Inside Dallas ISD

Ninayo habli njema! That’s the Swahili translation for “I have good news,” and it’s true! Dallas ISD Translation Services has expanded the number of languages available to serve district students and parents. American Sign Language, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda and Swahili have been added to Arabic, Burmese, Chin, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish — languages that were already offered by the department. Enrollment records reflect that more than 67 languages are spoken in the homes of district students. Go here to learn more about Translation Services, which provide free services to Dallas ISD schools and departments.

Lizbeth Alonso, a student at the Solar Preparatory School for Girls, has many reasons she is thankful to be bilingual and biliterate. For one, knowing two languages is a “mini-superpower” that lets her communicate across cultures. And two, her first-place essay on why she is proud to be bilingual has earned her an all-expense-paid trip to the 2018 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) conference in New Mexico. While Alonso is honored to attend the conference and be named the 2018 NABE Billingual Education Elementary School Student of the Year, she is most excited for the trip itself. “I’ve never…

Sunset High School is one of the first in the nation to receive a recognition for campuses that are helping end littering, improving recycling and beautifying communities. Earning the designation of a “Keep America Beautiful” school is a big honor for Sunset High School, according to Brenda Finch, executive director of Keep Dallas Beautiful. “Keep Dallas Beautiful is proud of the work Sunset High students and their facility advisers have done to be recognized as a Keep America Beautiful School,” Finch said. Sunset High School seniors Danielle Herrera, Jannet Diaz and Victor Rodriguez serve on the Keep Dallas Beautiful Youth…

Can you spell F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C? These 18 Dallas ISD students who have advanced to the County Spelling Bee sure can! The students, who were the top spellers at the districtwide spelling bee that featured 138 students from 77 schools, will compete Feb. 22 at Studio Movie Grill, 10110 W. Technology Blvd. The students will compete for a chance to win more than $50,000 in scholarships and prizes at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The top Dallas ISD spellers are: Jaime Pacheco Dallas Environmental Science Academy William Jurek Rosemont Elementary School David Cazares Dallas Environmental Science Academy Brandon Patterson Barack…