Inside Dallas ISD

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 EMT’s, so that they can go out and get a job anywhere in the state,” Calhoun said.…

When Dallas ISD announced that it acquired 17 electric school buses, Ansley Carlos, bus driver for both Solar Preparatory Schools, never imagined she would be driving one. In fact, had you asked her if it were something she would be open to, she would have balked at the thought.   “I just knew I wasn’t going to understand anything,” Carlos said. “I wanted nothing to do with it.” The district, however, had other plans. Just this past January, Carlos received training in the safe operation of electric buses, including behind-the-wheel instruction and charging procedures. “Our team went through rigorous training by…

For the past three years, Lashonda Roberson has served as the librarian at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center. With two decades of experience in Dallas ISD, she is now focusing on preparing students for their next big leap in education. “Once I got into education, I realized all the important things that teachers do to establish foundations for students,” she said. “I began to realize how passionate I was about education and that it was a pathway to helping the community. I became a lifelong learner.” After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University, Roberson became a 7th-grade…

Robin Pattillo is the heart of Lakewood Elementary School’s largest classroom, the library. She has served as the school librarian for two decades, managing the sunlit space and engaging students in reading and storytelling. “I love being in the library because it’s a place where the kids have a little bit more freedom to learn about what they are interested in. I love seeing their growth as that changes through the years,” she said. Growing up with two teachers as parents, Pattillo spent most of her childhood in classrooms. This early exposure to learning laid the foundation for her lifelong…