Bean bag tosses, a life-sized checkers board and more filled the exterior of Rodeo Goat in Cypress Waters for Coppell ISD’s pop up party celebrating its 60th anniversary Thursday night.

The event brought together staff, parents, teachers and kids from all over the district, allowing them to socialize in a relaxed environment.

“I decided to come so I can enjoy an event with my coworkers, and my kids are in the district now, so to give them a little socialization opportunity after school,” CISD coordinator of safety/security Rachel Freeman said. “[The party] shows how tight of a community we are. There are bad things that are going on in the community, and it gives us the opportunity to show what we can do to build positive bridges.”

Denton Creek Elementary parent Hector Martinez recently moved his kids into CISD and appreciates the district for many reasons. Living only a three-minute drive from Rodeo Goat, he saw no reason not to come.

“The Spanish program there is way better than what we had in Miami,” Martinez said. “That’s far and away my favorite part. It’s tougher and tougher as these kids grow up to compete. They already speak Japanese and English at home, and if they can speak three, as long as they don’t have some criminal record they should always have a job.”

Although Martinez is Puerto Rican, he is not fluent in the language.

“I think my kids passed me already [in Spanish speaking],” said Martinez, chuckling. 

Attendee and 1995 Coppell High School graduate Nancy Garvey, currently the district’s Director of Digital Learning, has been working in the district for 20 years. 

“My favorite part of being a CISD employee is how it feels like a family,” Garvey said. “I have people all around the district who I love and care about and get to work with. It’s just such a positive place to work. My goal is to just stay here. My kids now go to school in Coppell ISD and I just really love it.”