Namesakes chosen for Elementary School Nos. 51 and 52

[View Streaming Video ]

Sept. 14, 2009 — Cypress-Fairbanks ISD announced the namesakes for Elementary School Nos. 51 and 52 during its regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday, Sept. 14.

Elementary School No. 51 will be named after Dr. Debbie Emery, who retired from CFISD in 2008 after 30 years in public education.

Emery began her career teaching in Aldine ISD’s Inwood Elementary for two years, then came to CFISD in 1978. She served nine years at Lieder Elementary as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, librarian and assistant principal; then as principal at Bane and Metcalf elementary schools and Truitt Middle School. She served as assistant to the superintendent and as associate superintendent of school administration and human resources for six years.

Emery was active in professional organizations, serving as president of the University of Houston College of Education Alumni Board. She was also a member of Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and Delta Kappa Gamma.

Emery and her husband, Karl, have been married for 25 years. Their son, Scott, is a graduate of Cypress Falls High School.

Dr. Debbie Emery Elementary School is currently under construction at Plantation Myrtle Drive and Round Robin Drive. The school was designed by PBK Architects, Inc., and is scheduled to open in August 2010.

“It’s an incredible honor for an educator. They talk about leaving a legacy for what you do, and I think having a school named in your honor is at the top of what that legacy should be,” Emery said. “I’ve been in Cy-Fair for over 30 years and have worked with many namesakes who have truly been my mentors. To think about being included in that group is truly exciting.”

Elementary School No. 52 will be named after Betty Cody Rennell, who spent 28 of her 34 years in education working in CFISD prior to her retirement in December 2006.

Rennell began her career in Alachua County, Fla., teaching kindergarten at High Springs Elementary School. She came to CFISD as a substitute teacher in 1978 prior to serving at Millsap Elementary School for seven years as a teacher and assistant principal. She was then named principal at Moore Elementary School and served eight years before serving as principal at Bang Elementary School for two years. She then moved on to the district administrative level, working as assistant director for personnel management/employee relations and as assistant superintendent for human resources, a position she held at the time of her retirement.

Rennell was a member of the the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and the Texas Association of School Personnel Administration (TASPA).

Rennell and her husband, Larry, have been married for 43 years. They have two children, Bryant and Stephanie; both Cypress Creek High School graduates.

Betty Cody Rennell Elementary School is currently under construction in the Towne Lake development. The school was designed by Bay Architects and is scheduled to open in August 2010.

“I feel like I’m representing all the people that have supported and who I’ve worked with throughout the years,” Rennell said. We had a little under 20,000 students when I first joined the district and now it’s over 100,000. To be part of that growth while I was in the HR department was an awesome responsibility but was very exciting and invigorating.

“This tremendous honor gives me a permanent spot in the district, and that’s a really unusual thought to have because I never had processed anything like that before. To be included with all the people you’ve admired for so many years, even with the early names of the district—the Lamkins and the Arnolds, as well as others I’ve worked with and honored—to have the Board place me with that group is wonderful.”