April PFA Falcon Wings

FWCD’s Parent Faculty Association awarded Teacher and Wrestling Coach Hugo Muñoz and Middle School Latin Teacher Clint Hagen with the April Falcon Wings honor. Falcon Wings recognize PFA volunteers, FWCD teachers or staff who soar above and beyond the call of duty to enhance PFA programs or events or have improved the greater FWCD community by their dedication and enthusiasm. A book is donated to the library in their honor. 

Mary Carolyn Gatzke ’93 shared the announcement at the last PFA meeting of the year:

Hugo Muñoz
Hugo is one of the most inspiring coaches on the Country Day campus. The quotes I compiled to put this together today are so lovely and very consistent! Here is some of what I learned about Varsity Wrestling Coach Hugo Muñoz: The amount of time and energy he puts into his athletes is amazing. He goes above and beyond on a daily basis and works hard to create a positive and uplifting environment. 

He repeats words like “noble,” “humble” and “respect.” It is clear he genuinely cares for his athletes, not only for their athletic performance but also for their social and emotional well-being. He teaches and shows, by example, how to be humble and respectful regardless of the outcome of a match. 

Hugo is the coach who stays late and works with one of his athletes when they have a tough practice. He helps them figure out the athletic side, but he also spends so much time helping them with their mental game. He’s the one on the sidelines yelling the loudest, pushing them on, but he’s also the one with a huge bear hug, win or lose, after a match! 

Mary Catherine Parsons nominated Hugo and said, “Coach Muñoz is a supportive, positive, and motivating wrestling coach! My son, who is currently a sophomore, was encouraged as a freshman to try wrestling for the first time by Coach Muñoz, and now, he loves the sport. Not only is Coach Muñoz encouraging and a wonderful coach, but he truly cares about the kids and knows how to inspire each one to reach their full potential.”

Sally Alband added, “I can’t say enough positive and wonderful things about Hugo. He helps each kid find their strengths and supports them in becoming good, well-rounded young adults. He has been an integral part of both of my sons’ lives here at FWCD. When I asked my son one thing Coach Muñoz does well, he said, ‘He listens. He listens to your ideas and your observations and really takes them to heart. Then he integrates them into his coaching practices.’ That is such a gift. And we are so lucky to have a man like Hugo helping us raise our boys in the world we live in today.” 

Wrestling Dreams (Hardcover), a picture book for the new Lower School Library, was dedicated in his honor.

Clint Hagen 
There is one guy in the room today who CHOOSES to take GROUPS of Middle School children who are NOT his own on multiple trips per year: Middle School Latin Teacher Clint Hagen.

Mr. Hagen has been with us since August 2015, constantly making our Latin program more engaging, enriching and popular with the students. He has a great passion for Latin, and he does an excellent job selling to the students who are new to the language that studying Latin fosters a connection to our cultural heritage. The language bridges the past and present, offering insights into diverse fields, from language and science to law and literature. 

He has championed a joint project with Director of Technology Dr. Steve Uhr. This is really quite something to see! Whoever said, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day,’ was right: The FWCD iteration of ancient Rome is built (each year) over the course of 11 class periods by eighth grade Latin students. They combine their research of ancient culture and architecture with computer-aided design and manufacturing. The finished annual project is a sprawling layout, which features more than 30 buildings. 

In years past, out of the goodness of his thoughtful heart, Clint has baked cookies for the entire Middle School—no small feat! His passion for baking has translated to an Awesomeness Initiative course called Bake Your Buns Off, a huge hit with eighth graders. He has even hosted a ‘bake sale’ in the Middle School Circle during recess. 

Assistant Head of Middle School Hester Burdman said, “He has a heart of gold and a passion for all things Latin. Our program wouldn’t be as strong as it is without his guidance and leadership.”

Mr. Hagen and Upper School Latin Teacher Bryan Carlson create, plan and facilitate the Falcon Friendly Certamen Tournament and Fall Festival. Certamen is Latin for “competition.” At this annual event, FWCD hosts about 100 students from several schools around the metroplex. When FWCD began competing in the state and National Junior Classical League nearly 10 years ago, FWCD was the only school in Tarrant County with Latin teams regularly competing in area or state NJCL events. Over the years, Mr. Hagen and Mr. Carlson have enhanced the School’s Latin program and grown the Latin teams. Now, FWCD’s Latin students and teams are known locally, statewide and nationally. 

Speaking of Junior Classics Leagues, in his spare time, he serves as Co-Chair for the Texas State Junior Classical League.

Remember I mentioned the “trips” he plans? These field trips to Latin competitions are sometimes as close as an hour away, and sometimes they are in San Diego or Miami. At these conventions, middle school and high school Latin students join more than 1,000 other students from around the nation who compete in academic, artistic, and athletic contests. Lately, our Latin teams have attended competitions at the University of Louisiana – Lafayette, Emory University in Atlanta, The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University, and this summer, they are headed to Nationals at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. 

Mr. Hagen plans these trips to an extent that does not merely include transportation, rooming and food. He is always looking for ways to add enrichments, like rafting the river, visiting the Coca-Cola museum, visiting with a state judge in the Texas Supreme Court chambers, and always, a campus tour.  

Rest assured, Mr. Hagen will ensure that the bus arrives back on campus in time for him to make it to the sidelines and coach his lacrosse team that evening!  

Mary Carolyn Gatzke ’93 nominated Mr. Hagen and said, “Mr. Hagen’s LinkedIn profile states: ‘I work with young people to help them become smart, thoughtful, and compassionate adults. I teach Latin, build educational websites, and help teachers use technology in the classroom.’ Yes sir, you absolutely do all of those things – in spades. Thank you for teaching and inspiring our children and for your above-and-beyond contribution to their development.” 

Cleopatra's Moon, a critically acclaimed young adult novel based on the real-life of Cleopatra's daughter, Selene, was dedicated to the library in his honor.