Peck Elementary reflects principal Carlotta Brown’s love of children, community — and sophistication.
With hugs and colorful, killer shoes, Peck Elementary principal keeps espousing the love for Third Ward students that Ellen DeGeneres noticed
Carlotta Brown has received many accolades in her tenure as principal of Peck Elementary School, but it was praise from Ellen DeGeneres that changed Brown’s life.
DeGeneres is known for giving out money to people doing good things in their communities, but in 2015, she handed Brown $100,000 on NBC’s “Ellen DeGeneres Show.” It was one of the largest gifts she’d ever given.
At the time, Brown, 57, was dealing with a husband with pancreatic cancer, an ill mother and headache-inducing staff issues. She also was leading the school’s 600-member student body that included Houston ISD’s homeless and attendance department. When the district closed the department at its administrative offices in 2006, Brown found space for it at Peck. The department provides clothing, food, school supplies, transportation and resources for the students and their families. More than 10,000 homeless students attend HISD schools, Brown says.
At the time, DeGeneres described Brown as an educator who “works seven days a week dedicating her life to students who are mostly poor or homeless.”
The celebrity talk-show host even surprised Brown and her students by showing up at the school in May 2015 to present her with a donation, which Brown used to buy laptops and iPads for teachers and students to be used in classrooms. DeGeneres also gave Brown $10,000 to use for medical bills for her husband, Jesse L. Brown. The couple met at church and married in 1999; he died in 2016. Their daughter, Chanel, is 16.
At Peck Elementary, a group of children lines the hallway, looking sharp in their red cardigans and khakis.
Brown walks toward them wearing pink Balenciaga mules, a printed jacket and a necklace from her late husband. The students break out in smiles.
“Ms. Brown loves you,” she tells them, as a few lean in closer for a hug. This is Brown’s daily ritual at the Third Ward school.
Brown knows every child’s name and story.
“It brings so much joy when a child is smiling,” she says. “I want to ensure they are happy while they are here, and I want them to leave happy. Many of our students have so many obstacles in their lives to overcome; education shouldn’t be one of them.”
Brown’s school is a reflection of her love for children and for the community. The walls are brightly colored, with high ceilings and natural light pouring in from the rows of windows. The murals in the main hallway pay homage to the multicultural ethnic backgrounds of the students. There’s also a large playground with a garden out back.
Though Peck Elementary has been around since the 1950s, the current building, which is a certified “green” school, was built in 2010 under Brown’s watchful eye. She attended every meeting with contractors and made sure every nail and bolt was in its proper place, even spending weekends at the school during construction.
In a way, Brown was born to be an educator.
Her mother was a first-grade schoolteacher in HISD for 38 years, her father a retired Army lieutenant colonel who also worked at the post office. Brown spent her childhood in southwest Houston and was raised around aunts and uncles who also were teachers.
Brown says she initially wanted to be a nurse but fell in love with language-arts class and education while at Houston Baptist University. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and history, and later received a master’s degree in education administration from Texas Southern University. She also has completed coursework for a doctorate in education administration from TSU.
She started her career as a fourth-grade teacher nearly 30 years ago and has been at Peck since 2004. She became its principal in 2005.
“I love working with children. I was an only child, so to be in a setting where I’m around so many children makes me happy. It takes a passion and love for children to do this.”
Even today, DeGeneres still calls to check on Brown and her students.
“Ellen changed my life and the lives of the children here,” she says. “She came into my life when I was dealing with a lot, but she gave us such a blessing. I want my kids to have a good education, and Ellen helped to make it possible.”