Written by Aileen C., Dallas Education Foundation Social Media and Marketing Intern Last March, the library at Hillcrest High School was buzzing with students – this time not reading books, but instead displaying their original creations for Texas Art Education Association Big Art Day. Karleen Hesselbacher, art teacher at Hillcrest High School, used her Heart of Teaching grant, to bring back the ceramics program for Hillcrest and give students creative opportunities to showcase their art. Terrence Florie, the principal at Hillcrest High School, wanted to restart the ceramics program since the COVID-19 pandemic, and with support from the Dallas Education Foundation,…

Geovanny N. is thriving at Thomas Jefferson High School. “This is the school that’s going to nurture me for when I go to college,” he said. “I want people younger than me to see that there’s an opportunity to better themselves and further educate themselves.”  A former private school student, the freshman enrolled at Thomas Jefferson because the campus offered a wider variety of academic and personal growth opportunities than the school he attended previously.  Now at Thomas Jefferson, Geovanny takes advantage of every opportunity he can, whether that’s participating in clubs and sports, or enrolling in programs and classes…

Inside the pages of her new book, “Namaste Y’all,” Margaret B. Henderson teacher, Smriti Adhikary tells the story of Gayatri, a young girl adjusting to life in the U.S. after moving from Nepal.  At the same school, fellow author and school librarian, Kena Sosa, is guiding Adhikary through her journey as a new author. “I am thrilled to be working with another author. We have talked about how to arrange book signings and what inspires her writing. She has so many stories to tell. I hope she feels inspired to keep writing,” Sosa said. “Being an author is a cycle…

Ariana S., a senior at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center, is increasing voter turnout in her community through the launch of her nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, Gen-Z Votes. “It was made in response to the low turnout numbers in my community. Basically, I started conversations about getting involved in politics,” she said. “When I saw a really positive response, I started reaching out to other people from around the country to see if they wanted to start leading these conversations in their community and raising turnout numbers nationwide.” After interning with a voting nonprofit over the summer, Ariana was invited…