News Briefs

Peter Morrissey, a 17-year educator in Dallas, teaches general education and English as a Second Language at Alex Sanger Preparatory School. A graduate of Texas State University, he works with teachers and the community to ensure that his campus provides a variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities for all students. Mr. Morrissey’s commitment has led to a boost in campus morale, campus achievement, and campus facilities, said Principal Hector Martinez.  “As the student activities coordinator, he has increased the number of students and teachers participating in school clubs, UIL activities, and after-school enrichment. Mr. Morrissey mentors teachers to new education,…

A campus lead teacher and founding math teacher at CityLab High School, Mary Nunley excels as both a classroom teacher and teacher-leader. According to her principal Lynn Smith, Mary is a master at building positive relationships with colleagues and students, a talent that has earned her the trust of 100% of stakeholders on the downtown campus. She entered the teaching profession as a 2012 DFW Teach For America corps member following graduation from Lehigh University and has since earned both a Master’s in Education with a STEM focus from Southern Methodist University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the…

Yonathan Tadesse, who teaches algebra and college transition to 10th and 11th graders at Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, has been a pioneer in many new campus and district initiatives, serving as math chair and leading the first Link Crew program, which aims to increase attendance, decrease discipline referrals and improve academic performance. A 2014 graduate of Emory University, he  tutored in Atlanta public schools throughout college and experienced firsthand the need for more Black male math teachers. Upon graduation, he became a Teach For America corps member and taught math for five years at W.W. Samuell High School, helping…

Instructional Lead Teacher for English at Alex W. Spence Middle School and TAG Academy, Rachel Reese is proud to share with anyone who asks that she is a 26-year veteran of Dallas ISD who has devoted her entire career to working with middle school students. She currently teaches eighth-grade reading/language arts at Spence and serves as chair of the English Language Arts Department. Ms. Reese earned an Associate of Arts degree at Paris Junior College and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism at Texas Tech University. After launching her career as an elective teacher for the school newspaper and yearbook…