New journalism teacher and publications adviser Mr. Jonathan Dixon feels joyful as he steps into his new classroom. After 15 years in Corsicana, Mr. Dixon took up a new position with Legacy Student Media. This position allows him to work with new students, staff and publications.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Mr. Dixon said. “I have great students and staff that are helping me along the way, so I know it’s going to be a great year.”

The 2025-26 school year marks the beginning of Mr. Dixon’s 16th year teaching. 

“My first dream was to be a sports journalist,” Mr. Dixon said. “I really like features involving sports. I love the people and the human interest stories that come with sports.”

During 2008, an economic recession caused many publications to fire their employees. This decline in the entry-level job market led Mr. Dixon to become a teacher.

“Teaching publications was a way to marry my two passions– photography and journalism– together,” Mr. Dixon said.

As a publications adviser, Mr. Dixon works with several select groups of students to cover campus media. These groups include photography, yearbook, newspaper, social media and broadcast.

“The best part of being a teacher is working with the students and seeing them grow,” Mr. Dixon said. “Being part of that huge process of everyone’s life is always really rewarding.”

Throughout the year Mr. Dixon faces new challenges as he learns how to organize major school projects such as the yearbook. 

“Legacy is a dream job for me,” Mr. Dixon said. “I thought it would be such a great honor to continue what Mr. Mallett had already built here, and I wanted to do that justice.”

As Data Instructional Specialist Ms. Meghan Wells walks through the doors, she knows that she will be able to do what she loves. Though she must learn new procedures, she feels confident that she will help the school.

“I have always been interested in statistics and data management as well as correlations in how certain things affect student performance,” Ms. Wells said.

Ms. Wells handles different aspects of testing for the school such as looking at the correlation between student performance and teachers. This school year marks the beginning of Ms. Wells’ 19th year in education.

“I have wanted to be a teacher since the 2nd grade,” Ms. Wells said. “I love to learn.”

Ms. Wells began her career as a substitute teacher for MISD. During the last three years, Ms. Wells ran a STEM camp for students new to the country.

“I love looking at a problem and finding the solution and seeing how students solve those problems,” Ms. Wells said.

Ms. Wells’ new position allows her to find new support throughout the staff.

“I have always thought highly of Mansfield ISD,” Ms. Wells said. “Everyone has been very helpful and understanding.”

As instructional coach Ms. Holly Abrego walks into the building, a feeling of satisfaction flows through her. With her new position, she assists teachers throughout the campus and follows her dreams of working in education.

“The best part of being a teacher is watching students grow from the beginning of the school year to the end,” Ms. Abrego said. “Not only in their academics but just as people as well.”

The 2025-26 school year marks the beginning of Ms. Abrego’s 16th year in education. 

“My goal was to make sure that my students were prepared for whatever comes next for them in life,” Ms. Abrego said.

Though Ms. Abrego does not teach any classes, she provides instructional support to teachers and staff.

”I chose Legacy High School because I heard great things about Mansfield ISD staff and students,” Ms. Abrego said.

As a new member of staff, Ms. Abrego works with people from all over the school to prepare for her role.

“Legacy has a very positive and optimistic culture that is very welcoming,” Ms. Abrego said.

A smile grows on Functional Academics Life Skills (FALS) teacher Ms. Lashann Wiliams face as she sees that she was hired for the job. She knows that with her new position she can help students who face lifelong challenges and make an impact on their education.

“I am passionate about my profession,” Ms. Williams said. “I want to advocate and make a difference for individuals with disabilities.”

The 2025-26 school year marks the beginning of Ms. Williams’ 17th year in education and eighth year in the classroom. 

“I wanted to be in a career where I am servicing and helping others,” Ms. Williams said.

As a new staff member, Ms. Williams works with other teachers and staff to prepare for the school year.

“Katie Nance has been amazing with helping me get all my paperwork completed to be a part of the Legacy family,” Ms. Williams said. “[Katie Nance is] such a welcoming presence and a very nice person.”

Though Ms. Williams may face challenges in the classroom, she still finds ways to help her students.

“Legacy has provided me with the support I need,” Ms. Williams said. “It feels like home.”

As Success Coach David Barber leaves the classroom, he knows one thing– he found the perfect job. This new position allows Mr. Barber to work with students and find a way to make them successful in the world.

“Watching kids succeed and graduate and hearing their stories when they get older [is the best part of teaching],” Mr. Barber said. “So my thing for education is that if I can reach one student, just one, then I have done my job.”

This school year marks the beginning of Mr. Barbers’ 12th year teaching. 

“I really like Legacy high school so far,” Mr. Barber said. “All the administrators are very great and supportive.” 

In the Success classroom, Mr. Barber assists students in transitioning into regular classrooms and into the world. 

“The success classroom is something I feel like I would thrive in,” Mr. Barber said. “My whole goal is success for everybody.”

Throughout his career, Mr. Barber worked with several teachers who taught him how to be the most helpful to students. This includes learning how to be patient, considerate and how to create connections that can impact students.

“This generation is difficult, I think social media and covid have made it very hard for teachers,” Mr. Barber said.

Though Mr. Barber faces many challenges, he feels grateful for the large support system that guides him through the new year.

“When I walked into the room I felt a good vibe during the interview and just knew that God put me in the right place,” Mr. Barber said. 

As English teacher Ms. Jordan Young competed passionately with the Texas Association of Future Educators, she participated in lesson planning and lecturing competitions. As a result, she found her passion for teaching which led her to Legacy.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” Ms. Young said. “A good teacher can have an ever-lasting impact on a student’s life, and I would love to be that one day.”

To Ms. Young, uplifting her students serves value. 

“[Telling students they passed] always makes me so happy,” Ms. Young said. “I was a bad tester growing up, so I always feel for students when they get stressed out about [the STAAR] test.”

In eighth grade, Ms. Young got placed in Ms. Anderson’s class, a teacher who influenced her to pursue education.

“[Ms. Anderson’s] actually the reason I wanted to become an English teacher. I just remember falling in love with English that year, and my eyes being opened to the world of reading,” Ms. Young said. “I remember her being so kind and warm hearted. I aspire to be that as an English teacher.”

Ms. Young established connections early on with the staff on campus. Her English department creates a warm environment. 

“Everyone feels so close here,” Ms. Young said. “I like how much of a family it feels like, and you can tell that people really care about you not only academically but as a person. My entire English team/department has made me feel so welcomed and really a part of this campus.”

As English teacher Mr. Travis Wiese teaches abroad, cheers erupt from his students. While working abroad, Mr. Wiese taught children in South Korea before transitioning into high school.

“I would definitely say that Ms. Allender has been extremely wonderful, same with Ms. Chapparo. They’ve been very helpful for me,” Mr. Wiese said. “Not even just that, we’re team members, but they’ve just been very helpful in guiding me as a new teacher because we’ve all had a first year and this just happens to be mine.”

Mr. Wiese’s high school teacher, Mr. Olson, inspired him to teach English. 

“I actually had a wonderful teacher in high school myself who inspired me to pursue the career,” Mr. Wiese said. “[I chose English] mainly because of my own passion for reading and writing as well as that same teacher that inspired me to teach.”

During high school, Mr. Wiese lived in Mansfield, giving him a home of familiarity, and further influenced his decision to apply for a position at Legacy.

“I would love to have worked [at Lake Ridge],” Mr. Wiese said. “But Mansfield as a town was my main goal given the use of technology, the location and really just the fact that the schools themselves do seem to do quite well.”

Mr. Wiese hopes to connect with his students throughout the year.

“I wanna try and connect with as many of the students as I can to give them the best experience possible, especially my seniors since they’re pretty close to being out the door,” Mr. Wiese said. “I want them to finish on a strong note and hopefully be a part of that.”

While Ms. Irma Gamez teaches her students, joyful words flow throughout the classroom. 

“I wanted to do something that was meaningful,” Ms. Gamez said. “I love to see students get excited about learning, especially when they start to understand a new language.”

Ms. Gamez teaches English I SOL, English II SOL and ESL. Her personal experience of learning a new language benefits her teaching now. 

“I was an English learner myself,” Ms. Gamez said. “Learning a new language and a new culture can be very intimidating. Teaching ESL allows me to help students overcome some of these challenges.”

Math teacher Ms. Tessa Mullins offered to tutor Ms. Gamez’s ESL students in math.  

“Everyone at Legacy is great,” Ms. Gamez said. “For example, my classroom neighbor, Ms. Mullins. Her dedication and genuine desire to see others succeed demonstrates that we all play an important role in ensuring students are successful.”

As Ms. Gamez shifted from teaching middle school students to high school students, she noticed a change in responsibilities. Students become eligible for job opportunities and have the ability to drive while in high school. 

“I’ve lived in Mansfield most of my life and working with high school students is very rewarding,” Ms. Gamez said. “I am proud to be a Bronco.”

As English teacher Ms. Jessica Young interacts with her coworkers, she joyously shares memories of their background, creating deeper connections. 

“I remember my previous principal told me that I was an ineffective and unengaging teacher and that I was not good enough to teach honors. And then over the summer, one of my kids messaged me and said she got a 100 on the star,” Ms. Young said. “I was like, this is one of those moments where her words mean nothing. So that was a fun moment to pat myself on the back knowing that I was good enough to teach them.”

Ms. Young plans to encourage students to participate in class by allowing them to answer questions during group discussions. 

“My goal as a teacher is to help [students] just have the confidence to take that risk,” Ms. Young said. “A good risk, not a bad risk, but to take that risk of answering a question or even if they don’t think it’s right, going with their gut answer and just being confident in what they want.” 

Before Ms. Young accepted the position, she applied two years before while going through a pregnancy, making the transition difficult. 

“This is my first year [teaching] high school. It kind of just fell into my hands,” Ms. Young said. “Two years ago, I actually applied for the exact same position. Now over the summer, they were like, hey, this position is open. I said, yes. Absolutely.”

Ms. Young’s experience with the English department allows her to learn more effective strategies used in the classroom. Along with that, she established relationships focused on uplifting others.

“The whole English team is fantastic. We’re all really welcoming of each other. We all come from very different backgrounds and I think that really helps us teach effectively because we can bounce ideas off of people,” Ms. Young said. “And just people being willing to help, I think that’s a big thing and realizing that we’re not perfect and that we’re gonna mess up but that they’re willing to help you in that mess up.”

Physics and astronomy teacher Mr. Connor French passionately instructs his students by connecting with them and giving them opportunities for questioning during lectures. 

“All of the staff that I have interacted with at Legacy have been very open, welcoming, and encouraging and have assured me that I can reach out any time I need help,” Mr. French said. “It definitely makes the transition to a new school much easier when you feel like you have some support.” 

While in college, Mr. French earned a degree in physics for his main subject. He took interest in astronomy during school and considered specializing further in astrophysics. 

“My degree is in physics so that felt like the obvious choice,” Mr. French said. “As for astronomy, I have always been very interested in astronomy.”

Mr. French finds joy in educating his students while seeing the results of their success. 

“The best part of being a teacher is seeing the payoff students get after struggling to figure something out,” Mr. French said. “A good moment from teaching is having students who didn’t seem to care during the year thank me at the end and tell me specific things that they learned throughout the year.”

Springing into her very first year of teaching at Legacy, Ms. Marcela Estrada makes her debut as an on-level chemistry teacher. Ms. Estrada went through many months of student teaching in order to officially become a teacher.

“Legacy is the first official school I have taught at,” Ms. Estrada said. “However, the biggest difference between Legacy and the school I student taught at is the overall atmosphere. You can really feel the love here.”

Ms. Estrada provides support to all students taking her classes, including fellow staff members in the science department.

“The best part of being a teacher is getting to interact and foster positive relationships with my students,” Ms. Estrada said.

Throughout her student teaching sessions, Ms. Estrada enjoyed having laughs and memorable experiences with her students.

“I love science and doing experiments in general, so I am so happy that I get to teach chemistry,” Ms. Estrada said.

Although this marks Ms. Estrada’s first year, the difficulties of teaching looms over her.

“The most difficult part of teaching is having to keep up with all the behind-the-scenes paperwork,” Ms. Estrada said.

As a new staff member, Ms. Estrada works with the Legacy staff members and finds new ways to collaborate everyday.

“Legacy is an amazing school, and I have heard a lot of great things about its atmosphere, teachers and staff,” Ms. Estrada said. “Everybody that I have met here at Legacy has been super welcoming to me. They all inspire me to be kind and help others every day.”

While Ms. Estrada finds inspiration in the Legacy staff, she also finds it in her 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Chavarria.

“Mrs. Chavarria, who was my 7th grade English teacher, deeply impacted me as a student,” Ms. Estrada said. “I remember enjoying her class while, at the same time, being challenged to become better at the subject.”

Beginning on a clean slate at Legacy this year, Ms. Amani McKellar goes on to her third year of teaching. Ms. McKellar teaches Algebra 1, and she offers all kinds of support to her students, academically and emotionally.

“I felt like it was the calling for my life, and I had a heart and a passion for helping high school kids,” Ms. McKellar said. “I feel like teenagers are severely misunderstood, and they need someone to guide them in how to approach life and conflicts.”

While Ms. McKellar plans to provide aid to her students, her own teachers from her high school did it first.

“There were many teachers in high school that impacted me, so I feel like they made some type of impact on me to end up becoming a teacher for sure,” Ms. McKellar said.

Going into this school year, Ms. McKellar recognizes that difficulties lay ahead, but she is planning to persevere and find other ways to help.

“One of the biggest challenges to overcome is probably not being appreciated,” Ms. McKellar said. “I just try to do my best to love and encourage all of my students.”

Although teaching may come with adversities, many more inspirational moments outweigh the difficulties.

“One of my most memorable moments was when one of my students invited me to go see her get baptized,” Ms. McKellar said. “The best part about being a teacher is getting to know different students. You meet people from many different cultures and backgrounds, and it’s just nice being able to make a difference.”

Ms. McKellar feels content with Legacy when it comes to contributing to being a team, which brings importance to her and her purpose.

“The biggest difference between working at Legacy versus my previous school is definitely a foundation of community here that I’ve never experienced,” Ms. McKellar said. “All of my Algebra 1 staff have impacted me because they’ve been very helpful and made me feel included.”

After two years of previous teaching, Ms. McKellar finds her passion at Legacy, and she plans to pursue it and leave a positive influence on her students.

“I’m at Legacy because it feels like home,” Ms. McKellar said.

As Mr. Peyton Lee approaches the band hall, he swells with pride. After leaving his career of chiropractics, he returns to his true passion, music.

“I actually went to TCU and started as a bio major with the idea that I was going to be a chiropractor,” Mr. Lee said. “I just didn’t like doing it every day, so I took the leap to become a band teacher because I have always loved playing my instrument in school and loved working with people.”

This school year marks Mr. Lee’s 8th year of teaching professionally, and he teaches marching, varsity, concert and jazz bands as the new band director.

“The best part of teaching is the relationships you build with your students,” Mr. Lee said. “Watching them grow up and become great adults and being able to kind of continue those friendships with students after they graduate is really, really exciting.”

Throughout the year, Mr. Lee faces many challenges as the responsibilities of being the band director meet him.

“The most difficult part of teaching is all of the action the students never see,” Mr. Lee said. “All of the planning that goes into making all these big events happen is challenging, even down to making the buses show up. Organization is the biggest challenge.”

After being Timberview’s assistant director for seven years, Mr. Lee followed his calling to Legacy and pursues his dream of being the head band director.

“It was a really rare opportunity, and I felt like it was the right time to at least put my hat in that ring,” Mr. Lee said. “I guess the idea was ultimately, I would move up, somewhere. It felt right, and it’s been great here.”

Mr. Lee takes his past experience from his previous school and uses it to support his students and their interests.

“I would say the biggest difference for me is my role. Being a head band director now is different and has a different role to play than what I used to do as the assistant,” Mr. Lee said. “I love teaching these students just as much as I loved teaching my former students. Seeing them succeed is so cool.”

Mr. Lee and other Legacy staff members support each other throughout the busy school year, while teachers from the past have also impacted Mr. Lee.

“I’m very appreciative to Dr. Bonneau for taking a chance on me as a young teacher and I just feel like everybody here has put a lot of faith in me,” Mr. Lee said. “My high school anatomy and biology teacher, Ms. Frost was supportive and helped me especially grow as a young adult.”

Mr. Lee seeks all kinds of opportunities for his students and himself when it comes to growing as a person.

“I don’t think opportunity itself will ever feel like the right time because I never imagined leaving my old school,” Mr. Lee said. “But when it presents itself, you have to take it.”