSD football team was called Deaf and Dumb. Prior to the 1910’s, several names had been used when talking about the TSD football squad. They were Deaf and Dumb, Dummies, Scrubs, and Deaf Mutes. From 1910 to 1920, the team was called the Lone Stars. After years of various names being used, the Silents was accepted by the media and all interested parties. The Silents remained from 1921 to 1953. In that final year, a name change occurred that became the moniker that remains to this day. “At a recent meeting of the newly established Boys Athletic Association, one of the first official acts of that body was to adopt a name to replace the “Silents”. Great pains were taken to choose a name that would be easily recognized as “Texan” in origin and at the same time easily drawn for illustration purposes. The great and glorious fame of the Texas Rangers furnished a very appealing name which was immediately found favorable by the large majority of the students. “

-Ray Butler: The Lone Star vol. 75 no. 2

Though the name remains the same, the TSD Ranger mas-cot has recently undergone another significant transformation. Through great pains, scrutinous thought and careful planning, the Ranger has been updated and overhauled. The old Ranger was always shown as a male and often depicted with guns. To include our female students and to disassociate our school from guns or promoting violence, we have moved to another symbol of the famous Texas Rangers. One that accomplishes these two objectives plus adds connotations of agility, strength, power, spirit, and intelligence. The horse was chosen because it embodies these characteristics while also honoring our past by staying true to our identity as Rangers. Like the cowboy hat, badge, boots, and guns, the horse has always been an integral part of the Texas Ranger’s lore and when conjoined with a badge in the shape of a star, it emphasizes both the Ranger spirit and the Lone Star pride at TSD. A horse is known to be kind yet full of endurance. The free forward stride of a horse in movement is representative of a student reaching towards a goal. We hope you share both our spirit and our pride in our newfound mascot.

A Word on the New Mascot