Campus Strives to Make a Community Impact

The faculty members of D.P. Morris Elementary approached the 2011-12 school year with a fresh, new perspective. As a team, they made a purposeful effort to focus on doing good things for others and fostering a strong sense of community. Through various programs, events and fundraising activities, the team at Morris grew closer together through helping others.

A key example of this service-focused strategy is the Holiday Open House event held on campus last December. The goal of this program was to take a simple event and transform it into an opportunity to do something great for students and families in need during the holiday season.

The campus staff identified 25 D.P. Morris families that were in need of assistance and each classroom worked together to make crafts, ornaments, snacks and goodies to sell for $1 or less.  The event had a tremendous turnout and resulted in a collection of over $2,500 to donate to the families in need.

The good will demonstrated through the Holiday Open House helped provide a memorable holiday season for those families as well as the staff and students of D.P. Morris, particularly one family that had never been able to afford a Christmas tree.

“You think that’s a simple thing and that a Christmas tree is just automatic,” said Secretary Linda Moss. “In this case they had never had one, so we were able to fulfill that wish.”

The success of the Holiday Open House event is just one example of the type of positive impact the Morris staff made last school year. The campus also united to raise money for a Morris student battling illness this spring. The campus Principal, Billy Snow, believes these activities benefit students and staff by reinforcing positive values and emphasizing the importance of helping others.

“We’ve focused a lot on student engagement as a team, and all of the things we’ve done together have really bonded us as a campus,” said Snow. “We also talk a lot about how it’s our calling to be teachers, and to make a difference.”

Check out the latest Impact Award video. On behalf of the MISD administration, congratulations to the entire staff of D.P. Morris Elementary for receiving the final Impact Award for the 2011-12 school year for demonstrating phenomenal community service and teamwork!

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The Impact Award was established to recognize individual staff members, departments, campuses or other employee groups that have promoted teamwork and unity by initiating a program or event that made a positive impact within Mansfield ISD and the community. Impact Award winners may be nominated by staff, students or community members.

Winners are selected each month throughout the school year. Staff members who receive The Impact Award are eligible for other district honors.