Author: The Hub

Delores White teaches a hospitality class for juniors at Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball High School, and also runs the school’s four-year Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. “We’ve been here for 10 years,” she said. “But we didn’t actually start thriving until, let’s say, four years ago.” Under her direction, the program has earned “distinguished” status from the National Academy Foundation. She says this program helped restore pride in Kimball. That’s after the state ranked the school academically unacceptable for five out of six years. “We were academically underperforming,” she said. “Because of this academy, we raised the bar.” The students are getting…

Gracias a un foro de liderazgo organizado por el consejo estudiantil de W.T. White High School, más de 40 estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de visitar su futura escuela. En el evento se reunieron estudiantes de nueve primarias y dos secundarias del patrón de asistencia escolar de W.T. White High School. Los estudiantes participaron en sesiones de trabajo sobre liderazgo y cómo fomentar el espíritu escolar, antes de presentar sus trabajos a todo el grupo. Después de almorzar y de hacer un recorrido por la escuela, los estudiantes de la preparatoria hablaron sobre los diferentes clubes, deportes, bellas artes y otras…

Madison High School seniors Desmond Scott, JeMichael Bowens, and Patrick Terry have played basketball together for years, logging so much time as teammates that each player usually knows in advance what their friends will do on the court. The practice and camaraderie paid off: Madison won the UIL 3A State Basketball tournament in San Antonio earlier this month. The players were freshman on the basketball team when Madison last won state in 2013. Terry and Bowens have been close friends and played basketball together since second-grade, and Scott has played with them since junior high. “We’ve pushed each other and…

Sometimes, hands just have to dance. Nico Baixas, a performer in Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS-Cabinet of Curiosities, took his flexible, expressive fingers to Herbert Marcus Elementary School on Thursday in front of deaf and hearing-impaired students. His show was not only entertaining, but his moves showed another way of how hands can be used to communicate beyond sign language. “You can use your hands to do big things, strong things,” Baixas said. “But you can also use your hands to do little things, like painting.” The contrast also works to describe the difference between the small, tabletop performance at Marcus to the…

Recientemente, se llevó a cabo una feria de reclutamiento para conectar a algunos de los mejores maestros de Dallas ISD con los directores de las seis nuevas escuelas ACE. El programa ACE, que significa Accelerating Campus Excellence, busca colocar a directores y maestros eficientes en escuelas con mayor necesidad. Los directores de las nuevas escuelas ACE ayudaron a entrevistar y contratar allí mismo a los maestros. La feria estuvo abierta a maestros que han obtenido la clasificación Proficient I o mayor. Los maestros que decidan cambiar de escuela para dar clases en una escuela ACE reciben entre $8,000 y $12,000…

Skyline High School’s Marcus Garrett has been named the 2016-2017 Gatorade Texas Boys Basketball Player of the Year! The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Garrett as the best high school boys basketball player in Texas. “I am humbled and honored to receive this award, and I have my coach and teammates to thank,” Garrett said. Skyline Head Basketball Coach Paul Graham describes Garrett as someone who is humble and thankful and has good people in his life. Since Garrett has played…

For as long as most people can remember, it’s been cool to hate the food served in school cafeterias. But Michael Rosenberger is building on what Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services has been doing the past several years to turn that tide. Rosenberger, that department’s executive director, told the Teen School Board on Tuesday, March 21, that the best is yet to come when it comes to offerings in district cafeterias, as next year will bring many new and better edibles. “If you’re graduating, come back and eat with us,” he told the group of juniors and seniors. “It’s…

The African American Success Initiative partnered with Southern Methodist University Athletics and Physics Department to provide an exciting STEM experience to students. Over 25 schools were invited to participate and approximately 1,000 Dallas ISD elementary and middle school students had the opportunity to see an exciting women’s basketball game between SMU and Texas State. In preparation for the event, students were encouraged to create their own fun STEM related posters to encourage the women’s basketball team to win; SMU won the game! Students participated in a creative half time show that exposed them to the world of STEM. Dr. Fred Olness…

It’s not up for argument: the Skyline High School mock trial team is really good. Skyline took second place in the Texas High School Mock Trial Competition held earlier this month. Skyline was one of four Dallas ISD teams that advanced out of the Dallas Regional Mock Trial competition to participate in the state competition. Hillcrest High School, Woodrow Wilson High School, and the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet also had mock trial teams advance to the state competition. The Dallas Bar and Dallas ISD Social Studies Department sponsor the Mock Trial Program.

The Dallas Independent School District announced today the appointment of Louisiana educator Billy Snow as the district’s new Chief of Transformation and Innovation.  Snow is expected to assume the assignment in May to replace Mike Koprowski, who left the district in February. A veteran of 21 years in public education, Snow most recently served as the Transformation and Innovation officer for Caddo Parish Public Schools in Shreveport, LA., where he led the turnaround effort of historically underperforming schools through a partnership with the University of Virginia. Under his leadership, Snow led a number of district innovation initiatives, including the development…