Inside Dallas ISD

The bright, mid afternoon sunshine slices through thick black curtains. The warm light bathes a group of 30 teens sitting on the floor, each with a script in hand. There is fidgeting and giggling as concentration ebbs and flows like an unpredictable wind that intermittently picks up steam. It’s Tuesday at Marsh Preparatory Academy and Wendy Powell’s advanced drama class is taking first stabs at reading The Outsiders. The roles are just mapped and the classic play, still relevant and controversial decades after its debut, is fresh for these budding actors. The advanced drama class, consisting of seasoned Big Thought…

When Nancy Churnin was writing her children’s book about William Hoy, the deaf Major League Baseball Player who had a significant impact on the sport in the early 20th century, her mind kept returning to the deaf and hearing-impaired students at Stonewall Jackson Elementary. “These students at Stonewall Jackson are living what I’m writing about,” Churnin said. “This book is about the wonderful things that can happen when deaf and non-deaf people work together. Here at Stonewall Jackson Elementary, they live that every day.” Churnin, who is also the theatre critic for the Dallas Morning News, kicked off her school…

Diego, a fourth-grader at Carr Elementary, likes playing video games and sports, hanging out with friends, and watching the Dallas Cowboys (Tony Romo is his favorite player). In other words, Diego is similar to many ordinary fourth-grade boys across the city. However, Diego had to overcome extraordinary challenges after he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014. Diego’s family volunteered to be bone marrow donors and his sister, Erika, was a 100-percent match. Diego had a bone marrow transplant and, by January 2015, was in remission. Diego has been medication free as of Feb. 1. And while Diego is feeling better…

Please note: Dallas ISD recently made it easier for staff and students to access Youtube for professional and academic purposes. Here is how to view the above Youtube video: Staff signed into YouTube with their Google login (district email and EAD password) will have unrestricted access to YouTube. Staff signed into Chrome browser or a Chrome device will not be required to enter credentials for YouTube again, but may need to click the sign in button in the top right corner of the YouTube page to gain unrestricted access. Jaci and Uchenna, two students at Jerry Junkins Elementary, can list…