Student of the Week: McGill maintaining father-son relationship while navigating high school
Coppell High School sophomore J McGill recites lines with his theater class during a run-through of a play during third period on Wednesday. McGill sustains a father-son relationship at school as his father, CHS in-class support social studies teacher Brandon McGill, has worked in Coppell ISD for 25 years.
December 15, 2022
For as long as he can remember, Coppell High School sophomore J McGill has seen his father, Brandon McGill, working at Coppell ISD as an assistant principal at Coppell Middle School East and at CHS as an in-class support social studies teacher. This is his 25th year in the district.
Though McGill has experienced some bumps in the road due to negative comments from his peers, the pros outweigh the cons and he has worked to make the best of his situation. As one of McGills favorite artists, Nicki Minaj, once said, “I truly believe my haters are my motivators.”
What is your favorite memory of you and your dad together?
One of my favorite memories of me and my dad was when we were riding a ride in Six Flags, I was in elementary school, and we put our hands up and he started screaming, and it was just very funny.
Do you think that you are closer to your dad because he works at the same school you go to?
I have a lot of practices and extracurricular activities after school so I definitely get to see him more. So I would say kind of.
What do you enjoy having your dad as a staff member at CHS?
I do enjoy having my dad as a teacher here. It just makes things a lot easier. He can sometimes bring me food If I want and it’s really helpful.
Has having your dad as an administrator and staff member at school affected how people treated you?
There’s positives and negatives to that. In middle school when he was the assistant principal people would talk about how, “the only reason why you made ‘A Team’ is because your dad is the assistant principal.” Some positives are that people are talking to him and getting to know him. They know him through me, I know them through him, I get to meet a lot of people.
What are your goals for school and extracurriculars?
My goal this year is to have a lot of playing time for whatever [soccer] team I’m [going to be] on. For school, I just want to maintain good grades, preferably A’s.
What’s your favorite song right now?
My favorite song right now is “Super Freaky Girl” by Nicki Minaj because it’s just very catchy and a very fun song to sing.
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