ESD Inspirit Accolade Award Honorees From Park Cities

This year’s Episcopal School of Dallas Inspirit Accolade Award honorees have Park Cities roots.

The two educators, Tolly Salz and Bill Cook, were selected by the ESD Alumni Association as faculty members with more than 20 years of teaching experience who have perpetuated the founding tenets of ESD — daily worship, community, ethical decision making, and service  — while impacting the lives of students.

Salz is in her 20th year teaching AP Language and Composition at ESD. She started her career at Highland Park High School before transitioning to the Episcopal school.

“My time here has been one of amazing, amazing growth in many ways,” Salz said. “But I think seeing a community grow and flourish and develop has been inspirational for me. Working with these kids has been the light of my life.”

She has incorporated ESD’s tenets in her teaching by looking at the idea of students’ discipline in their minds and hearts while also helping students carry their faith journeys out. 

“We hold one another with respect,” Salz said. “That discipline of mind, heart, and body, it’s all of it.”

Salz also says academic rigor is one of the most important gifts for students: “The only way you can’t succeed is if you just don’t do anything. … There are some days when for some reason, you might get stuck, but with a partnership, I’m here to help you.”

Cook spent his whole career at ESD over 35 years teaching seventh-grade English and retired in 2018.

When he started at the school, he didn’t know he’d embrace the religion aspect as strongly as he did. That changed after being faced by scores of seventh graders wondering, “Why?”

He also incorporated the school’s tenets by making self control and determination a friendly challenge to “keep the eye on the ‘bouncing ball.’”

“I didn’t teach ideas; I taught the love of ideas,” Cook said. “I presented content that allowed the kids to feel proud that they were maturing intellectually.”