Author: The Hub

All it takes is giving up one Starbucks drink—or a Happy Meal—a month to make a significant difference in a student’s life. That was the main message at Tuesday’s kickoff event for the Stars on the Rise Scholarship Program, which is organized by the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GDHCC) and helps make college possible for deserving students. The kickoff event emphasized how Dallas ISD employees and outside community members can donate a small amount to the scholarship fund and still make a significant impact on a recipient’s life. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa recalled at the kickoff event how, as…

Anne Frank Elementary recently hosted a great family health and wellness event organized by the Physical Education teacher team. An estimated 800-900 people took advantage of the totally free evening. The indoor portion of this year’s Anne Frank Family Fit Night included nearly 30 exhibitors that included health-based grocery stores, fitness centers, local healthy restaurants, Dallas police and fire community outreach, and others. Photo opportunities with wellness mascots and various games turned up the fun, while booth visitors sampled tasty bites and received prizes and coupons to encourage future healthy habits. The gymnasium was full of fitness-based activities, student nurses conducted…

Lindsey Hudman’s job teaching pre-K at Thelma Elizabeth Page Richardson Elementary School is anything but child’s play. She stays up every night going over the next day’s curriculum and thinking about what worked—and didn’t—in the classroom that day. Hudman often talks with her assigned pre-K specialist about best teaching practices, and she always attends the six-week training available to all Dallas ISD pre-K teachers. Given her dedication to her job, Hudman tries not to get frustrated when she hears from someone who thinks pre-K is basically just daycare where young children goof around all day. “Since 90 percent of a…

An anonymous donor has given $1,000 to each of the six Carter High School seniors who recently received full-ride scholarships to attend Texas Christian University. Lara Cardinale, a teacher at Carter who has gone beyond the call of duty, also received a $1,000 check. The six seniors at Carter were awarded the TCU Community Scholarships, each valued at more than $250,000, at a ceremony last week. Tissues were passed out freely as the scholarship recipients, their families, classmates, teachers and staff cried in joy throughout the ceremony. Charity Mason was among the six scholarship recipients. After her mom died four…

Gayle Smith, principal at James Madison High School, joined the Robert Ashley Radio Show on KHVN’s Heaven 97 to discuss the addition of a collegiate academy on the school’s campus. [Listen above as Smith discusses this new educational opportunity at KHVN.] Dallas ISD is expanding college opportunities for students through a partnership with the Dallas County Community College District. In fall 2016, Madison will be one of eight new collegiate academies set to open in the Dallas ISD. All eight academies will make it possible for students to earn up to 60 tuition-free college credit hours or an Associate of Applied Science…

Darandall Riley and his wife worked as contractors on their own home, hand-picking the materials, collaborating on interior design choices and layouts. They put the work into the home because it’s where they planned to raise their future family. But as they settled into the home and their children began school, the Rileys wanted to expose their children to learning opportunities that exceeded sports and music. [See Darandall Riley discuss his family’s transition into Dallas ISD] Though they felt their previous school district was great, the Riley family ultimately came to the decision to sell the home they hand-crafted to…

After 35 years of working in Texas Public Schools, Kyle Richardson, the principal of Woodrow Wilson High School, is retiring at the end of this school year. Richardson has served students and families of Dallas ISD as a teacher, assistant principal, and as the principal of Kramer Elementary School, Marsh Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson High School. Tracie Fraley, executive director of the Woodrow Wilson Feeder Pattern/Townview Schools, sent a note to Woodrow Wilson stakeholders commending Richardson for his exemplary service. “During his tenure, Kyle was regarded as one of the best and most effective principals in Dallas ISD. As…

Due to the generosity of school adopter Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, every student at Lee A. McShan Elementary School received high school shirts last week. Senior leaders from Conrad High School personally delivered the shirts to students and described the high school experience. The “I will graduate” schools shirt program has the goal of reaching all 80,000 elementary students in Dallas ISD. Approximately 30,000 students have received shirts thus far for at least one grade level at 150 campuses. This small gesture is intended to make a lasting impression by giving elementary students a shirt representing their high school on the front with colleges…

The Dallas ISD Special Education Department is hosting a free mini-conference for parents of students with special needs. The mini-conference is happening Friday, April 1, from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center, 8701 Greenmound Ave. The conference will feature different sessions focusing on topics such as asperger’s and high functioning autism, moving through the cycle of grief, and ADHD vs. ADD. The conference will also have sensory stations that will give parents an idea of what it is like to have special needs. Dallas ISD Translation Services will provide simultaneous translation. Dallas ISD Special Education Social Workers will also…

Camp M&M Reloaded – no, that’s not the name of a teen movie sequel. That’s the recently completed spring break extravaganza between Marsh Preparatory Academy and Medrano Middle School. The two schools got together to enjoy a four-day Metroplex excursion that took 60 students, all part of Big Thought’s Thriving Minds program, to a variety of destinations that provided a perfect combo of learning and fun. The camp included four parent volunteers as well as our own Shianne Patrick, Thriving Minds Program Manager at Marsh Preparatory Academy. Social media was always part of the plan – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram…