Inside Dallas ISD

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, in partnership with the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) and Hold On To Your Music, is sponsoring the first-ever City-Wide Read and Performance this fall for approximately 12,500 fifth graders, as well as students from several of the city’s Jewish schools. Students will read The Children of Willesden Lane, a true story of inspiration and perseverance in a time of war, and attend a musical performance by the author, Grammy-nominated classical pianist Mona Golabek. The Children of Willesden Lane tells the story of Golabek’s mother, Lisa Jura, a 14-year-old Jewish musical prodigy…

Mark Twain Leadership Vanguard scored a visit from Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr as part of Principal for a Day. Carr, whose mother was an educator, toured the school and talked with teachers and staff on Monday morning. Carr is the founder of the Carr Cares Foundation, which promotes literacy and physical health. More than 200 business and community leaders led schools across the district as part of Principal for a Day. Dallas Regional Chamber and Capital One help sponsor the great annual event.

REAL School Gardens and Vizient recently teamed up to install a new outdoor garden/classroom at Stephen C. Foster Elementary. REAL School Gardens aims to create learning gardens that grow successful students. Meanwhile, Vizient, Inc., based in Irving, is the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country, serving academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, and community hospitals, among others. REAL School Gardens and Vizient had previously teamed up to beautify DeGoyler Elementary. Photos courtesy Bethany Erickson.

Meet Giovanni (“Gio”) Cischke, an eighth-grade student at Benjamin Franklin Middle School and a Boy Scout working on becoming an Eagle Scout. As Benjamin Franklin celebrates its 60th year and transitions into being an International Baccalaureate Program school, Cischke wanted to contribute something back to his school, its staff and his fellow students. For his Eagle Scout Project, Cischke decided he would paint his school’s six sets of entrance doors, all the exterior hand railings, and the information sign post. With the help of his Principal, Joseph Sotelo, he contacted Jane Didear with Dallas ISD’s Volunteer and Partnership Services department, to obtain…