Dumas ALE Recognizes Teachers and Students

The Dumas Alternative Learning Environments (Target, Reed, and Central PREP) are delighted to announce our teachers and students of the first term.

	Our Junior High Student of the Term is Mr. Zarion Henderson. “Zay”, as he is known by his peers, is a ninth grade student who plays for the Junior Bobcat football team. He is a mannerable young man who has been recognized by the art teacher for both his behavior and positive contributions to the class. He uses his time wisely and is excited about his return to the traditional campus in January.
Our High School Student of the Term is Mr. Brandon Cessor. Brandon is a tenth grader whose passion is reading. He is seldom seen without a book in tow. Mr. Cessor is always cordial and courteous to both the young and adults. His positive attitude and ability to avoid trouble makes him the exemplar of a responsible student.
Concerning our Elementary Teacher of the Term, Mrs. Tammie Healey, Central Elementary principal wrote, “If experience counts then Central’s ALE teacher is a gem! Ms. Shirley Portis has taught school over thirty five (35) years! She started out as an elementary classroom teacher but saw that many children did not function well in the regular classroom environment; so she volunteered to take on what would become Central’s first ALE classroom. She built the classroom from the ground up doing whatever was necessary to meet the needs of these exceptional students who required a little more time, patience and understanding than their peers. These children are not only her students but quickly become her “babies”, and like any good mother, she works hard to make sure they get what they need to be successful and return to the traditional classroom environment. Her kind disposition and her gentle easy going attitude make her perfect for this position. Ms. Portis also works well with her peers and is an asset to them when they have done everything they know to do. This is when her experience really pays off.”
The Dumas Alternative Learning Environments are pleased to introduce to the district’s patrons our Secondary Teacher of the Term, Ms. Katherine Becker. Katie, as she is affectionately known by her Teach for America cohorts, moved around a lot growing up, spending parts of her childhood in Switzerland, the US, and the majority in England. She attended the University of Virginia where she majored in studio art and psychology, focusing on autism and language. In her free time, Katie rode horses competitively, was the captain of her polo team, and volunteered to work with children in Nicaragua over her spring breaks. Katie is passionate about working with children and animals, and she chose to teach in Dumas because she believes that every student deserves access to an excellent education. Ms. Becker uses the project based learning techniques espoused by the Dumas New Tech High School to instruct her students not only in art, but in written and oral communications, team work, and offering positive and constructive feedback to one’s peers. She contacts parents when there are concerns about any of her pupils. Katherine has even volunteered her time to stay after school with students who needed to make up work. She does not want to see any of her students fail. It is our belief that she epitomizes what is right with public school education.

Finally, we would like to also recognize last year’s Teachers of the Term for the third and fourth nine weeks. Mr. James Short is recognized as the March 2012 honoree. He serves as the Target PREP special education teacher. He willingly spends time tutoring students in mathematics and Mr. Lee in coding and counseling issues. He is truly an asset to our district.

Ms. Gracie King is entering her 34th year in education with this being her 16th year serving the parents and students of the Dumas School District. Her willingness to assure that Target PREP students completed their junior and senior papers and projects made her the uncontested Teacher of the Term for our fourth quarter of the 2011-2012 school year.

The Dumas ALEs salute these outstanding teachers and students!