After 23 years of hard work and dedication to Argyle ISD, Dr. Telena Wright has passed on the role of superintendent to Dr. Courtney Carpenter. Dr. Wright retired from her position on June 30, 2023 after 15 years of overseeing major developments and accomplishments within the district. She will forever be remembered for her outstanding contributions to the district with the Argyle ISD administration building being dedicated to her.
“I think some advice or inspiration I’d take from Dr. Wright would be that she always made time for people, and held onto those relationships while building the rapidly growing district,” Dr. Carpenter said.
Dr. Carpenter has a long resume with her experience in district administration. She has served as Deputy Superintendent in Southlake-Carroll ISD before beginning her new role here in Argyle ISD on July 13, 2023. As soon as Dr. Carpenter took over in her new position, she immediately got down to work by introducing herself to Argyle ISD staff.
“The first time I did meet [Dr. Carpenter], it was at the Eagle’s Welcome Back event,” senior and drum major, Jonah Bird said. “And she was really nice, so I think I liked her from the very beginning.”
The District Convocation was held in August of 2023, there she gave a personalized introduction, discussing who she is, and her background. Following that, she acknowledged that the district is changing, but set goals to preserve the soul of Argyle ISD.
“I think a short-term goal is to really capture the spirit of what the culture in Argyle is, and what we want to preserve as a district as we grow,” Dr. Carpenter said.
As Argyle ISD continued to grow over the last year Dr. Carpenter and Argyle ISD Board of Trustees worked together to form a second bond package. However, this bond differed from the rest, as it included the formation of The Bond and Growth Committee. This committee was made up of 50 members, all of which were either community members or students from Argyle High School.
“I believe that we have opened up some lines of communication with our community and with our staff, which has been very beneficial for us as we transition under new leadership,” Dr. Carpenter said. ”We had Kate Bell, Jonah Bird, Caleb Leonard, and so many students participate that did an incredible job.”
Throughout the year, the committee held multiple meetings, giving an opportunity for the members to voice their opinions and views of how the district should grow. Furthermore, this was accompanied with student opinions, as they were able to express their experience within the school system, and provide advice that would benefit the student body as a whole.
“I think that it’s incredibly important that we get students to help guide those decisions because parents aren’t here, and the school board is definitely not here every single day,” Bird said. “They don’t know what the problems are, they don’t know what’s not going great.”
Due to the success that the committee had among the district and within the community, Dr. Carpenter has noted that she is looking into forming a Superintendent Student Advisory Council. This would guarantee students’ needs are heard, and give the district yet another perspective to consider when faced with adversities.
”I think it’s also very important to have the skills to collaborate, to listen and to understand when you’re having discourse with others,” Dr. Carpenter said. “Those are some of the most important skills that I believe our students need, that we need to provide their educational experiences from pre-K up.”
As the school year comes to an end it will mark the first full year of service from Dr. Carpenter, with her already making such a huge impact on Argyle ISD, and its student body. Even though Dr. Carpenter may not have had the opportunity to meet all of the class of 2024, she couldn’t have been more honored to lead such an important celebration and achievement.
“This world needs compassionate, kind individuals. This world needs people who can come together in hard times, but also stand for what they believe in,” Dr. Carpenter said.” I would just encourage you to do that. Take your wisdom and discernment and go into this world and make a huge difference.”
