Author: The Hub

The Dallas ISD Office of Transformation and Innovation received nearly 1,600 applications of students interested in attending one of the district’s four new transformation schools. The window to apply to one of the district’s four transformation schools— D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle School, Solar Preparatory School for Girls at James B. Bonham, Eduardo Mata Elementary, and the Innovation, Design Entrepreneurship Academy at James W. Fannin—was open Jan. 6–29. Mike Koprowski, chief of the Office of Transformation and Innovation, said the number of applications exceeded expectations. “This is the second time we’ve run applications for Transformation Schools. Once again, there is an…

As of this week, Hospitality and Tourism students at Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball High School have collected more than 2,000 pairs of jeans for children, teens and adults as part of the Teens for Jeans project. Daniela Mora, an eighth-grader at Robert T. Hill Middle School, is leading a collection drive at her campus. The jeans will be given to New Beginnings Center in Garland, where they will be distributed to families in need. To donate new or gently used jeans to the cause by Feb. 28, take them to Kimball High School, 3606 S. Westmoreland Road; or to…

What better way to experience solar energy than to be outdoors, surrounded by sunshine? That’s one way the outdoor learning lab at Dallas ISD’s Arthur Kramer Elementary School is being used on a daily basis to boost student learning. The two-year-old lab, funded through donations, has improved science testing scores dramatically at the school. On a recent school day, teacher Renold Bodden led his fifth-graders into the outdoor setting to study solar energy through hands-on experiments. “To be out of those four walls, it seems to lose the sense of being confined, and gives them more of a connection with…

Lunchtime on Feb. 12 could prove to be a much more pleasant experience than usual for hundreds of Dallas ISD’s middle schoolers. With the help of counselors, students at the district’s 37 middle schools are pledging to make their schools kinder, more caring places to learn by inviting everyone to the lunch table on No One Eats Alone Day. A national, peer-led initiative sponsored by the nonprofit organization Beyond Differences, No One Eats Alone Day is aimed at ending social isolation in middle schools and creating a culture in which all kids feel included, valued and accepted by their peers.…

Additional funding for upgrades at South Oak Cliff High School are part of the bond program phasing proposal to be considered by the Board of Trustees during its briefing on Thursday, Feb. 11. The Final Revised Phasing Plan, an outline for projects under the 2015 Bond Program, contains $25 million for South Oak Cliff High School (SOC). That’s up from $13 million in the original plan. The increased spending will be used to complete the original project scope that included roofing and plumbing improvements as well as the following: Create new entrance to the school with a new entrance plaza and…

At Nathan Adams Elementary School, the Year of the Monkey started off in a special way. Monday, Feb. 8, marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. To tie in with lessons with its Explore China Enrichment Program, students at Adams were treated to a traditional lion dance performed by members of the J.K. Wong Kung Fu Tai Chi Academy. GrandMaster Jimmy Wong explained the dance, in which the lion is depicted as eating lettuce, going to sleep, getting excited and then “spitting” lettuce on members of the audience. Those rewarded with the flying leaves are said to have good…

Students are learning almost as fast as cheetahs are running thanks to helpful organizations such as the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and its representative, Caitlyn Beck, who came all the way from Washington D.C. to hand-deliver a treasure trove of sources of data to eager second-grade Gifted and Talented (GT) researchers at Anne Frank Elementary School. Beck, a Constituent Relationship Manager of the CCF, planned ahead for a trip to Dallas where she is working with the Dallas Zoo to bring along many heavy items such as books and magazines for a team of students who are studying cheetahs. The Annual…

The confidence of Dallas Independent School District school-level employees in the direction of the district is at its highest level in two years, according to the most recent climate survey. On the Fall 2015 Campus Climate Survey, the percentage of school staff believing that the district is moving in the right direction is now at more than 63 percent. The response marks a nearly 15 percentage point increase from the response to the same question in Fall 2014. “To be successful in supporting students, we need the buy-in and support of our school staff members. We are pleased our teachers…

Dallas ISD’s third annual STEM Day offered hands-on activities and demonstrations that brought aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to life for students and parents. The free event was Saturday, Feb. 6, at Skyline High School. From robots to critters, from race cars to tiny sailboats, from a fake snow machine to a cloud forming on a classroom floor – there was no shortage of things to see, touch and learn. In addition to a day of sessions for elementary, middle and high school students, STEM Day featured a Vex IQ Robots invitational competition that gave Dallas ISD robotics teams a…

As local hip hop artist Tru Def freestyled over a looped cello riff and an impromptu beat made by a middle-school student, one thing was clear: this Career Day at Alex W. Spence Talented and Gifted Academy was something special. Following the performance, Jordan Cleaver—a Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts grad and classically trained cellist—Tru Def, and members of Tru Def’s entourage, which included a publicist, event organizer, and videographer, talked with students about their careers. They answered students’ questions about how they got to where they are today and shared advice. “There is…