Namesake

Mildred Barrett Ellis was born on October 15, 1926, in Palestine, TX. She graduated as valedictorian from Flint Hill High School in 1945, and earned her bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University, where she lettered in basketball.

Mrs. Ellis began her educational career in 1949 in Josephine, then moved to Community ISD when the school district desegregated. Mrs. Ellis was an educator in Brave Nation for 38 years combined across Josephine and Community. Mrs. Ellis was a 1974 Outstanding Teacher of America, and the 1984-85 Teacher of the Year. She retired in 1987, and passed away in 2017.

In March 2022, shortly after the Community ISD Board of Trustees declared that the former Edge Middle School building would be renamed in honor of Mrs. Ellis, the CISD communications staff visited with her three daughters. We asked about their reactions when they learned a building would bear their mother's name. At the time, they were also looking forward to a rededication ceremony that took place in July 2022. Watch that video below.

Mrs. Ellis’s name designation moved to Josephine when the district's fifth elementary school opened in August 2024. Her daughters attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and initial tours that summer.