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Susie Gerrie Davis, a former student of Rod Graysons who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. Browse reviews, directions, phone numbers and more info on Pearce Middle School. Our conversation flowed more smoothly than it did at school. . Nor did it match in sheer bloodshed the later infamy bestowed upon campuses that we now recite as a mournful litany: Columbine. Slowly, she could feel compassion seep in. Hed done some reading on Hitler and the Nazis, which wasnt uncommon for boys our age. 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). Mr. AISD projects that when TEA releases the final Accountability Ratings on July 31, all student groups at Pearce MS will meet the 2009 state standards in reading, math, social studies, and writing. The local media began to swarm the school as well. But our initial conversation had been twenty years earlier, just after the Columbine High School massacre. (Timberlawn was closed in early 2018.). 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. 6401 N Hampton Dr, Austin, Texas 78723, United States 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. Register for FREE to view the profiles of 428 other alumni first name First name, please! 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. For Sale - 2923 Pecan Springs Rd, Austin, TX - $1,750,000. John Ray came home to a shattering quiet. I marched to her desk and stuck out my hand. The Austin ISD board of trustees considered a variety of names submitted by members of the AISD community. Like American Exceptionalism and Horatio Alger stories, this supposition has become part of our national mythology. 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. Getting answers is what brings resolution, Armour said. More details; John graduated from high school on schedule, in May of 1982. In 2012 Pearce ranked in the bottom 3 percent of middle schools statewide. Crisis Counselor and Teen Leadership Instructor. Trustee Vincent Torres was absent from the meeting. After parsing fourth-grade math scores, education theorist Richard Kahlenberg concluded, low-income students attending more affluent schools scored almost two years ahead of low-income students in high-poverty schools. 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. Central Office Installer Job in Austin, TX at Pearce Services LLC Even though he had no experience teaching, I could tell he would provide the right fodder for these kids, she said. He ran to the principals office and told the administrators at the front desk what had just happened. Our award-winning, top-rated, and highly ranked schools serve Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Austin communities. Then again, he also said of being buried, Thats not where I am., She knew that. James Neff, a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman, rang the doorbell. 2215 East 51st Street Austin, TX 78723. (Texas Monthlys Skip Hollandsworth wrote about Debrow.) Though Grayson resisted playing favorites, he became especially close with one student in particular who shared his love of stage acting: John Christian. 58 acre lot loaded with oak trees and yard to spare, this home was built for entertaining. She warned him that he needed to study hard for the upcoming test. 3308 Pearce Rd, Austin, TX 78730 | MLS# 1213552 | Redfin 5216 Krueger Ln, Austin, TX 78723 | MLS #3424468 | Zillow Pearce Middle School austin, texas Not the school you were looking for? Several yards away a tall Latino boy brandished a red bandanna indicating his affiliation with the Bloods. 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. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Pearce Middle School locations in Ccr, Austin, TX. He was trying to get in touch with a former classmate, Rob Draper, who hed heard had just published a novel. Two other students turned in a project that Grayson considered sloppy, and he ripped our shit apart, one of them recalled. When they were gone, he stepped out into the empty house. As the bus pulled away, one of them noticed other Murchison students in their classrooms, faces pressed against the windows, staring. He whispered something in the boys ear, then dragged him to me. We educate and support more than 51,000 Central Texas students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Some of the students extended their middle fingers to the press in hopes of stopping them from taking pictures. Someone saw him recently. She recalled that on the same day that John was arrested, two Latino boys were brought in for shoplifting. She sued the Christians for negligence a year after Rods death. 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. ), In 1990, Susie Gerrie Davis was living in Fort Worth and reading a book at home while her two young children napped when she inexplicably started to cry. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. And if you publish this story, it will destroy our family.. Susie Gerrie Davis remembers his insisting on several revisions for a written assignment, telling her, I think you could do something pretty important with this gift of yours, and thats why Im requiring so much work from you. (Davis has since become the author of several faith-based books.) Standing in line to order, I recognized the young man stuffing pita bread with lamb and vegetables, but couldnt quite place him. That summer, he returned to the city of his youth and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. Pearce Middle School renamed for Bertha Sadler Means - impact The tennis courts are not lighted. The origins of Johns mental illness are unknowable. John B. Connally High School | 13212 N. Lamar | Austin, TX 78753 | P: 512-594-0800 | F: . I dont know. He also said, I dont want to say anything that might hurt my boy.. John Christian is sitting right behind me, she whispered to her mother. Grayson 40 Years Later, and invited former classmates and teachers to join. Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. According to psychiatrists who questioned him later, he contemplated killing himself with the Browning .22-caliber hunting rifle that his parents had given him for Christmas. 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. After getting his teaching certificate, he had applied for the Murchison opening. . And it is a medical fact that the adolescent brain is far from fully developedwhich means, among other things, that a violent youth, even a murderous one, is not inexorably destined to a life of brutal criminality. At home that night I realized something had changed. Pearce Middle School is a public school located in Austin, Texas. Austin Middle School - Home A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austins independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the communitys political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. 9504 N Interstate 35. The board approved the renaming 71, with trustee Robert Schneider opposing. "I am disappointed and respectfully disagree with the TEA decision," said Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. Webb Middle School - Austin, Texas - TX | GreatSchools And then, as Davis would write in her 2015 book Unafraid, I could smell everything. Events What remained unreported until now was the identity of the man who had become Johns adoptive father. No one, including the Christian family, was disputing that he had intentionally killed Grayson. . 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. He was like no other teacher I ever had, Terry said. Whats Rod got his kids doing now? He looked terrified. What do people say about him? In the last decade a new species of educational reformer has captured the publics attention. Magnet School: No Logan Bazar recalled how the teacher regularly let him out of class five minutes early so that he could avoid being jumped by two bullies. Find 1 listings related to Pearce Middle School in Ccr on YP.com. His parents expect a lot from him, he said. Webb Middle School Unclaimed 601 East Saint Johns Avenue, Austin, TX 78752 Contact info Website 2 /10 GreatSchools Rating 7 reviews Students Grades 6-8 2 /10 GreatSchools Summary Rating 1/10 Test Scores below average 3/10 Student Progress below average 2/10 Equity below average Last updated: Jul 07, 2022 ACADEMICS Student Progress 3/10 A couple of students noticed and started smiling. A few months ago I stopped at a Greek fast food restaurant on the way home from work. 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. He had a notebook in front of him that he had been filling with random musings. And he wants you to know that every candle you light helps to light the way.. Im too blessed to be stressed, he said with a smile. In any such scenario, however, the process can succeed only if both sides participate. Talking about it lessened the burden. The morning before, on May17, 1978, Rod and Laura Grayson noticed that Ian was running a fever. . Condo Developments: 8; Neighborhoods: 6; Politicals: 4; current last name (if different) email address Email address, please! Robert Draper is a contributing editor at Texas Monthly,a contributing writer atNational Geographic and the New York Times Magazine,and the author of the upcoming book To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America Into Iraq. Pearce Middle School - Austin, Texas She will be working with the Board of Trustees and the Pearce community to explore short- and long-term options to best meet the needs of students. The Austin Independent School District is taking some dramatic steps in an attempt to improve educational outcomes at a couple of eastside middle schools: Pearce and Garcia. 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. 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. After the bell rang, Raywho had stood helplessly off to the side while his classmate went on his manic riffmuttered, John, when Mr. Grayson hears about this, hes gonna kick our butts., Dont worry, John replied. 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. At the same time, I dont think the opposite of that is to deny what happened to us. Austin felt strangely unsafe to him, even aside from willful recklessness. Davis later called their former teacher Marilyn Eichenbaum DuVon, who then reconnected with other former students who were in Graysons classroom that day. Hes a really great brother. State Board of Education, Pearce Middle School, Information is power. Ripoff Report | Complaints Reviews Scams Lawsuits Frauds Reported. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. 3324 Pearce Rd was last sold on Apr 8, 2019 for $0. Fuck you, the boy yelled as he lunged at me, swinging his fist inches from my face. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? 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? MLS # 3424468 I think John had reached a point where he was never going to be good enough. Amarillo, Texas 79109 806-326-3000 806-356-4802. A long-time friend of the bank introduced Betty to Dr. Frank Pearce, an established physician in the Austin community. Business profile of Pearce Middle School, located at 6401 N Hampton Dr., Austin, TX 78723. Whatever his earlier aspirations had been, Grayson found his calling as the Pied Piper to these brainy adolescents. He brought it to Laura, who threw it away. . They were the bedrock of Pearce. Among her achievements, Means was a teacher, a founding member of St. James Episcopal Church in Austin, and was an active member of the Austin branch of the NAACP. In 1978, an eighth grader killed his teacher. Ripoff Report | Pearce Middle School Review - Austin, Texas A minute later the bell rang again. He began making inquiries. Graduates: Russell Berwick (1965-1969), Steven Ates (1978-1980), Ann Burt (1976-1977), Steven Ates (1978-1979) Myspace 6:00 AM Apr 29, 2014 CDT. It was George. How are you doing?. In reality, George and Jo Anneboth of them smart, stubborn, and overextended from all their obligations, according to Johns older brother George Scottwere likelier to be distracted parents than dictatorial ones. The cops are coming, I shouted at him. The Christians werent rich by Texas standards, but they had forged elaborate social and professional ties to power brokers and superachievers that extended well beyond Texas. 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. Pearce Middle School in Austin ISD | Homes for Sale This property is not currently available for sale. A middle-class teacher coming into a low-income school and helping poor students realize their true potential makes for an excellent White Savior Film, but Dangerous Minds isnt real life. He was demanding. Jo Anne Christian materialized in the administrative office, her palms flat on the counter, as she demanded, Wheres John? Soon, the Austin police arrived. Daniel insisted on paying for my meal, and then we sat down and talked. [close window]. Back in the early nineties, Laura happened to meet a woman who had worked as an intake officer at the Gardner Betts juvenile facility, where John had spent two weeks immediately after killing her husband. These are among a few of the qualities to consider when choosing a school to send your child to. I had given her a chance she knew what she was doing. The Christians hired the citys most prominent criminal defense attorney, Roy Minton. normal? He knew who I was as soon as he we made eye contact. She was told by city authorities that no space was available. Homes similar to 4901 Springdale Rd #104 are listed between $181K to $1M at an average of $450 per square foot. John and I bonded on the soccer field. It did not plunge the entire city into terror the way Charles Whitmans rampage from the University of Texas Tower had twelve years earlier. Payment $23,540 /mo * Refinance Your Home Homes for Sale Near 3612 Pearce Rd 0.75 ACRES $1,925,000 4bd 4ba 4,303 sqft (on 0.75 acres) 3405 Beartree Cir, Austin, TX 78730 Compass RE Texas, LLC, ABOR, Active 10.39 ACRES In this area, Pearce was only two to five percentage points away from meeting required improvement and being rated Academically Acceptable. 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. The officer pivoted to me. What do you say? the officer prompted. His Murchison friends were gone. 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. The morning of May18, after finishing his workshop, Ray climbed into his burnt-orange Honda Element. If Id just done more for John earlier, been around more, George said quietly. In this capacity, he traveled the United States evaluating acquisition candidates and managed the due diligence and acquisition process. Rattled, I walked into my classroom where my students were completing a warm-up assignment, like they did every day. Pearce Middle School Austin TX USA Austin Independent School District Congressional Code: 4825 Like many attendance-zoned high-poverty schools, Pearce was often a chaotic place where discipline issues, student absenteeism, low parent involvement and high teacher turnover were the norm. 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. After years of counseling and prayer, John Ray decided he had finally developed the emotional fortitude to revisit the formative trauma of his youth. Sewer: Public Sewer; 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. But two other things happened that might have signaled Johns downward spiral. George asked Neff about the schoolteacher who had been shot. The sense of injustice overwhelmed Laura. Its the Story of Shankleville, One of the States Early Freedom Colonies. Two of the students, John Christian and John Ray, would be giving an oral presentation of a chapter from Harriet Beecher Stowes classic novel Uncle Toms Cabin. I didnt have enough books for them to take home anyway. Passing by Murchison on the way, he saw his father walking hurriedly downhill to the school. In the end, this is the only path I see that makes sense, that has any hope, however long the shot. The 1978 killing of Rod Grayson wasnt the first murderous intrusion into the sanctity of Americas schools. Janice Giddings's Email & Phone - The University of Texas at Austin His eyes darted around in search of airplanes plummeting from the sky, a jarring hallucination hed experienced before. Grayson fell from his stool and collided with the student desk in front of him, where Peyton Smith sat. From the District's perspective, the late notification of the Commissioner's decision is of critical concern. Schools working with high percentages of students who receive free and reduced-price lunch get extra points. The board can rename a. Hes been a great uncle to my kids. Eventually, they drove together to Assumption Cemetery, on the south side of Austin. He said something about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I dreamed that John Christian was leading this big group of zombies from the projects near where I lived. His eyes were wide open. Which was crushing but also fantastic. Enough of breaking up fights, of police officers patrolling the hallways, of red bandannas, of the N-word, of black hating brown and brown hating black and white not caring enough to notice. Still, as a juvenile, he could not be charged with murder and tried as an adult. 5216 Krueger Ln , Austin, TX 78723-6033 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $449,000. 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. That afternoon, his math teacher, Anita Sybesma, reminded him that he was doing poorly in algebra. 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. Change phone numbers, correct address, and more for Pearce Middle School. pearce middle school austin tx This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue ofTexas Monthly with the headline The Aftermath. Subscribe today. Im just now remembering. Laura Grayson holding a framed photograph of Rod. Still, it had to be a joke, Ray thought. She handed back the paper, slack-jawed. It started after the shooting. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Of course, juveniles are often named by the media in cases involving murder. 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. He received intensive psychiatric treatment, was deemed by professionals to pose no threat of further violence, and was released to live a quiet and productive life. Lives were shattered, Smith said. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Its all just speculation, Peyton Smith, one of the students present in that classroom, told me in his Austin law office last September. Speechless, I watched the scene unfold. Full of youthful enthusiasm and self-flattery, I could change the world by working at Pearce. What happened? Betterestimate.com (512) 619-6498; info@betterestimate.com; . The children, though, had questions of their own, above all: Is Mr. Grayson okay? You didnt know what to do with all the emotions, John Ray recalled. Then: Where is John, anyway?. Twenty feet away a few female teachers stood aghast. 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. Only later in the evening, when they gathered for beers at a bar in their old neighborhood of Northwest Hills, did someone ask the question that was on all of their minds: Has anybody heard from John? Pearce Middle School in Austin ISD | Homes for Sale Find 114 Pearce Middle School Homes for Sale between $$259,900 and $$259,900. Bring on the Shiplap. His classmates still wonder: What really happened? Ive been very hesitant to open the issue, and I probably should have. The mans initials were J. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. He also said he quit school to support his family but wished he could have finished. On a warm spring day in 2003 I stood in the middle of the hallway outside my classroom. Two years later, in 1981, the two sides settled for an undisclosed sum that included a trust fund whose proceeds Ian would receive on his eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays. Pearce Middle School Tennis Courts in Austin, TX That movie Dawn of the Dead had just come out. On a smaller scale, restorative dialogues have been used in disputes between local police and their respective communities, including in Austin. (John went on to study at the universitys prestigious law school. I coughed to get her attention, but Leticia was mesmerized by this note. Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Later, Ray went outside and pulled his bicycle from his Honda. Better to continue applying her passions in this manner, she had decided after his death, than to bask in bitterness. 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. Or so the thinking goes. Refi. He wasnt some monster you could easily explain away, Ray said later. For the "all student group," 72 percent passed reading, 64 percent passed math, 71 percent passed social studies, and 82 percent passed writing. The driver of the Escalade was a well-to-do lawyers son who hailed from Highland Park and who was attending the University of Arkansas. 3324 Pearce Rd, Austin, TX 78730 | Trulia Several of his classmates who had been in the room that morning didnt respond to Rays invitation. All rights reserved. $181,137. I heard from Katie and now from you that youre now a Disco Queen. I also knew that 80 percent of Pearce students received free or reduced-price lunch, and almost all were African-American or Latino. We have music, art, 1:1 Chromebooks, PE . The Superintendent invites the public, especially students, parents and staff of Pearce, to attend a July 15 Community Meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the school, where she will talk through the options for the school. A 1999 Department of Education study compared students test scores when entering kindergarten. "It stinks," said Board of Trustees President Mark Williams. Urban/Rural Designation: City - Large Shared Time School: No After law school, Mr. Pearce took a position with Aetna Life & Casualty as Vice President of Acquisitions for their health plans division. And that year, he was growing more and more bitter about his father.. 3308 Pearce Rd, Austin, TX 78730 $1,595,000 Est. Pearce Middle School in Austin ISD | Homes for Sale Ive talked about it with my wife quite a bit. 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.. On the drive back home, Susie Gerrie Davis learned from her mother that Grayson had died.