Inside Dallas ISD

Nazira Sahial has created a nurturing environment in her kindergarten classroom at Personalized Learning Academy at Highland Meadows, where students can feel seen and valued. She understands the importance of honoring diverse ancestries, especially her own, which she celebrates during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. At first, Sahial considered pursuing medicine, but she discovered her true passion in education while working as a pre-K aide during her undergraduate studies at Dallas College. “I started to reconnect with a childhood memory of tearing out workbook pages and pretending to be a teacher,” Sahial said. “Something about that…

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 EMTs, 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…