Author: The Hub

“I have always believed when the heart of a child is broken, the mind stops thinking,” says Dr. Sylvia Lopez, director of the Dallas ISD counseling department. “School counselors help remove those barriers so that students can get back on track in the world of learning.” Feb. 1–5 is National School Counseling Week, which is dedicated to honoring school counselors by providing recognition for those who implement comprehensive school counseling programs, which are a vital part of the educational process for all students as they meet the challenges of the 21st century. Always the first week in February, NSCW focuses public attention on…

A recent all-girls motivational assembly at Kimball High School encouraged the female students to realize that they have the potential to turn the world upside down in the best way possible. The theme of the school’s second-annual Girls Motivational Assembly was “Defining Moments.” The assembly’s goal was to bridge all ages and ethnicities and inspire the school’s female students to pursue greatness. “This program was designed to encourage, motivate, inspire and challenge you to think differently and to be the best you can be,” Kimball Assistant Principal Tracy Mayfield-Edwards said. Multiple female school and community leaders shared inspiring words with…

With a long list of accomplishments and community and career involvement, Christopher Lewis, a Skyline High School alum, Class of 2003, wasted little time building an impressive career. He has managed to cram a lot of things into his life since graduating from high school, including a seven-year stint in the U.S. Navy. Today Lewis is an electrical engineer who reaches back to bring others forward into their own dreams. AlumNow, The Hub feature that profiles district alumni, caught up with this busy professional for an update. What are you doing now? I’m a subscriber data management engineer at Nokia, where…

Out of an abundance of caution, the Dallas Independent School District is closely monitoring developments regarding the Zika virus in Dallas County. To date, no cases of the Zika virus have been found in Dallas ISD students or staff members. Dallas County Health and Human Services has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Zika virus cases. The Zika virus is transmitted to people by mosquitoes and through sexual activity. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting…

About 100 Dallas ISD graduating seniors were recognized for committing to scholarship offers from colleges and universities to play sports at the district’s annual National Signing Day event. The student-athletes were escorted to the stage by family, friends and coaches, where they shook hands with Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Athletics Director Gil Garza. The event, which was launched in 1999, featured student-athletes who have signed scholarships to play sports such as football, soccer, basketball and volleyball. New this year, a Legacy Walk comprising Dallas ISD graduates who played sports in college – and some beyond college – started off the…

CBS DFW has a story on the district’s effort to hire more male African American teachers. Watch the report here from CBS DFW to see a great teacher in action at Clara Oliver Elementary and to learn why the district is working to hire more teachers like him.

In a few weeks, students from Dallas ISD and schools across Texas will take the 2016 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. To ensure parents are aware of STAAR and ways they can prepare their children to perform well on the tests, the district is holding its annual STAAR Live Forum at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10. The live forum is presented by the Office of Family and Community Engagement in collaboration with the divisions of Teaching and Learning and Evaluation and Assessment. It offers parents the opportunity to learn about recent changes in the examination, what…

Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, recently honored 10 talented Townview School of Business and Management students during the annual Congressional App Challenge reception at El Centro Community College. Raymond Hernandez, Cesar Escobedo and Lisette Benavides composed the winning “Dark Matter” team that created the innovative app, “Accountability Tracker.” The app was developed to help other students establish and track personal and professional goals. The winning app will be displayed in a U.S. Capitol exhibit for a year. This year’s participants included 10 students from Townview School of Business and Management. Each team submitted a user-friendly application that promoted engagement in the Science, Technology,…

Three graduating seniors at Dallas ISD’s Lincoln High School and Communications/Humanities Magnet have committed to extend their football careers beyond high school. On Wednesday, Feb. 3, high school athletes from across the country will sign on the dotted line to officially accept offers to play sports for colleges and universities. On National Signing Day, Dallas ISD student-athletes will be recognized in a special annual ceremony starting at noon at Ellis Davis Field House. One of the seniors – Robert Craddock – is a member of the Football USA team, which is hosting its 2016 International Bowl this week at AT&T…

When members of the Dallas Wind Symphony played songs from the movie “Frozen” for Dallas ISD fifth-graders last year, many of the students began singing along. It was that spontaneous reaction that prompted the band to encourage singing along. This year, the Dallas Winds returned to play concerts in late January for 12,000 district fifth-graders, hoping to inspire them to choose an instrument and join their school bands when they reach the sixth grade. “Can we play music that resonates, that is part of their lives?” asked Dallas winds founder Kim Campbell. Many of the songs were instantly recognizable, from the…