Inside Dallas ISD

On Tuesday, May 3, Paul L. Dunbar Learning Center welcomed its newest “dream court,” thanks to Nancy Lieberman Charities, which partnered with Dallas ISD, Tiger 21 and the Dallas Police Department. This effort was made possible by a $160,000 donation to cover the state-of-the-art outdoor basketball court, a supply of brand new basketballs and hand-painted floor murals with games like leapfrog and hopscotch. More than 15 district campuses have been chosen as recipients of the foundation’s Dream Court™ program, including Stevens Park Elementary School and Jesús Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard in 2021. Paul L. Dunbar Learning Center Principal Alpher Garrett-Jones…

Robert Matthew Bell III is the senior Teen School Board representative for Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) at James W. Fannin. Now in his second year on the board, he was recently inducted into the National Honor Society, is also on the school’s National Academy Foundation advisory board and has been on the student council since his freshman year, when he served as president. A former charter school student, Robert chose to attend Dallas ISD’s IDEA for high school and says, “It was one of the better decisions I’ve made. I’ve been able to meet people in the fields I’m…

For over a decade, every student who is part of the distinguished dance programs at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy and Sunset High School has learned the traditional dances of Mexico, among other cultural dance styles. And earlier this year, after a first-of-its-kind regional dance tournament, both of these neighborhood schools in the heart of North Oak Cliff were deemed to have top-tier Ballet Folklórico programs. The first North Texas Ballet Folklórico Competition (NTBFC) took place in December and January. Middle school and high school teams from several public schools in Carrollton, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Grand Prairie and Richardson entered…

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…