News Briefs

Eric Schaefer, president of Dallas-based Southwest Media Group, can measure the rapid success of his company in several ways, but one in particular is special to him and his employees. They serve as “reading buddies” for 30 minutes once a week to second-graders at Dallas ISD’s William B. Miller Elementary School. Check out the WFFA-Channel 8 story here.

Four dancers from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts have been accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School. Three Dance seniors: Luke Qualls, Eleni Loving and Jada German, along with 2018 Booker T graduate Erin Brothers, were selected to attend the arts school in New York City. About 8 percent of applicants to Juilliard are accepted each year, and the school takes a limited number of students pursing each discipline. In 2017, five of the 12 male dancers accepted into the first-year program at Julliard were Booker T. Washington students.

Blanton Elementary School hosted their very first AVID Spotlight Visit on March 2. A Spotlight is an opportunity for campuses to share how AVID Elementary has impacted the Instruction, Culture, Leadership, and Systems (AVID Essentials) at their site. Approximately 40 visitors from school districts such as Arlington ISD, Cooper ISD, College Station ISD, attended the event to observe teachers providing best instructional practices. Assistant Principal Edgar Jaramillo led the campus’s event, discussing how AVID has caused a major paradigm shift in the campus culture. The participants also engaged in conversations with students and parents about the program’s influence on school and home. Blanton Elementary School earned six…

Student debaters from the School of Science and Engineering (SEM) made history on March 16 by landing what their coach calls a rare position by placing at the UIL state tournament. They are now preparing to compete at the national level for the second year in a row. The team comprising students Olivia Northcutt-Wyly and Sophie Rahman placed sixth in the Cross Examination category among 6A schools. Their team and another featuring students Juan Diaz and Storm Lasseter, both made the Sweet 16 in the competition – also a first. Lasseter was also awarded the “golden gavel” for being the…