Inside Dallas ISD

Walking into the Obama Male Leadership Academy gymnasium was like entering an arcade with lasers, beams, and sound effects booming from portable gaming station monitors paired with Nintendo switches. Throughout the gym, the monitors were flashing Super Smash BROS. player characters with encouraging words for Dallas ISD high school gamers, such as: “It is not the end of the world if you get launched, so don’t give up.” Obama MLA was one of two Dallas ISD facilities transformed into esports arenas that housed the Spring Smash High School Esports Tournament. Sponsored by Student Activities, the esports tournament was simultaneously held…

With the last day of school in sight, Dallas ISD wants to remind students and families that attendance still matters and to finish the school year on a high note.  A parent’s high expectations can make a positive difference in their child’s academic success. Another basic, yet important way to make a difference in a child’s education is to make sure he or she attends school regularly and on time. In order to receive credit or a final grade for a class, a student is required to attend class 90 percent of the days class is offered regardless of whether…

A senior at W.T. White High School, Helena Aranda embodies what it means to be a well-rounded student. She wanted to live by the words her mother told her: “You only live once and you can never take it back, so try as much stuff as you want and maybe one day it could become your passion.” Helena didn’t waste a minute expanding her extracurricular rolodex in high school. She is currently senior class president, vice president of the Dallas ISD Teen School Board, president of HOSA—Future Health Professionals—and junior varsity cheer captain. Helena is also a member of the…

Guided by local thespians, sixth-grade students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy recently rehearsed for an upcoming student performance of The Aristocats. The opportunity for the students to be led by professionals through their discovery of theater arts came about through a partnership between Dallas ISD and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “The student involvement is an introduction to theater,” said Melanie Dadson, assistant principal at King Arts Academy. “This exposure allows scholars to put their creative touch into a musical that’s been put together by experts. They get to discover their innate ability and the artistic talent…