Inside Dallas ISD

“I can’t believe I got the Legos! This is exactly what I wanted!” The sounds of ripping Christmas paper and squeals of delight bounced off the gymnasium walls on Friday as students at Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School opened gifts from their wish lists. Employees from Salesforce, a business management consulting firm, purchased and donated the gifts and smiled wide as they watched the students’ reactions. “The excitement these kids have in their eyes when they open the presents is priceless,” Kiest Elementary Principal Gerardo Hernandez said. Kiest Elementary School counselor Keich Willis and teacher Kaitlyn Carlstrom coordinated the event…

When Rose Amezquita was about to begin attending Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School as a freshman, she worried about how her single mother would be able to afford the school uniforms. That’s when she started to look for a job. Amezquita, now a senior, recalled how her mother wouldn’t let her get a job. She also remembered the teacher who gave her a school blazer as a birthday gift, and another teacher who resewed loose buttons on that blazer, no questions asked. She said her younger sister will begin attending Rangel next year as a sixth-grader, and those worries…

And then there were eight. After the 16 semifinalists delivered their speeches this week, the field was narrowed to eight finalists who will vie for the top prize on Jan. 18, 2019, at W.H. Adamson High School. The finalists are: • Kaiya Hudson, fifth grade, Charles Rice Learning Center • Layla James, fifth grade, Ronald E. McNair Elementary • Jasira King, fourth grade, William Brown Miller Elementary • Tynia Matts, fifth grade,  John Neely Bryan Elementary • Presley Rivers, fifth grade, Harry C. Withers Elementary • Tory Robertson Jr., fifth grade, Clara Oliver Elementary • Kimberli Rouwtt, fourth grade, J.P.…

As someone who grew up without much money, Dallas ISD Police Officer Omar Sepulveda knows what it’s like to be a kid in a family that depends on donations for Christmas presents. Sepulveda, who now serves as an officer at Pinkston High School, has a simple motto: “Every kid deserves a present on Christmas.” Sepulveda is in his fourth year of hosting a toy drive to make his mission come true. “When I started this toy drive four Christmases ago, I thought, ‘I’m not rich, but I think I can make a difference,’” Sepulveda said. “I’m trying to give back…