Inside Dallas ISD

Siemens today announced it will launch a laptop donation program, the latest company initiative to address equity in underserved communities.  Siemens chose the Dallas Independent School District’s Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA) at Fred F. Florence Middle School as the inaugural recipient. The donation will help ensure students can continue their education in virtual learning environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is critical that all Dallas students have the tools they need to succeed in a fast-changing world,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. “I am grateful that Siemens has stepped up to help close the digital divide by donating…

Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard is accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year until February 7. Visit www.dallasisd.org/lanier to learn more. When active PTA mom Jamie Nelson learned there was a vacant theater teacher position at Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard, where her two sons attend, she immediately told the principal she was stepping in.  Starting in the late Fall of 2019 as a volunteer, Nelson finalized her alternative teaching certification over winter break and was officially hired in January 2020, putting to good use her bachelor’s in drama and MFA in sound design as Lanier’s theater teacher.  In addition…

Mark Twain School for the Talented & Gifted is currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year. Visit www.dallasisd.org/twain to learn more. When COVID-19 turned the world upside down last March, Pamela Rambert knew she needed to completely change how she operated the library at Mark Twain School for the Talented and Gifted. E-books were a big part of Rambert’s solution in getting literature into the hands of her students. Every student has access to eBooks and audiobooks through Sora, a student reading app. “Before Covid, we touched on eBooks every now and then, but now it’s a big push,”…

Fifteen-year-old Zimaya Propes fits the description of a natural-born athlete. Throughout her school career, Propes has played basketball, volleyball, and run track.  But it is in her primary sport of swimming that she excels. Zimaya is a tenth grader at the School for Health Professions at Townview and a member of the swim team at her home campus, Lincoln High School. She recently turned heads at the UIL District 12-5A Swim Meet, outperforming her competitors with a time of 30 seconds in the 50- meter race, her signature event. Combined with a victory in the 100-meter, the performance made her…