Author: The Hub

The State Board of Education is seeking nominations for its Hero of Children Award. Each year the State Board of Education recognizes 15 people across the state for their outstanding volunteer work. If you know of a volunteer worthy of this honor, nominate them here. The Hero of Children Award recipients will be honored at the State Board of Education’s September 2016 meeting in Austin. July 1 is the deadline to nominate someone for the award.

The time spent in high school participating in her favorite club hugely influenced Krystal Esparza’s career choice. As a member of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), Esparza learned to apply what she learned in the classroom in real life situations. Today, this 2010 graduate of the School of Health Professions at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center works as an athletic trainer in sports medicine helping patients recover from orthopedic injuries. AlumNow, The Hub feature that profiles district alumni, recently checked in with Esparza for an update on what she’s been up to since graduating high school. What are…

School is out, but learning never stops in Dallas ISD! The district’s STEM Summer Camps got underway this week. The camps feature fun and learning and cover everything from chemistry and electricity to forensic science. Meanwhile, a partnership is helping a garden grow into something great at one elementary school, and two longtime employees are moving into their next chapter. Great grant for BA The Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy is the recipient of a $130,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to strengthen its schoolwide approach to social and emotional learning. (Read this) STEM Summer Camps Students…

Each summer since 2008, hundreds of Dallas ISD middle and high school students have the chance to attend an intensive, weeklong band camp conducted by the Dallas Winds. This year’s camp was staged this week at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The camp culminates with performances in front of family and friends at the Meyerson Symphony Center at the end of the week. Check out a photo gallery of today’s activities above.

Enroll your child in the Ronald E. McNair Elementary School Summer Science and Enrichment camp through June 16 available to students in select schools in District 6. Students will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost and participate in weekly fieldtrips in addition to social/emotional development activities each afternoon. Register for he McNair SSEC here. Or, if your family is looking to (ad)venture around the city the summer, there is still time to take advantage of the Dallas City of Learning which connects students to in-person and online educational experiences all summer long. K-12 students and families can access summer…

Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy has been selected to become part of the next cohort of the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation Grant for scaling the Building Assets Reducing Risks (BARR) program. The mission of BARR is to improve educator effectiveness and the performance of all students in secondary schools by creating positive relationships among students and staff and using real-time, student-level performance data to guide instruction. For the next two years, Bryan Adams will receive $130,000 to strengthen its schoolwide approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) through implementation of the BARR program. Yearlong training and resources…

After 44 years of working at Elisha M. Pease Elementary School, Burea Shelley celebrated her last day at work last week. Shelley, a teacher assistant, was the longest active serving Dallas ISD employee to retire this month. Affectionately known as “Momma Pease,”Shelley has been a positive presence at the school her entire career. “I love working with these kids and the parents, and I love this school,” she said. “Seeing the students come through here, graduate college, have families and then come back to see me has been a blessing.” Shelley is one of the approximately 300 district employees who retired this month.…

Solar Preparatory School for Girls announced it is the recipient of a $350,000 grant awarded by NewSchools Invent, a philanthropic support arm of NewSchools Venture Fund. A total of 11 organizations won planning grants to develop innovative school models, and four organizations, including Solar Prep, received contributions to open new schools. Solar Prep’s model will focus on three priorities: research-based instruction in a socioeconomically diverse model; hands-on, performance-based STEAM learning; and social/emotional learning to build self-awareness, empathy, positive mindsets and emotional intelligence for increased academic achievement. Last year, Solar Prep received a $100,000 planning grant from NewSchools Venture Fund that…

Later this week, Susi Parks Grissom will turn off the lights and lock the door of the library at William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted for the last time after 16 years as the school’s librarian. She is retiring on a high note, though, as Dallas ISD’s Librarian of the Year. Grissom’s mission was to support teachers and the curriculum they teach by reinforcing and enhancing those lessons in the library. That included helping with research projects, among other things. At times, the library was simply a place to gather for students, staff and parents. “It…

Students at Madison and Adamson high schools got real-world film and advertising experience—while helping promote a City of Dallas initiative—thanks to a program offered through a partnership from the Marcus Graham Project and the Mayor’s Rising Star Council. Students in the pilot program created 90-second video spots for the city’s GrowSouth initiative, which is a comprehensive strategy to build a foundation for sustainable growth in Southern Dallas. The videos highlighted the communities the students live in and the possibilities inside for potential new residents. One of the videos, which you can watch above, was shown on the big screen at…