A school of second chances

NTC/Juan Guajardo

In 1974, Sister Mary Bonaventure, SHSp, and Sister Mary Fulbright, SSMN, envisioned a school for students who might be at risk of not finishing their secondary education.

Just a year later, Cassata Catholic High School opened in Fort Worth. This May, 49 years later, 18 more graduates joined the school’s alumni ranks.

“Cassata is a very unique school,” President Maggie Harrison, Ph.D. said. “It was meant to be a mission to reach out to those who really needed help, students who dropped out of high school or were rejected for whatever reason.”

The school’s success is a reminder of what the sisters dreamed all those years ago.

“Our founders were educators inspired by Mother Teresa to do something good in the community,” Dr. Harrison said. “It was a mission of the Catholic Church, driven by their faith and love for God.”

Located at 1400 Hemphill St., the school was named in honor of Bishop John Cassata, the first bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Cassata provides individualized education for high school students or older with issues such as poverty; physical or mental health issues; and academic, behavioral, or social challenges, including teenage pregnancy, abuse, and a host of family circumstances. 

Students willing to learn are welcomed and given a second chance.

Among its alumni are Nicole McDaniel, support service manager for the Crowley Police Department; entrepreneur Jeremy Spann; and dentist Amanda Elling. All grabbed Cassata’s lifeline to propel themselves onto successful journeys.

They believed in me

“I was your straight-A student taking pre-AP classes,” McDaniel said, until she became pregnant.

Confronted with limited options, she chose to have the child, which was difficult for her family but supported by her parents.

By attending Cassata, McDaniel was able to finish the classes she needed to graduate, and it allowed her time to work. Most importantly, it gave her the ability to go to school and finish in a safe environment.   

“They supported me and believed in me when I would get down,” McDaniel said. “I had sex out of wedlock, which was against the Catholic faith, and I was conflicted spiritually.”

McDaniel said Sister Bonaventure encouraged her not to give up.  

“She was such a force of nature and tenacious, with such a heart. I wanted to be like that,” McDaniel said. “She truly inspired me. Cassata invested in me and taught me service, investment, and worth, and I am so grateful that they believed in me until I could believe in me.”

She still feels close bonds to her alma mater.

“I am part of that legacy. If I can make it, anyone can,” McDaniel said. 

A support service manager for the Crowley Police Department, McDaniel has received numerous awards and certifications throughout her career and is an adjunct instructor at the Tarrant County College Law Enforcement Academy.

Active in service

Jeremy Spann is an entrepreneur who owns multiple businesses.

A former U.S. Marine and law enforcement officer, Spann helps others launch their own businesses, passing forward business knowledge to help them succeed.

Spann’s journey to Cassata began when he dropped out of school and wanted to join the military. But when he tried to enlist, a recruiter told him because he lacked a high school diploma, he didn’t qualify.

The recruiter pointed him toward Cassata to finish the credits he needed to graduate.

That led Spann to a successful military career.

“I thought, ‘Hey, you got a second chance here. Don’t screw this up. You’re not getting another one.’ So, when I went in the Marine Corps, I took it very seriously,” Spann said.

“When I graduated out of boot camp, I was the shortest, and I graduated number one at boot camp,” Spann said. “I went on to the school of infantry, and then I had a pretty interesting career,” including military intelligence.

 After leaving the Marines, Spann joined the Fort Worth Police Department. His time in law enforcement included undercover work that put him in contact with people from all walks of life.

After 18 years, Spann retired from the police department, and he started his entrepreneurial journey, creating multiple real-estate-related companies. 

Individual approach

Raised in Fort Worth, Amanda Elling now practices as a general dentist in East Texas.

She credits Cassata with building the foundation to begin a successful life.

Elling said, “Traditional high school was too distracting for me on the social level, and I was academically and behaviorally declining.”

She quit high school, then her father and stepmother “made an executive decision to enroll me into Cassata to ensure I completed high school.”

It took time for the school to grow on Elling.

“At first, I did not want to be there since I had been put there against my will. Once I settled in, I found the faculty to be amazing,” she said. “I felt like they truly cared about me and wanted me to succeed.”

She said Cassata customized the curriculum when she struggled.

“I had not experienced that care from a teacher since elementary school,” Elling said.

The faculty and staff always made her feel at home, and the hours accommodated her life.

“The half-day schedule allowed me to work in the afternoons and helped me focus on academics when I was at school.”

That individualized attention helped Elling succeed and showed her not everyone is alike.

“Doing something a different way is not a bad thing,” she said. “What works for one person will not work for everyone.”

She appreciates how Cassata saw her as an individual.

“Not everyone fits in the same box. We all have struggles and being able to find what works for you to overcome those can make a difference,” Elling said. “I needed a different option for high school and Cassata filled that and, as a result, I learned how capable I am as a person.”

The school helped her find her life’s calling.

“If it was not for Cassata, I would not be in dentistry,” Elling said. “One day at school, we had a trade school who came and spoke to us. Apparently, I filled out a questionnaire form for them and marked I was interested in the medical and dental fields. I did not remember filling it out. 

“My father told me that I had to do something after high school, so I ended up attending school for dental assisting,” Elling continued. “From there, I learned I loved dentistry and ended up going back to school to become a dentist.”

She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and later received her DDS degree from Texas A&M University School of Dentistry. 

True to its roots

The core of Cassata hasn’t changed, said Dr. Harrison, president of Cassata. “We have the same mindset, mission, and goals of the founding sisters.”

Just as in 1975, the school welcomes students of all backgrounds and all faiths, offering an education “to give students a good start in life. It comes from Christ’s love for them,” she said.

However, she added, in recent years the school has included more structured spiritual support, including theology instruction and opportunities to pray and attend Mass.

Dr. Harrison said Cassata faculty and staff are mindful that “We are the face of Christ for many of these kiddos. We always have been.