News Briefs

As an alumnus of the Science and Engineering Magnet at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, Clinton Blackburn, Class of 2004, found himself with an advantage over some of his peers at MIT thanks to SEM’s tremendous effort to prepare and challenge students to excel. Today, Blackburn is a senior software engineer at edX/MIT who’s not afraid of new adventures as is evident when he’s involved in a favorite, yet daring, pastime. AlumNow, The Hub feature that profiles district alumni, connected with Blackburn who shared advice for students to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and embrace new adventures. What…

Sarah Strother not only made a mark among her peers, by graduating at the top of her class over the weekend, but she also completed a trend her brothers started in 2012. On Saturday, May 28, she was the the last of three siblings to graduate from W.T. White High School, each named valedictorian of their class. The Dallas Morning News recently caught up with Strother and her family on how this tradition became one. An excerpt from that article reads: “I was kind of thinking that Luke could be one, John could be two and I could be three,” she said…

Thursday, June 2, marks the last day of school for students in Dallas ISD, but for a handful of teachers at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School it means it’s the end of a chapter in their careers as long time educators. The Lakewood Advocate published a piece on five Stonewall teachers who will retire at the close of school tomorrow. (Each of whom have worked at the school for more than 30 years!) Congrats on a job well done with Dallas ISD to all of our 2016 retirees. Read the full article in the link below. LINK: Last week of school for…

Khagindra Kadariya’s family came to the United States after living in a refugee camp in Nepal. They had been forced to move from their home country of Bhutan. Having attended Dallas ISD schools since the fifth grade, he said it was at first hard for him to adjust to American culture and learn how to speak English. Having overcome those obstacles, the Emmett J. Conrad High School senior plans to attend the University of Texas at Arlington to pursue a career in the medical field, with a major in science and minor in business. Khagindra is one of seven district…