John J. Pershing Welcomes Students Back to School
John J. Pershing Elementary kicked off the first day of school with cheers, hugs, and high fives on Aug. 12, and staff hopes to keep the celebration going with top achievement this year.
Cheerleaders and the Hillcrest High School Band lined up on either side of the entrance to welcome students. Principal Lourdes Morales greeted youngsters with hugs as they passed through the school doors.
Morales said she has big goals for students and John J. Pershing this year. She wants every child to achieve mastery on the state’s standardized achievement test and to continue to grow, and for John J. Pershing to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.
“We’re going to be able to do that because of a great program, and the quality of the teaching that happens in every classroom, and the students’ ability to focus, engage and care for each other,” she said.
Learning happens best, she said, in a joyful environment where students and staff feel comfortable and safe. Even Morales’ bright pink jacket, which her daughter helped select, was chosen with energizing the students and conveying joy in mind.
As she passed through John J. Pershing’s doors, second-grader Migdaliz Rodriguez said she was excited to be back at school, where her favorite subject is math. “School is so much fun,” she said.
Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde visited several classrooms of students as they finished their breakfasts.
She praised the high achievement at John J. Pershing, and said there’s a lot to be excited about this year at DISD campuses. But she continued that it will take some help from Texas lawmakers to keep the first-day-of-school momentum going. Last year, the state legislature failed to increase schools’ per-student funding despite a record budget surplus.
“We need everyone’s help to fund schools first,” she said. “Let’s just focus on ensuring this (legislative) session that we fund our public schools, so that we can continue to do the great work, to pay our teachers, to pay our teacher-leaders, and to ensure that our students have all the resources that are necessary.”
