Editor’s note: This article was originally published in November.
It was just 20 months ago that Brian Aiken accepted a new position in northern Polk County. In that short time, he has led Corrigan-Camden ISD in building for the future, improving academics, and sadly, through tragedy.
In an interview last year, he said the job of superintendent was accepted because it fit with his family’s lifestyle and values. Those values were on display a little more than a month ago, when Bulldog student-athlete Daniel Rivera was lost to a brain aneurism.
“When you have a tragedy that affects your community, especially a young person, we visit with our teachers before school, brought in some counselors from the Burke Center and talked to them about grief,” Aiken said. “It's not just the students that have a hard time with it, you have teachers that were actively teaching the young man that passed away, and then also those that were previous teachers that had him or maybe even family members within the district.”
The district let students and staff know that counselors were available, and that no one should suffer in silence.
“There was a period of about a week and a half where there was time to process,” Aiken said. “For many of these students, it may be the first time they are dealing with death with someone they know.
“It doesn't make it easier, but I think that the time frame has a big impact on the students and staff. The good thing is, I think there was a strong support group just in the community that was able to coalesce around the family, around friends, and around the students there. I think that was a great strength.”
In a small district, most knew Rivera, who was a popular student and part of the varsity football team.
“If they didn't know him, then they probably knew one of his family members,” Aiken said. “Kids are resilient. Adults, we deal with it. Just given our age, we're a little better equipped, typically, to be able to process. With the students, because it may be the first time they've experienced something like this with someone they know, that is the ones that we really have to keep an eye on.
“It is great to see – even when Danny was in the hospital and there was a lot of uncertainty, things weren't really looking good – you watch the kids in the hallway and in class and there was sadness, but at the same time, you see them putting their arm around each other and being able to cheer each other up. To me, that was amazing to see from our young people.”
A bond passed in November of 2022 of over $21 million has provided sweeping changes for the high school, junior high, elementary, athletic facilities and administration building. Hired in March of 2024, Aiken wasn’t around when the vote took place, but has helped oversee numerous transformations.
“We are just about done with the projects that were in the initial bond. We're expecting to be wrapping up construction and renovations by December. Our goal was February, so we're looking at about two months early. We have a few classrooms at the elementary that we are still in the process of renovating, and the kids and staff have done really good with making adjustments and working around the renovations.
“Early on, we did significant renovations at the junior high. We actually had to split that campus last year. Half the kids went to the elementary and half the kids went to the high school. We were able to start (this) school year with the kids in place on their own campus, as we finished up the renovations at the junior high.”
At the high school and elementary, additional classrooms allowed for those students to remain on their campus.
“Once this is done, we will have renovated just about every classroom across the district. That includes new ceiling tiles, hanging the ceiling grids, paint on the walls, new flooring, and really giving the classrooms a new facelift and bringing them up to date. Our impact on students is just about to come to a close here. We don't have the luxury of only working on classrooms during the summertime. It has been a multi-year project, about two years now.”
Aiken said the majority of renovations have been to modernize. Dingy tile, paint peeling from walls, and old carpets were discarded for the revamp.
“We believe and the board believes that if the kids and staff are able to come to facilities that are clean and more up to date, they are going to take pride in the school district.”
The four-day school weeks also helped construction crews minimize disruptions in classrooms. Though more common now, CCISD was one of the first in the area to implement shorter weeks.
“Ideally, each school district and board should be able to make decisions they feel is in the best interest of their communities. I firmly believe that in Corrigan, it is a net positive for us all the way around. Corrigan was one of the early adopters of the four-day week. At that time, we were having a more difficult time staffing our classrooms with certified teachers. Once COVID hit, it really exacerbated that problem, not just here, but across the state.
“Purely from a staffing standpoint, we've been able to recruit and retain teachers with more experience and just quality teachers. From the student side, I'm a parent of two high school-aged boys, and we really enjoy the four-day week. They are involved in different organizations and clubs, so it gives them time to get caught up on dual credit, homework projects, or maybe just have a day to be a kid and a little more balance in life.”
The superintendent said it was also easier for staff who drive extended periods to reach Corrigan, or coaches who are out both Thursday and Friday night. Varsity sports have the opportunity to study film on Fridays or leave early for a game without missing class.
“Our parents seem to really like it, and I have not personally heard any complaints. There were initial concerns and the fear of the unknown, but everybody adjusted pretty rapidly.
“Maybe we can't pay as much, but the trade-off of having a four-day week is worth it to them to be closer to home. There are also the benefits to being in a small school, where it is community oriented. It really just depends on the person.”
Academics have improved from previous years. Aiken said with four-day weeks, there were concerns that grades would suffer.
“That has not been the case for Corrigan-Camden. That goes back to our students and staff. All of our campuses are ‘B’ rated this year, so we are proud of that. Our goal is to be an ‘A’ district, and I am fully confident that we have the right people in place to get there. We have made significant curriculum changes and adjustments, really taking a strategic view of how we are educating kids from Pre-K all the way up to our dual credit classes in college.
“For our high school kids, we are super excited to have partnered with Lamar University in our CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes. All of our CTE teachers are now adjunct professors through Lamar, but they stay on campus and in the same classroom. They still have the same schedule, but now they can get those kids dual credit in the same class.”
The hope is that once students experience success in college courses, chances of completing a degree after high school increase.
“It would be great to have even higher participation; it has steadily grown. For example, this year we have actually had two school buses of kids that we are sending up to Angelina College, whereas the last few years, we've been able to get away with one bus. That is a good problem to have.
“I think it is really about getting creative to get kids college credit and certifications. The old days of having one higher (education) partner and them meeting all of your needs is just not practical. Angelina College plays a very valuable role providing core college classes, but with our Lamar partnership, that takes what we already have and really converts it over to something that is even more valuable to our kids without really making any major changes to our operational procedures.”
There is also a strong partnership with RoyOMartin, teaching their curriculum. The company hires students upon graduation every year, leading to immediate careers.
That opportunity is returned to prospective educators graduating from Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State to perform their internships at Corrigan-Camden. Current CCISD teachers are paid to mentor the interns. Pasadena ISD invited Corrigan-Camden to present a program about how the successful residency program is run.
“The data shows that they are far more likely to make a career out of being a teacher and have a lot more success in their beginning years of being a teacher. We've actually hired them after they've completed a residency, and it's been great, because they know us and we know them, and they know our culture, values, and what the Bulldog way is. It has been very successful for us.”
