Hello, hola, habari, salam alaikum, and muraho—these are just a few of the greetings spoken by Dallas ISD’s Translation Services team as they assist thousands of multilingual families. With over 10 languages spoken, the team of 30 translators and interpreters work daily to bridge language barriers for students, parents, and more. Spanish is the most requested language, and other frequently spoken languages include Arabic, Swahili, Burmese, and Pashto. Last year, the department provided interpretation services to more than 20,000 parents and translated over one million words. Adriana Saucedo, director of Translation Services, says for most of her team, this career…

From pre to post production and everything in between, students at the Marvin E. Robinson School of Business and Management at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center are involved in all aspects of their school’s podcast. “Sometimes, we’ll take on a production role – controlling the live stream software and editing it afterwards,” said Samantha R. “Other days, I’ll take on a hosting role, where we get in touch with our guests, research them, and generate questions based on their biography. I test and tweak those questions until they’re ready to be asked live. Often, I’ll be on our social media…

In 1988, Conrad Hutchinson Jr., director of bands at Grambling State University, and Richard Johnson, head band director at South Oak Cliff High School, started a fundraiser to buy uniforms for SOC students–unknowingly planting the seeds for a Dallas ISD tradition. “South Oak Cliff is a very storied school, especially when it comes to the band program,” Le Manuel Williams Jr., SOC director of bands, said. “You can’t have a conversation about the battle of the bands without mentioning South Oak Cliff because they were the trailblazers for this whole movement.” Williams remembers competing in the Dallas Bands United Battle…

Rocio Castillo, a translator and interpreter in Translation Services, knows first-hand that it can be difficult to juggle work and children–but it is possible to help them live life to the fullest. Castillo’s son, Malachi, is 18 years old and a 2024 North Dallas High School graduate. He is blind and has other disabilities, but that doesn’t stop him from living a life full of joy. “Malachi wakes up smiling every day,” Castillo said. “So that really affected me in a way where I decided that I was going to stop being sad about all the things that he can’t…