Inside Dallas ISD

W.H. Adamson High School head drum major David Reynoso was about to help lead a marching band performance last year when his marimba literally fell apart seconds before he was scheduled to perform. Reynoso barely put the marimba back together in time for the performance, which he then spent worrying whether his instrument would fall apart again. But now, thanks to the $100,000 Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers grant the Adamson band received yesterday, broken instruments will be a problem of the past. And for students such as Reynoso, new instruments for the school band means focusing on what matters…

Corporations and civic organizations collaborated to provide on-the-job learning last summer to more than 300 Dallas students as part of the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. Thanks to a $175,000 donation from JPMorgan Chase & Co., at least 50 additional opportunities will be available this summer. A host of dignitaries, along with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, participated in a special kick-off event on Nov. 30 at North Dallas High School. The goal of the event was to encourage qualified students to register for the 2016 edition of the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. Hinojosa, in a…

As students filed into the Adelle Turner Elementary School cafeteria, they ran over to the empty tables topped with college pennants from schools across the country. Excited third-, fourth- and fifth-graders rapidly discussed where they planned to go college—Texas A&M, University of Texas, and the University of Chicago were among the top choices. “Oh, I want to be a Longhorn,” said one fourth-grade boy. “Well, I’m going to Prairie View A&M University,” another student emphatically replied. The students then sat down to draw and color their own pennants provided by the African American Success Initiative (AASI), a program aimed at closing…

Claudia Castro has made self-improvement a life habit. “I have always valued life-long learning, pursued personal growth and have had a deep desire to become better each day, not just professionally, but as a person,” said Castro, a self-contained kindergarten teacher at Larry G. Smith Elementary School. “As a teacher who is passionate about teaching young children, I feel a strong commitment to reach excellence so that I can make a positive impact in my students’ lives and in my community.” Castro was one of more than 245 Dallas Independent School District teachers who applied for the opportunity to attend…