Inside Dallas ISD

Students who were eighth-graders at Quintinilla Middle School in 2007 returned to the school May 2 to pick up and read letters they wrote to themselves 10 years ago. Some students cried; some students laughed; and many students did both. Bill Betzen started the School Time-Capsule Project at Quintanilla Middle School in 2005 while working at the school as a teacher. Betzen has since retired but remains active in Dallas ISD. Due to the overwhelmingly strong interest, Betzen said Quintinilla will have a second reunion on May 15 for those who still want to pick up their letters. The reunion will…

A Dallas ISD teacher saw his suggestion to Gov. Greg Abbott become a reality over the weekend. Eric Hale, a teacher at Burnet Elementary, served on an education panel with Abbott late last year that focused on ways to attract and retain effective educators. At the meeting, Hale suggested that the State of Texas start an annual tradition where it recognizes the best teachers from across the state for going above and beyond in their efforts to help students. Fast forward to Saturday, April 29, and Hale attended a special reception at the Governor’s Mansion honoring more than 100 outstanding…

Recently, the second VEX IQ Adaptive Robotics Scrimmage was coordinated by the Dallas ISD STEM, Student Activities and Special Education departments. Competing were robotics teams from the Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, W.H. Gaston Middle School, J.L. Long Middle School and Sunset High School. Stacy Venson, director of Dallas ISD Curriculum & Instruction, said that the robotics competition benefits students by teaching them social skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, innovative thinking and job skills relating to their vocational goals. In February, the first scrimmage brought the teams together to compete. The program is part…

The Women LEAD (Learn, Excel, Achieve, Dream) scholarship program has awarded five outstanding female Dallas ISD seniors with a total of $40,000 in college scholarships. Founded in 2013 by the Junior League of Dallas in collaboration with Mary Kay Inc., the Women LEAD scholarship program was created to assist female high school students in pursuing their dreams of higher education and to create opportunities for future women leaders. Female seniors from Thomas Jefferson, South Oak Cliff, and Emmett J. Conrad high schools were invited to apply for the scholarships. The 2016-2017 scholarship recipients are 1st place ($15,000) – Alejandra Landa, Thomas Jefferson…