by Sarah Blaskovich

It was fitting for me to visit Bowie on the last day of school before Thanksgiving. I've got a lot to be thankful for.

OAK CLIFF — James Bowie Elementary School in Oak Cliff is just as cheery as most elementary schools you'll see: smiling kids, strict and sweet teachers, and colorful holiday art covering every hallway. But I soon learned that my task as Principal for a Day was a very special assignment.

My sidekick was April Rivera, who has been principal of the school for six years. When she first arrived to the school (and served as assistant principal at the time), Bowie Elementary was “unacceptable” by TEA standards. While the school has graduated to acceptable, recognized, and now exemplary, the circumstances of the students who study there hasn't changed. About 99% of the kids eat free lunches, and many live in apartments or use Section 8 vouchers to live in government-sponsored private rental housing. Most don't have a warm enough winter coat, and more than a quarter are given a bag of non-perishable food from the North Texas Food Bank every Friday so they don't go hungry all weekend. It is no secret that these kids are needier than most.

“They're kids. They're just like kids from any other city,” said Gabriel Duarte, the fifth grade science teacher. “But they don't get a lot of exposure outside their realm. Most of these kids don't even know to dream to be an astronaut because they've never met one.”

The dedicated teaching staff certainly has a passion for “the grind,” as one teacher called it. Bowie Elementary is a bilingual school, which means that some classes are taught in English and in Spanish. The school was abuzz with kids talking in both languages in nearly every classroom I attended, though English-only classes also exist.

Many Bowie students have never been to the zoo or to a museum, and there are special programs in place like Student Council that hope to take the students on trips they otherwise couldn't afford. Rivera hopes the school has become a second home for some of the students, who are given meals sometimes three times a day if someone donates food for dinner. On Wednesdays, volunteers from Taco Bueno set up an assembly line and make tacos for the after-school kids. Also, a group called Hunger Busters hands out sandwiches Monday through Thursday after school for those who need it most. At Bowie, that's about 350 kids each day.

My job as the stand-in Ms. Rivera (though she stuck with me all day, thankfully) was to do what she'd do on a typical day at her school. I quickly learned that one of her most time-consuming jobs is to hear teachers and administrators plead for money – a heartbreaking task. For instance, the librarian wants to enroll in a program that would cost $1,500 and would ensure all 650-or-so students in the school could have a book of their choice sent home. The librarian guessed that only 3% of the students have books at home, which is an incredible detriment to the learning process at such an impressionable age. Unfortunately, Rivera and I had to tell her all the money in the budget had dried up for book-related costs.

Then, Duarte and his team – a group of three personable fifth grade teachers who sometimes act as father figures to the kids – told me they could really use more dirt and cash donations for their garden out back. The garden has taught the students how to grow food at a low cost, as well as to learn responsibility and pride for keeping it trimmed and healthy all year long. “I don't know where I'm going to get the money,” Duarte said. “We're going to beg, borrow, and not steal.”

And according to an administrator, if I'm listening, the art department would really like a kiln. This is the norm at Bowie Elementary. While the students are already given free backpacks and free coats for the winter, there are teachers constantly trying to do more for “their kids.”

Sharon “Coach” Foster, the PE teacher, has set up a majority of the programs on campus that assist kids in need. She started the Running Club 15 years ago, which is an after-school program for students in second through fifth grade. They get a free pair of running shoes donated by the Nike Foundation and learn commitment and hard work through sports. “I want these kids to get scholarships to college,” Coach said. “I know how expensive college can be.”

Just like the students, I was fed well all day long. In the morning, I received a special typed invitation from the fifth grade class (addressed just to me – last name spelled correctly!), inviting me to their “Dauntless Diner.” Rivera and I wandered way out back to the temporary classrooms to find a 4-foot-tall maitre d' ready to seat us. The diner is an exercise in life skills, and students were assigned the task of manager, waiter, bus boy, and cook, among others. The food was pricey but delicious: My french toast cost $30 and my $15 glass of water was served in an “Over the Hill” cup! I asked the children what that meant, and none of them knew. “They were on sale,” one little girl told me. It must've been one of the few items actually purchased, as the pancake mix, eggs, and other items were donated.

Then at lunch with a gaggle of kindergarteners, I noshed on chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, and Texas toast. Those chicken nuggets haven't changed since I was a kid. I hunched down in a teeny chair while the kindergarteners and I talked about what it's like to be principal at their school. (A few kids also guessed my age: 15, 18, or 58, they said. I'm somewhere in the middle, thank you very much.) When we approached the topic of Thanksgiving, several students told me they wondered what turkey tasted like.

And still, Bowie Elementary is a place full of optimism. The kids giggled and grinned at me as Rivera and I strolled the halls all day long. One classroom door carried a large sign that said, “Welcome, graduating class of 2021!” Others were already talking about encouraging their kids to go to college. For Royond Hendrix, the assistant principal, a devotion to making these kids' lives better is of utmost importance. “We tell them, 'This is where you are right now. This isn't where you're going to be forever.'”

I left Bowie with mixed emotions. It was neat to see so many teachers and kids with a commitment to education, but it's tough to know that while the students aren't in school this week for Thanksgiving, some will be hungry. Others won't read a single book in the 10 days they're out.

The timing of my visit to Bowie Elementary was perfect this year. I've got a lot to be thankful for.

What do you think?