Inside Dallas ISD

Schools in the Wilmer-Hutchins feeder pattern recently joined together to share why students should choose their dynamic schools that offer significant educational options. The educational choices include career and technical programs such as Wilmer-Hutchins High School’s award-winning culinary arts courses and a new collegiate academy where students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit or an associate degree, at no cost to them, while earning a high school diploma. And that’s not to mention high quality pre-K that prepares young learners for academic success, fine arts, STEM and athletics for all grades that keeps learning fun, teaches teamwork and social skills.…

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…