Cody Miller

(Boys Ranch High School Class of 1995)

“A passion for education”

Reading is the cornerstone of everything that we learn and do in life,” said Cody Miller, a Boys Ranch alumnus. Cody is the assistant principal at Indian Creek Elementary School in San Antonio. “My number one goal is that every kid in our building is a fluent reader and is able to be successful in whatever pursuits they choose, from the time they leave us until they have fulfilled their goals and dreams. Literacy is the number one way to do that.” Cody was inspired by several teachers throughout his educational experiences. “I was never much of a reader or writer until I came to Boys Ranch. It just wasn’t a passion.”

He credits Janie Ray, an English teacher at Boys Ranch, with influencing his passion for reading. “She believed in our need to be literate adults and pushed us to constantly do things we didn’t want to do.”

Cody was the salutatorian of his 1995 senior class and he received the prestigious Cal and Mimi Farley Memorial Scholarship. “I pushed myself harder in college because I didn’t want to take the scholarship for granted.”

Cody’s educational path after Boys Ranch began at Colorado Christian College where he studied for two years. He transferred to the University of Texas - San Antonio, where he earned a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies in 2000.

“I started teaching in January 2001 and I decided pretty quickly to pursue a masters degree, which I began working on in 2001.” Cody completed a master of arts in education in December 2005. He also earned a principal’s certificate. The next natural step was to begin work on a doctorate of education in administrative leadership at Walden University.

Cody has taught elementary school students and college students. Cody teaches education certification courses for junior high and high school English teachers at Palo Alto College. “It’s all about the impact I can have on kids’ futures,” he said. “If I can improve knowledge and skills of a pre-service teacher, then when they move into the classroom they will help 100’s of kids.”

Cody’s ultimate goal is to be superintendent of a school district. “The higher you go, the greater the influence you have,” he said. “I’ve seen superintendents who are very dispassionate. I believe we can do a better job in education.”

Cody has many special memories of the time he spent at Boys Ranch. “Some of the best memories I have center on the Christmas Cantata at the chapel, followed by Christmas dinner in the dining hall. It was one of the times that felt like a family, with all of the people who supported us from Amarillo there to spend time with us.” Holiday vacations were also memorable. “The ski trips we took over the holidays were great. The chaplain and his wife used to take some of us to Mora, New Mexico for ski trips. Those were really good times. They also used to take us to Durango, Colorado because they liked to ski at Wolf Creek Ski Resort. That’s where I took my wife for our honeymoon.”

Cody married Joy in March 2000 and they have three children. “My wife teases me incessantly about one of the gifts I’ve held onto. It’s a quilt I got while living at Boys Ranch. Every year a group of ladies brought handmade quilts to Boys Ranch to give to the boys and girls. It’s behind the chair in my living room. I will hang onto it as long as there is thread left. I never knew who made it, but it was really special that someone took the time to sit down and to put something together for us, and I really value that.” Cody believes that someone’s grandmother made the quilt he cherishes. And it was his own great-grandmother who informed his mother about Boys Ranch when Cody was struggling at home. “My great-grandmother was in the $5 a month club for ages. Every month she put $5 in an envelope and sent it off to Boys Ranch.” When Cody meets others who have supported Cal Farley’s, he is constantly amazed.

“I’m so grateful that they’ve cared for so many of us. Boys Ranch is a place that turned my life around and gave me the opportunity to become who I am today. Had Boys Ranch not been there for me at that time, I simply wouldn’t be who I am. I would not have the education I do or the impact on kids’ lives that I do.”