Dedication ceremonies bring school communities together
NISD Communications Department
November 17, 2006
Four long-time educators were honored recently as the namesakes of the four new elementary schools which opened their doors to over 3,000 students in Northside ISD this year. NISD will open eight new schools in the next two years. A possible bond issue to build 12 new schools and expand and renovate existing schools is being planned for May 2007.
Dr. Winn Murnin, Mary Lou Fisher, Dr. Martha Mead and Carl Wanke elementary schools held formal dedication ceremonies honoring their school namesakes and introducing them to the school communities. Each school celebrated in its own special way, but all showcased the wonderful talent of students and staff who worked hard to make an outstanding array of artwork, music and performance.
“School dedication ceremonies are wonderful ways to pull these new school communities together,” says Dr. John Folks, Superintendent. “And the individuals who these schools are named after are excellent role models for the students to emulate. We are so proud of them and their service to making NISD the exemplary district that it is today.”
Dr. Winn Murnin was the first female assistant superintendent in the District. During a career at NISD that spanned two decades, Murnin served at every level of schooling including as a math teacher at Holmes High School, assistant principal at Clark High School, and principal at LeonValley Elementary School and Stevenson Middle School. She retired from the District in 1994.
Mary Lou Fisher served as a guidance counselor in the District for 40 years. She joined the District in 1959 as an English teacher for Northside High School, later renamed Marshall High School. She served as the District’s first Dean of Girls in the 1960s, and was appointed head counselor at Marshall High School in 1974. She held that position until she retired in 2002. She and her family established the Mary Lou Fisher Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a low-income Marshall graduate who plans to attend junior college.
Dr. Martha Mead Elementary School is named for the District’s first director of Adult and Community Education, who joined Northside in 1968 as a counselor at Jay High School. Mead became the director in 1983 and established numerous programs including the Excel Academy, a high school drop-out recovery program; after-school, summer youth and family literacy programs; and programs for pregnant teens and teen parents. She retired in 1999.
Carl Wanke Elementary School is named for a man whose career with the District spanned 30 years. Wanke began his career with Northside in 1959 as a teacher and coach and became the District’s first director of pupil personnel in 1979. He later served as executive director for secondary administration from 1990 to 1993. Wanke worked tirelessly to ensure all campuses were safe for students and staff. He developed anti-vandalism programs and implemented Northside’s “No Nonsense” discipline policy to rid schools of weapons, fights, drugs and alcohol.
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