Author: The Hub

Since she was recruited from the Philippines 27 years ago, Estrellita Perez Richter, a gifted and talented program teacher at Julius Dorsey Leadership Academy, has made Dallas ISD home. Perez Richter came to the United States in 1995 to be a teacher as part of the district’s worldwide recruitment efforts of experienced teachers in response to teacher shortages here. She had been a teacher in the Philippines since 1978 and was teaching English as a second language to Chinese refugees—from 5 to 60 years old—before coming to Dallas. Even though Perez Richter spoke fluent English when she emigrated to the…

Students from seven Dallas County schools and three schools in Tarrant County got a chance to see government in action this spring in a visit to the Capitol in Austin. The 91 student members of Student Voter Empowerment Clubs (SVEC) had the opportunity to observe floor activity in the Texas House chamber, where they saw bills introduced, explained, and debated, and even witnessed the passage of a bill. After the session, the students met with eight legislators or members of their staff to learn about their roles and responsibilities. The legislators included Reps. Salman Bhojani (D-Euless), Victoria Neave (D-Dallas), John…

María “Lupe” Vargas García fue estudiante en W.E. Greiner Middle School Exploratory Arts Academy, y tras una serie de acontecimientos regresó para tomar el puesto como directora de orquesta. Descubrió que en la escuela había instrumentos que podrían utilizarse para formar un programa de mariachis, así que cuando se lo comentó al director, él le dio autorización para poner en marcha el programa después de clases. “Sabía que muchos estudiantes en la escuela eran latinos, así que pensé que esto funcionaría muy bien”, dijo García. “Creí que vendrían unos 10 o 15 niños. El primer día se presentaron alrededor de…

It was a full circle moment for Maria “Lupe” Vargas Garcia, when she first came to teach at W.E. Greiner Middle School Exploratory Arts Academy to be the orchestra director—she had attended the school as a student. When she found instruments at the school that could potentially be used to start a mariachi student program, she approached her principal about the idea and received the green light to start an afterschool program. “I just figured there’s a lot of Latinos in the school and thought this would catch on really well here,” Garcia said. “I expected about 10 to 15…

Estudiantes de sexto grado de Dallas ISD representaron a 20 países en la conferencia Model UN de este año que se llevó a cabo en Ellis Davis Field House a principios de mayo. Antes de la conferencia, los estudiantes trabajaron en el desarrollo de sus habilidades de investigación, oratoria, lectura, escritura, resolución de problemas y participación como ciudadanos del mundo. Llegaron a la conferencia dispuestos a divertirse y a interactuar con sus compañeros para intercambiar ideas y conocimientos sobre sus países respectivos. Los estudiantes practicaron sus habilidades de liderazgo y enseñanza mientras “recorrían” los países representados. “Al participar en la…

Sixth graders from across Dallas ISD represented 20 countries at this year’s Model UN Conference held at Ellis Davis Field House in early May. Leading up to the conference, the students worked on developing their skills in research, public speaking, reading, writing, problem-solving, and participating as global citizens. They came to the conference prepared to have fun and engage with fellow students to exchange ideas and knowledge about their respective countries. The students practiced their leadership and teaching skills as they “toured” the countries represented. “As the sixth-grade students engage at the MUN conference, they begin to understand the necessary…

Convertirse en maestra siempre estuvo en la mente de Allison Eddy, pero hasta que trabajó como maestra suplente fue que se dio cuenta de lo poderosas que eran las conexiones que creó con sus estudiantes. “Fui maestra suplente a largo plazo durante seis semanas, y sentí que era mi salón de clases”, dijo. “Una noche, recibí un mensaje de texto que decía que ya no iba a ser la suplente. Me rompió el corazón. Realmente conocía a mis alumnos, y decidí que no quería que me sacaran del salón de clases nunca más. Así que me inscribí y obtuve mi…

Becoming a teacher was always in the back of Allison Eddy’s mind, but she said she did not take the leap until she became a substitute teacher and saw how powerful the connections she formed with her students could be. “I was a long-term sub for six weeks, and it felt like my classroom,” she said. “Then one evening I got a text that I was no longer going to be their substitute. That broke my heart. I really knew my students, and I never wanted to be pulled from a class again. So I signed up and got my…

Un estudiante motivado para el éxito Eran las 11 de la noche y Benjamin K. ya casi se dormía luego de un partido de béisbol. Quería descansar para el partido del día siguiente, pero su padre lo llamó con una noticia: “Acabas de recibir un correo electrónico que habla de una beca completa”, dijo. Benjamin, estudiante de 12.o grado en Kimball High School, había sido admitido al programa de STEM de Texas Christian University, donde estudiaría ingeniería mecánica gracias a una beca valorada en aproximadamente $300,000. El estudiante no lo podía creer: “Tuve que leer el correo unas 20 veces…

Graduating senior is driven to succeed It was 11 p.m. and Benjamin K. was nearly asleep after a baseball game, resting for the next day’s match-up, when his dad called with some news: “You just got an email about a full-ride scholarship,” he said. The Kimball senior had been accepted into Texas Christian University’s STEM program, where he would be studying mechanical engineering on a scholarship valued at nearly $300,000. “I couldn’t believe it!” Benjamin said. “I had to read the email about 20 times before I could even grasp it. I’ve always dreamed of going to college for free…