Suzanne Murr: Passion with a purpose

Dr. Suzanne Murr attended the historic “Rock School” when she first moved to Azle. Now, she offices there. ph ot o by c ar la n oah st utsm an

Passion with a purpose

Murr makes a difference from day care to drones, video game design

BY CARLA NOA H STUTSMAN

During her 48-year tenure in education – 47 of those years in the Azle ISD – Suzanne Murr, PhD, has watched the pendulum of Career and Technical Education (CTE) swing from “unimportant” to its place now as the number one priority in the education community.

The Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the Azle Independent School District says opening doors of opportunity for her students has always been her passion, but due to advances in CTE, Murr says she’s found purpose in that passion.

Her passions begin with early childhood development and culminate with the myriad programs offered at Azle High School’s CTE program; her purpose is being fulfilled day-by-day as she works to bring more opportunities to students at every level.

It’s those qualities of passion and purpose she wants every student to find, as well.

When Murr taught her first class in the very early 1970s in Holliday, where she was born, many of her students would follow the traditional path following high school; the men would go to work and the women would stay home, be good wives and mothers.

But the groundwork was already being laid for what would someday become CTE through programs such as Agriculture and Future Farmers of America, and Home Economics and Future Homemakers of America.

Since that time, multiple program

titles and course content have been continually modified to meet the changes in workforce and society.

“The olden days of Vocational Education (Voc Ed) designed for those ‘not-so-academic’ students are gone,” Murr says. “Now the content is designed to help students identify their passions and equipment for the future. Through multiple titles and content changes, CTE is designed to morph with these changes.”

Students no longer train for one specific job, but instead gather a “tool belt of skills” and “stackable credentials” to be successful in a pathway, according to Murr.

“Fashion designers or firefighters certainly need career-specific skills, but they each also need professional skills, like the ability to communicate, collaborate, meet deadlines, balance workload and life, solve problems and develop confidence, just to name a few,” Murr explains. “Quality CTE is designed to be authentic, real-world learning. We want students to be able to identify why the classes are relevant to their lives. It takes collaboration and community to make that happen. Business and community partnerships are a catalyst to career readiness. Their Students studying Automotive Technology in Azle High School’s CTE program (l-r): Alexander Roecker, Ian Deel and Juan Mesta work on a vehicle’s brakes.

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interactions with teachers and students can change the path, change a future – make a student’s dream a reality.”

Currently, Azle ISD and its CTE program partner with Integrated Machine Solutions (IMS), Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), MRBraz and Associates, James Wood Auto, and Azle Manor to further CTE students’ experience. The goal is to provide a senior practicum partnership for students in every career cluster.

Azle at the forefront

The Texas Education Agency recently presented new Programs of Study (POS) to ensure students have a coherent sequence of courses offered in their area of interest. Those new plans really didn’t affect Azle ISD’s CTE course offerings since the district prides itself in being first in providing opportunities for students.

Currently, Azle ISD offers 26 Programs of Study with a total of 103 courses, Murr explained. That includes 13 career clusters taught by 28 teachers.

“Some career clusters offer multiple programs based on a student’s special interests,” Murr continued. “For example our Agriculture Science department offers three different POS including an Animal Science program with Advanced Animal Science and Veterinary Medical, Plant Science or Applied Agricultural Engineering.”

Automotive Technology teacher Bob Herring, left, looks on as students Trystan Simpson (center) and Matthew Dahl (right) learn to use the district’s cylinder head machine. Herring believes Azle High School may be the only high school in the nation with such a machine.

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This year, seven teachers were added at the junior high campuses, where CTE courses for high school credit are now available.

One of the most innovative programs offered at Azle High School’s CTE program is Industrial Ammonia Refrigeration. It’s the only program of its kind at the high school level in the nation, and it’s taught by local businessman Marcos Braz. Braz’ company provides internships and employment for students enrolled in the program. Many in this program have received the internationally-recognized CARO certification at no charge.

Azle is also among the first districts in the DFW metroplex to offer the FAA107 Drone certification to its students. As a result of that success, the district was invited to participate in a $500,000 grant with Fort Worth ISD and eight other school districts. Among the benefits of that grant were teacher training and $20,000 to purchase drones for the program.

The most popular career cluster for Azle CTE students is Arts and Audio Visual (AV), which involves Digital Communications as well as Design and Multimedia Arts. Courses include multiple levels of Audio Visual, Graphic Design, Fashion Design and Video Game Design and Programming.

Because of the success of Azle’s CTE program, students are graduating with industry certifications in fields like veterinary, floral, welding, business, computer, culinary, business, finance, automotive, health science and computer. Some examples include American Welding Society (AWS), Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, QuickBooks, Microsoft Technology Association (MTA) and ServSafe food handler certifications. Beginning this semester, certification opportunities for Hornet Academy students are being expanded with the addition of Microsoft Office exams, as well.

But the champion program for industry certifications at AHS is its Health Science program.

“A student in this program spends 40 hours of clinical work at Azle Manor and is given the opportunity to earn licenses in Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), phlebotomy, EKG, Patient Care Technician (PCT) and

Dr. Suzanne Murr sometimes cannot contain the joy she experiences in her day-to-day interactions with kids in day care all the way to high school. Here, 2-year-old Elena Garcia gives Murr a good laugh. ph ot o by c ar la n oah st utsm an

Pharmacy Tech,” Murr said. “Many of them are currently employed with their certification as they continue their education.”

Murr says all students are still encouraged to take the classes they need to get in college, regardless of their POS. Then, they can take that job as a welder making $20 an hour right out of high school. But when the welder is tired of working in the cold, or the heat, or is tired of the climbing, he can go back to college and get that degree.

“If they have skills, they don’t have to do that same job all their lives. They can create their own plan,” Murr said.

As part of North Central Texas InterLink, Inc., a regional non-profit alliance that bridges the gap between business, education and government, Murr and others within Azle ISD gain valuable information about in-demand careers and the skills needed for them.

“A couple of months ago, we learned that the most in-demand job candidate in the state of Texas right then would have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), be proficient in Excel, be able to pass a drug test, show up to work, and hopefully, get along with his co-workers,” she said. “That means truck drivers are in high demand, but now you have to be able to use Excel on your iPad or laptop. IT (information technology) is the one skill that bleeds over into every career cluster.”

As Murr walked through several CTE classes at AHS, she subtly pointed out student after student, proudly telling of each’s accomplishments in a particular program.

How does she know so much about each one?

“I’m investing into their lives,” is her quick reply. “I’d like to think there are 28 teachers in this program who are doing the same thing.”

Day care also Murr’s passion

In 1998, Murr, along with former Azle ISD educators Dee Gilley, Tanya Anderson, Nadine Coomer, Dani Gilcrease and others met to formulate a plan to provide daycare for teachers and employees of the district. They presented that plan to the school board.

“Bless [former AISD Trustee] Keith Hoover’s heart, he said ‘if Murr says it’ll work, I think we ought to vote for it,’” Murr recalled.

The board approved the proposal, which called for the district to provide available space(s) on campuses and utilities. The operation itself was incorporated as a 501(C) (3) non-profit corporation, which means that the tuition collected determines the pay rate for its employees, who receive no sick days, vacation or benefits. In short, day care employees are not employees of the district.

Children of teachers and school employees receive first priority for available slots in day care. When slots are available, grandchildren of teachers and school employees are next in line. Finally, children of high school-age students take up any remaining spots, allowing young parents to attend school and/or work. Several children of high school-aged parents have been served over the years, Murr said.

One thing that sets this day care apart is that it’s tailored to the parents’ needs. Unlike most for-profit day care programs which require parents to pay for full-time service whether or not the child attends, children can be full-time, part-time or drop-ins, and parents only pay for the time their child spends there.

The program has been successful for 20 years. As enrollment increased or decreased at various AISD campuses, day care locations changed accordingly until this year, when the entire operation was centralized at one location next door to the administrative offices in the newly refurbished, historic “Rock School.”

Other area districts like Springtown and Crowley soon patterned day care programs after Azle’s, however, those district’s chose to employ day care staff so they could receive the same benefits as other district employees. Murr’s dream is for the AISD to someday take over operation of the day care and provide benefits to the employees there.

It’s a program that remains close to Murr’s heart, and that shows as she walks the halls of the day care. As she peeked through a window into the 2-year-old classroom, one little boy’s face lit up and he pointed at Murr, exclaiming to his teacher, “Look! Murr-Murr!”

Similar scenes repeated as she walked through the various classes, pointing out children by name and sharing a little information about their parents’ role in the district.

Clearly, “Murr-Murr” is just as excited to see each child as they are to see her. Sparks fly as Automotive Technology student Nikolas Delano works on a project.

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You can call me ‘Murr’

The former Suzanne Lawler was born in Holliday and moved to Azle in 5th grade. She graduated from Azle High School, where she was a cheerleader and Miss Azle High School in 1967 before earning a bachelor of science degree in home economics from Texas Christian University.

She credits Tri-County Electrical Co-op and Bud McAnally for making that possible.

She worked 40 hours a week for the company, but McAnally allowed her to work those hours around her full college schedule. She often came to work at 3 a.m., got her work done, and was in class by 8 a.m. During the summers, she taught Food Fun for Juniors to 9 to 11-year-olds in school districts in the area like Granbury and Peaster.

“I wasn’t going to come back to Azle, Texas and be a teacher – I thought I’d go be a county agent somewhere,” Murr related. But an opening in Holliday ISD changed that.

That same year, Suzanne Lawler married another AHS alum, Roddy Murr, who worked as a pharmacist for Eckerd Drug Store. There wasn’t one in Holliday, but Ft. Worth did have an Eckerd’s, so the young couple moved.

Mrs. Murr, as she was known then, taught at Azle Junior High one year before moving to the high school, where she was part of a team consisting of herself, Kathy Hufstedler and Iris Hamilton for 33 years.

“Between the three of us, we made one really good teacher,” Murr laughs. “We each had our strengths – Hufstedler loved foods, Hamilton liked to sew, and I loved Early Childhood. We built a strong team, and rotated students through.”

Along came a daughter, Jaylee, who was born with Spina Bifida. Throughout her medical challenges, Murr and husband Roddy “dragged Jaylee along” to school and school-related activities, Roddy’s business, Murr’s Main Street Drug, and the Azle Florist, owned and operated by Suzanne’s mother, fondly known as DeeDot.

Along the way, Murr earned a Master’s degree in Education from TCU, and eventually, a Doctorate Degree (PhD) from Texas Women’s UniverInformation Technology teacher Sherri Prather (right) works with student Jason Phillips on a video game he is designing in class. ph ot o by c ar la n oah st utsm an

sity in 1997.

“No one really called me ‘Doctor’ back then. I’m not sure when that started. But at my age, I run into people and sometimes can’t quite remember how I know them,” she laughs. “I can usually tell by what they call me. If they call me ‘Suzanne,’ I probably went to school with them. If they call me ‘Ms. Murr,’ I probably taught them. I have students who are almost my age, who are really friends now. I tell them to just call me ‘Murr.’ Jaylee eventually married Jeremie Williams, and they gave the Murrs their only grandchild, Peyton, now 7. But Jaylee developed cancer which ended her life on earth in October 2018.

“Sure, I’m sad, and I miss her,” Murr said, fighting back tears. “But I can’t go around being a sad sack every day and expect people to believe me when I say I know she’s out of that wheelchair and dancing around in heaven. Jaylee was a miracle from day one and God continued to do miraculous things throughout her life. Friends have allowed us to carry on her legacy by funding the Jaylee Murr Williams Class of ‘96 Scholarship through the Azle FFA Alumni.” These days, there’s another precious little girl with curly, flaxen locks in the Murrs’ life. Roddy, now retired, picks Peyton up from school, and then helps their granddaughter with reading and spelling. Having Jeremie and Peyton living next door allows the couple the blessing to help with his single parent challenges, Murr explained.

Most people have hobbies and interests, Murr says.

“I have my faith, family, day care and CTE.”

Murr, who retired in 2011 but returned part-time in 2012 and took on the role of Director of Career and Technical Education full-time in 2014, laughs when asked when she’ll retire for good.

“If it ever stops being fun and exciting, that’s when I’ll retire.”

From newborns and toddlers, to high school seniors looking forward to graduation in June, that’s a really good thing.

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