Inside Dallas ISD

Tony Benedetto said he feels honored and blessed to have been named Dallas ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year. Benedetto, a biology teacher at H. Grady Spruce High School, has several family members who also work in education. “It’s just in our blood, I guess, to just be with kids and to teach and coach and impact those around us,” he said. In addition to being named one of the district’s top teachers, Benedetto and his wife welcomed a second daughter to their family in November.

Santa came a little early at Dallas ISD’s Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Not only did each student receive a gift from their wish list, but Principal Gloria Kennedy accepted a more than $20,000 check to the school. The donations were funded through KLIF’s 28th annual toy drive, which has benefitted MLK Learning Center as well as a school in Fort Worth for the past several years. The station’s effort is spearheaded by Ed Wallace, host of the “Wheels” automotive talk show.

The community and the State Fair of Texas came together to provide 100 percent of seniors at Lincoln High School and Madison High School with the opportunity to complete the Common Black College Application (CBCA) for free. The CBCA provides specific and targeted access to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the nation. The Common Application, while an effective access tool to colleges and universities, is limited in access to HBCUs, which is why this tool is so powerfully unique. HBCUs are institutions that were created in the 1800s for students of color that could not be admitted to traditional institutions due…

Volunteers from KPMG’s Family for Literacy last week distributed three books each to the more than 900 students at L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School. Earlier this year, the Hotchkiss library benefitted from $3,000 worth of books, and the school also received a new container butterfly garden from this district partner. Hotchkiss Principal Cecila Criner confirms how meaningful these resources have been for her students, who often have few books at home. KPMG’s Family for Literacy distributed 25,000 books across North Texas last year and will top that this school year. Knowing that strong reading skills are the basis for future success, and understanding that…