He couldnt fathom how the world continued to carry on while an innocent girl lay buried, and how quickly some young men were issued reprieves. A row of permanently locked orange lockers lined the cream cinderblock walls. Tests taken by fewer than 10 students are not calculated in the composite score. The 1978 killing of Rod Grayson wasnt the first murderous intrusion into the sanctity of Americas schools. Hed been concerned about John. A new site had been erected, called the Memorial to Fallen Educators, which was designated as a national memorial in 2018. A map of the classroom on the day of the shooting, drawn by Mitsuno Baurmeister. Everyone knew Johnhe cut a figure, said Logan Bazar, one of his closest friends at Murchison. After speaking to Ray in 1999, I wrote John Christian a letter to see if he would be willing to share his story in GQ, where I was working at the time. There was another connection that wasnt reported at the time. School ratings based on state standardized test scores and comparing those results to other schools in the same state. John attempted to make small talk, but Smith abruptly cut him off and told him that he owed a visit to someone else. So did the Austin press. His father was George Christian, a legendary figure in Texas politics who had served as President Johnsons press secretary and later became a top adviser to Governor Dolph Briscoe. And Andre Terry, one of Murchisons few African American students, who was bused to school from the East Side, would one day credit his junior high school teacher for pushing him to follow his artistic impulses and become a fashion designer. The screaming intensified. The familys position, which has remained unchanged over the years, is that a thirteen-year-old boy fell into a deep, perhaps psychotic state of depression and committed a terrible misdeed. Community: Keith Forester, Gary Smith, Georgia Clifton, Renice Wernette, Irene Burney. Laura Grayson has been back to the cemetery only once since Rods funeral. Favorite court. He hadnt seen his old classmates in years, and they hugged and tearfully greeted one another. This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue ofTexas Monthly with the headline The Aftermath. Subscribe today. He was a thirteen-year-old boy again, panicked that he was about to be killed. So I drew a deep breath, turned to the officer and said, You can let him go. The boy walked away. It peeled back all the layers. Charter School: No They proposed that the boy live with an unnamed physician in Dallas, who would become Johns legal guardian. He wasnt some monster you could easily explain away, Ray said later. Hugging her daughter close and wanting to scream, Davis carried on a banal conversation about his job and about her church. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Providing Guidance in Education & Learning, Public School | 6th Grade - 8th Grade | 519 students. I also knew that 80 percent of Pearce students received free or reduced-price lunch, and almost all were African-American or Latino. It was only after she got her daughter into the car that she began to sob. 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. On June 2, 1978, two weeks after the shooting, John sat outside a small courtroom at Gardner Betts while the two psychiatrists testified inside to Judge Cofer that John was acutely depressed and suffered from latent schizophreniathe latter being an inexact, catchall term that would eventually fall out of favor in the psychiatric community. In the ensuing years, I gave little thought to the Austin tragedy. Bohls Middle School; Cele Middle School; Dessau Middle School; Kelly Lane Middle School; Pflugerville Middle School; Park Crest Middle School; Westview Middle School; Barron Elementary School; . Whats Rod got his kids doing now? Still, it had to be a joke, Ray thought. I remember making that conscious decision.. (Students' names have been changed.) 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. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping. All rights reserved. Middle School Counselor. Like many Austin professionals, he knew the Christians socially. Pearce Middle School in Austin ISD | Homes for Sale Find 114 Pearce Middle School Homes for Sale between $$259,900 and $$259,900. His dad was the main topic of conversation, said Bazar. And beyond getting information, theres equally the need to express what role this particular event has played in their lives.. Ripoff Report on: Pearce Middle School - Pearce middle school hellish student gangstas threatened me rip off my brothers vehicle austin texas. (Timberlawn was closed in early 2018.). And he wants you to know that every candle you light helps to light the way.. 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. Hes definitely made the most of the opportunity that hes gotten., But George Scott went on to say that he, like the witnesses to the shooting, has been haunted by the incident. At 14 years old, Marcos struggled mightily academically, and was just biding time until he could leave school and go work construction with his uncles. Nope. The institution offered a full academic curriculum as well as a rigorous daily regimen of group and individual therapy with multiple mental health professionals. If recent college graduates could donate two years to a starving village in Ghana, why not commit a few years to a school in a neglected corner of East Austin? Earle has been ill for some time, according to his wife, Twila, who spoke to me on his behalf. We hung back and prayed the ball didnt come our way. One person close to John told me that he has felt great sadness over the years for what he did. Austin was a small town in those days, so it was no surprise that Judge Cofer, like George Christian, had an LBJ connection: his father had been Johnsons attorney following his scandal-ridden 1948 U.S. Senate race. But because his father was a public figure, the boys identity was splashed across the front pages. Like American Exceptionalism and Horatio Alger stories, this supposition has become part of our national mythology. And that year, he was growing more and more bitter about his father.. Hes a really great brother. But if I allowed anger to control me, what kind of life would I have made for Ian? she said. Moreover, segregating our poorest students in high-poverty schools, as we often do, exacerbates the problem. He walked in with that rifle and blew away my childhood, my sense of safety, and my hope for a happily ever after., In 1993, soon after she and her family returned to Austin, Davis was shopping for breakfast cereal at a grocery store in Northwest Hills with her four-year-old daughter when she heard someone say, Hi, Susie. Ever since then, whenever I walk into an unfamiliar place, Im always looking for a way out. Jumping out of his truck and grabbing the boy, Schirpik barked, What did you do?. 13. (Its not clear whether Earle was aware that Minton had previously represented Judge Cofers son. It struck me as odd that I had never heard about his sons having killed a schoolteacher, particularly since I had been a staff writer at Texas Monthly for most of the nineties. Before leaving I told Daniel I was proud of him and gave him a handshake and half-hug, the way men do. So for eighteen months or thereabouts, you have them confront their defense mechanisms and talk about their core issues. 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.. And then, as Davis would write in her 2015 book Unafraid, I could smell everything. 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. Startled to see me outside the confines of school, he smiled as he leaned into my car to admire the $80 car stereo I had recently installed. Pearce Middle School, Austin, TX Real Estate Listings and Homes for Sale At this time there are 38 homes for sale in Pearce Middle School with a median list price of $567,883 and 53 days on the market. At the same time, the handsome and witty young teacher (I think every girl had a crush on him, including me, said one student) was an attentive, empathic big-brotherfigure. Whether its the lack of a cognitively stimulating home environment or the higher prevalence of health and emotional problems, the bubble exams might as well be in Mandarin. The perfume I sprayed on my T-shirt that day., Later, she began sharing her trauma with a small group of Christian women. $96,474 (2018) 7211 Northeast Drive Austin, TX 78723. One former classmate, Cathy Olson Muth, was home from college, eating with her family and friends at a restaurant in Northwest Hills, when she happened to see a familiar reflection in a mirror. The new Travis County district attorney, Ronald Earle, publicly announced that he intended to seek the five-year maximum if the boy is found sane. Though juvenile trials are not typically open to the media, an exception was made in this case (those with firsthand knowledge of why an exception was made have died, declined to be interviewed, or simply cannot recall). He has done all the system has asked of him. 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. It was John. Website. Virginia Tech. Get Store Hours, phone number, location, reviews and coupons for Pearce Middle School located at 6401 N Hampton Dr., Austin, TX, 78723 Although TEA has offered to allow the District to submit a repurposing plan, the TEA has stated in the July 2 letter that "additional details are needed before a repurposing plan can be formally considered by the agency. According to the research Ive done, thats not what happens at all.. What remained unreported until now was the identity of the man who had become Johns adoptive father. Our Austin ISD listings are updated every 5 minutes. current last name (if different) email address Email address, please! John Savage is a freelance journalist and writer based in Austin, Texas. In fact, Ray barely remembered a single thing about that entire year. The board can rename a facility if it has been more than 50 years since the official naming of school or if the building is repurposed or has a programming change, according to AISD. The School Shooting That Austin Forgot - Texas Monthly True Crime The Aftermath In 1978, an eighth grader killed his teacher. He had super-high standards.. As Dr.Jerry LewisIII, who worked at Timberlawn from 1982 to 1994 and whose father was the chief psychiatrist during Johns stay, put it, The idea was to not just use behavior modification to change a boys aggressive antisocial behavior but also to use psychotherapy to get him to appreciate the fact that his behaviors are attempts to ward off deep and painful feelings. That evening at the Grayson home, a teacher friend stood on the front lawn and handled all the visiting reporters. Magnet School: No . And they learned of his reentry into their world not through any notice from authorities but instead through word of mouth and random encounters. Suddenly, he thought he saw a jumbo jet nosediving into Razorback Stadium. Skip to main content. Seventh period tested my patience. . On a warm spring day in 2003 I stood in the middle of the hallway outside my classroom. In this capacity, he traveled the United States evaluating acquisition candidates and managed the due diligence and acquisition process. Twenty feet away a few female teachers stood aghast. 06 Mar 2023 8:00 am. There he is! someone exclaimed, directing their attention to a figure outside the classroom window who was heading down the grassy hill beside the football field. She handed back the paper, slack-jawed. He wore baggy jeans and a white T-shirt several sizes too large for his wiry frame. And I may yet do it. Gym class had been underway outside by the football field. Leave them blank to get signed up. Thank you Pirates! She knew she was supposed to be doing her warm-up assignment. Then they were clinging to her, sobbing hysterically. That was such a traumatic time, a former student wrote. John wont talk to you. Public Education in Austin, TX. Speechless, I watched the scene unfold. Within minutes, I was learning for the first time about the shooting on May 18, 1978. The representative requested that the original order to institutionalize his client be modified. Although Reagan students made significant academic improvement based upon preliminary 2009 TAKS results, Commissioner Scott also advised District officials the campus would again be rated /Academically Unacceptable/ this year. More information is available at www.austinisd.org/naming. Betterestimate.com (512) 619-6498; info@betterestimate.com; . A gurney rolled past her, a sheet pulled over the body. Its tentative title is A Field Guide to Grief.. Twenty-nine children were handpicked for Eichenbaums and Graysons classes. Go to Austin, Texas to view events for the entire area, and not just this court location. Pearce Middle School is located at the address 6401 North Hampton Drive in Austin, Texas 78723-2042. Children from the most affluent homes scored 60 percent higher than students from the least affluent homes. Got something to say? State Board of Education, Pearce Middle School, Information is power. Slowly, she could feel compassion seep in. 9504 N Interstate 35. No one seemed to believe him. Some of them have searched for answers themselves. The department head decided it was a good idea to put three of the most difficult boys Jorge, Marcos and Daniel in my class. It took 10 minutes for an officer to get there. Hes got his hands on your shoulders, and hes kissing your head. As she would later say, At that point, as a mother, as a teacher, as a human being, as pained as I was that Rod was dead, I felt sorry for that kid. Their son, Ian, was an eighth grader by thencoincidentally, the same age as Rods students when he was killedand she wanted him to know where his dads grave site was, in case he ever wanted to visit. Rolling past the high school, wandering through the memorial sites and services, Ray felt curiously at home with the grieving, as if his own trauma had been given permission to voice itself. Great, Ray thought. 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. The appeal of this educational axiom ascribing student achievement to teacher quality is understandable. And Cofer concurred with Mintons two experts. Homes similar to 4901 Springdale Rd #104 are listed between $181K to $1M at an average of $450 per square foot. It was jarring. Cathy Olson Muths 1978 yearbook portrait. Ft. condos renting for $2695 per month. John thanked her, saying that the man named J.C. was comforted by what she said. They were the bedrock of Pearce. Trustee Amber Elenz said the board should consider Carpenter as a namesake for a future facility. Pearce Middle School, located at 6401 N. Hampton Drive, was originally named for James E. Pearce, who was the principal of Austin High School from 1895-1917. He knew who I was as soon as he we made eye contact. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Pearce Middle School locations in Ccr, Austin, TX. He apologized for being such an asshole in class, and proudly told me about his wife and two children. Rumors swirled around the quiet new student. What do you say? the officer prompted. Total Schools Listed: 89. It occurred to him that he might be able to comfort his Murchison Junior High classmates, even as he leaned on them. He could see that someone had tried to wipe away the blood, but traces remained. (Psychiatrists later testified at his trial that he had begun to take pleasure in succumbing to violent impulses.) During their half-hour conversation, John took issue with a report in the media that he had said The jokes on you before shooting Grayson. This is not to say Pearce didnt have a stable of talented staff, some with deep roots in the Two-Three. Still, the fury was as oppressive as the grief. It suggests a silver bullet solution: improve teaching and you improve test scores, especially for poor students. As University of Texas professor Marilyn Armour, the founder of the Institute of Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue, told me, There are some people who believe that the amount of time served, the severity of the punishment, will bring some measure of closure or satisfaction. A minute later the bell rang again. Yeah, yeahIm gonna bring one too! Ray exclaimed. But Ray had not so much as acknowledged his own emotional scar tissue until one morning in April 1999, when he was driving through the University of Arkansas campus and heard on the radio about the mass shooting at Columbine High School. It was George. I coughed to get her attention, but Leticia was mesmerized by this note. He caught up to John at the top of the hill. It is a cornerstone of civilized societies that sharp legal distinctions are drawn between children and adults. He had heard from Ray that I had looked into the story and was curious why I had dropped it. When they were gone, he stepped out into the empty house. 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. What transpired next is based on the recollections of eight eyewitnesses in the classroom as well as those of others at school that day. You ask how I got through? | 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. Weve thought, What happened? The next sound might well have been unsteady applause, since many if not most of the students were still convinced that they had witnessed an exquisitely executed dramatic performance. . Leave. Join your Pearce Middle School classmates, browse profiles, photos of alumni, find your next class reunion, yearbooks and apparel! The letter states: "This pattern of continuing low performance is not acceptable and currently is unmatched by any other campus in the state. Standing in line to order, I recognized the young man stuffing pita bread with lamb and vegetables, but couldnt quite place him. Now! Darius and his friends fled, but behind me, Mr. Dean was trying to wrestle the Latino boy to the ground. Ratings do not take into account other important factors you should consider when evaluating a school. A 1999 Department of Education study compared students test scores when entering kindergarten. Murchisons student body was overwhelmingly white and socioeconomically privileged. With over 1800 team members, operating out of 25 offices throughout the . But as all the eyewitnesses I spoke with took pains to explain, the sight of John with a hunting rifle was a momentarily bemusing one. The boy with a gun. Jokes over., John held the gun at his hip, pointed at his teacher. Nothing is ever gonna happen to that guy. . . He was like no other teacher I ever had, Terry said. She led several of them into a nurses examination room and told them to stay there. John and I bonded on the soccer field. You just dont understand him the way I do, he said. I wouldnt return to Pearce the following semester. After seeing his son whisked off in a squad car, George headed to the police station. The morning of May18, after finishing his workshop, Ray climbed into his burnt-orange Honda Element. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) determined that Pearce Middle School would again be rated /Academically Unacceptable/ (AU), for the fifth consecutive year, and stressed that it has been rated AU or low-performing for eight out of the past 10 years for which campus performance ratings have been issued. Recognizing the need in the area of science, the District prepared an academic improvement plan to address the instructional deficits at Pearce. Blood gushing. I walked to my desk and slammed it down with a force that surprised even me. While touring several Texas Youth Commission facilities for a Texas Monthly story about juvenile justice I wrote in 1996, I happened to meet a number of juvenile killers. Trustee Vincent Torres was absent from the meeting. Walking away, Smith felt a sense of disgust. . Leticia quiet, conscientious, kind, never-got-in-trouble Leticia started crying. Today pearce-middle, Austin TX is count around 18 homes for sale at current average listing price of $704,433. In 2012 Pearce ranked in the bottom 3 percent of middle schools statewide. Linda Coffee Argued Roe v. Wade. To the astonishment of his classmates, the normally reserved John Christian proceeded to enter an alternate universe that bore no relationship to Stowes novel. Pearce Middle School Reviews. Recently, a fellow schoolteacher told Laura that he had traveled to Emporia State University, in Kansas, over spring break to visit the National Teachers Hall of Fame. The music Im into is the Doobie Brothers, Moody Blues, Pablo Cruise, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, the Little River Band, and The Doorsplus another hundred like Santana, Kansas, Styx, Chicago, and Boston who I think are good. Public Schools Schools. Im not proud of that., As Ray explained it, The tragedy is that Mr. Grayson was killed. Middle School: Pearce Middle; School District: Austin . Austin felt strangely unsafe to him, even aside from willful recklessness. But he found plenty of fault with Gods creatures. The two of them then walked across the hall into the classroom of Eichenbaum, who recalled, John went directly from that substitute teacher to me, and there was nothing at all memorable about his behavior.. She handed me the notebook. In 1992 Texas sentenced Edwin Debrow to 27 years for killing a cab driver during an attempted robberydespite the fact that the twelve-year-old was too young to stand trial as an adult. That afternoon, his math teacher, Anita Sybesma, reminded him that he was doing poorly in algebra. He began making inquiries. The Pearce Pirate faces the same fate as the Johnston Ram In an announcement that has rocked Austin ISD staff and parents, School Commissioner Robert Scott has announced that Pearce. Now a whole other generation gets to spend the next forty years of their lives dealing with this shit.