The halls of Crow Leadership Academy rang with laughter and joy as Megan Wichman, great-granddaughter of the school’s namesake Corinne Crow, reveled in her family’s longtime legacy in Arlington ISD. While Wichman and her husband were in Arlington for Labor Day weekend, they decided to pay a visit to the school her family so greatly cherishes.
Students and teachers showed their appreciation for the Wichman and Crow families by reciting original chants, presenting them with banners and letters and expressing the significance of Crow in their lives.
“The name Crow simply means family to me,” said Wichman. “We aren’t a huge family, but we always stick together no matter what.”
Wichman was only about 10 years old when her father, who was also an educator, taught her about the elementary school named after his grandmother. She didn’t fully understand the significance of the school and its impact then, but now she is filled with an abundance of pride and gratitude for the trail her great-grandmother blazed at such a young age.
Crow went from having no formal early childhood education to teaching elementary students in Arlington for nearly three decades. She didn’t attend school until the age of 15 and went on to graduate from high school and attend junior college. Her heart for children and emphasis on developing their character fueled her passion to teach for 26 years, which included 23 in the Arlington ISD.
Today, the academy is the only school in the district that has a leadership and community focus for elementary students.
“Our family takes pride in being leaders in our family and community,” said Wichman. “It was neat to hear the school has shifted to focus more on developing students’ leadership skills and teaching them the significance of community.”
Crow’s legacy in Arlington lives on through the academy and the generations that came after her, and Wichman plans to continue it through her servant lifestyle.
“Be who you are authentically, and always be there for others who need you,” said Wichman. “You can’t be afraid to get down and do what you’ve asked of others, and I will continue to be a servant leader to those around me by being a part of what they’re doing.”