Author: The Hub

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…

Marisol García-Undiano, que tiene dos años como maestra de kínder en Jack Lowe, Sr. Elementary School, fue invitada a compartir sus experiencias con Betsy DeVos, secretaria de Educación de Estados Unidos. El 17 de enero, García-Undiano participó en una conversación que trató el reclutamiento, la preparación, la retención y el salario de los maestros. Durante la plática, se mencionó que formó parte del programa TechTeach de Texas Tech University. La maestra expresó que fue increíble hablar con funcionarios de tan alto nivel sobre el programa de preparación de maestros y de sus primeros años como maestra. “Fue alentador ver que…

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, a small group of Dallas ISD students got to tour a new hospital building – virtually. Students from Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs, D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle School and Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy were actually at the north Dallas building where the McCarthy Building Companies’ Dallas offices are housed. Through virtual reality headsets, the students were inserted into the three-dimensional digital renderings and able to “walk” into rooms and down hallways. The virtual-reality experience is immersive, but students could also experience “augmented reality,” which is a digital experience that adds elements to the…