Author: The Hub

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…

Did you know that it’s a Dallas ISD priority to have a full-time, on-campus athletic trainer at each high school campus? It’s true! Dallas ISD is among only 37 percent of public school districts in the nation that put such a high priority on athletic trainers. March is National Athletic Training Month, so it’s a great time to recognize the athletic trainers who protect and care for Dallas ISD student-athletes. This year’s slogan for the month is “Your protection is our priority.” Ryan Peña, Sports Medicine Manager at Dallas ISD, has seen the benefits that come from an athletic trainer providing one-on-one availability to student-athletes. “Managing…

More than 40 students set to go to W.T. White High School got a first-hand look at the campus thanks to a leadership forum hosted by the high school’s student council. The event brought together students from the nine elementary schools and two middle schools within the W.T. White feeder pattern. Organized and led by the high school student council, students participated in work sessions on leadership and promoting school spirit before presenting their work to the larger group. After lunch and a school tour, the high school students described the many clubs, sports, fine arts and other activities the…

The National Junior Honor Society has returned to Boude Storey Middle School, and Fox 4 has the full story. English teacher Felicia Daniels brought the school chapter of the National Junior Honor Society back to the school at a recent ceremony. Teachers believe the school chapter closed about 10 years ago. At the ceremony celebrating the return of the National Junior Honor Scoiety, Fox 4 Reporter Shaun Rabb served as the keynote speaker. Go here to see the full story from Fox 4.

The Pegasus Film Festival is seeking talented Texas high school filmmakers to submit original films by April 23 for its annual competition, which is open to high school students all over North Texas. This year’s festival is set for Sunday, May 21, at Studio Movie Grill in Dallas, and promises a classic film festival experience with the top submissions being screened for the audience. Scholarships and cash prizes will be awarded to the best films, according to a panel judges. Entries will be accepted until May 3. The promotional video for last year’s event on the festival’s website features students at…

Desde robótica submarina hasta codificación, el Departamento de STEM de Dallas ISD informó a la Junta Escolar sobre todo lo increíble que está sucediendo en las escuelas. STEM, que significa ciencias, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas, proporciona a los estudiantes la oportunidad de desarrollarse por medio de actividades prácticas y aprendizaje basado en la investigación. Vince Reyes, superintendente adjunto, dijo a la Junta Escolar que ha dado la directriz de que el Dallas ISD sea el distrito escolar público que envíe a más alumnos a estudiar informática a universidades que ofrecen programas de cuatro años. “Contamos con los estudiantes que nos…

Sunset High School’s RoboFlash robotics team should be getting used to breaking through barriers now. Composed entirely of special-needs students, RoboFlash now has the distinction of being the first such team to compete in a FIRST Robotics Competition in Texas. The students, along with their teacher Pauline Tatum, participated in the Dallas Regional contest earlier this month in Irving. “I think there’s been a stereotype with these kids that they can’t do it, so I’m saying that they can,” Tatum said. Last year, the team formed with eight members alongside Sunset’s existing RoboBison robotics team. This year, RoboFlash has more…

Robert T. Hill Middle School won first place in the annual Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) Cookie Box Creations Competition. The Cookie Box Creations competition is a STEM-focused competition. Each team is given 1,000 empty cookie boxes to build into a freestanding structure that follows a theme and only uses up to 10 percent of supporting items. This was the fourth year that Hill students, in grades 6-8, participated in the competition. The school partnered with architects from Omniplan to develop a sketch and build a structure that measured up to the guidelines. The 2016-17 topic was “Game Changing Inventions.”…

The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) has announced the appointment of Israel Cordero to the position of deputy superintendent. Cordero will follow in the footsteps of Dr. Ivan Duran who has been named superintendent of schools in Bellevue, Washington. Cordero is one of several executives identified to participate in the district’s succession plan as part of Dallas ISD’s commitment to ensuring a continuity of leadership. Cordero, having most recently served as chief of Strategic Initiatives and External Relations and deputy chief of School Leadership, brings 20 years of educational experience to the role. He has served as a classroom teacher, principal…

Trustees will consider a proposal at their March 23 board meeting to lower the cost of tuition and expand to 19 the number of campuses offering full-day tuition-based prekindergarten classes next school year.  Early Learning administrators made the proposal to board members at Thursday’s briefing based on the success of the current pilot program at four schools. The tuition option is available to families whose children are not eligible to attend the district’s free pre-K classes. If approved by trustees, the cost of tuition would be reduced from the $700 per month charged this year to a monthly cost of $525…