Author: The Hub

To go to New York or to not go to New York, that is the question for five students at Thomas Jefferson High School who have been accepted into New York University’s Looking for Shakespeare program. Well, more specifically, the question is whether the students can receive the financial assistance—about $5,000 a piece—to pay for tuition, room and board, and the flight to attend the month-long program. Rachel Harrah, the theatre arts director at Thomas Jefferson High School, said she is trying to help raise the money because of the positive impact the program would have on the students. “This…

Sixty-two deserving high school seniors recently received $2,500 scholarships funded by the Superintendent’s Scholarship Program. One of these students is Erin Choi, a senior at Woodrow Wilson High School. View the above video to learn more about Choi and how you can support the upcoming Superintendent’s Scholarship Run, which provides money for the Superintendent’s Scholarship Program. To register for the run, click here.

On April 30, the Dallas ISD Lean and Green Day will feature a plant-based menu packed with nutrients in all school cafeterias during lunch. The meat-free meal will have a variety of fruit and vegetable options to choose from. Holland Roden, an actress on MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” filmed a video to raise awareness of Lean and Green Day among Dallas ISD students. View the video above.

Typically, Saturday mornings are for catching up on much needed sleep. However, for middle school students who participated in the Region XII seventh- and eighth-grade Pentathlon this past weekend, Saturday was all about academics. The morning started with individual competitions as students tested their knowledge in literature, math, science, and social studies. When it came down to the fine arts category, students intently listened as music flowed through the P.A. system, challenging them to recall music history facts. After all the individual categories were complete and scores tallied, students placing 1st through 3rd earned medals and helped boost their school’s overall Pentathlon scores. The…

Genesis Women’s Center is set to honor W.H. Adamson Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Josh Ragsdale for his efforts to eradicate domestic violence. Ragsdale will be honored May 5 at the Genesis Annual Luncheon, which will feature keynote speaker Maria Shriver. Ragsdale is being recognized for his grassroots domestic abuse awareness efforts that began in the Adamson athletic program and soon spread to other Dallas ISD athletic programs and campuses. Ragsdale call of action was for all men to stand up and pledge to help stop domestic violence. “We began the project wanting to reach men in Dallas,” Ragsdale said in October. “We wanted…

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees honored accomplishments of students and staff at its regular meeting on April 23, 2015. Among them were basketball players, actors and two librarians. The Lincoln High School One Act Play won district in the UIL One Act Play Competition. Jamal Hutcherson won Best Actor; Frederica Williams and Jonathan Brown won Honorable Mention All-Star Cast; and Tre Williams won All-Star Cast. Francheska and Jamichael, both freshmen at Lincoln High School and Communications/Humanities Magnet, filmed and edited a six-minute film that was one of among 20 Dallas-area high school short productions selected to be screened on…

Whether or not it truly takes a village to raise a child, the task is certainly helped by the efforts of thousands of volunteers and organizations that provide support to Dallas ISD schools. April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, a time set aside to thank volunteers and recognize them for their service. Each year, volunteers, organizations and companies that go above and beyond are recognized with special awards. A reception was conducted on Thursday, April 23, to honor the top volunteers and partners. This year’s honorees are: • Susan Smith, Central Elementary School, Volunteer Impact Award for Student Support •…

In appreciation for the company’s help in redesigning the library and parent center at James Madison High School, Dallas ISD recognized Capital One Bank as its 2014–15 Outstanding Business Partner. Madison High School Principal Gayle Ferguson Smith said the redesigned library is an inspirational space that students utilize even in their free time. “It’s now such a comfortable space,” Smith said. Capital One and The Heart of American Foundation also transformed the school’s parent center this school year by removing no-longer-used cooking equipment, rebuilding walls, hiding original piping, and installing new flooring. Volunteers also assembled furniture, loaded bookshelves with resources geared for…

Rhonda Lowrey is new to Texas from South Carolina. She has been volunteering at her grandson’s elementary school, R.E. Lee Elementary, for two years. Lowrey owned a hair and nail salon in South Carolina before her husband was transferred to Dallas for his job. Lowrey is full of energy every morning at 7 a.m. when she starts the car pool line at Lee. The car pool line was Lowrey’s initiative because she noticed the children weren’t dropped off in an organized manner. Lowrey also dresses up as the school’s mascot, which is the cougar. Lowrey said the students know her as MiMi…

Calling all techies in grades K-12: Dallas ISD Health and Physical Education invites you to create and submit digital projects emphasizing health and fitness to the first-ever Tech Fest Media Fair. The media fair/contest is your chance to tell your peers and the public why you value health and fitness and how healthy habits make peoples’ lives better. Students who submit entries in the following categories could win tech gadgets such as pocket projectors, USB flash drives, wristband pedometers, and more. The entries should communicate the importance of physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices and be done in one of the…