As a child growing up in Seattle, Michael Johnson lived in a house perched on a hill beside King County International Airport, better known as Boeing Field. From his window, he watched Boeing 747s, affectionately called “Queen of the Skies,” take flight. Each night, engine tests rattled the windows of his home, but for Johnson, it wasn’t noise. It was the spark of a lifelong passion for aviation, which he now shares with students at Career Institute North. Johnson recalls how he began flight training while in college, balancing coursework with lessons in the air. He paid for training by…
Author: Jirah Fleming
Los estudiantes que asistieron al Campamento de Futuros Médicos este verano no fueron los únicos que aprendieron algo nuevo. La maestra Lawanna Evans, quien ayudó a dirigir el campamento, aprendió importantes habilidades en el laboratorio además de aprendizajes personales. “Siempre es interesante escuchar a los estudiantes de medicina hablar sobre algunas de sus experiencias personales. Ha sido una gran cantidad de conocimientos que incluso yo misma he adquirido,” dijo Evans. Ahora, en su segundo año enseñando en el campamento, Evans dijo que se siente más cómoda en el laboratorio de ciencias y está lista para el aprendizaje práctico que implica…
Students attending the Future Doctors Camp this summer weren’t the only ones learning new things. Teacher Lawanna Evans, who helped lead the camp, walked away with important lab skills and life lessons of her own. “It’s always interesting to hear from medical students about some of their personal experiences. There has been a wealth of knowledge that I have acquired even for myself,” Evans said. Now, in her second year teaching at the camp, Evans said she is more comfortable in the science lab and is ready for the hands-on learning that comes with studying anatomy. “My favorite part of…
At Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School, fathers are valued for the impact they can have as positive role models. Campus security officer Joseph Thomas, with his son by his side, is showing fathers and father figures how to be more engaged. Thomas knows the importance of having a present father figure, which is why he started the chapter of All Pro Dad, a national organization, at the school. The goal is to get more fathers involved and strengthen family ties. Launched in 1997, the national program is based on a sports draft model that encourages fathers to be engaged in their children’s…
At John J. Pershing Elementary School, two educators are using innovative approaches to strengthen bilingual literacy in their classrooms. This year, Maria Fernandez and Jessica Riedel used the funding from Read Conmigo Educator Grants to transform their students’ reading experience. Fernandez, who teaches fourth-grade bilingual reading, used her award given by the Kemper Foundation to launch Break a Leg, a drama-based literacy initiative that uses puppets and theater to help students improve reading comprehension, build vocabulary, and express their emotions. “I began to notice emotional learning gaps after the pandemic,” she said. “The plays helped my students find new vocabulary…
Angie Baker y Kyria Hart son el dúo dinámico de consejería en North Lake Early College High School. Su arduo trabajo y dedicación no solo han tenido un impacto en la vida diaria de sus estudiantes, sino que también han sido reconocidos a nivel estatal. Recibieron el premio Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students, el cual reconoce a los programas de consejería escolar que apoyan el bienestar personal, social y académico de los estudiantes. “Después de trabajar con dos generaciones de estudiantes que se han graduado, el mayor impacto que he notado en nuestro programa es la construcción de relaciones entre…
Nazira Sahial se ha empeñado en crear un entorno acogedor para su clase de kínder en Personalized Learning Academy at Highland Meadows, donde los estudiantes se pueden sentir valorados. Ella entiende la importancia de reconocer la diversidad de cada uno, especialmente la suya, que celebra durante el Mes de la Herencia Asiático-Americana y de las Islas del Pacífico (AAPI, por sus siglas en inglés) en mayo. Al principio, Sahial consideró estudiar medicina, pero descubrió su verdadera pasión en la educación mientras trabajaba como asistente de prekínder como estudiante de pregrado en Dallas College. “Me reencontré con aquel recuerdo de la…
Los bomberos son profesionales que sirven a la comunidad a menudo como los primeros en responder ante una crisis. Rhome Calhoun, bombero veterano, no solo es un ejemplo a seguir, pues también es maestro en Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation, donde coordina la primera academia de bomberos, la cual otorga crédito dual. En su nuevo rol, Calhoun está preparando a la siguiente generación de bomberos al aprovechar sus propias experiencias de vida. “El objetivo del programa es desarrollar a estudiantes que sean competentes como bomberos y técnicos en emergencias médicas, y que puedan obtener un trabajo en cualquier…
Angie Baker and Kyria Hart are the dynamic duo of counseling at North Lake Early College High School. Their hard work and dedication not only has had an impact on the daily lives of their students but has also been recognized at a state level. They received the Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students award, which recognizes school counseling programs that support the personal, social, and academic well-being of students. “After working with two graduating classes of students, the biggest impact that I have noticed from our program is the relationship building between counselors and students. Students have a safe space…
Nazira Sahial has created a nurturing environment in her kindergarten classroom at Personalized Learning Academy at Highland Meadows, where students can feel seen and valued. She understands the importance of honoring diverse ancestries, especially her own, which she celebrates during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. At first, Sahial considered pursuing medicine, but she discovered her true passion in education while working as a pre-K aide during her undergraduate studies at Dallas College. “I started to reconnect with a childhood memory of tearing out workbook pages and pretending to be a teacher,” Sahial said. “Something about that…