School opens: August 2022

About namesake, Sue McGown

The CFISD Board of Trustees approved the namesake for Elementary School No. 57, Sue McGown Elementary School, during its regularly scheduled meeting on April 11, 2022.

Sue McGown’s education career spanned 40 years, starting in 1974. She began as an elementary teacher in Carthage ISD, teaching one year before moving to Nacogdoches ISD where she taught kindergarten for two more years. Her career then brought her to Houston ISD, teaching a year at Crockett Elementary School before transferring to Wainwright Magnet School, where she taught eight years.

McGown then came to CFISD, teaching one year at Holmsley Elementary School before transitioning to secondary education, teaching two years of reading/English language arts at Labay Middle School. She accepted an assistant principal position at Bleyl Middle School and served three years—including a stint as a summer school principal at Cypress Creek High School.

In 1992, she opened Hamilton Middle School as the campus principal and served 13 years. She was named the inaugural principal of Cypress Woods High School in 2005, and opened the district’s eighth high school campus in the 2006-2007 school year. She remained at Cypress Woods until 2011, when she resigned to take an educational leadership position in Illinois. She closed out her educational career as an assistant superintendent for East St. Louis School District, serving two years.

During her time in CFISD, McGown helped Hamilton earn “Exemplary” status from the state accountability system for more than 10 years. She, in turn, built Cypress Woods into an Exemplary campus, and branded the “212” spirit that has defined the campus ever since. She helped Labay and Bleyl middle schools earn Blue Ribbon status during her five years there. She led Hamilton to receive Region IV Middle School of the Year and Just for Kids Five Star School honors.

McGown served on the Illinois district committee and helped write the state grant for the Middle School SIG Grant, leading to $10.5 million awarded to two middle schools. She was a Race to the Top (RTT) Lessons Learned Presenter at the No Child Left Behind Conference in Illinois and an exemplar state webinar presenter, as well as a member of the Texas Principal Leadership Initiative Board of Directors. She served her principal peers in CFISD as a high school cluster leader and mentor to new principals.

“Receiving a namesake for a campus is indeed a lifetime achievement award, an educator’s dream and the highest honor bestowed on an educational leader,” McGown said. “It is a distinguished honor to be selected and I am extremely grateful to Dr. Henry, his cabinet, and the Board of Trustees for this outstanding recommendation and vote of confidence. This honor is possible because of the work of my team—my dedicated staff, parents, community partnerships, volunteers, district leadership/staff, and our amazing students (212 Wildcats and Quality Tigers) who were always at the forefront and center of our vision and mission. Finally, none of this would be possible without the incredible support of my family.”

Elementary School No. 57 will be located on Tuckerton Boulevard in the Parkland Village section of the Bridgeland community and is set to open in the 2022-2023 school year.