Author: The Hub

As Dallas ISD football programs welcome their student-athletes back onto the field, the district’s coaches and athletic training staff are working together to ensure student-athlete safety is a priority during the soaring summer temperatures. Heat illness is the leading cause of preventable illness in high school athletics. And high-intensity outdoor sports during the summer months poses the greatest risk for these heat-related issues. Dallas ISD’s top athletics trainer, Phil Francis, advises coaches, parents and student-athletes to be proactive when returning to sports activities and training. Last year, the Dallas ISD Athletics department placed licensed athletic trainers (LAT) at each of…

Danielle Petters, who is going into her first year as principal at H. Grady Spruce School, is no stranger to providing stability at a Dallas ISD school with a historically high principal turnover rate. Petters spent the past seven years as principal at J.L. Long Middle School where, before her, there were 12 principals in 24 years. After meeting with teachers, staff and community members involved with Spruce, which is located in Pleasant Grove, Petters is optimistic about the upcoming school year. “There is a tremendous team in place here that is willing to go above and beyond to help…

Approximately 400 Dallas ISD campus office managers, financial clerks and select central administration staff are learning ways to better support the district’s departments and schools through a specialized training happening this week at Skyline High School. At the Finance and Accounting Services Division’s (FASD) Business Academy, administrative staff are receiving professional development from different district departments, including FASD, Volunteer and Partnership Services, and Food and Child Nutrition Services. The training includes hands-on instruction and computer-based training relevant to the roles and responsibilities of those in attendance. “We have central and campus-based staff learning about updates to payroll, accounts payable, and various other…

Want to see Dallas ISD Police Chief Craig Miller do the Nae Nae, which, according to Buzzfeed, is an “easily modifiable celebratory dance?” Miller did the dance after video surfaced of Dallas Police Chief David Brown doing the Nae Nae, according to the Dallas Morning News. If you want to see Miller’s moves in action, courtesy the Twitter feed of Dallas ISD Trustee Miguel Solis, click here.

Eighteen Dallas ISD football teams are hitting the gridiron this week for the start of practice, and each team has the same end goal: win the State championship. Though most football programs no longer participate in two-a-day practices, football teams go through strategic daily workout schedules that incorporate strength training, conditioning, and fundamental position. “Two-a-days practices are virtually a practice concept of the past and very few schools practice twice a day any longer,” said Phil Francis, Dallas ISD’s head athletic trainer. “It is now widely understood that the excessive duration with exposure to the ambient temperatures and humidity can cause heat-related illness.” The…

The 2015–16 school year will start for students Aug. 24 and end June 2, 2016. The calendar calls for teachers to report for the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 13. Other important dates of the approved calendar, which includes 175 days of instruction, include: Campus staff development: Aug. 17–21 Labor Day: Sept. 7 Fair Day: elementary – Oct. 9 and secondary – Oct. 16. Note: Two fair days are scheduled at the request of the State Fair of Texas to accommodate the district’s 160,000 students. First semester staff development days: Oct. 19 and Nov. 9 Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 25 –…

Jefferson Stein is a young, up-and-coming director whose pursuit of happiness has garnered a lot of buzz in the world of indie films and commercials. Since graduating from Hillcrest High School in 2007, his path has led him to a storyteller’s life. Stein took a few minutes to bring us up to speed on what he’s been up to. What are you doing now? I’m a filmmaker. My latest short film, “Tumble Dry Low,” premiered on the festival circuit in January of this year and has played at 20 film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. We screened in competition at the…

Few educators have more opportunities and authority to impact their students than coaches. Dallas ISD’s Athletics Department wants its coaches to maximize their ability to help students excel. That’s why the district’s 900 coaches and athletic coordinators are gathering this week to get the entire team on the same page regarding their mission and potential to shape the students they serve. This Friday, August 7, the Dallas ISD Athletic Department will host a back-to-school teambuilding event at Emmett J. Conrad High School for all the district’s athletic leaders. Director of Athletics Gil Garza says the event is meant to inspire…

There’s nothing quite like having one of your own in the limelight. When retired NFL great Tim Brown is formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, lots of local fans will share the pride of his accomplishment, not the least of them being Dallas ISD, which is where Brown got his start. Many in Dallas ISD praise Brown—an alum of Woodrow Wilson High School, graduate of Notre Dame University, Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL record-holder—as a hometown success story. In an extensive Dallas Morning News profile, Brown, the first and only Dallas ISD grad to go into…

Imagine Science Dallas, which is one of three national pilots to engage students in STEM outside school, is wrapping up a successful summer program in Dallas ISD. The camp encourages predominately minority, low-income children ages 8 to 14 to explore science, technology, engineering and math education. The Dallas Morning News profiled Imagine Science Dallas, and you can read the story here. Photo courtesy Dallas Morning News