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Trustees hear pleas to name Westwood High School dance studio for Marla Volk; site committee recommendation moves to next month
Summary
Public speakers and Westwood’s principal urged the board to dedicate the Warrior Dance Studio to longtime Westwood teacher and district fine-arts coordinator Marla Volk; the site-based advisory committee unanimously approved the proposal and donors have raised funds to cover signage and a plaque; the board will vote next month.
Hundreds of district supporters and former students urged the Round Rock ISD Board on Monday to approve a forthcoming request to name Westwood High School’s dance studio for the late Marla Volk.
Multiple public commenters with long ties to Westwood described Marla as a mentor and program-builder who helped found the district’s dance academy, created sustained opportunities for dancers and mentored numerous students and future dance directors. Denise Cochran, a retired Round Rock ISD dance educator who spent 28 years in the district, asked trustees to approve dedicating the Marla Volk Dance Studio at Westwood.
Westwood Principal Erin Campbell presented the site committee’s recommendation: a Westwood site-based advisory committee met on Sept. 16 and unanimously approved renaming the Warrior Dance Studio as the Marla Volk Dance Studio. Campbell summarized Volk’s district contributions, including founding Warrior Pride, expanding academy dance classes, advocating for a dedicated studio in the 1998 bond and serving later as the district’s fine-arts coordinator.
Campbell said community members, former students and families have already raised funds to cover the renaming’s costs (signage and a commemorative plaque) so no district funds are required for the dedication. The board indicated support and acknowledged the memorials, and the naming will return to the board next month for a formal vote.
Next steps: the naming proposal will be on the board’s agenda next month for final action; district staff said raised funds will cover associated expenses.
