Inside Dallas ISD

Representatives from Dallas ISD, Toyota and Southern Methodist University (SMU) celebrated the one-year anniversary of a public-private partnership to develop a STEM-focused school in West Dallas. The school will begin a phased opening beginning fall 2021. “It is something that our community deserves, and the fact that we’re doing it in West Dallas and that we’re including the West Dallas community in this project is even more powerful,” Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said at the one-year aniversarry celebration held near SMU. Toyota USA Foundation is granting $2 million to SMU’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, which will…

The Dr. Barbara Jordan Elementary School campus library will receive more than 1,000 new books thanks to Whataburger and First Book. The Texas hamburger chain donated more than $70,000 to provide funding for new books to 70 schools in Dallas-Fort Worth. Whataburger partnered with First Book, a non-profit that provides reading materials, educational resources and other basic needs to students across the country. Schools could apply for $1,000 grants that would go toward supplying brand-new books through the non-profit. “From a charitable-giving standpoint, children’s education is one of Whataburger’s charitable pillars,” said Shannon Anderson, Whataburger franchise marketing manager. “It’s really…

F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C! Dallas ISD’s first-ever Middle School Cheer Camp saw more than 100 students from 10 middle schools show their spirit on Saturday, Sept. 7. In addition to learning stunts, cheers and pyramid training, the students gained confidence, leadership skills and team bonding. The Middle School Cheer Camp was part of the district’s goal of getting more kids involved in extracurricular activities. The schools that participated were: William Hawley Atwell Law Academy W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle School J.L. Long Middle School Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory Academy Francisco “Pancho” Medrano Middle School Piedmont G.L.O.B.A.L Academy Seagoville Middle…

Representatives from an engineering firm donated 30 backpacks with school supplies to students at Elisha M. Pease Elementary School. Three representatives from the Harambee leadership team handed out each backpack to a student on Friday. Harambee is the African-American employee network of Jacobs Engineering Group, a global engineering firm with headquarters in Dallas. Harambee hosted its yearly summit in August, where their members decided to do a backpack and school drive. The representatives contacted Dallas ISD’s STEM department. Both entities collaborated to find a campus that had a high African-American student population and a high concentration of underprivileged families. “We wanted…