Students, Staff Remembering Victims of Bus Crash in Mexico

Students and staff are remembering a Marshall Middle School teacher and a program coordinator with the Region V Education Service Center who were killed in a van crash in Mexico that injured several other educators.

BISD Superintendent Dr. Carrol Thomas says Denise Wenzel, a history teacher at Marshall, and Dr. Dorothy Gray, of the Region V Education Service Center, died in the accident Thursday.

Students at Marshall are honoring Wenzel by making posters and placing flowers in front of the school.

Dr. Gray was the wife of Gary Gray, supervisor of the bilingual English as a Second Language program in BISD.

Gary Gray received injuries described as non-life-threatening. He's among several people from the Beaumont area being transferred to a hospital in Mexico City. The Gray's two children, Chris and Paul, were also on the trip and received injuries that reportedly aren't life threatening.

Another BISD educator, Linda Cook, was seriously injured but is expected to recover.  Cook's son, Baylor, told us she was being flown to Houston on a medical jet.   

Three other BISD educators are on the trip and weren't hurt.

Two educators from LC-M were also injured.  Missy Jones, State and Federal Programs Coordinator for LC-M, received extensive injuries to her head and legs and is in critical condition.  Terri Estes, Assistant Principal and Vocational Center Director at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, is in stable condition and is undergoing additional testing to determine the extent of her injuries.

Superintendent Pauline Hargrove has been working with Senator Cornyn, Representative Hamilton, Congressman Brady, and Dr. Hyden of Region V ESC, to arrange transport of the women back to Houston for medical treatment. These men, along with the U.S. Secretary of State, American Embassy, Region V and Texas Education Agency are doing everything in their power to assure the best care possible for Ms. Jones and Ms. Estes.

One educator from Jasper, Larry Marken, wasn't hurt.  He's a chemistry teacher at Jasper High School.

Jim Baxter says the Region V ESC Silsbee office received a phone call from the American Embassy in Mexico at about 4 p.m Thursday, stating there had been an accident during an excursion through a mountainous region in Hidalgo state and the driver of a van carrying eight people lost control and went off a cliff.  A second van carrying other members of the group wasn't involved in the accident. 

The trip was scheduled from May 15 through May 25. Baxter says Dorothy and Gary Gray organized the trips to Mexico for the last five years, and each year, they include teachers, school counselors and administrators. The objective of the program, called the Title 3 Mexico Teacher Immersion Program, is to take educators to Mexico to develop a deeper understanding of the culture of the largest immigrant student population in American schools.

Baxter says Dorothy Gray served as an educator for about 25 years and was employed by Region 5 for about the last 15 years. She was the Region V ESC program coordinator for the ESL/Bilingual/Migrant Support Program, the Master Reading Teacher Program and the TEA Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative.

Dorothy Gray received a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Lamar University on May 10.

"She had such a passion for helping children in ESL and in all of the programs that she served," said Brenda McDaniel, Dorothy Gray's supervisor at the Region V ESC. "She worked individually with teachers and administrators and will be terribly missed."

BISD staff and students say Denise Wenzel was a wonderful and outstanding teacher. She'd taught at Vincent Middle School for a number of years before moving to Marshall this year.

"This is a very sad time for the BISD family," said Superintendent Dr. Carrol Thomas. "The employees were on a volunteer mission, extending their skills to impoverished children of a small, rural community. I ask that you pray for the team of BISD employees and their colleagues in this dire time."

Stay with KFDM and kfdm.com for the latest on the story.

COMMENTS FROM KFDM BULLETIN BOARD

dwright wrote: Dorothy was a good friend of mine...my heart aches for Gary, Chris and Paul...and for all of the family. We pray for you all and ask that God will comfort you as only He can. Dorothy was always a lovely lady, a loving wife and a loving mommy. She was so proud of her boys,Paul and Chris. One thing I will always remember Dorothy saying is so true of her view of life and her attitude toward others...."There is plenty...(of life success, happiness), for everyone! There's no need for us to be stingy with anything." Dorothy certainly had a heart for education and reaching those less fortunate.

YifanLu wrote: I was so shocked when I saw this. I known Chris for a long time, and you never think something as terrible as this would happen to someone you know. May God be with them.

cenafreak123 wrote: my heart goes out to ms. wenzel's family as well as the grays. although i am no longer in ms. wenzel's 2nd period class, i think about her often and will miss her deeply, as well as the gray boy. i love them and pary for the best.

momofatoddler wrote: What a terrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and with the entire faculty and students of BISD who have been impacted by this terrible loss. God bless everyone.

CAmmieMcDaniel wrote: Mrs.Wenzel was the greatest teacher ever. Gary Gray you and your son have my biggest mourning, your son is my best friend and he is so close to me, when i heard about this tragedy I instantly thought of him and borke down in tears worrying about his being, im sorry for your loss and know that my heart is here for yall. To the family of D. Wenzel, she was my favorite teacher in 7th grade, when i first heard about this i thought it was a rumor then more and more text came in about her and i realized it was true, i too am sorry for your loss.

anupama21 wrote: I am a mother of a student who had Ms. Wenzel this year and everyone realizes that she is irreplacable as a teacher and as a mother. My daughter was very attached to her and we hope her soul rests in peace. My condolences go out to her family.

sly007 wrote: mamaof5, thank you so much. You don't know how much you have helped us, knowing about the boys. We are just so upset. I can't stop praying over and over.

mamaof5 wrote: My husband works for Marshall and has been told that the boys are fine. Denise was a wonderful teacher and will be missed more than words can say. My son (her student) husband - our entire family is devastated. The Gray family is in our prayers as well. My heart hurts tremendously!

melondaisy wrote: Dr. Dorothy Gray was a beautiful individual who had a deep passion for educating all that were around her, including herself. She graduated from Lamar University on 5-10-08 with a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. Dr. Gray worked very hard to complete this degree...and...she did it! I will miss her caring smile and tender heart...Love Always

2009baby wrote: Ms. Wenzel was amazing!!!!! I loved her so much. I feel so sorry for her family and especially for her daughter. She will always be in my heart!!!

itsalexis wrote: Mrs.Wenzel was my favorite teacher in 7th grade.
A couple days before she left for Mexico I was talking to her about how she was the best, and about how she was my password for my email adress.
:/
R.I.P mrs.Wenzel, We love you. Always in our hearts. <3

hasadog wrote: All I have to say is that Mrs. Wenzel was one of the best teachers I have ever had.I am sad this happened:[[

NEWS RELEASE FROM REGION V EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER

Region V Mourns loss of fellow educator

The staff of Region 5 Education Service Center is mourning the loss of friend and coworker, Dr. Dorothy Gray. Dorothy was killed in an accident that also took the life of a Beaumont middle school teacher in Mexico on Thursday, May 22, 2008.

The accident took place in the town of Pachuca in the rural state of Hidalgo, located about two hours from Mexico City, when the van they were riding in with six others from the Beaumont area lost control and went over a cliff.  Mexican officials reported that the van also carried Dorothy's husband, Gary, and their two sons, Chris and Paul, as well as four other educators from the Region 5 area.  Another vehicle carrying four other Region 5 teachers and administrators following closely behind on the excursion were not involved in the tragic accident.

The trip, scheduled from May 15 through May 25 is part of an annual collaborative effort organized by Region 5 with the participation of educators from local districts. The objective of the program, called the Title 3 Mexico Teacher Emersion Program, is to take educators to Mexico to develop a deeper understanding of the culture of the largest immigrant student population in our schools.  The goal is to teach English to primary and middle school students.  The program, in its seventh year at Region 5 under Dr. Gray's guidance, has been reported to fill tiny classrooms in the rural Mexican villages with students, parents, teachers and administrators who come to absorb as much English as possible in the short time that the Southeast Texas visitors are there.

The 2008 trip included five teachers/administrators sponsored by Beaumont ISD.  Region 5 ESC sponsored two from Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD and one from Jasper ISD.  One of the other injuries was reported to be serious.  The other five injuries on the stricken van were reported to be non-life threatening.

Dorothy began teaching 1-2 Graders in Anchorage, Alaska in 1979.  From there she taught in a number of Texas cities, including: Buda, New Braunfels, Manor and Austin.  From there she went on to become trained as the Reading Recovery Teacher-Leader in training at Fresno Unified School District in Fresno, California. She returned to Texas in 1995 working as the Reading Recovery specialist for Abilene ISD and adjunct faculty at Abilene Christian University. 

Dr. Gray joined Beaumont ISD in 1996 where she taught at Sallie Curtis Elementary.  She joined the Region 5 ESC staff on August 18, 1997 and worked tirelessly to make the Reading Recovery Program in the Region 5 area a huge success.  In the 11 years that she worked for Region 5, she also became the program coordinator for the following:  

The TEA Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative - offering professional development to general education teachers and administrators. 

Master Reading Teacher Program - the MRT Training Program is offered jointly between Region 5 ESC and Lamar University Beaumont for K-12 students

ESL/Bilingual/Migrant Support Program - Districts with ESL/Bilingual programs receive technical assistance, resources and materials, as well as staff development.

Dorothy received her Master of Education degree in reading at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, her Mid-Management Certification at Texas State University in San Marcos, and her Reading Recovery Teacher-Leader/Trainer National Certification from California State University in Fresno.  On May 10, 2008, she received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lamar University in Beaumont.

Her supervisor at Region 5, Deputy Executive Director, Brenda McDaniel, said that Dorothy was one of the hardest working people she has ever seen. "She had such a passion for helping children through the many programs that she served and she was wonderful at providing a personal, one-on-one assistance to our local teachers and administrators."

Region 5 ESC administrators are currently doing everything possible to find a way to get the Southeast Texas friends and family members back home.

NEWS RELEASE FROM LC-M SCHOOL DISTRICT

Terri Estes, Assistant Principal and Vocational Center Director at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, and Missy Jones, State and Federal Programs Coordinator were both injured in the wreck in Hidalgo, Mexico that took the lives of two Beaumont educators. Ms. Estes is in stable condition and is undergoing additional testing to determine the extent of her injuries.

Ms. Jones received extensive injuries to her head and legs and is in critical condition. Superintendent Pauline Hargrove has been working with Senator Cornyn, Representative Hamilton, Congressman Brady, and Dr. Hyden of Region V ESC, to arrange transport of the women back to Houston for medical treatment. These men, along with the U.S. Secretary of State, American Embassy, Region V and Texas Education Agency are doing everything in their power to assure the best care possible for Ms. Jones and Ms. Estes.

The Little Cypress-Mauriceville family thanks the Southeast community for their prayers and expressions of concern for these staff members and their families and friends.