Inside Dallas ISD

It’s a Monday afternoon at Lincoln High School, and students keep popping in to say hi to Sheila Walker, the school’s community liaison. One student wants to show Walker his new cell phone; another student needs a tissue for his nose; a third students wants to talk about the previous weekend’s prom, which Walker helped set up for and ensure several students had dresses for the big night. Hearing from and helping students is par for the course for Walker, who was recently named the Texas State Teacher Association’s Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year. The award recognizes a…

National Kindergarten Day was Friday, April 21, and it was a chance to celebrate how Dallas ISD kindergarten prepares students for lifelong success. Kindergarten classrooms across the district celebrated by wearing Class of 2029 stickers. Dallas ISD kindergarten is full day, and there are still bilingual options. Dallas ISD kindergarten builds on what students love about pre-K—center-based learning, plenty of time to have fun and play with their peers—while the skills and academic content gets more rigorous. “Even though kindergarten is voluntary, it’s critically important because it gives students the building blocks they need to succeed in life,” said Derek Little, assistant…

Local heroes such as a Dallas Police officer and Dallas Fire Department lieutenant recently inspired more than 350 students at S.S. Conner Elementary School to become the next generation of community heroes. Conn’s HomePlus presented the event coined “Heroes Among Us,” and the furniture and specialty home goods retailer also donated a washer-dryer to the school. “It’s wonderful that our partner Conn’s has taken time out of the day to show our students that we have everyday heroes beyond the sports arena, movie screen and video games,” said Tom Hayden of Dallas ISD’s Volunteer and Partnership Services. “They’ve shown us…

Carlos Hernandez, a Hillcrest student and writer for the Hillcrest Hurricane, the student newspaper, wrote this article. The Hillcrest gymnasium may hardly fit 500 hot, sweaty, and cramped students at any given basketball game or pep rally, but it is filled to the brim with the memories of countless past students and staff. Literally and figuratively, the gym is the heart of the Hillcrest campus; built with the original 1938 front hallway, it has endured five different generations of angst filled teenagers sitting within its walls. To commemorate its 79 years of faithful service to the Hillcrest community, a group of…