News Briefs

The Budget Services division of the Dallas Independent School District has been awarded the Meritorious Budget Award for its 2015-2016 budget from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). To earn the award, the district followed rigorous guidelines for effective budget presentation, including meeting stringent criteria and adhering to the principles and standards of the organization. According to the ASBO, “The budget is an outstanding document which includes a wealth of information in graphic and narrative form.  The document is user-friendly for the average taxpayer with an abundance of data presented in different forms to meet the needs of…

As of this week, Hospitality and Tourism students at Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball High School have collected more than 2,000 pairs of jeans for children, teens and adults as part of the Teens for Jeans project. Daniela Mora, an eighth-grader at Robert T. Hill Middle School, is leading a collection drive at her campus. The jeans will be given to New Beginnings Center in Garland, where they will be distributed to families in need. To donate new or gently used jeans to the cause by Feb. 28, take them to Kimball High School, 3606 S. Westmoreland Road; or to…

What better way to experience solar energy than to be outdoors, surrounded by sunshine? That’s one way the outdoor learning lab at Dallas ISD’s Arthur Kramer Elementary School is being used on a daily basis to boost student learning. The two-year-old lab, funded through donations, has improved science testing scores dramatically at the school. On a recent school day, teacher Renold Bodden led his fifth-graders into the outdoor setting to study solar energy through hands-on experiments. “To be out of those four walls, it seems to lose the sense of being confined, and gives them more of a connection with…

At Nathan Adams Elementary School, the Year of the Monkey started off in a special way. Monday, Feb. 8, marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. To tie in with lessons with its Explore China Enrichment Program, students at Adams were treated to a traditional lion dance performed by members of the J.K. Wong Kung Fu Tai Chi Academy. GrandMaster Jimmy Wong explained the dance, in which the lion is depicted as eating lettuce, going to sleep, getting excited and then “spitting” lettuce on members of the audience. Those rewarded with the flying leaves are said to have good…