Inside Dallas ISD

When Sylvia Lopez, director of Dallas ISD Counseling Services, recently received a letter from the Texas Counseling Association announcing that she was the recipient of the TCA Distinguished Service Award, she was pleasantly surprised. She had no idea she had even been nominated. Described as an “auspicious and fearless leader” by her colleagues, Lopez will receive the prestigious award Nov.13 as counselors from around the state gather at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Lopez’s 38 years of service as an educator (35 of those years have been with Dallas ISD) have been driven by a desire to make a difference in…

Lincoln High School’s Head Girls Basketball Coach Carlesa Dixon returned to her alma mater three years ago with the pride she remembered as a former student and state champion basketball player for the Tigers. Settling into her new position, Dixon noticed the decline in alumni participation at the school—a key factor in the spirit and pride of previous classes and generations of the Lincoln Tiger family. “Coming back to LHS and seeing my home and alumni participation wasn’t as strong, I wanted to bring it back and get alumni involved,” said Dixon. And that she did, taking a major role…

How did your candidates fare in Tuesday’s election? Like most dedicated voters, you probably consider voting an important duty regardless of which candidates won. Some members of the younger set also learned that lesson during the Nov. 4 elections, and they looked happy doing it. The elections were a teachable moment at Cesar Chavez Learning Center as students in grades K-5 learned the importance of marking a ballot and voting their conscience. No matter that the election was to select their favorite teacher and teacher assistant. It was the idea of voting and participating in the democratic process that counted.…

Before you pitch that soft drink can in the garbage, here are some good reasons to recycle it. If, instead of trashing it, you toss that can into a recycling bin, it could be completely recycled and back on the store shelf in just 60 days. Recycling helps to conserve our natural resources and saves energy. Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy required to produce aluminum from raw materials. Recycling protects the environment, reducing greenhouse gases and lessening our dependence on landfills that emit harmful emissions like methane gas into the earth’s atmosphere. It’s this kind of information…