In 1990, the world of television was changed forever when viewers were captivated for the first time by a title card on a black screen partnered with the smooth vocals of voice actor Steven Zirnkilton reading a soon to be famous monologue. The sequence was short - just two sentences lasting under 15 seconds, but it had people hooked:
“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.”
At Connally High School, students are given the opportunity to learn about the complexities and nuances of the world of criminal justice without any over dramatic acting or menacing “dun dun” sound effects by enrolling in Mr. Anthony McRae’s career and technical education courses in the law enforcement pathway.
“I make it a point to share with all of my students and their parents that I don’t necessarily just teach law enforcement, I teach public service,” McRae said. “Not every student that takes one of these classes will end up going into law enforcement, and that’s okay. I hope that every student that leaves my class learns how to accomplish any of their career goals with strong character and leadership skills.”
McRae, who worked as a school resource officer for the district and a lieutenant for the McLennan County Sheriff’s Department for 20 years prior to becoming a teacher, has overseen the development of the pathway for the past five years.
“I am so thankful to have a group of seniors that I’ve taught for four or five years,” McRae said. “They’ve helped us grow this program and our extracurricular competitions a ton. I am so proud of them, and I can honestly say that everything that they’ve accomplished has been because of their work ethic and effort.”
Over time, interest in the classes has increased substantially. At present, approximately 119 students are enrolled in McRae’s classes, including 7 eighth graders who are bused over to the high school campus every morning.
“We take great pride in offering our students a wide variety of career and technical education pathways,” CHS Director of College and Career Readiness Elizabeth Brownlee said. “Our kids are learning the best practices of a wide variety of career opportunities from teachers with real-world experience. It really helps our students graduate with a truly holistic educational experience.”
As the program has evolved, students have enjoyed a wide variety of industry-based learning opportunities including presentations from guest speakers and field trips.
“I just randomly got put in this class when I was a freshman,” senior Chris Hargrove said. “It’s ended up being great. Mr. McRae is a great teacher that teaches us beyond just the basics - he really cares about us learning the advanced stuff that we need to be successful.”
So far this year, students have heard from the Waco Police Department Chief Dr. Sheryl Victorian, visited the McLennan County Jail and Courthouse, and started their extracurricular competition season. On December 9, CHS qualified for state competition sponsored by the Texas Public Service Teachers Association (TXPSTA) to be held at Sam Houston State University in February.
“I’ve been competing for three years now, but this was the first time that I have had the chance to qualify for state,” senior Gracie Alejo said. “Hearing that I was able to get to this level was really exciting because I honestly never thought I’d be able to because we compete against so many big schools that have so many more resources than we do. I’m just so thankful for Mr. McRae and all of the members of the team.”
At the regional competition held in Rockwall, a group of eight Connally students competed against 11 schools, many of which have much higher enrollment. By the end of the day, Connally had placed in the top three in a variety of individual and team competitions including Agility Course (Chris Hargrove - 1st), Felony Stop (Gracie Alejo, Katlyn Wiese, LaDarrius Arrington, and Jameson Brock - 2nd), Fingerprinting (Kaitlyn Wiese - 3rd), Crime Scene Investigation (Kormya Johnson, Demontrell Arrington, and Gracie Goodwin - 3rd), and Building Search (Gracie Alejo, LaDarrius Arrington, Chris Hargrove, and Jameson Brock - 3rd).
"It’s exciting to see our students excel in this competitive arena,” CHS Principal Hermann Pereira said. “These students work hard and go above and beyond every day to get better.”
While the entertainment industry’s depiction of the world of criminal justice and law enforcement might be more fanciful and exaggerated than reality, students at Connally are thankful that they get the chance to learn about the field while still in school.
“Mr. McRae’s class is one of the best on the high school campus,” junior Demontrell Arrington said. “What I love most about it is how important the information that we learn about is. I get to learn about the laws, my rights, and how to keep myself out of trouble. It sets me up for the future.”