Inside Dallas ISD

More than 800 students from 42 schools competed in the UIL A+ Middle School Hybrid Academic Competition held on December 11. The academic events included in the online competition were calculator applications, chess, dictionary skills, listening, maps-graphs-charts, math, number sense, science and social studies, and spelling.  The in-person events were oral reading, ready writing, editorial writing, modern oratory, and impromptu speaking.  Top students will receive ribbons for each event.  Ribbons will be sent via district mail. The top-performing schools from each group are listed in the chart below. The campuses that had the most students ranked first or second on…

Marian Jones, a Lakewood Elementary crossing guard, greets every student and many parents by name as they walk through the busy intersection of Sondra Drive and Hillbrook Street.  Jones is just one example of a team of crossing guards and volunteers with a deeply ingrained sense of community that goes beyond ensuring the safe arrival and departure of Lakewood Elementary scholars.  “Some people, you don’t know what they’re going through,” Jones said. “I try to make them feel good and keep hope alive and inspire them. Whatever you’re going through, from the house to here, it’s going to be OK.…

For the past few weeks, employees of Dallas ISD’s Operations Division—bus drivers, cafeteria and maintenance workers and custodians—have been conducting a donation drive to collect items for homeless students. Items ranging from face wash, hand sanitizer, hair products and cosmetics bags to coloring books, journals, socks, gloves, scarves and even earbuds and cable protectors have been donated at seven service centers and Operations facilities. “It’s incredibly generous of our population in Operation Services who really make the least amount of money in the district, yet are providing donations to help those who are in need, especially during the holidays. It…

Although he competed against the best football talent in the world as he became a five-time Super Bowl champion, NFL legend Charles Haley says his biggest challenge was getting his college degree. Haley entered college reading two grade levels behind and struggled to catch up. Now as a retired Hall of Fame player, he is dedicating his life to building a team and working collaboratively to ensure that students at seven Dallas ISD schools don’t fall so far behind. “We need everyone to understand that the biggest social justice movement is to educate kids,”  Haley said. “If you educate kids,…