Inside Dallas ISD

Olivia Rodriguez is a staple at the café in the Dallas ISD’s Linus Wright Administration Building. She joined the team in 2017 after years of working in a school cafeteria, where she forged connections with the community and the students because to her, food means family and culture. Rodriguez started in  the Food and Child Nutrition Services Department in 2014 at Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa, M.D. Elementary School. One of her favorite things about working there was the connection she forged with the students who visited the cafeteria daily. “The students would always sing to me when it was my birthday,”…

One can argue that music teacher Andrés Rodriguez is a renaissance man. Among his many roles is teaching modern band and drumline, being the esports coach at his school, hosting a podcast, and performing as a professional musician who emphasizes learning about the richness of Hispanic culture. His path began when Rodriguez joined the orchestra and choir in his elementary school and continued his music education into his high school years. Rodriguez currently teaches pre-K through fifth grade at Arturo Salazar Elementary School, where he has been since 2020. Although he was active in music growing up, being a music…

While families are getting their children ready for school, Miller Wilson and hundreds of Dallas ISD custodians are getting schools and facilities ready to receive students, district team members, and community members. Wilson, who is beginning his third year with the district at Mockingbird Elementary School, normally arrives on campus at 6:30 a.m. When necessary, he gets there as early as 5 a.m. While the hours might be challenging for some, for Wilson, they are fine because every day brings a new opportunity to not only do the work he enjoys but also to see the people he considers to…

This summer, several Dallas ISD team members went above and beyond to assist families facing severe hardships, including lack of electricity, food, hygiene products, transportation, and housing. Just days after school ended in May, many families were severely impacted by a tornado that passed through Dallas. Numerous households were left without electricity or water for days when temperatures climbed into the 100s. The City of Dallas received a report about terrible conditions of several apartment buildings where Dallas ISD families lived, many of whose children attend Charles A. Gill Elementary School. Leslie Cannon, a community engagement specialist for the City…