News Briefs

More than 1,000 students from 14 Dallas ISD schools saw “Hamilton” at Dallas at the Music Hall at Fair Park thanks to valuable partnerships. Serena Connelly of the Harold Simmons Foundation, Dallas Summer Musicals, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the Dallas ISD Visual and Performing Arts and Partnership Services departments made the amazing day possible for the students. In addition to a performance of the musical, students participated in a Q&A with stars of the show and saw classmates from Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts perform a Hamilton-inspired piece on the big…

Military veterans and active duty personnel met with students at Bryan Adams High School as part of Operation Meet a Hero. The 19th annual event allowed students to interview those who have lived through historical events as military members. From World War II to the present day, these heroes used their experiences to inspire and inform the high school students. As a bonus, students met a dog training to help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Captain Diane Birdwell, Major Robert Jeter, Master Sergeant Mario Ordonez and Sergeant First Class Jose L. Guzman of Bryan Adams High School organized the…

Dallas ISD is turning up the heat on learning opportunities this summer by rolling out a brand new type of professional development experience called Learning Academies. Teachers will have it made in the shade for the 2019-2020 school year after they attend one of these conference-style learning academies this June. Attendees will hear from nationally-recognized keynote speakers, engage in a wide variety of breakout sessions, explore thought-provoking demonstration areas, and enjoy multiple types of interactive, hands-on learning experiences. Keitha Shelby of the Dallas ISD Professional and Digital Learning Department called the summer learning opportunities a big upgrade. Next generation learning experiences…

An eighth-grader at Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School won a nationwide essay contest on the Civil War. Dallas ISD and the Social Studies Department asked different campuses to enter the essay contest sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. For winning the essay contest, Eliane Spalding earned $300 and a trip to New York along with her parents and teacher Kenneth Aronhalt for the Lincoln Prize Dinner on April 17. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The…