News Briefs

Dallas ISD high school girls learned firefighting and life lessons at Camp LADDER, a one-day and one-night camp hosted by the Dallas Fire Department. The core of the program is to teach leadership skills and self confidence. The program gives girls insight into the male-dominated firefighting profession to help their career aspirations and in life. See the full NBC story here.

On Thursday, Dec. 8, Dallas ISD will hold a bid preview session to provide information to construction firms interested in submitting bids for work related to the 2015 Bond Program. The meeting will feature an overview of the projects in the first phase of the $1.6 bond program and explain the competitive bidding process. Phase 1 includes $272 million in projects, including 19 school renovations, four classroom additions to existing schools, and three new schools. The bid preview session is set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at Jose “Joe” May Elementary School, 9818 Brockbank Drive. The district’s…

Three students from Oliver W. Holmes Humanities/Communications Academy who spent part of their summer at Space Camp attended a luncheon on Nov. 9 to thank the law firm Fish & Richardson for paying for their adventure. Fish & Richardson provided a scholarship so students Bryce Brown, Caleb Simmons, and Francisco Silva could attend the six-day camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama. During the lunchoen, students told employees of Fish & Richardson all about their adventures. At the camp, the students worked toward earning an all-blue space suit each camper received at the end of the program, from…

The chess club at Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center didn’t have many expectations going into the recent districtwide elementary school chess tournament. Only two of the students on the team had played chess before this school year. But, after learning and quickly improving at the game during the chess club, the team went on to win eight matches, including one player earning the silver medal. “I was just blown away at how quickly these kids have picked up the game, and how well they did at the tournament,” said Ryan Brown, a third-grade teacher and lead of the school’s…