Ray D. is a Castleberry ISD student who recently had a unique and very colorful opportunity at REACH High School. The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, specifically the English End-of-Course exams, have always been very difficult for Ray. Planning to graduate in May 2020, Ray knew that he needed to pass these tests; he worked many hours in class and in tutorials to refine his reading and writing skills. Always a character, Ray made a suggestion to his teacher, Nadine Mihalicz, and the CISD Secondary English Language Arts Coordinator, Ty Neal. Ray proposed , “If I pass both English EOC exams, will you allow me to spray paint your hair green.” Naturally, both educators agreed, having full confidence that Ray could pass both tests.
Other REACH students heard about this bet and made a similar suggestion to their US History teacher, Sean. Rivers. If all students passed this test, US History students could make Mr. Rivers more beautiful.
When the EOC exam results came in, REACH High School students’ effort truly paid off; their performance exceeded all expectations. Ray passed both English EOC tests and even surpassed expectations of one of the two exams. Additionally, every student testing in Algebra, Biology and US History passed their tests, and English students performed better than ever.
On Wednesday January 22, Ray and the US History students were able to cash in on their bets and gave all three educators a new and “improved” look. Ray commented, “It was a cool opportunity and very motivating.”