Wood Group Mustang and Morton Ranch Junior Develop Multi-Faceted Partnership
Katy, TX (February 16, 2016) Katy ISD’s Morton Ranch Junior High is celebrating its second year of a unique partnership with Wood Group Mustang via the company’s Founders Legacy program. Launched in 2007 in honor of the company’s 20th anniversary, Founders’ Legacy honors Mustang founders -Paul Redmon, Bill Higgs and Felix Covington – and fulfills a company core value of giving back to its community. The program encourages Wood Group Mustang employees to become personally involved in campus activities throughout the school year. “The Founders Legacy program focuses on middle school youth because of their impressionable age and the critical crossroads they face in terms of future education and career choices,” said David Jackson, community support program manager at Wood Group Mustang.
The Wood Group Mustang initiative features a multi-faceted approach, helping teachers and students at their partner school through financial support and face-to-face volunteer efforts. The Morton Ranch Junior High partnership began with a generous contribution of funds (that helped the school purchase iPads) then quickly turned into a generous contribution of time, talents, and resources. Of the 18 Wood Group Mustang KEYS mentors who work with students in Katy ISD, nine of them mentor at Morton Ranch Junior High. The “Journal Pals” initiative helps students improve STARR reading scores by writing in a journal then sending it to their Mustang journal pal. Mustang also sponsored an innovative contest giving students the opportunity to create their own interpretation of Wood Group Mustang’s core values, each of which has an icon graphic. A student favorite activity is when the 40-foot trailer “Trailblazer” made a trip to campus. A one-of-a-kind museum on wheels, this scientific behemoth is used by young Mustang engineers to teach kids about weather, energy, aerodynamics and biotechnology. It’s a hands-on experience that allows students to learn much and dream big.
The Morton/Mustang partnership has transcended to a true friendship, giving everyone involved an opportunity to help kids be better students and citizens. Principal McCord described the relationship by saying “The Wood Group Mustang employees have become a part of our MRJH family. Their values, commitment, and heart for students are a perfect match for our campus.”
About Katy ISD Partners in Education – Katy ISD Partners in Education creates school-support opportunities for parents, businesses and the community by offering a wide variety of options amenable to every schedule, talent and expertise. We bring volunteers into Katy ISD classrooms at each campus and all grade levels. To learn more, visit Partners in Education under the “Community” tab at www.katyisd.org.
Courtesy of the District
