Teachers we

The good, the better and the best of Lake Highlands teachers

By ELISSA CHUDWIN

There’s no exact formula that determines a teacher’s success, but patience and compassion is certainly part of the equation.

For most, education is a field as unrelenting as it is rewarding. The majority of our time as children is spent in the classroom, and the people leading them often leave a lifelong impression on our young lives.

Whether it was the math teacher who lent us lunch money or the art teacher who consoled us during a bad day, these people are engrained in our memory long after we’ve graduated.

We asked Lake Highlands which educators, past and present, deserve to be recognized and received an overwhelming number of suggestions. Here are just a few of the teachers that we admire and appreciate. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag. com to see a complete list of teachers that were recommended to us.

Jim Davidson’s students rarely saw him smile.

Only a slight smirk flashed across Davidson’s face when he found something comical.

His gruff exterior intimidated students who were unfamiliar with the seasoned journalism teacher. Davidson oversaw the student newspaper and yearbook, as well as taught a creative writing class.

“If you actually knew him, he was super friendly,” former student Jonathan Gurule says. “He didn’t put up with any kind of shenanigans of any sort.”

Davidson disciplined teens with the kind of glare that didn’t require words to say “knock it off.” Mr. D, as his students called him, was strict yet beloved. He had a knack for guiding students without handing them the answers and critiquing their work without lowering their selfesteem.

He was the type of teacher that, 25 years after his death, former students still credit for their careers and consider when facing a problem.

“I’m a father now of a daughter,” Gurule says. “The kind of patience he showed me as a student I definitely maintained as a father.”

Gurule isn’t a journalist, even though Davidson played an integral role in his career. He let Gurule, an Apple employee, borrow computers to tinker with during the weekends.

Another former student, Susan Clot de Broissia, spent several years working in international relations. But before that, she was an intern and the only female photojournalist on staff at a smalltown Pennsylvania newspaper. Once she was sent to cover a house fire but wasn’t allowed near the catastrophe. Her boss thought it wasn’t safe for a woman. Frustrated, she thought of what Davidson would instruct her to do. The photograph she captured of a family embracing as smoke billowed above them made the front page.

“You always had him in your head,” she says.

Clot de Broissia still has a few darkroom tools stored in her house. They’re not useful, she says, but it reminds her of her favorite teacher.

Davidson’s career ended abruptly when cancer took hold. He died in 1994.

His death was devastating for his students, many of whom attended his funeral.

Afterward, they visited his grave with flowers, wrapped in copies of the student newspaper.

Best mother-daughter duo Belinda Bradley, Merriman Park Elementary, and Amberley Bradley, White Rock Elementary

When Belinda Bradley got married in 1992, all of her students were invited to her wedding. A few even were junior bridesmaids and groomsmen. “She has parents that have their own kids who come back and say you’re my favorite teacher ... I wanted to have that much of an impact.” Says daughter Amberley.

Most innovative Kori Markussen, Wallace Elementary

To teach her students about money,

Kori Markussen created a March Madness bracket in her classroom. “That’s when I can’t sleep at night — if I fail a kid,” she says.

Ashley Jones, Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet

Whether it’s using Angry Birds to teach students how to decompose numbers or doing 15 minutes of yoga a day, Ashley Jones’, or Ms. Jonesy’s, unconventional classroom has earned her RISD’s Teacher of the Year Award. “I love that I’m the first layer or step in something they’ll learn their whole life,” she says.

Most dedicated August Whitaker, Wallace Elementary

Every morning, for three years, kindergarten teacher August Whitaker woke up at 4 a.m. to drive 100 miles to Wallace Elementary from her East Texas home.

Ann Peeler, Wallace Elementary

Ann Peeler is retired from Wallace after decades of teaching — sort of. She’s a volunteer substitute teacher and tutor nearly five days per week.

Stephanie Bowling, Northlake Elementary

Besides teaching third grade, Stephanie Bowling coaches basketball, runs the talent show and volunteers for nearly every PTA event. “She’ll make every effort to not let time affect her ability to create a positive environment for the students,” husband Brian Johnson says.

Favorite rookies

Julia Swanner, Forest Meadow Junior High

“When I get frustrated, I think what would I have done on a Tuesday morning in seventh grade,” she says. “I try to be understanding with them.”

Jenna Ciardo, Lake Highlands Elementary

Jenna Ciardo transitioned from a marketing career to a third-grade teacher nearly seamlessly. The career switchup seems sporadic, but Ciardo is most comfortable in the classroom. “She has challenged my oldest but he still genuinely enjoys going to school and working to improve,” resident Suzy Habluetzel Shoup told the Advocate.

Most changed

James Rees, Lake Highlands High School

Band director James Rees wants students to grow as musicians, but “what matters is getting kids to be better versions of themselves,” he says. Rees, though, has grown himself after teaching for seven years. He jokes he was known as the “dream crusher” his first year.

Most determined

Karen Scoggins, Skyview Elementary

For more than 20 years, Karen Scoggins has helped students with learning disabilities. “She has students with very diverse special needs and works day in/ out to meet each and every one of them wherever they are,” Principal Ingrid Dodd told the Advocate.

Most enthusiastic

Jennifer Scarbrough, Lake Highlands High School

Jennifer Scarbrough can quote Flannery O’Connor and John Steinbeck, but her hope for students doesn’t solely revolve around the content she teaches. “I would like them to be excited about learning. Little knowledge is dangerous.”

Cathleen Barnette, Merriman Park Elementary

Cathleen Barnette’s third-graders pretend they’re Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel by taping paper under their desks.

“In my classroom, everything’s done with enthusiasm. I tell the kids if it’s not fun, we’re going to find a way to make it fun, and we’re going to learn it.”

Living legend David Wood, Lake Highlands High School

After decades of experience, David Wood is an institution in his own right. The English teacher also coached tennis and is a driving force behind Wild for Cats booster club.

Best in tech

Meagan Collier, White Rock Elementary

Whether it’s asking students to make videos impersonating a historical figure or starting a robotics program, Meagan Collier has a knack for all things electronic.

Marketplace

Echo Boutique

Upscale resale & unique gifts

Exciting New Spring and Summer Arrivals Daily!

Upscale resale -unique giftsdesigner consignment-hand picked vintage work by local artists and artisans.

9020 Garland Road (Between The Arboretum & Casa Linda) Dallas, TX 75218 214.370.4444

Lake Highlands Acupuncture

Bryan Ellett, L.Ac.

The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture for: chronic pain, high blood pressure, depression/anxiety, digestive problems (IBS, heartburn), common cold, allergies and more! Come see why! Now accepting insurance!

10252 E. Northwest Highway 214.267.8636 lakehighlandsacupuncture.com

Most school spirit

Susan Ruth, Lake Highlands Elementary

Even after 20 years, kindergarten teacher Susan Ruth’s patience has not yet waned. “Susan Ruth is tough when need be but also very loving,” parent Abigail Lau Jeffcoat told the Advocate. ” My 5-year-old son has had his challenges this school year but has made a complete 180 back in January.” Not to mention Ruth is teaching at the same elementary school she attended as a child.

My Office

Shipping and Office Supplies

Mother’s Day is May 13th. We have wonderful gifts just for Mom. Greeting cards! Also Cute Keychains, Coloring Supplies and homemade Candy Jars filled with her favorites. We’ll wrap if you bought from us or not. Once you’ve boxed it up, we’ll ship it too!

9660 Audelia Road, Suite 123 214.221.0011 myofficelh.com

JOAN PARMA

RE/MAX Premier

Your Lake Highlands Neighborhood Realtor, resident for over 30 years!

Is a Move in your Future?

I make house calls!

Texas Monthly 5 Star

Professional REMAX Hall of Fame

JOAN PARMA

214-801-1034

RE/MAX Premier www.JoanParma.com

The Impossible Dream

Finally, a plan to connect LHHS and its Freshmen Center

Story by CAROL TOLER I Photo by EMILY CHARRIER

For years, parents of students walking between Lake Highlands High School and the Freshman Center have complained about the hassles of making the trek. Punishment for being late to class, showing up soaked from the rain and worries about security are just a few objections often brought to principals, PTA meetings and the school board. All those entities have considered ways to build a covered walkway between the buildings to keep students dry.

The answer was always the same – it can’t be done. There’s a fire lane running between the Freshman Center and the school, and any covered walkway would pass through and interfere with the fire lane. Conventional wisdom was that the fire lane could not be moved.

Never say never.

The high school is in the early stages of a major expansion and renovation project funded by the 2016 bond, including transformation of its library, extensive upgrades to its HVAC and plumbing systems, a brand new multipurpose activity center and construction of 24 new classrooms. Architects on the project, which is expected to be completed in 2020, have spoken to the City of Dallas, which says “it’s possible” to move the fire lane northward on the property and build classrooms or a covered walkway to close the gap.

The plans are still in the development phase and must go to the Dallas City Plan Commission for approval.

When the Freshman Center first opened in 1998, few of its students spent any of their days on the main campus. Freshmen had their own principal, their own counselors and a separate (and smaller) catalog of freshman-only courses. Today, there is more movement between the two buildings, but the expansion would go even further in unifying the campus, keeping Wildcats together instead of isolating underclassmen.