But no school shooting is quite the same. Someone suggested they visit Graysons grave site. Students can take vocabulary and spelling tests online and play many learning games with their word lists for reinforcement. Blood gushing. In an announcement that has rocked Austin ISD staff and parents, School Commissioner Robert Scott has announced that Pearce Middle School will close before the beginning of the next school year. Still, Ray kept talking. Sandy Hook. 3612 Pearce Rd Austin, TX 78730 4 Beds 4 Baths 6,665 sqft (on 6.11 acres) $3,651,700 Trulia Estimate as of Jan 12, 2023 Est. Dear Elaine,It was really neat to hear from you. After years of counseling and prayer, John Ray decided he had finally developed the emotional fortitude to revisit the formative trauma of his youth. "I will do what is necessary to ensure the academic well-being of all students in AISD," said Carstarphen. Magnet School: No We yearn to believe it. I think John had reached a point where he was never going to be good enough. The morning before, on May17, 1978, Rod and Laura Grayson noticed that Ian was running a fever. I heard from Katie and now from you that youre now a Disco Queen. Cycling had become one of his preferred forms of therapy, and he went for a long ride that day, south to Barton Springs. The former press secretary declined to supply information about whom his son was living with or how the determination had been made that John should be treated on an outpatient basis. Rumors swirled around the quiet new student. Over 3 million Texans impacted as emergency Officials prepare emergency resources ahead of severe New loan available to help students complete Data: Lady Bird Lake capacity study finds Urban trail nearly connecting MoPac to I-35 Travis County begins curbside pickup of tree Asian supermarket H Mart to open second "Historic" winter storm Mara recovery drags on. Hed read Erica Jong and told me that it took women seven minutes to reach orgasm. Ratings are meant to give an overview of a school's performance in the most recent state standardized tests TrueSchools has records for. So for eighteen months or thereabouts, you have them confront their defense mechanisms and talk about their core issues. This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue ofTexas Monthly with the headline The Aftermath. Subscribe today. Born in Panama, he had as much street cred with the Latino kids as the black kids. As he would write on the Facebook group that Ray dedicated to Grayson, That moment is still as raw and real and technicolor today as forty years ago.. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. John Christian is sitting right behind me, she whispered to her mother. The sense of injustice overwhelmed Laura. Ive talked to my therapist about this. Rate this page. View Event; Austin Middle School; . Edit info for Pearce Middle School Edit. A few weeks after the shooting, Johns classmates graduated from Murchison. For this, Jorge hated me. His breathing became shallow. World School. 6:00 AM Apr 29, 2014 CDT. Reached by phone, Earles assistant district attorney Jacqueline Strashun could not recall for sure if Cofer, who died in 2016, had disclosed the association but added, Judge Cofer was a very, very straight guy, probably the most ethical judge at that time.). This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. . They proposed that the boy live with an unnamed physician in Dallas, who would become Johns legal guardian. Rebecca Leamon remembered how Grayson gently encouraged her to challenge her shyness. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Or so the thinking goes. While the campus will remain open, under the current leadership, the Commissioner ordered the District to contract for professional services to help improve student achievement in under-performing subject areas at Reagan, as well as provide for additional professional development. But no, I wasnt the Rob Draper who had gone to Murchison. MLS# 6614290. . Johns older brother, George Scott, described him as a really fine family person. (Texas Monthlys Skip Hollandsworth wrote about Debrow.) Tests taken by fewer than 10 students are not calculated in the composite score. The children, though, had questions of their own, above all: Is Mr. Grayson okay? Mr. Parish, who grew up close to the Two-Three, had some street in him and knew how to use it. Even those who believed him to be harmless couldnt help but be bothered by the soft landing he seemed to have been accorded. We can help. His drivers license was suspended after he racked up speeding tickets. What do you want me to do with him?. Middle School: Pearce Middle; High School: Northeast Early College; Utilities. Best Homes for Sale in Pearce-middle school, Austin TX. Then they were clinging to her, sobbing hysterically. Pearce Middle School is located at the address 6401 North Hampton Drive in Austin, Texas 78723-2042. Ten years later, in 2009, Rays youngest daughter, Olivia, who was ten years old, was struck by a Cadillac Escalade and killed at a street crossing on Razorback Road while her sister Hannah watched. Nope. The shooting was on Nathers mind, he wrote in the email, because that day marked its fortieth anniversarya fact that he might have forgotten but for the reminder he received courtesy of the mornings horrific body count at Santa Fe High School. I had visited Jorges apartment and convinced his grandmother to let me keep his Playstation until he improved. January 2003 to February 2004. Given that no one had ever explained anything about Johns treatment and release from custody, some worried that he might still be capable of committing a violent act. Virginia Tech. Mr. Green, Mrs. Ologban, Mr. Parish these people taught me a great deal about teaching, relationships and toughness in the classroom. (Students' names have been changed.) Without ever consciously coming to this conclusion, most of the Murchison kids presumed that they had suffered two losses on May18, 1978their beloved teacher and their promising classmate. Most of pearce-middle homes are 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. 2215 East 51st Street Austin, TX 78723. See how well students performed. He had heard from Ray that I had looked into the story and was curious why I had dropped it. Peyton Smith, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. If instead of vilifying teachers, we tackled the real causes of educational inequality, perhaps we could provide students like Daniel a better chance a chance to do more with their lives than stuffing pita bread. . A couple of students noticed and started smiling. His fingers and toes began to tingle. There are 2 public tennis courts at this tennis location. For one, there is the trajectory of John Christian: from gifted student to teenage killer to middle-aged tax attorney quietly working and living in Austin today. Meanwhile, Laura Grayson arrived at Brackenridge Hospital. Pearce Middle School. They had spent the previous two years together, and their abrupt separation constituted a kind of loss unto itself. The other, Richard Coons, was one of the states most prominent psychiatric experts at criminal trials, one whose judgments often resulted in murder defendants being sent to death row. I substituted for a half day for a Reading Intervention class at Pearce Middle School. We have single grade classrooms and a variety of "extras" offered at our school. On the job for less than one week, the new Superintendent has pledged to do all within her power to stay focused on the students and measure any recommendation with them in mind. His daughters death did not make Ray angry at God. Yet for the witnesses of the Murchison shooting, their longing for justice has little to do with the length of Johns sentenceand, indeed, many would agree that more juvenile offenders should be treated as John was, rather than the other way around. . Roughly. Daniel insisted on paying for my meal, and then we sat down and talked. The Pearce Elementary School District serves the residents of the Pearce/Sunsites community as well as other local communities like Sunizona and Cochise. Both were busy during all hours of the day. In the end, this is the only path I see that makes sense, that has any hope, however long the shot. State Board of Education, Pearce Middle School, Information is power. There, they began to see John Christian on campus. Then the images resurfaced out of nowhere. The message was Move on, move on.. In five of the last six years, it was ranked "academically unacceptable" by the state. You ask how I got through? That same day, John reportedly destroyed a map he had designed for a school assignment. A new site had been erected, called the Memorial to Fallen Educators, which was designated as a national memorial in 2018. The worst John could expectunder state juvenile laws that would be toughened during the ninetieswas to be judged guilty of delinquent conduct and confined to a Texas Youth Commission facility until he turned eighteen. Then: Where is John, anyway?. Talking about it lessened the burden. Ask us about rentals with great deposits, rent specials and more! The names engraved on two granite slabs include teachers from Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Santa Feand, yes, Wilbur Rod Grayson, from Murchison Junior High. He was this strapping young man with a keen mind and great energy.. He wore baggy jeans and a white T-shirt several sizes too large for his wiry frame. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. Public Education in Austin, TX. Id had enough. Easier said than done, of course. In the ensuing years, I gave little thought to the Austin tragedy. Here is the hard truth about my experience: I didnt have much of an impact. Mr. The Superintendent expects to provide Trustees with options for consideration, including an administrative recommendation in the coming days. . ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. The Christians hired the citys most prominent criminal defense attorney, Roy Minton. It is part of the Austin Independent School District. Off-task and prone to provoke classmates, Jorge sucked the life out of my time and effort time and effort that could have been invested in helping other students. I remember making that conscious decision.. Ive been up here now for a year and three months, some of which has been real hell, the rest of which has really been good. This school has received a rating of 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, which reflects how Pearce Middle School performed on the state's standardized tests. Pearce Middle School in Austin ISD | Homes for Sale Find 114 Pearce Middle School Homes for Sale between $$259,900 and $$259,900. He was trying to get in touch with a former classmate, Rob Draper, who hed heard had just published a novel. Linda Coffee Argued Roe v. Wade. This is a 6-bed, 7.5-bath, 8,401 sqft property. And though sentencing laws vary widely across the country and have evolved over time, the system has historically tended to ask a great deal more of juvenile killers. He began making inquiries. I had given her a chance she knew what she was doing. Murchisons student body was overwhelmingly white and socioeconomically privileged. I stood in the hall and tried to slow my breathing. Thats especially true when no resources are spared to treat a violent adolescent, as was the case with John Christian. School ratings are based on state standardized test scores and comparing those results to other schools in the same state. NEW CONSTRUCTION. When Rod Grayson interviewed on June 20, 1977, for the job of teaching the gifted and talented students of Murchison Junior High, he was an unemployed 28-year-old. He has done all the system has asked of him. Unlike his old friend Davis, who had been swallowed up by fear and then moved by her faith toward forgiveness, the boy who had been closest to the line of fire that morning had since carried himself with a sense of imperviousness. We were all interested in women, but he wasnt the uninformed idiot I was. I [Commissioner Robert Scott] am therefore ordering the closure of the Pearce Middle School effective with the 2009-2010 school year.". Ive been very hesitant to open the issue, and I probably should have. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. 3900 Pearce Rd, Austin, TX 78730 Est. The Christians asked that their son be permitted to visit Timberlawn on an outpatient basis. Yet to those who experienced the shooting at Murchison Junior High School, it remains, even after four decades, mercilessly unforgettable. It was a defining moment in my life, added Marilyn Eichenbaum DuVon, Graysons teaching partner at Murchison. Weve thought, What happened? }Apartment Selector offers schoolss, lofts and town homes in Austin TX. I didnt have enough books for them to take home anyway. Driving home from the restaurant the image of Daniel lingered in my head. There were only two people close enough to hear what I said, John remarked. A few days after the shooting, Bazar visited his friend at the Gardner Bettsjuvenile detention facility, in South Austin. Then came the deep workthe Okay, what do I do with this? Elaine Moore, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. Middle School Counselor. Everyone knew Johnhe cut a figure, said Logan Bazar, one of his closest friends at Murchison. Lives were shattered, Smith said. A few days later, my phone rang. I was on the field just outside the window when it happened.. The screaming intensified. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Providing Guidance in Education & Learning, Public School | 6th Grade - 8th Grade | 519 students. Some of them have searched for answers themselves. Several classmates agreed to gather there. (John went on to study at the universitys prestigious law school. Close. But others, including some who hadnt witnessed the shooting, thanked him for initiating the collective remembrance. She warned him that he needed to study hard for the upcoming test. Get Store Hours, phone number, location, reviews and coupons for Pearce Middle School located at 6401 N Hampton Dr., Austin, TX, 78723 Ray called his old classmate Susie Gerrie Davis, who happened to be in Colorado on vacation. Right here, right now, what could I do? They were among the many Murchison alumni who would later recall the Columbine tragedy as a moment when they felt engulfed by their own past and became, in effect, witnesses again to the loss of their innocence. Canyon Ridge Middle School Public | 6th Grade - 8th Grade 12601 Country Trails Ln, Austin, TX 78732: 10: Now that shes retired, Laura is hoping to travel to Emporia to see her husbands name among the others: a roll call of more than 120 heroes, a list that grows every year. You didnt know what to do with all the emotions, John Ray recalled. Twenty years overdue. Sitting, as he always did, not behind his desk but on his stool directly in front of them, Grayson had begun by asking his students what the hell had happened the previous day. The former press secretary told the reporter that his son got the weapon here at the house, I guess. The next morning, while the rest of his family filed out the front door to their respective daily destinations, John stayed behind, hiding in a closet. A few weeks before the shooting, Grayson was at home grading papers when he handed one of them to his wife and said, Tell me what you think about this. It was a short story written by John. . Chalk dust. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Why not? I will never get over losing Olivia. Im too blessed to be stressed, he said with a smile. The 1978 killing of Rod Grayson wasnt the first murderous intrusion into the sanctity of Americas schools. In 2002, the year I started teaching at Pearce, many of the faculty had been hand-selected to revive the struggling school. According to the research Ive done, thats not what happens at all.. Unlike his fatheran employee at Humble Oil who at first had not approved of Rods marriage to a Mexican Americanhe was a free spirit who wrote poetry, smoked marijuana, and had ambitions of becoming a professional actor. By Kelli Weldon The subject line was Question for youMurchison shooting. Nather, as it turned out, had attended Murchison in 1978 and had been outside during gym class when John emerged from the school entrance with a rifle in his hand. Bring on the Shiplap. The officer pivoted to me. The Austin Independent School District received formal notification from Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott that he is ordering the closure of Pearce Middle School, effective with the 2009-2010 school year. Ft. 2202 Webberville Rd #223, Austin, TX 78702. I cant really describe it. After law school, Mr. Pearce took a position with Aetna Life & Casualty as Vice President of Acquisitions for their health plans division. Cathy Olson Muth, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. For the "all student group," 72 percent passed reading, 64 percent passed math, 71 percent passed social studies, and 82 percent passed writing. Umpqua. If Id just done more for John earlier, been around more, George said quietly. Ratings do not take into account other important factors you should consider when evaluating a school. The nonprofit research group Children at Risk ranks public schools in Texas based on standardized test scores, attendance numbers and student retention rate. This Texan Was a Master of a Curious Midcentury Art Form, the Industrial Musical. He was like no other teacher I ever had, Terry said. view source. Im just now remembering. It doesnt take any effort to stand in one spot and go in circles.Write soon,Love, John, Letter to former classmate Elaine Moore, from Timberlawn. Pearce-middle school Homes for Sale and Real Estate in Austin TX Showing 18 properties. From the District's perspective, the late notification of the Commissioner's decision is of critical concern. Its all just speculation, Peyton Smith, one of the students present in that classroom, told me in his Austin law office last September. 1 Bath. "I am disappointed and respectfully disagree with the TEA decision," said Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. This is particularly true for the 21 witnesses of the shooting, 8 of whom I spoke with; for Rod Graysons widow, Laura, whom I also interviewed; and for the killer, John Christian, who did not respond to repeated interview requests. . Free apartment locator service since 1959. Faced with a protracted battleand not wanting to see a young person suffer for something he hadnt intended to doRay and his wife ultimately chose not to pursue civil litigation. The bell ending second period rang, and I braced myself against the commotion as a river of arms and legs, low-slung backpacks and sagging jeans, the in-kids and the trying-to-fit-in kids pushed their way to class. But because his father was a public figure, the boys identity was splashed across the front pages. John had been at Timberlawn for twenty months when a representative of the Christian family returned to Judge Cofers courtroom. A well-meaning female teacher thought it wise to brush a wad of dirt and grass out of the boys face. Nothing is ever gonna happen to that guy. Eisenlohrs children attended Highland Park High School, in the affluent community where John would spend the next two and a half years. As Davis recalled in Unafraid, until fully accepting Gods love and the injunction of forgiveness that came with it, I figured John had wrecked my life at fourteen. As John turned and walked out without another word, the classroom exploded into screams. Is he . It's supposed to be a fresh. normal? In this capacity, he traveled the United States evaluating acquisition candidates and managed the due diligence and acquisition process. Grayson fell from his stool and collided with the student desk in front of him, where Peyton Smith sat. Pearce Middle School austin, texas Not the school you were looking for? They were the bedrock of Pearce. Its tentative title is A Field Guide to Grief.. It occurred to him that he might be able to comfort his Murchison Junior High classmates, even as he leaned on them. Johns fate rested in the hands of state district judge Hume Cofer, a by-the-book jurist who was not regarded as a softie. I raced down the hall, paused before the steel doors, gathered myself, and pushed them open. Many shared memories of Mr. Grayson, as they still called himhow he had once taken the entire class to New Orleans to see a King Tut exhibit; how he had helped his students launch a magazine called Serendipity Doo-Dah; how he was sharp and interesting and challenged us to think outside our normal convention. Someone posted a forty-year-old newspaper clipping with the headline Gifted Student Shoots Teacher and, beneath it, a photograph of their thirteen-year-old classmate shielding his face from cameras. Ive been advised it might help me come to terms with it as well. John Ray came home to a shattering quiet. And beneath all the destructive behavior and armoring up emotionally, there was that one event., Ray recounted all this while sitting on the patio of a South Austin coffeehouse one morning this past September. Another brought flowers. Sure, I made a small part of the day more pleasant for some students, but I didnt change the course of any of my kids lives, much less the nature of the school. Other concerns include: less than 30 working days remain prior to the August reporting date for teachers, parents and students need to know now where students will attend school next year, and staffing decisions must be finalized now. Maybe better to ask how Im getting through. Something in his psyche began to crack open. He enrolled at Highland Park High in the middle of his sophomore year. Ray, in the meantime, had continued to spend his post-Murchison years in a state of what he would tactfully term self-anesthetizing. A wayward path took him to Central America, where he was inspired to later attend seminary and become a spiritual directoressentially a roving ordained minister gravitating to those who had experienced trauma. Several yards away a tall Latino boy brandished a red bandanna indicating his affiliation with the Bloods. The local media began to swarm the school as well. But two other things happened that might have signaled Johns downward spiral. 3308 Pearce Rd, Austin, TX 78730 $1,595,000 Est. ft with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms I was abandoning kids who desperately needed another caring adult in their lives, kids who through no fault of their own were stuck by the convergence of powerful forces in a school that didnt work. They glumly acknowledged their own misbehavior. This is not to say Pearce didnt have a stable of talented staff, some with deep roots in the Two-Three. But we have not done a good job bringing it up directly. There, a reporter saw him sitting on a bench, visibly shaken. Eventually, he went home, where several friends and family members met him. A row of permanently locked orange lockers lined the cream cinderblock walls. Another Murchison student, David Mider, ran into John at the Texas Tavern, in the UT student union, and learned that the boy who had killed one of Miders favorite teachers was now studying at UT. . Hes practicing law. Why would a teacher with other options work in such a stressful, violent setting? How do I deal with it? he recalled. 3324 Pearce Rd was last sold on Apr 8, 2019 for $0. Indeed, low-income students given a chance to attend more affluent schools performed more than half a year better, on average, than middle-income students who attend high-poverty schools.. Schirpik drove him back to school and led him by his arm into the principals office. After our encounter I thought I might have an easier time with him in class. The decision was not made public. (A Dallas friend of Georges wrote him to say that her daughter worked on the staff of the Bagpipe and has mentioned how much she admires the work John did and how intelligent he is.) The Dallas media left John alone. Susie Gerrie Davis, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. You look at the jigsaw puzzle, and there are huge pieces that are not there., Thinking back to that distant morning, Smith began to describe his proximity to his teacher; he had been the nearest student to Grayson when the shooting began. John Ray, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. Laura had been a teacher before Rod became one, and she continued that work long after he died. More power to you; the moves you made at the Valentine Dance in 1977 were impressive enough. His eyes were wide open. 33% ready Complete your business profile to get . Did he have a family? He was a thirteen-year-old boy again, panicked that he was about to be killed. Laura gazed at it in disbelief. School Type: 1-Regular school Seventh period tested my patience. (When I spoke with Coons recently, he told me, My feeling overwhelmingly was that he was depressed.) The prosecution did not contest the recommendation by Coons and Matthews that John receive treatment rather than incarceration. The notes were the beginning of a book manuscript that a literary agent was urging him to write. If socioeconomic status is a primary driver of academic performance, and if student achievement suffers in high-poverty schools, why do we continue to organize schools in a way that predetermines some for failure and then blame teachers? . Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. . But our initial conversation had been twenty years earlier, just after the Columbine High School massacre. This is going to be great! At the same time, I dont think the opposite of that is to deny what happened to us. Keep in mind ratings are solely based on a school's performance on its state's standardized tests. His dad was the main topic of conversation, said Bazar. Then there was Johns pedigree. If there was a Murchison student destined for great things, it was John. So I drew a deep breath, turned to the officer and said, You can let him go. The boy walked away. 13. This property is not currently available for sale. After seventh period on that warm spring day I stood in the hallway again as students poured out of classrooms and past the orange lockers and cream cinderblock walls to head home. Whoever dies first has to come back and tell the other if the candles mean anything. After Rod died, she went to see a psychic, who informed her, Hes standing behind you. In some ways the scene was common to any large, crowded American middle school a wash of hormone-addled young men and women not sure of their place and not fully in control of anything, much less their emotions. I have definitely changed a lot since I came here, and it has been a really good feeling to change this way. Rattled, I walked into my classroom where my students were completing a warm-up assignment, like they did every day. An Austin police officer cops were a frequent presence at Pearce stood 15 feet behind me. She handed back the paper, slack-jawed. Johns mom, Jo Anne, was an accomplished lawyer and patron of Austins arts scene. Learn more about this school's test scores. Grayson 40 Years Later, and invited former classmates and teachers to join. Support the Chronicle, The Pearce Pirate faces the same fate as the Johnston Ram, Right-wing board member objects to hyphenated Americanism, Board votes unanimously to dump controversial, error-riddled book, At 71, the Texan is a bigger star than ever and just getting started, From New Line to Warners, the exec discusses his career, One click gets you all the newsletters listed below, Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events. Blood poured out of one of his ears. He headed to a local coffee shop, where hed planned to meet a few classmates before driving to the cemetery, and on the way he heard on NPR that there had been another school shooting in Texas, in the town of Santa Fe, south of Houston. The School Shooting That Austin Forgot - Texas Monthly True Crime The Aftermath In 1978, an eighth grader killed his teacher. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations.
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