December 2022
Made With Pride December 2022
Each month, Duncanville ISD honors a student, staff member, and teacher who go above and beyond. They are chosen from nominations submitted by coworkers, classmates, or community members. These individuals reflect the excellence and pride of our district, and they are Made with Pride in Duncanville.
Student
Tiana Paz Gonzalez is a 5th-grade student at Daniel Intermediate School. According to her teachers, she's considered a leader for her class's student body. Tiana leads by her example of doing tasks the correct way. She also leads her classmates by showing how to be kind to others by being kind and approachable to her peers. According to her Physical Education Teacher, Brent Jones, when other students aren't feeling their best or feeling down, Tiana is there to comfort and lift them up. According to Jones, on a student's first day at the school, Tiana didn't hesitate to ask the student to join her group of friends. She even aided the student with their warm-ups and classroom routine. Jones says that wasn't the only time Tiana has been helpful to fellow students, but she's been this way the entire school year. That's why Tiana is made with pride.
Teacher
Professor Jessica Edwards-Kawamoto is an English teacher at Duncanville High School. According to her student Zowie Smith, Ms. Edwards-Kawamoto is a fantastic teacher. What makes her such a fantastic teacher is that she takes her time to listen to her students and make sure every one of them has an opportunity to be heard. Ms. Edwards-Kawamotot works with her students so that they can have a successful school year of learning. "I stayed after school one day, and we talked. She listened and understood the difficulty I was having trying to do work outside of the classroom, and she made sure to find a way to help me out," says Zowie. Zowie says that the time her teacher took with her empowered her to do her schoolwork. Zowie and her classmates agree that Ms. Edwards-Kawamoto is someone who I believe is 100% "made with pride" and deserves recognition for her hard work.
Staff
Phyllis Polk is a teacher's aide at Smith Elementary. Polk is there to aid not just her classroom teacher but pre-schoolers getting acclimated to the new school classroom environment. Polk must be excellent at her job and love it because she's been at Smith for 19 years. According to her fellow staff members, Polk is a bright light of joy and positivity at Smith. According to her colleague, Counselor Shaunna Kile, Polk greets her students, parents, and colleagues with a great smile and a bubbly personality. Kile says that Polk is seen running from one end of the building to another daily, loving on kids and adults. She is early for work and clocks and stays for pick-up. She is the epitome of what Duncanville stands for and what it means to be made with pride.