Author: The Hub

The Dallas ISD Superintendent’s Scholarship Run, set for May 16 is a good cause for anyone looking to support deserving high school seniors. Proceeds from the run will benefit the Superintendent’s Scholarship Fund, which has provided more than $2 million in scholarships to almost a thousand district seniors since 2000. The run, which will begin and end at Woodrow Wilson High School, will be a family-friendly event for runners, walkers, and even spectators, so it’s definitely a worthy cause. But what’s that you say: you’re not a runner? Well, this event could serve as the perfect incentive to kick off your…

Between 2009–10 and 2013–14, the number of career certifications received by district students rose from 177 to 1,683, an increase of more than 850 percent. And with increasing the number of Career and Technical Education (CTE) certifications a goal of Destination 2020, the district’s plan to raise student achievement for all students, Richard Grimsley, Dallas ISD director of career education and workforce partnerships, said the aim is that students earn 4,000 CTE certificates by 2020. Specialized CTE courses are offered at every Dallas ISD middle and high school. The courses, which range from horticulture to automotive tech and cosmetology, give student an opportunity…

A caped-crusader stopped by Highland Meadows Elementary School to enlist students to help save the Earth from the evils of pollution and wasteful habits. Among Mr. Eco’s environmentally conscious rap songs was encouragement to avoid single-use water bottles with “Bottles are for Babies” and to be kind and respectful of animals as “Wildlife Warriors.” He urged students to recycle with “Recycle Robot” and deputized them to be Eco Heroes with the “Ecohero Anthem.” His visit helped kick off Earth Month, which is 30 days of raising awareness about what individuals can do to make a positive global impact on the…

The sultry sounds of the alto saxophone is what made dozens of ears perk up, while finger snaps (an artful expression of applause) filled the room during a recent performance by the Bryan Adams High School’s Jazz Ensemble on March 28. For nearly two decades, aspiring jazz artists have gathered for the Dallas Music Educators Association Jazz Festival hosted at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center campus. The DMEA Jazz Fest has cultivated many successful musicians, including many of the band directors who have come back to teach within Dallas ISD. This year, 15 jazz bands across Dallas ISD featured…

As students this week take the STAAR exam, campus test coordinators have a new resource—five, to be exact—to help the process go as smooth as possible. Dallas ISD this year has five new districtwide testing coordinators who are on call to help the campus test coordinators at every school. The campus test coordinators are encouraged to call the districtwide testing coordinators, each of which is assigned to one of the five district divisions, with any question regarding the administration of the test, from test security to online test setup. Previously, there was only one specialist to support more than 200…

Dallas Morning News spotlighted a film by Francheska Johnson and Jamichael Morgan, freshmen at Dallas ISD’s Lincoln High School and Communications/Humanities Magnet, that is screening next week at a film festival. The Blue Ribbon, the students’ film, is about a destructive relationship between a father and daughter after the death of their wife and mother. The film is screening as part of the North Texas High School Shorts at the Dallas International Film Festival. The screening is scheduled for April 12 at 4 p.m. at Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 N. Field St. To read the great Dallas Morning News profile,…

If a room is filled with 30 children with autism, Theresa Shattuck, Dallas ISD autism program supervisor, is quick to point out that the room is filled with 30 unique individuals who have their own personalities and talents. With April being National Autism Awareness Month, Shattuck said the conversation is moving from understanding the research and basics on autism to increasing appreciation for the skills that people with autism bring to the community. “You can’t just pigeonhole people with autism,” she said. “Each person has so much to offer, no matter the diagnosis.” Dallas ISD has more than 1,000 students…

After retiring from Dallas ISD—having worked as an English Language Arts instructional coach and teacher— in 2013, Valerie Wright-Fleming soon began volunteering for the district one year later. Wright-Fleming learned through her church that R. C. Burleson Elementary was in need of volunteers to read to students for Dr. Suess’ birthday and has been volunteering ever since. As a retired educator, Wright-Fleming engages primarily with fourth-grade students and helps with their writing. Sharing the joy with students who have achieved a goal they have been striving toward and helping the teachers make student success a reality are what make volunteering a…

The National Center for Urban School Transformation has named four Dallas ISD schools as ranking among the highest performing 24 urban schools in the country. Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary School, John Q. Adams Elementary School, Walnut Hill Elementary School, and John J. Pershing Elementary School are recipients of the 2015 National Excellence in Urban Education Award. The schools will be formally recognized at the Excellence in Urban Education National Symposium being held May 21–22 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas. Dr. Lynne Perez, associate director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), said NCUST started its award program in…

After completing the Distinguished Teacher Review application process, Erin Elliott, a kindergarten teacher at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School, caught up with The Hub about her experience. The Hub originally talked with Elliott in December as she entered the DTR application process. To view that original interview, click here.