Author: The Hub

You wouldn’t expect much from someone born and raised in a place called “Nowhere.” But Mohamed Mohamed has made a practice of consistently defying expectations and inspiring everyone who meets him. The fourth of 10 children, W. W. Samuell High School senior Mohamed was born in a Kenyan refugee camp called Kakuma, which translates to “nowhere.” He lived there until 2009, when he moved to the United States. He’s now well on his way to going somewhere, using the adversity in his past as his motivation for lifting himself, and others, up. With a 3.81 GPA, Mohamed is ranked fifth in…

Parents of Dallas ISD students were celebrated at a special event on Wednesday, May 18, for the roles they play in supporting their children’s educations. The All-Star Parents celebration was for parents across the district. Keynote speaker Deborah Ferguson, the morning news anchor from NBC 5, said it was the support she received in a public school system and from her mom that kept her dreams – formed early – of becoming a broadcast journalist. She marked 25 years at the station this year. She quoted Dallas ISD student Dalton Sherman in a speech he delivered to district staff eight…

Melisa Simon is on track to make history for Dallas ISD in more than one way. For starters, Simon is one of the 27 seniors graduating with an Associate’s Degree in the inaugural class of Samuell Early College High School (ECHS). Additionally, this fall she will attend TechTeach, which is Texas Tech University’s teacher education program that prepares students to return to work as a teacher in Dallas ISD. If all goes according to plan, Simon will become the first 19-year-old holding a bachelor’s degree, teacher’s certification, and Dallas ISD teaching job. “I’m excited to show everyone that this is…

Little Kids Rock has supported Dallas teachers and students since the 2007-2008 school year, when the first 24 teachers received training and 500 guitars to start programs in their schools. Because Little Kids Rock believes “playing music is more than fun – it’s transformational”, the non-profit has now provided thousands of guitars, keyboards and stands, drum sets, annual workshops with teacher training and curriculum, with programs in more than 90 Dallas ISD schools. Because of this support to campus music programs through the district, Saturday marked the 8th Annual Dallas ISD Little Kids Rock/Modern Band Jam Summit, and 31 bands…

As a student at W.W. Samuell High School, William Kruse (Class of 1994) made the most of his JROTC experience, and today he credits what he learned in the program for preparing him to serve in the U.S. Marine Corp and putting him on a path for success. As a senior solutions architect for Dell and the owner of his own catering business, Kruse is living life on his own terms and serving others in the process. AlumNow, The Hub feature that profiles district alumni, caught up with Kruse and found him hard at work turning his dreams into reality.…

Fifth-graders Marco Mares of William Brown Miller Elementary School and Lyriq Turner of Charles Rice Learning Center are co-stars in the just-launched mayor’s summer reading club promotional video. The public service announcement, a spoof on the action-packed “24” television series features the two students with Mayor Mike Rawlings and Clarice Tinsley of Fox 4 News. The message to families is to earn prizes and prevent summer learning loss by keeping kids reading throughout summer break. To see Lyriq and Marco in action with their co-stars, watch the above video. At Tuesday’s kickoff of the annual summer reading program, the Mayor stressed…

The Gooch Elementary Rocketry Club took flight at its seventh annual Rocket Blast-Off on Monday. Students launched the rockets they have worked on making every Saturday over the past two months. The project taught Rocketry Club students about the physical concepts of rocketry, the science of flight, laws of motion, and the Pythagorean theorem. The students measured the altitude their rocket flew and estimated its speed. Fellow students cheered on the rocket club members as their rockets shot up into the sky.

What happens when a second-grade bilingual teacher who loves the game of basketball and student achievement has a dream to teach basketball skills to students that do not have access to team play? The magnificent Anne Frank Elementary Basketball Club, which serves students in 2nd and 3rd grade, is what happens. Viviane Demorais-Johnson was awarded a grant on Donorchoose.com for equipment and then recruited a coaching team. Fellow teachers Maria Reyes, David Jasso and William Robinson volunteer their time every Monday after school to get this program off the ground. The membership to the club is free. Students are required to maintain at least…

With graduations around the corner, Dallas ISD has many stories of outstanding seniors. Meet Melissa, a senior at Hillcrest High School. She is one of three Dallas ISD seniors to win the prestigious Sulentic Family Foundation Scholarship. She plans to study psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas so she can help others.

Each year, mountains of student testing data are analyzed to determine which schools are the best at showing exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years or demonstrate that it’s closing the achievement gap. Two schools from each state rise to the top, and this year – possibly for the first time – the two schools in Texas are from a single district. Dallas ISD’s F.P. Caillet Elementary School and Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School are the 2016 National Title I Distinguished Schools in Texas, and only two of 80 schools in the nation to earn the…