Department Vision and Goals

Our vision is to provide the essential knowledge and skills students need to communicate effectively in future collegiate and workplace pursuits. Our goals include:

• Working collaboratively with our students to meet or exceed district passing rates on high-stakes, local and state assessments, as well as, national college entrance exams;

• Developing proficient communicators, both orally and in writing, for college and workplace readiness;

• Implementing engaging and culturally relevant lessons;

• Ensuring all students are information literate and digitally proficient citizens of a globally competitive society; and,

• Meeting state accountability goals of 80% Approaches, 60% Meets, and 20% Masters in student academic performance.

Erika Anderson, Department Chair

Martha Osagie, ESL Lead

Maria Webb, English I Content Lead

DeBrionne Payne, English II Content Lead

Kristen Ross, English III Content Lead

David Kear, English IV Content Lead

Additional Supports:

Jennifer Malchow, ESL Coordinator/Instructional Coach

Enrique Gonzalez, ESL Teacher Assistant

Veronica Evans, Special Education Inclusion Teacher

Jerry Pace, Special Education Inclusion Teacher

Biography: Ms. Erika Anderson was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 20^th, and is the eldest child and only girl out of four children. She graduated from South Oak Cliff High School, where she earned the position of Battalion Commander of the JROTC program. She joined the Texas Army National Guard at the age of 17, where she worked as a 92A Automated Logistics Specialist for six years. Afterwards, she worked in the medical billing field for over 15 years. She obtained an Associate of Arts degree from Richland College, and Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Communications from Grand Canyon University. She is a certified English/Language Arts and Reading teacher with the State of Texas, and teaches English II, English II Pre-AP, and Reading II. She has also served as a volunteer mentor to young girls with the Dream Angels non-profit organization for several years. Her favorite hobbies include travelling, dancing, and viewing live performing arts events.

Biography: Starting in Ohio and culminating in Dallas, Texas, this year marks my 48^th year as an educator. A graduate of Ohio State University, I have taught English and served in various roles over the course of my career, including English department chair, athletic tutor, drill team director, teacher technologist, volleyball, basketball, track and field, and yes – even football coach! As you can see, my interests are varied, but my most passionate calling is teaching, and I look forward to a rewarding year with you in 20-21.

Biography: Hello Spartans, my name is Ms. Poulson! I am a 10th grade ELA Teacher. This will be my third year teaching, but my first year at Samuell. I have three daughters, ages 19, 8, and 2. I enjoy spending time with my kids and our dog, Seven. I love books, coffee, animals, true crime, comedy, and traveling. I am so excited to get to know each and every one of you!

Biography:

Biography:

Biography: Greetings, I am David Ramirez. A native of Dallas, Texas, I have lived in the Pleasant Grove area all of my life. I graduated from Skyline High School, then completed an associate degree from Eastfield Community College, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas A&M University at Commerce. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, lifting weights, playing strong narrative-driven video games, and watching movies or shows on Netflix.

Biography: Greetings, my name is Maria Webb, I am originally from the Mississippi gulf coat. I graduated from the illustrious Alcorn State University, December 2012, where my major was elementary education with a concentration in reading and social studies. I have taught multiple grades from K-8, I also have 3 years experience as a reading and math interventionist for grades 3-8. I am passionate about reading, and daily I strive to be the best educator I can be. I am thrilled to be one of the newest Spartans and look forward to my time at the school.

Biography: Greetings! My name is DeBrionne Payne, and I teach English II Pre-AP. I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Teaching Certification. From there, I worked in the nonprofit sector before transitioning back into the education field. My motivation for teaching at W.W. Samuell High School is to serve in the neighborhood I grew up in, and in the district from which I received my formal education. As an educator, I firmly believe that race, zip code, or income level should not determine the quality of education a child receives. All children deserve a quality education!

Biography:

Biography: Hello, I’m Karen Wood and I am new to Samuell High and to teaching. I have a BA in Literary Studies from UTD, and left a career in the jewelry industry to pursue my true passion - education. I live in Garland with my husband, son, 3 cats, and 3 dogs. My favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. I like flowers and museums. I dislike housework and Texas heat. This is going to be a challenging year, but I look forward to getting to know everyone and making it the best experience possible.

Biography: Hello, I am Ms. Kulkarni, and I graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a bachelors in English and a concentration in teaching. I taught 9th grade English in San Antonio ISD before moving to Seattle, WA for graduate school. While attending graduate school, I worked as an academic advisor at a local community college. I graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s of Education in 2017. I was able to continue my journey as a UW Husky while working as a program manager for one of the university’s largest tutoring centers. I worked with over 100 student employees, hiring and training them every year. I also taught an education course on teaching pedagogies and what it means to be a good teacher. In my free time I like to read, watch movies, and explore the area. I am excited to make the move back to K-12 after working with college students for the past four years. I am also looking forward to exploring Dallas and finding fun things to do around the city.

Biography:

Biography: Hello! I am professional educator from the state of California where I previously taught English for five years, but this is my first year in Texas, and I am so excited to join the Samuell High School family! I graduated from the University of La Verne with a Bachelor of Arts in English, then obtained a Master's degree from Grand Canyon University. Throughout high school and college, I performed in various theatrical productions, and I love to read, enjoy plays and musicals, indoor rock climb, and bake.

Biography: Greetings! My name is Dr. Stone, and I teach English III. This is my second year at Samuell, and prior to joining the ELAR team, I taught EDUC 1300 - Educational Frameworks, at Dallas College at Richland. I have a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University at Commerce, with a focus in writing curriculum, administration, and instructional pedagogy. In my free time, I enjoy reading, creative writing, and getting some sun on the white sands of the Florida beaches.

Biography: Mr. Kear grew up in Mesquite, Texas, and graduated from North Mesquite High School. He received a BA in English and History from Texas A&M University - Commerce. After college, he moved to New York, where he worked as an editor for many years. Recently, Mr. Kear moved back to Dallas, and he can usually be found working in his garden. When not in the garden, he likes to read classical literature and history, write novels, and spend time with his cat, Sophia.

Biography: The 2020-2021 school year will be Ms. McCord’s fifth year at W.W. Samuell High School. Currently, she teaches English IV - AP Literature and Composition, and serves as the campus AVID Coordinator. Her M.Ed is in Bilingual/ Multicultural Education, and she has spent much of her teaching career abroad, most recently in Madagascar. When she is not teaching at Samuell, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends.