Author: The Hub

If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were a candidate for U.S. president, what would he be saying today on the campaign trail? It’s an intriguing topic and one that a number of Dallas ISD fourth- and fifth-graders have recently given a lot of thought. Students from 15 district campuses will recite their essays on the topic at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the semifinals of the annual Gardere MLK Oratory Competition. Dallas law firm Gardere, sponsor of the annual competition, challenged the students to combine their knowledge of current events and their understanding of Dr. King’s life and work…

Mercy Blanco was casually shooting hoops on the playground when some fellow classmates walked by and suggested she try out for the basketball team. Blanco, a fifth-grader at the time, had never seriously considered playing basketball. But she took the classmates up on their offer, made the team, and, by the next year, was running the basketball court. “I just fell in love with the game very quickly,” she said. “I have always liked having to push myself physically and mentally, and I kept on working to become a better basketball player.” Blanco’s hard work has paid off: now a…

Shannon Sanderford, Miss Texas 2015, visited Dallas ISD’s George H.W. Bush Elementary School on Thursday, Dec. 3, to emphasize the importance of reading, math and making good choices. Sanderford used giant Lego blocks – “Legos for Life” – to visually represent how honing each of the three skills can serve as building blocks to success. In talking about each one, Sanderford asked students why would it be important. Many of them showed a career focus even in grades 3-5, providing answers about how each of the three skills will help them in future jobs. Students taking the STAAR test next week…

Trustees gave initial consideration on Thursday to a proposed policy change to require all elementary schools to offer recess at least once a day for students in preK–fifth grade. Trustee Dan Micciche, who is proposing the policy change, said research shows the positive benefits of recess for young students. While many Dallas ISD elementary schools have daily recess, it is not required by district policy. The proposed policy change would also not allow teachers to withhold recess from students as punishment for low-level infractions. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said the district is open to the proposed policy change. He said the…

Students at James S. Hogg Elementary have earned new technological tools to take their computer science skills to the next level. Code.org will present this annual award, which is given to one school in Texas that is committed to computer science student engagement, on Dec. 7. Principal Jairo Casco will use the $10,000 award to give the school a technology makeover. The event coincides with the official kickoff of Computer Science Education Week that is happening Dec. 7-13. “The $10,000 award will help us equip our students with the 21st-century skills that are necessary to succeed in school and beyond,” Casco said. “We are…

The Dallas Morning News has an article on Adamson High School winning a $100,000 grant from Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers Program. The money will go toward new band equipment. Click here for the full story.

Great things are happening in Dallas ISD schools every day. Show and Tell is a weekly feature on The Hub that rounds up some of the news happening across the district into one place. If you have any story ideas for Show and Tell, email thehub@dallasisd.org. Dictionaries donated to Hotchkiss students The Rotary Club of Dallas recently donated more than 130 dictionaries to third-grade students at Hotchkiss Elementary. A member of the Rotary Club of Dallas said the club donates dictionaries to 15-20 Dallas ISD schools every year to encourage students to learn new words. KDFW weatherman visits Anne Frank Elementary Evan…

Families searching for a best-fit school for their students should make definite plans to attend this Saturday’s Magnet and School Choice Fair showcasing the full spectrum of magnet and school choice options. The fair is set from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sat., Dec. 5, at Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St. Magnets and school choice programs have specially designed curriculums fashioned to respond to students’ aptitudes, career interests and learning styles. From middle schools that offer instruction in the arts and STEM to early college programs where students can take college classes while still in high school,…

There are magnet schools and special programs across Dallas ISD to help satisfy almost any career goal, passion or interest students have. One such school is Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard, which gives elementary school students a taste of the arts. Lanier band teacher Shunnesse Allen said that fourth-graders at the school attend various classes on a rotation. They hold and play a variety of instruments to find the one that suits them, then they make the choice. “When they go to middle school, they are usually at an advanced level,” she said of the budding musicians. The school also…

For Sherril English, a graduate of Lincoln High School, 1972, a band director’s life lessons taught her the importance of making good decisions. Coupled with the memories of an incredible mother who instilled in her a strong work ethic, English continues to push toward her goals.  AlumNow, The Hub series that profiles district alumni, connected with English for an update on what she’s been doing. What are you doing now? Since leaving St. Philip’s School and Community Center in 2008 after serving eight years as principal, I have been employed with Southern Methodist University in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School…