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Former Galena Park ISD student recalls integration, praises district support for bilingual educators
Summary
Linda Clark Sherrard described being bused from Fidelity Manor High to Galena Park High during integration, credited a teacher who eased tensions, and said the district paid for staff ESL training that helped her pursue a master’s and administrative work.
Linda Clark Sherrard, a former student and longtime educator, recounted being bused from Fidelity Manor High to Galena Park High School during integration and described how the district later paid for staff to obtain English-as-a-Second-Language certification.
“This is my Galena Park ISD story,” Sherrard said, describing Fidelity Manor as “like a private school” in a small, close-knit community where “everybody knew everybody.” She said Fidelity Manor served grades 7 through 12 with only about three classroom sections per grade and estimated there were “probably” fewer than 100 students in each grade level.
Sherrard said students from Fidelity Manor were integrated and bused to Galena Park High School and that early encounters were uncomfortable: she recalled being booed when she and other transferred students performed on stage. She credited a teacher, Jim Trammell, now deceased, for convening conversations that eased tensions: “He sat us down and he talked to us,” she said, and “he made people talk.”
Sherrard praised several teachers who influenced her, including Mary Lou Lowe, who she said helped students apply for scholarships, and Pat Travis, her English teacher. She later became a teacher and described starting as a math specialist in a federal program, then teaching sixth grade at Green Valley Elementary under principal Tom McCullough.
Sherrard said the district responded to a growing Hispanic student population by supporting bilingual and ESL training for staff. She said the district paid for what she recalled as “about seven” staff members to attend Texas Southern University for ESL certification and covered parking, tuition, books and meals. She said she took advantage of that support, earned an ESL endorsement, completed a master’s degree and moved into mid-level administration.
Sherrard said Shirley Neely, whom she described as having later served as commissioner of education, encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree in administration. She added that the district offered “something for everybody,” and said that motivated her to seek a position where she could contribute: “I wanted to serve because I felt that I could make a difference.”
Sherrard concluded by saying she remains proud of Galena Park Independent School District and that the district tries to provide supports so students can succeed.
