News Briefs

Students from 104 schools were able to showcase their chess skills while competing against their peers at the first-ever multi-location elementary chess tournament, held at Thomas Jefferson High School and Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy. Almost 1,600 young chess players from grades kindergarten to fifth- grade participated in three rounds of chess. The students were a mix of experienced and new players, with some showing off their advanced chess skills, while others were just learning the game. The atmosphere was electric as the young players competed in hopes of winning top prizes. Overall, there were 159 individual gold medal winners,…

Students from seven Dallas County schools and three schools in Tarrant County got a chance to see government in action this spring in a visit to the Capitol in Austin. The 91 student members of Student Voter Empowerment Clubs (SVEC) had the opportunity to observe floor activity in the Texas House chamber, where they saw bills introduced, explained, and debated, and even witnessed the passage of a bill. After the session, the students met with eight legislators or members of their staff to learn about their roles and responsibilities. The legislators included Reps. Salman Bhojani (D-Euless), Victoria Neave (D-Dallas), John…

Sixth graders from across Dallas ISD represented 20 countries at this year’s Model UN Conference held at Ellis Davis Field House in early May. Leading up to the conference, the students worked on developing their skills in research, public speaking, reading, writing, problem-solving, and participating as global citizens. They came to the conference prepared to have fun and engage with fellow students to exchange ideas and knowledge about their respective countries. The students practiced their leadership and teaching skills as they “toured” the countries represented. “As the sixth-grade students engage at the MUN conference, they begin to understand the necessary…

Dallas ISD’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics League teams have experienced great success this year. FIRST has several levels of competitive robotics and several of the district’s teams have flourished at all levels with advances to regionals, state, and the World Championship. FLL Explore (K-3) Elementary World Bid Gilbert Cuellar Sr. Elementary School’s “LEGO Elites,” team #27819, won the Challenge Solution Award at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Explore World Championship held in Houston last month. The Challenge Solution Award is given to teams with excellent problem-solving skills to create innovative and helpful solutions to…