{"id":558,"date":"2017-02-28T01:04:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T01:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/changing-face-schools\/?p=558"},"modified":"2017-03-22T21:38:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T21:38:54","slug":"duncanvilles-buoy-in-a-sea-of-change-a-victorious-basketball-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/changing-face-schools\/2017\/02\/28\/duncanvilles-buoy-in-a-sea-of-change-a-victorious-basketball-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Duncanville’s Buoy In A Sea Of Change: A Victorious Basketball Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: The Duncanville Pantherettes won their 10th state basketball title<\/a>\u00a0in the school’s history on March 4, 2017 in San Antonio. Our story has been updated to reflect the team’s latest win. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Through demographic and economic changes over the years, Duncanville High School, in a suburb south of Dallas, has maintained one constant \u2014 a winning girls basketball team.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
Showing love, demanding excellence<\/h5>\n

During a recent game, Cathy Self-Morgan was leading her Pantherettes to another lopsided win.<\/p>\n

At the time, their record was 37-2. In Duncanville, that\u2019s almost a low-performing year. Last season, the Pantherettes were undefeated.<\/p>\n

Self-Morgan arrived here 17 years ago already a champion with three state titles under her belt at Westlake High, near Austin. She wasn’t expecting to leave Westlake.<\/p>\n

\"Girl\u00d5s

Coach Cathy Self-Morgan leads the Duncanville Pantherettes. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI thought my ashes would be buried there,” she said. “I had been there 22 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Self-Morgan\u2019s Austin suburb was mostly white, and so is she.<\/p>\n

When the coach moved to Duncanville, the team was racially mixed. She points up to her office wall \u2013 pictures of every team she\u2019s coached. They start more white than black, then they are all black. Now, with a booming Hispanic student population, there\u2019s a Latina starter.<\/p>\n

The fundamental change, however,\u00a0isn\u2019t race.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest challenge is making sure these kids are fed,” Self-Morgan said. “And making sure they have warm clothes when it\u2019s cold and making sure their needs are being met — physical and emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a big job at a school where two-thirds of the kids are labeled economically disadvantaged.<\/p>\n

Duncanville ISD superintendent Marc Smith, who’s African American, took the job in April. He says this suburban district looks more like a big-city school system. While residents still take great pride in the schools, families are moving out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want more programs, they want more options, and we hadn\u2019t been providing that,” Smith said. “If you can go five to 10 minutes away and get an all-day pre-K, that\u2019s pretty appealing to parents. If you can go 10 to 15 minutes away and have your kid in a collegiate academy, where they can graduate with an associate\u2019s degree, that\u2019s pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Junior

Junior Guard Aniya Thomas, center, and her teammates\u00a0in the locker room after practice at Duncanville High School. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS OVER 20 YEARS<\/h6>\n