Inside Dallas ISD

Meloday Townsel, a teacher at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, needed a fresh new look for her new-to-her classroom. But because she had five different classroom in five years, and because of a limited budget, Townsel was out of ideas. Enter designer David Goltl. Together the pair, along with student helpers, created a space that was quirky and fun for the students’ creative juices to flow, but also organized and functional for Ms. Townsel to do her magic in teaching English and history. Click here for a story as told by The Dallas Morning…

The North Texas area is home to some of the most innovative and highly-regarded venues featuring the arts, culture, history and science, but often these experiences are inaccessible to Dallas ISD classroom students because of lack of funds. To help bridge the gap, Target’s corporate responsibility group offers grant funding. Now through Oct. 1, K-12 educators can apply for up to $700 to support a field trip that provides an engaging learning experience for students. To apply, visit the field trip grants section of the Target website, and be prepared to submit the following: A description of the field trip…

This summer, Humanities Texas selected Skyline High School AP English Literature and Composition teacher Margie Robinson as a recipient of a 2014 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award. Robinson was selected from more than 500 nominations of Texas social studies and language arts teachers. The recognition is another distinction for the NASA project manager turned teacher, who instills a passion for learning in her students. The award is a “pat on the back that all teachers need from time to time,” said Robinson. “But it really speaks well of the students. It’s an award for all of us.” While working at…

Dedication is what retired Dallas ISD Maintenance and Facilities employee Brent Ditmars says kept him on the job for 41 years. Ditmars, who has worked at many Dallas ISD schools, started out painting facilities and then working on wooden floors. That’s when his supervisor,who knew he could draw, asked him to paint the mascots on the floors in the gyms. You can find Ditmars’ artwork in places such as L.G. Pinkston High School, H. Grady Spruce High School and numerous other facilities. He’s proud of the legacy he’s left behind in his work. “I have mixed emotions about it, after…