Jonathan Ray- 2022 Teacher of the Year

TEACHING

Creekview High School, Carrollton, Texas (January 2010 - present)

• Director, Law and Criminal Justice Academy (August 2016 -present)
• Special Education Department Manager (December 2012 -August 2016)
• Sponsor, Class of 2014; Student Council (August 2015 - December 2016)
• Coach, Moot Court (August 2016- present); We the People (Fall 2012)

Top Accolades:

• Harlan Institute National Champions 2018 (Brett Kavanaugh presiding)
• YMCA National Judicial Conference Champions 2021, UTEP Champions 2016-2018
• YMCA State Champions 2018-2019; Duke 2nd Place 2019; Princeton 4th Place 2021

Awards:

• 2017-2018--District Unsung Hero Award Recipient
• 2017-2018 Campus CTE Teacher of the Year
• 2017-2018 Campus Crimson Honor for Leadership
• 2017-2018 YMCA Youth and Government Mentor of the Year
• 2014-2015 Campus Crimson Honor for Thinking
• 2012-2013 Special Education Teacher of the Year

Certifications: English, Math, Social Studies, Special Education

C2 Education Center, Carrollton, Texas (December 2007 - July 2015)

• Tutor, SAT/ACT Preparation, Various subjects
  

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE 

SDCT Productions, Parkersburg, West Virginia 

• Composer/Musical Performer, Christ Complex (feature film, 2012)
• Composer/Musical Performer, Clean Before Loading (short film, 2013)

The Advocacy Center, New Orleans, Louisiana (May 2006 -August 2006)

• Special Education Law Clerk

EDUCATION 

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans, Louisiana 

• Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, May 2007 
• Common Law Division, G.P.A. 3.58/4.0
• Class Rank: 5/96
• Combined Class Rank: 15/235
• Full Academic Scholarship (LSAT Score: 170)
• Liskow & Lewis Scholarship Member and Casenote/Comment Editor
• Loyola Law Review
• Publication: A Social Disability? The Medical Realities and Social Implications of Classifying Asymptomatic HIV as a Disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, 53 LOY. L. REV. 257 (2007). 
• Outstanding Achievement Awards in Contracts, Property, Torts, E.U. Law

Oklahoma City University School of Law, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

• Visiting Student, Fall 2005
• Visiting Member, Oklahoma City University Law Review 

University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 

• Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video Studies, May 2004
  

CLASSROOM

I have developed the curricula for and taught a number of law-related coursework during my time at Creekview High School. In the 2021-2022 school year, I am currently teaching: Law Studies, Legal Research and Writing, Independent Study (with an emphasis in law), and six Dual Credit Criminology courses (Introduction to Criminal Justice, Court Systems and Practices, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Cyber Crimes, Current Topics in Criminal Justice, and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Studies). 

Prior to this school year, I have also developed the curricula for and taught the following law-related courses: Principles of Law, Public Safety Corrections and Security; Mock Trial; Constitutional Law; Principles of Government and Public Administration; Forensic Psychology; Dual Credit Crime in America; and Dual Credit Fundamentals of Criminal Law.

COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES

Creekview's Moot Court team began in 2013 with only two students. I took over as head coach in 2016 and, in that time, have led the team to seven state and national titles. This year, we will have 20 students competing in at least one tournament. We have or will compete this year in the Harlan Institute, Duke, Cornell, and YMCA Youth and Government tournaments. We have also competed at Princeton, UTEP, and Ft. Hood in the past (the Ft. Hood and UTEP tournaments are no more and the Princeton tournament conflicted with both Cornell and YMCA State this year). At many of these tournaments, I also act as a judge and/or evaluator. 

I also assistant coach our Mock Trial team, which has won six state championships. This year, the team will compete in the Dallas Bar Association, Yale Bulldog, YMCA Youth and Government, and David Post tournaments. In the past, the team has also competed in the Empire New York, Empire Atlanta, Victory in Vegas, and National High School Mock Trial tournaments. The DBA State and NHSMT tournaments also now include a court room artist competition. This is only the second year we have had a student compete, and she won the regional championship and will compete at the State tournament as well.

Additionally, I coach individual students in the Texas Citizenship Bee, which 

tests students on case law, the Constitution, historical figures, and founding documents. 

As Academy Director, I oversee the budgets and serve as support and leadership for two other competitive teams. The Legislative Team, which is primarily student-led, competes in YMCA Youth and Government and the YMCA Conference on National Affairs. The CSI team, coached by our Law Enforcement and Forensic Science teachers, participates in Skills USA tournaments. While I don't directly coach any of these students or teams, I do provide guidance and oversight to student and faculty leaders. 

In the past, I also coached the We the People team, which was a competition in which students took part in a mock legislative session. Our team was discontinued when state funding was pulled.

FIELD TRIPS AND OTHER NON-COMPETITIVE EXTRA-CURRICULARS

As we ease out of COVID restrictions, we are starting to bring back many of the in-person law-related activities that we have historically offered. 

In conjunction with the Dallas Bar Association, our students attend two law-­related events. At Mock Voir Dire, local attorneys and judges involve students in a simulation of jury selection procedures. At the Educational Symposium, students listen to speakers with various connections to the legal field, usually judges, attorneys, and law enforcement. 

Students in our Law Enforcement courses attend the Georgetown Police Department's High School Field Day, which offers a number of hands-on events including simulated car chases and building searches and interaction with different law enforcement specialists. They've even gotten to repel off of a building under the guidance of firefighters and tour a police helicopter. 

Our other field trips include trips to local criminal and civil courtrooms to observe trials, the George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and LBJ Presidential Libraries, the State Capitol, the Texas Supreme Court, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. 

Additionally, we have a monthly speaker series-virtually during COVID-in which people working in various aspects of law and law enforcement share with students what they do in their jobs day-to-day and the paths that led them to their careers.