McShan’s (former) principal, Dr. Dayanna Carson-Kelly, said she’s grateful for the volunteers. By working with kids individually, they supplement the work teachers do in the classroom, after school, on Saturdays and even over spring break, she said. “We truly have created a village to support our students,” Kelly said. “It’s a beautiful thing when we’re able to see the kids grow.” Grow a lot, it turns out. Out of 148 elementary schools, McShan ranked fifth last year in academic growth, based on test scores. That means McShan’s students are showing greater progress than most of their Dallas ISD peers.