Author: The Hub

If your artistic middle schooler adores performing and has vowed to pursue a career in music or dance, he or she now has new academic options in Dallas ISD. Based on the success of the collegiate academy model, the district is launching two new fine arts collegiate academies in August 2019. The programs, at W.T. White and Wilmer-Hutchins high schools, will feature extensive performance options for students and training and career pathways for those who want to become arts educators. Each campus is now recruiting incoming ninth-graders for a cohort of 50 students for the 2019-2020 school year. The deadline…

Toyota surprised every teacher in the Pinkston High School feeder pattern with a bag full of school supplies to ensure they have what they need for the rest of the school year. Teachers at Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary School cheered when they received their bags. “Toyota is very appreciative of the work we do here every day in Dallas ISD, and they want you to know you are supported and loved,” De Zavala Elementary Principal Melissa Gonzalez told teachers.

Volunteers are needed to support the annual Dallas ISD African American READ-IN—a project of trustees Joyce Foreman, Justin Henry and Lew Blackburn and the district’s Office of Racial Equity. The goal is to promote a love of reading, celebrate cultures and support diverse learners in grades K-5. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, arrival and departure of students, serving breakfast and lunch, crowd control and workshop facilitation. African American READ-IN 2019 Poetry and Literature in Motion Sat., Feb. 9, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Justin F. Kimball High School 3606 S. Westmoreland Road Dallas, Texas 75233 Volunteers are needed…

Is your campus hosting special speakers, organizing oratorical competitions, or planning other special activities in observance of Black History Month 2019? In keeping with Dallas ISD tradition, schools are invited to submit their activities to Communications to share with the community. The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History has established this year’s theme as Black Migrations, focusing on the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and new social realities. You can learn more about the theme and the organization at https://asalh.org/asalhs-2019-theme-black-migrations/ Please submit a list of your activities as early in the month as possible via the Online News Form, available here.

The annual Dallas ISD STEM Expo packed dozens of hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities for children of all ages – showcasing district schools with a STEM focus and highlighting career opportunities. District robotics and bridge-building teams also competed during the Expo.

In front of a packed room, the inaugural Dallas ISD State of the District showcased the outstanding gains the district has made over the past several years. From a drastic decrease in low-performing schools, growing pre-K program, focus on racial equity and rapid rise of choice schools, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa detailed some of the district’s many recent noteworthy accomplishments. About 750 parents, district staff, community members and business partners attended the State of the District luncheon on Friday. https://youtu.be/3p0olcOwWRw A highlight of the State of the District was the students themselves, who spoke, performed, operated a robot and led deep-breathing…

A Billy Earl Dade Middle School counselor is being honored in Washington D.C. this weekend for her outstanding contributions to the overall well-being of students. The American School Counselor Association named  Dade Middle School counselor Nwakaego Edordu Oriji as one of six finalists for the 2019 School Counselor of the Year awards program. The award honors the school counseling professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for students, helping them achieve success in school and life. Edordu Oriji has served as a counselor at Dade Middle School for four years. “Being named a finalist is a privilege and…

School of Science and Engineering juniors Oziel De La Fuente, Meagin Montes, Laura Thompson, and Jonathan Snow are participating in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. The contest focuses on how STEM can be applied to help improve the community. They were selected as a State Winner in the 2018-2019 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest and won the school $20,000 in technology and classroom supplies. These students are now competing to become National Finalists in the next phase of the competition by working on a Silent Alarm System for school emergencies. Learn more about the competition at: https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/

Student teams from 20 Dallas ISD schools got their marching orders on Thursday, Jan. 31, to make a positive impact on their communities through the 2019 Aspen Challenge. The teams will choose one of five challenges to develop solutions for, culminating in the Dallas competition in late March. The Dallas winner will compete in the final round in Aspen. They are challenged to tailor strategies to fit their individual communities. The challenge is an eight-week competition sponsored and coordinated by the Aspen Institute. “We aren’t asking you to change the world in eight weeks,” said Zachary Epps, Program Manager for…

Through a partnership with entrepreneur Roland G. Parrish and the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance, four Dallas ISD students competed in a public debate on Tuesday at James Madison High School. The topic of the public debate was RESOLVED: The United States should abolish the Electoral College and elect the U.S. President by popular vote. The four students qualified to compete in the Roland Parrish Scholarship Debate by taking top honors at the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance Fall City Championship in December 2018. The winning students of that competition were from The Science and Engineering Magnet and Irma Lerma Rangel Young…