Author: The Hub

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…

Students and staff at James Bowie Elementary unveiled a new fitness center this week that was funded with winnings from the national TV game show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” The Bowie Bobcat Fitness Center features treadmills, bicycles, a ping-pong table, and more, and it’s open to students, staff, and the greater surrounding community. Bowie was able to open the in-school fitness center after the school’s fourth- and fifth-graders appeared on the TV game show in June. “This fitness center will help us continue to promote a culture of health here at Bowie Elementary,” Principal Caroline Wilson said.…

Students and staff have come together at Dallas ISD’s Thomas Jefferson High School to boost school pride and school spirit. Principal Sandi Massey can pinpoint the catalyst. “One of the things that makes Thomas Jefferson High School really unique is the fact that we have student leadership really promoted on our campus,” Massey said. In the Master Leadership Class, students earn the right to attend the program by having great attendance, good behavior and maintaining passing grades in their classes. The Ambassador program requires students to mentor freshmen, and gives them the chance to meet with company and community leaders.…