Namesake

Mary Lou Dodson, the namesake of Dodson Elementary School, was born May 27, 1929, in McKinney, Texas, to James Riley and Mable (Holbert) Haney. Mrs. Dodson was a teacher for Community Independent School District until 2000 when she retired after a 29-year career of teaching Title I and Fifth Grade Social Studies and Reading. She loved teaching and her students. Her students thought she was a walking history book when recounting experiences from her own lifetime that made what she was teaching come to life. She was a generous person, gracious host, impeccable dresser, and could decorate a home better than most interior designers. Mrs. Dodson passed away on December 27, 2020.

She was enshrined in the Community ISD Hall of Honor on March 19, 2023.

Dodson Elementary was the fourth elementary school to open in Community ISD and the first facility constructed as part of the 2022 bond, a $595 million construction program approved by the taxpayers of Brave Nation on May 7, 2022. Dodson Elementary, as well as the future Ellis Elementary (August 2024), Community Trails Middle School (August 2024), Elementary #6 (2022 Bond Phase 2), Community Creek Middle School (2022 Bond Phase 2), and Elementary #7 (2022 Bond Phase 3) were planned due to the record-breaking enrollment growth district has experienced over the last five years.

Please watch the video below, featuring an interview with Mrs. Dodson's daughter, Le Anne Dodson Schilling. She spoke to the CISD Communications Dept. about her mother's career and legacy ahead of the building's grand opening.

A photo gallery from the ribbon cutting celebration is also available via this link.