Cooke County Spotlight

GMS principal proud of Native American heritage

By PAMELA ROBINSON, Register Staff Writer

Equipped with a walkie talkie, assistant principal Terry Ashby is definitely busy on Monday as he meets with students and takes calls to assist with tasks at Gainesville Middle School.

“My role here is I’m over the curriculum aspect of the campus and I’m responsible as far as student management goes for the students whose last name is between A-L,” Ashby said. “Everything we deal with does not exactly fit under that umbrella.”

Ashby said the approximately 550 sixth through eighth grade students are really enjoying the newly renovated middle school.

“They feel a little more pride in the new school,” he said. “This new school is light and bright and their demeanor has even brightened. The kids seem happier to be here.

“I think the students also like that we have a campus, where before we just had a building. When you walked out the door, there was the street. Now that we have grass and trees around us, it’s a much more pleasant environment.”

He said his curriculum responsibilities include working a lot with the teachers and “the scope and sequence” of curriculum, to make sure everyone is moving in the same direction and getting to the same point at the same time.

Ashby said he decided on an education major in college.

“Since I was a college athlete and fairly successful in athletics, I felt like I could probably coach and teach and so I moved into education” he said. “Wanting to coach, I definitely went into secondary education.”

What helped him to make his decision about education was participation in the observation classes that are the first classes to take in education, working with different schools, different grade levels and different size student populations.

“The unique thing was that each time, it didn’t matter what size the school was, I felt at home,” he continued. “It just felt natural for me to be there. And that’s what made me decide on education.”

He taught and coached for eight years, including three years in Valley View. Then he took an assistant principal position in the Denton Independent School District for five years. This is his second year working with Gainesville Independent School District.

Ashby said he doesn’t mind the commute to Gainesville and back from Frisco each day.

“I enjoy my commute,” he continued. “It’s long enough to relax from the day and it’s long enough that I’m getting geared up and getting ready for work. And the route I take is very therapeutic for me as well. I take these (farm-to-market) roads all the way home and it’s the wildlife and just nature.”

Though he doesn’t like to admit it, he seems to have been a main force behind the Gainesville Student Benefit Powwow which took place in the Gainesville High School gymnasium Saturday. The event brought Intertribal dancers, singers and families to Gainesville, and local citizens out to help raise money for Native American students in the GISD. Money raised from the Powwow will go toward college scholarships for graduating seniors. Ashby said that another purpose of the event was to spark interest for a Native American club at the high school and possibly one at the middle school.

Ashby said they had great support from GISD Superintendent Bill Gravitt and the school district for the Powwow and the benefit brought in at least $3,500 for scholarships.

When asked why it is important to him to work in the Native American community and bring a greater awareness for it he said, “There are so many different circumstances that surround the native people, and that not everyone is always willing to move toward our education.

“We are only one and sometimes two generations removed from the boarding school days,” he noted. “In other words, my grandmother went to boarding schools and the boarding school was not a positive thing for a lot of native kids.”

He said not only were many removed from their families, but many experienced a lot of abuse at the schools, so that immediately puts a negative taste in their mouth as far as education.

“But, as time moves on, more and more native people are seeing the importance of education and moving toward higher education,” he continued. “There is an increase, and it is increasing on it’s own, but we do lose a lot of kids in college.”

Ashby said his draw has always been to move toward getting more and more native kids into college.

“Our teachings teach us that you’re supposed to do what’s best for the community,” he said. “So, long-term goals for the native people, in order for us to prosper, we need to move toward that level so that we can kind of carve a larger niche in this country and then reach down and start pulling more people up and just make our people stronger in the long run.

“My long term goal is to, at some point, move out of public education and I want to move to a level in the Department of Education that I can increase the college attendance of the Native American student. That is my plan, that’s something I want to do.”

Ashby and his wife have a daughter and son, both are sophomores in college.

For hobbies, he loves to bow hunt.

“I don’t fish as much as I could, but I enjoy fishing and mostly just being out in nature,” he continued. “I do a little bit of jewelry and beadwork, for myself, for my regalia, when I dance. And that’s therapeutic in it’s own way, it just gives you time to focus just on what you’re doing and kind of put everything away.”

His advice for success in middle school is threefold.

“Study is the first thing,” he said. “This is the time to do it because study habits are forever and what you learn at this level carries with you through high school and can take you on into college and even just life in general. Focusing and learning how to focus and do things well are important. And, put some pride in your work. Those are some huge things. Then, finally, follow-through. Complete the assignment. Complete the work you’re expected to do. Those three things will take you a long way. Not just in school work, but just in life.”

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