Thursday, May 2, 2024
During a recent Gatesville Independent School District board meeting, several community members were recognized for their contributions to have posters framed and presented to each of the five campuses, including the Gatesville Boys and Girls Club. Back row, left to right, Dr. Barrett Pollard, Alan Mathis, Bill Trotter. From row, left to right, Jimmie Ferguson, Emma Morrell, Lauren Morrell, Georg Cleverley.
The framed “In God We Trust” poster delivered to the GISD campuses.
A delivery of posters was recently made to Gatesville Elementary School. Shown with the posters are, front row students, left to right, Mackenzie Campbell, Joli Kelley, Dallas Gaulden, and Bryden Schaaf. Back row, left to right, Bill Trotter, pastor of The House That God Built, Lauren Morrell, of the Gatesville Exchange Club, Dr. Lynn Parks, pastor of Eastwood Baptist Church, Gatesville Elementary second grade teacher Morgan Keeton, and Gatesville Elementary instructional coach Jennifer Doss.
During a recent meeting of the board of directors of the Gatesville Independent School District, the community spotlight was given to a group of individuals who are supplying the five campuses with framed posters with the national motto on it – “In God We Trust.”
Lauren Morrell helped to spearhead the initiative to get five of the posters to each of the GISD campuses. Morrell, joined by GISD school board member, Jimmie Ferguson, raised funds so that they could provide framed posters to individual classrooms.
After surveying the staff, GISD Superintendent Dr. Barrett Pollard reported that 140 to 150 faculty and staff members indicated they would like to have a poster in their classroom.
“The posters started with Texas passing a bill, SB797, in Sept. of 2021, which stated that if anyone donates a poster of the national motto to a school, that the school is mandated to place it in conspicuous place,” Morrell said.
Morrell continued, “We wrote a proclamation to the school that twenty faith leaders around the city signed and presented with the first set of posters.”
In part, the proclamation to the school reads, “As you display this token given from the community in each of the schools, we pray that it would be a reminder that in Him we put our trust, and that in turn He will send divine protection over our most precious posterity. May the angelic host watch over and protect the students of Gatesville as they are placed in the capable hands of the teachers and faculty, and that it would be an environment rich with learning.”
After learning that individual staff and teachers expressed interest in having the poster in their classrooms as well, business picked up, and more individuals joined the effort by donating funds for the posters and frames.
According to Morrell, the Gatesville Exchange Club agreed to be the central point for purchase and donation collection to get the frames for the posters.
“A really important part of this is that so many faith leaders came together in support of this project,” Morrell said.
At the September GISD board meeting, it was announced that the following donors were responsible for the purchase and the framing of the posters: Jimmie Ferguson, the Gatesville Exchange Club, the Gatesville Lions Club, Eastwood Baptist Church, Diana and David Fincher, Fincher’s Body Shop, Davidson Auto Parts, Alan Mathis, Highway to Heavin Biker Church, the House that God Built, First Baptist Church, along with many other interested donors.
