Inside Dallas ISD

Special contribution by Sherlyn Santana For Health Services Supervisor Rosa Guerrero, student success begins with good health.  From making sure nurses have the resources they need to helping students build healthy habits, she believes school health services play a strong role in every student’s education.  Guerrero said her decision to become a nurse was inspired by her experience as a child. She watched the school nurse at Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School care for the students, staff, and on occasion helped her father who suffered from vertigo. “I still remember her name,” Guerrero said. “Watching her and the way she cared…

Mr. Gobbles used to waddle in line with the kids.  The big white turkey would spot a cell phone, tilt his head just so, and pose for photos like he knew exactly what a selfie was. He followed classes around the Environmental Education Center grounds, a feathered celebrity among Dallas ISD students. Mr. Gobbles is gone now, but his story says a lot about the place Mark Broughton, director of the Environmental Education Center, runs. Animals here are not merely props; they are residents whose lives are interwoven into the daily life of the center and the educational experiences of…

As the principal at Biomedical Preparatory at UT Southwestern, Gina Maffucci leads a campus where students are introduced to bioscience as early as pre-K.  After serving four years as the school’s assistant principal, Maffucci is stepping into her first year as principal, continuing the next chapter of learning at a school she has helped build.  “I was part of the founding team for the school. I helped establish the vision for the school, welcome new families and students, and shape what we wanted the campus to become,” she said.  At Biomedical Prep, students are prepared to become innovative global thinkers…

Everyone knows about band camp, but students who support the band during games also have a summer camp that allows them to hone their skills and make their schools shine. This summer, the Auxiliary Skills Camp at Sunset High School brought together majorettes and color guard performers from across Dallas ISD. These are the students who keep a marching band moving visually: the ones tossing batons into the air, spinning flags, and pulling the audience’s eyes across the field. “Sometimes the majorettes and color guard get overlooked because they are a section in the band, but typically, from a band…