Cooper Elementary School

Prek, ECSE, ABC kinder/1st year, and kindergarten graduation. Love all the work these kids did this year. Looking forward to having them all back at Cooper next year.

Today Cooper received the Platinum Partnership School Certificate from the district Family Engagement Department which is the highest rating you can received for our Family Engagement. Jennifer Kirby serves as Cooper Family Engagement Coordinator. She helps lead the charge along with Dr. Carter in order to receive this status! Way to go Cooper!

Senior Walk and siblings the have at Cooper currently. This was so great to see. Keeping it in the Cooper Family!

We celebrated Ms. Melanie Gilson (asst. principal) last week as she will be retiring this year. She has devoted 25 years in Garland ISD and 30 years total in education. We will truly miss her, but she will be off at the end of the year enjoying her retirement. Thank you Ms. Gilson for the years of service you have provided to all the Garland students.

Silly string party for our 3rd -5th grade for reading STAAR. 120 students - biggest silly string party yet.

🧡 Congratulations to our 2026 Garland ISD WHATAteacher of the Year, Mrs. Jaquelyn Portillo-Leal of Cooper Elementary! 🎉

Mrs. Portillo-Leal is a Garland ISD graduate who came back home to pour into the same community that shaped her. She started at Cooper Elementary as a long-term substitute and now, more than ten years later, she is still showing up every single day for her 4th graders, and they are better for it.

When asked what she loves most about her job, she didn't hesitate: The kids! She lights up talking about the moments of connection, the growth in confidence, and the fact that no two days are ever the same.

As part of Whataburger's Feeding Student Success initiative, Mrs. Portillo-Leal was awarded a $1,000 classroom grant and a WHATAteacher prize pack that includes a custom YETI lunch box. The staff at Cooper Elementary also received a well-deserved breakfast, compliments of their hometown Whataburger. 🍳🧇

She is grateful for the support of her administrators, Dr. Bobbie Carter and Ms. Melanie Gilson, and that gratitude tells you everything you need to know about the kind of school family they have built together at Cooper.

Mrs. Portillo-Leal, Garland ISD is proud to recognize you as our WHATAteacher of the Year!

2026 GISD Retiremet banquet - Ms. Hungerford and Ms. Gilson will be retiring at the end of the school year. Both have given many years of service to education and students. Ms. Hungerford spent the last three years of her career in GISD and she has been a fabulous PE teacher. Ms. Gilson has spent 23 years serving GISD students in many capacities - teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. Ms. Gilson is known for creating great relationships with our students, staff, and parents. We will miss her and all she brings to Cooper. We honor these ladies and the many years of service to students - thank you, thank you, thank you!