Dallas ISD celebrates teaching excellence by recognizing outstanding educators who are making a difference in the lives of students every day. Meet 2021-2022 Principal of the Year finalist Gabrelle Dickson.
Gabrelle Dickson has served as principal of Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs for five years, leading the campus since its second year of existence. She began her career in 1999 as a seventh-grade English teacher in Austin ISD before joining San Antonio ISD as part of a turnaround team at Sam Houston High School.
Although being a principal is all she ever wanted to do, Dickson’s administrative journey included stops as a Title I grant manager and intervention specialist before a leap of faith in 2015 landed her in the Dallas ISD principal fellows program. An assistant principal role at H. Grady Spruce High School soon followed, where she was privileged to be part of one of the most transformational teams of her career.
A firm believer in schools fostering experiences that can change trajectories, Dickson is honored to lead a campus that does it all to educate the whole child. She credits her dedicated staff members – “leaders at all levels” – for showing up each day committed to seeing their girls win!
Dickson holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Texas State University. She was named a 2018 Southeast Network Secondary Principal of the Year, a 2019 Dallas ISD Master Principal, and 2020 Single Gender Cluster Principal of the Year. She serves on multiple district advisory boards, as a Principal Impact Collaborative alumnus, and as mentor to five new campus principals.
Gabrelle Dickson is one of the 2021-2022 Choice Principal of the Year finalists. From the finalists, one principal will be selected from each category to represent Dallas ISD as Principal of the Year. Winners will be announced at the inaugural 2021-2022 Dallas ISD Educator of the Year Awards, in partnership with the Dallas Education Foundation, presented by Reliant at the Statler Hotel on May 10, 2022.
View the full list of the 2021-2022 Principal of the Year finalists here.
