Building Community Connections
(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) A connection made 985 miles northeast of Cedar Hill about a decade ago is positively impacting High Pointe Elementary School.
High Pointe Assistant Principal Dwight Perry and Identity Church D-FW Pastor Dante Burress met through mutual friends in their hometown of Chicago.
Burress moved to the Metroplex in 2014, and Perry followed a year later.
When Burress learned that Perry had accepted the Assistant Principal position at High Pointe, he immediately wanted to become involved with the school.
“Pastor Burress has had unique and consistent support for our High Pointe educators and scholars,” Perry said. “It’s a great partnership.”
Burress paid for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and provided books, cards and more for Parent Teacher Conferences. He also purchased a grill for the campus, so teachers and staff could prepare food.
Burress also donated a flower bed and has played a large role in the High Pointe’s efforts to build gardens on campus.
“I wanted to focus on a single campus in order to build community connections,” said Burress, who served in the United States Marines Corps and earned degrees in Urban Ministry and Christian Studies from Trinity International University in Chicago. “You take care of the teachers, and it will inevitably help the scholars.”
Due to the social distancing protocol of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Burress was limited with what he could do, in terms of volunteering, but he plans on continuing his efforts in 2021-2022.