Photo: Kenneth Perkins
Photo: Robert Spence
and Sandy McNutt, whom I visited in her office as head of the Lower School at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. “The reasons I don’t have words for this honor is because it was nothing I ever, ever expected would happen,” says McNutt, who is prominently displaying a McNutt Elementary wall hanging. “You think about what it will be like to graduate from college or get married, but you don’t fantasize about things you never dream would occur. It’s a huge overwhelming appreciation from a district to say you are worthy to have your name on a building forever.” McNutt wasn’t necessarily speaking for the others, but she might as well have been. Namesakes are an exclusive club with exclusive emotions that, judging from conversations with this new crop, is best described as having a sort of out-of-body experience. It’s not like they dropped off a big check and waited for the naming ceremony for a building or wing; this distinction is directly tied to their career work in the trenches. The Peaches, for instance, have a combined 81 years working in AISD – Eddy for 45 years with 40 alone as the Lamar head football coach (in 2008 he became the first head coach to win 300 games in Class 5A). Debbie taught for 36 years at Bailey, Roquemore, Shackelford and Lamar, and earned the rare feat of being teacher of the year at elementary, junior high and high school levels. McNutt, whose AISD tenure spanned 29 years, started as a teacher at Ditto Elementary and would become the long-running principal at Wood Elementary. What makes the AISD naming policy a bit unique is the fact that, thankfully, you don’t have to be dead and buried to get it. “How great it is for students to be able to see and talk and be inspired by their namesakes?” says Matt Brown, principal at Patrick. “Think about it. How amazing is it to have someone as established as Dr. Patrick in the building?” True. Living, breathing namesakes help lost students find their class on the first day of school, as Patrick helped do, conduct teacher development, a task McNutt performed, even feed the faculty, as the Peaches did while staff prepared for the school year. In fact, Patrick has gone one step further. Whenever students do anything noteworthy, Patrick writes a personal note of congrats to
Sandy McNutt (left) and Eddy and Debbie Peach (above) were rewarded for their stellar work in the Arlington ISD by having schools named in their honor. The three educators spent a combined 110 years helping local students reach their potential. “It feels strange to say to a kid at Sandy McNutt elementary that I’m Sandy McNutt,” McNutt says.
the students and presents it along with a golden pencil during their lunch period. Gold represents their golden opportunity. Lead is about making their mark. The eraser is because we all make mistakes. “The idea is to give a child confidence to go on and do things even greater,” Patrick says. “We want to make it a part of the general atmosphere.” For the Peaches, it’s the three As: academics, athletics and the arts. “It’s been our whole life,” says Debbie. “We’re so excited by this.” So excited during their visit to see parents eating lunch with their kids, the Joneses burst through the doors to introduce themselves. “Just to be here is such a buzz,” Laura would say. Meeting namesakes is always a bit surreal for parents, too. Often they aren’t quite sure what to say or do (shake hands, bow, curtsy?), although children say whatever is on their minds. “It feels strange to say to a kid at Sandy McNutt elementary that I’m Sandy McNutt. I’m her,” McNutt says. During the first day of school, as all the namesakes did this year, they welcomed the students, shaking hands and giving high fives. When McNutt introduced herself to a first grader, he stared at her for a second and asked, with a perplexed look, “Why did your parents name you after a school?” Another wanted to know if you have “to be old” to have a school named after you. Well, ‘older,’ the boy corrected. “I said I hope that the reason behind it is that they knew of my love and care for kids,” says McNutt. “That’s the kind of person you want a school to be named after.”
Columnist Kenneth Perkins has been a contributing writer for Arlington Today since it debuted. He is a freelance writer, editor and photographer.
arlingtontoday.com • October 2016 • ARLINGTON TODAY
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