Inside Dallas ISD

Four Dallas ISD students competed in the Mayor’s Cup Debate earlier this month, hosted by Mayor Mike Rawlings and the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance. The topic for debate was to discuss whether the United States should raise its refugee admissions ceiling to 75,000. Students debating in support of the statement were Olivia Northcutt-Wyly of the School of Science and Engineering and Asya Taylor of the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet. Debating against the statement were Zoe Osborn and Christian Mendoza of the School for the Talented and Gifted. The judges selected Osborn and Mendoza as the debate winners, while Northcutt-Wyly and…

Skyline High School’s Aspen Challenge Team is working to design a program to support immigrants by gathering valuable resources in one place to welcome them into the community. Their challenge is one of five they could choose in the eight-week competition, in which 20 Dallas ISD high schools are working to create real solutions to real problems. Later in March, the teams will present what they have done and vie for a spot in the finals in Aspen, Colo. “Our goal is to empower immigrants by creating a One Stop Shop Community Resource Fair and Panel Discussion that will connect…

It was a rock-star kind of morning for the Special Olympics team at Victor H. Hexter Elementary School: adoring fans cheering them on, a blitz of media interviews and a victory parade to set the tone for the day. The entire school lined the hallways to give the seven competitors a warm sendoff before the district Special Olympics meet on Thursday, March 6, at Wilmer-Hutchins High School. There were handmade signs, high-fives and the school’s cheerleaders showing their support at Hexter before the students got on the bus. Heidi Zeko, who coaches the Hexter Special Olympians, said the organization is…

Culinary arts students from four Dallas ISD high schools competed recently in the fourth annual Cooking Up Change challenge. Six teams – one from Bryan Adams, one from Conrad, two from Molina and two from Skyline – developed lunch menus featuring an entree, vegetable and dessert. Students prepared sample lunches for five judges and attendees of the Feb. 28 event. The menus were called to be nutritiously sound, fantastically tasty and cost $1.40 or less per serving. “The Golden Threat” from Conrad took the top honors and won a paid trip to the Texas Restaurant Association’s conference this summer in…