Inside Dallas ISD

For Jose Torres, a teaching assistant at W.A. Blair Elementary School, the district’s 2024-2025 theme of “Make it Happen” has been more of an approach to life. He made it happen as a senior in high school when he stepped in to teach a chemistry class and is doing it now as he works on his teaching degree. Torres, who graduated from Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School at El Centro College, loves chemistry. It was through that passion he learned he also loved teaching. When the chemistry teacher moved to teach physics, the chemistry class was…

Angie Baker and Kyria Hart are the dynamic duo of counseling at North Lake Early College High School. Their hard work and dedication not only has had an impact on the daily lives of their students but has also been recognized at a state level. They received the Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students award, which recognizes school counseling programs that support the personal, social, and academic well-being of students. “After working with two graduating classes of students, the biggest impact that I have noticed from our program is the relationship building between counselors and students. Students have a safe space…

Nazira Sahial has created a nurturing environment in her kindergarten classroom at Personalized Learning Academy at Highland Meadows, where students can feel seen and valued. She understands the importance of honoring diverse ancestries, especially her own, which she celebrates during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. At first, Sahial considered pursuing medicine, but she discovered her true passion in education while working as a pre-K aide during her undergraduate studies at Dallas College. “I started to reconnect with a childhood memory of tearing out workbook pages and pretending to be a teacher,” Sahial said. “Something about that…

Firefighters are trained professionals who serve the community by often being the first on the scene in a crisis.  Veteran firefighter, Rhome Calhoun, is not only a role model but is now also an educator as coordinator for Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation’s first dual credit fire academy. In this new role, he is preparing the next generation of first responders by digging into his own lived experience “The goal of the program is to produce students who are competent firefighter EMTs, so that they can go out and get a job anywhere in the state,” Calhoun said.…