When Mark G. Meadows walks onstage as music director for Tony Award–winning actress Cynthia Erivo, he’s responsible for every detail the audience never sees, but always feels.  Long before national stages, attention to musical chemistry was formed in a Dallas ISD classroom. Back then, Meadows spent much of his time practicing piano as a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While several teachers there shaped Meadows as a musician, it’s the memories he made with his peers that stand out most.  He remembers freestyle rapping in class with his friend, Marc Rebillet and…

At Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, dancers are breaking barriers. “I love the idea of being a Black dancer on pointe. We don’t see that a lot – especially people our age who are dancing in the lead roles adults do,” said Azaria B.  Azaria, along with Aniyah W. and Micah W. are lead dancers in the Espresso Nutcracker.  Produced by Dallas Black Dance Theatre, the performance features over a dozen dancers from Booker T. Many are upperclassmen who are taking on leading roles like the Sugar Plum Fairy, Chinese Tea, Dance of Reed-Pipes,…

For Mariele M., leadership is all about being a role model. “It means always doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. It means helping  others and showing kindness to everyone, even if you don’t know them.” A sixth grader at George H.W. Bush Elementary School, Mariele’s voice can be heard during the morning announcements, a task she takes seriously.  “I notify everyone about what they need to know in the morning,” she said.  Morning announcements are just one of the responsibilities students at Bush Elementary take on throughout the day.  Every classroom has a chart with different…

Dallas ISD students will once again take center stage in the 34th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, presented by Foley & Lardner LLP. The competition, which celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., invites fourth- and fifth-grade students to showcase their writing and public speaking skills through original speeches inspired by King’s teachings. Each year, students craft and perform three- to five-minute speeches based on a selected prompt. This year’s topic asks competitors to reflect on King’s continued relevance. The prompt is: “As a student of Dr. King’s life, what message of hope do you think he would…