Staff News

Through the heart of teaching grants, the Dallas Education Foundation is awarding 30 innovative classroom grants to educators across the district for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Dallas ISD educators demonstrate extraordinary creativity, passion, and commitment to student success,” said Mita Havlick, director of DEF. “This year’s record number of applications reflects the incredible innovation happening across our district. We are honored to support these educators as they bring transformative ideas directly into their classrooms and communities.”

Selected projects represent every Dallas ISD trustee district, ensuring students across the city will benefit from creative learning experiences designed to inspire academic achievement, engagement, and opportunity. They are funded, in part, by team member contributions during the annual employee giving campaign.

The Heart of Teaching grant supports educators who are developing innovative solutions to meet the unique needs of their students and school communities. Grants fund projects that expand access to enriching educational opportunities, enhance classroom learning, and create meaningful experiences that help students thrive.

The 2026–2027 Heart of Teaching grant recipients include:

• Danelle Adeniji: Skyline High School early college program, The Legacy of Leaders Symposium
• Emma Arett: Solar Preparatory School for Girls, 2026 Solar Filmmaking Society
• Jesse Bartlett: J.L. Long Middle School, Sewing Pathways
• Christine Bickers: Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School, Play & Connect Board Game Club
• Mirshish Boyd: W.H. Adamson High School, Bricks to Brilliance LEGO Club
• AnaVictoria Braun: Prestonwood Montessori at E.D. Walker, Growing Together: A Family Garden Club
• Brandon Carter: Barbara Jordan Elementary School, Little Leaders Enrichment & Leadership
• Jose Cena: Mount Auburn STEAM Academy, VEX IQ Robotics Program
• Kathy Clark: Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy, Global Bites
• Aaron Crawford: Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Fred F. Florence Middle School, Drumline
• Denise De La Cruz: Leila P. Cowart Elementary School, Life Skills Café Club
• Devlin DeCutler: Marvin E. Robinson School of Business and Management at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, Music Production Course
• Katrina Espinal: Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School, Love Folklorico Club
• Carlos Estrada: Julián T. Saldivar Elementary School, Little Scholars Wellness Club
• Robin Fall: W.H. Adamson High School, 2026 Unified Champions: Inclusive Golf & Simulation Lab Excellence through Extracurriculars
• John Fore: Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs Middle School, Beyond the Classroom: The Jaguar Den Student Enterprise Program
• Amber Holmes-Turner: Hillcrest High School, Panther Leadership Lab: Igniting School Spirit & Student Engagement
• Rebekah Ickes: Lida Hooe Elementary School, School Music Explorers Club
• Allen LaPoint: Celestino Mauricio Soto Jr. Elementary School, Music Makers
• Maria Malagon: Pre-K Partnerships, Little Cheerleaders
• Minerva Morales: Maria Moreno STEAM Academy, Yoga Kids
• Martha Mouret: Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School, Performing Arts & Design Club
• Pamela Murtuza: Arturo Salazar Elementary School, Green Team
• Julie Nicotra: Moisés E. Molina High School, Student Led News Station
• Ramicia Paul: Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy: Pages to Podcast Club
• Alejandro Rodriguez: Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School, Modern Band Project
• Leesonia Rutledge: William Brown Miller Elementary School, Mic-Drop Literacy: Digital Storytelling
• Debora Vazquez: Thomas L. Marsalis STEM Academy, Roots & Wings: A Sustainable Garden & Hydroponic Co-op
• George Wilcox: South Oak Cliff High School, BBQ Team
• Shinea Wright: Buckner Terrace Montessori, STEM LAB is STEAMING UP!!

Britney Cooks, a mobility therapist in the Vision Program Department, steps into work every day with a clear sense of mission: open doors, expand worlds, and prove that blindness does not limit a child’s potential.

Cooks works in a department that serves a small population but makes a big difference. Across Dallas ISD, the Vision Program supports 145 students with visual impairments. Spread over 46 campuses, the students have different needs, such as the 20 students who are completely blind, learning to navigate a world that was not designed with them in mind. Another 76 students receive orientation and mobility services, practicing how to move safely and confidently in hallways, neighborhoods, and city streets.

Cooks shares the responsibility of serving the entire district with three other colleagues in the O&M team: Barbara Mitchell, Briana Clarke, and T’Shaunda Davis. 

“People hear ‘vision services’ and think of glasses or eye exams,” Cooks said. “But our work is about teaching students how to move through the world on their own terms—how to cross a street, get on a bus, find a classroom, and believe, ‘I can do this without someone holding my hand every second.’”

Her students range from tiny toddlers learning to crawl toward a sound, to high schoolers planning their first solo trip on public transportation. On any given day, Cooks might be teaching a child how to safely explore a playground, coaching a middle schooler to navigate a crowded hallway with a white cane, or helping an older teenager memorize bus routes to a part-time job.

“What we’re really teaching is confidence,” Cooks explained. “The cane is a tool. The route is a skill. But the goal is that moment when a student says, ‘I don’t need you to walk next to me anymore. I’ve got it.’ That’s when we know we’ve done our job.”

They support students both at a practical and emotional level, she said. Many students with visual impairments are the only ones on their campus. They rarely hear of another student using a cane or requesting large print materials. The pressure to blend in can be intense.

“Imagine being the only person in your school who uses a cane,” Cooks said. “A lot of my students will hide their tools or avoid asking for accommodations because they don’t want to stand out. My job is to show them that their tools are not a weakness; they’re a superpower.”

To combat isolation, Cooks and the O&M team organize events that bring students and families together. From a beeping egg hunt at Easter to Baby’s Day Out for infants and toddlers with visual impairments, these gatherings give students a space to practice skills and feel a sense of belonging.

“We want our students to be in a room and think, ‘I am not alone. There are other people like me, and we’re all figuring this out together,’” Cooks said. “When they meet peers who use canes, who advocate for themselves, who are proud of who they are—that changes everything.”

A big part of Cooks’ work is focused on teaching students to protect their autonomy. She runs roleplay scenarios where students practice what to say when someone grabs their arm without asking, moves their cane, or speaks to an adult instead of to them. Cooks said that students practice phrases such as “please don’t touch me without asking” or “talk to me directly” to assert a sense of autonomy and claim recognition from others.

However, her advocacy extends beyond students to the broader community. She urges adults to start with respect and communication when interacting with someone who is blind. 

“When you walk into a room, make sure that you greet the person there, or let them know that you’re there,” she advised. “Always introduce yourself, and always ask if you can touch their cane or their body or their guide dog.” 

Cooks has also become an advocate for early mobility. Working with infants, she saw that many blind babies were late to crawl because they are carried to where they want to go. She went searching for a solution and discovered Crawligator, a tummy-time mobility device originally designed for babies with flat head syndrome. She immediately recognized its potential for her students.

“For blind children, the world only exists through touch. The Crawligator helps them get into a crawling position so they can independently explore their environment,” she explained. “It’s opening up not only a door to them being mobile, but to their vocabulary.” A partnership with Crawligator founder Stacey Kohler has brought the device to nearly 30 Dallas families, with plans for larger sizes and wider distribution. 

Despite the long drives between 46 campuses and the constant juggling of schedules, Cooks remains energized by the moments most people never see: a student who finally trusts the cane enough to walk at a normal pace, a family who stops hovering and starts cheering, a young adult who texts to say they made it to college orientation on their own. 

To her, mobility isn’t just about getting from point A to point B; it’s about access to education, employment, friendships, and full participation in life.

“Those victories might look small to someone else,” Cooks said, “but they’re everything to us. “Our students’ vision may be limited,” she said, “but their direction, their dreams, and their future are not.”

Adrian Hernandez, principal at North Lake Early College High School, keeps a single Post-it note on his computer monitor. The ink is fading a little, but the message isn’t. It’s a simple “thank you” from a student who almost gave up senior year.

he student dropped out and disappeared. Hernandez and his team went to find him. And they convinced him that finishing high school and an associate’s degree was worth the fight.

“I told him, ‘I totally understand your position, but if we finish this right now, it’s something no one can ever take away from you,” he recalled.

The student came back, but it wasn’t a smooth ride. He struggled, pushed through, and walked the stage with both his Dallas ISD diploma and an associate’s degree. Now he runs his own landscaping business.

“The Post-it reminds me why I do this work,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez’s story starts in Dallas ISD classrooms. He enrolled in the district in third grade at Leila P. Cowart Elementary School, went on to L.V. Stockard Middle School, and graduated from Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center in 2002. 

Hernandez admitted that education had not crossed his mind, but it took criminal justice instructor Severo Perez at Barefoot Sanders to nudge him toward the classroom.

“He told me after I graduated from college that I would be really good at teaching, and that’s when I began to really consider it.”

Hernandez spent five or six years in the private sector before realizing that the time he spent volunteering and working with students was the part of his week that felt most meaningful. He completed an alternative certification program, took a job working with dropout prevention students, and discovered he loved the work, especially the in-between moments—conversations, check-ins, the slow build of trust.

Years later, that quiet work is being recognized publicly. At this year’s State of the District event, Hernandez was announced as Principal of the Year for Choice/Magnet schools, a moment he still describes as “surreal.”

“I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be here,” he said. “This award is for my students and staff.”

Now as principal, Hernandez leads a campus that is reinforcing the expectations for what a Dallas ISD student can achieve. Under his leadership, North Lake has maintained an A rating and sits in the top 10% of schools in Texas.

Hernandez said the model itself is demanding. Students arrive as ninth graders and step into a blended schedule: traditional high school courses are paired with college classes taught by Dallas College professors. By junior and senior year, most of the students’ coursework is dual credit.

The reality of early college, however, can be jarring for freshmen who underestimate the academic rigor, or don’t yet know how to navigate email etiquette and time management.

“We progressively monitor our students every week,” Hernandez explained. “If we see any kind of drop in their grades, that’s when our interventions come into place. The teacher makes contact with the parent, and then we also just talk to the student. Did they just have a bad week, or is this something that they’re not understanding?”

Hernandez is very clear about how he wants students to see him.

“I don’t want them to see the principal as a disciplinarian but rather as somebody who’s just making sure that they’re successful across all facets of their educational journey here,” he said.

From the outside, early college might sound like a gated opportunity reserved for high achievers, but North Lake’s admissions process undercuts that assumption. There are no GPA cutoffs and no test-score thresholds. Admission is based on a student interview and a rubric, then a lottery.

Last academic year, around 400 students applied for 100 spots.

Hernandez is honest about the tension between demand and capacity. He wants more students to have access to what North Lake offers: small classes, bus transportation for about 90% of students, and a program that intentionally recruits from underrepresented schools.

“We have pipeline schools, and we also focus on schools that are underrepresented traditionally in choice and magnet programs,” he said. That means lunchtime visits, presentations on campuses, and open houses at North Lake so students and families can see the place for themselves.

For many of his students, the results are life-altering in very concrete ways, he said. Students  graduate, on average, two years ahead of their peers and save about $40,000 in college tuition. His last graduating cohort—77 students—earned over $25.5 million in scholarships and grants. Two students received full-ride scholarships to Davidson College. This year’s valedictorian, also the school’s first National Merit Scholar, is starting classes at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in the fall.

As the son of Mexican immigrants and a native of the same part of Dallas as many of his students, Hernandez leans on that shared experience to build trust, especially with families who may not have seen college as a realistic path.

“Speaking to our Hispanic families in Spanish helps build buy-in because we can support them and walk them through the process,” he said.

On campus, Hernandez’s visibility is intentional and consistent. He’s in the hallways in the mornings and during passing periods, in the cafeteria at lunch, talking about everything from coursework to sneakers to sports. When he’s off campus for training, students notice.

“It sets them in place for a successful day,” he said of those routines.

Even while leading an A-rated campus and being named Dallas ISD Principal of the Year for Choice/Magnet, Hernandez is back in the student seat himself. He recently started work on a doctorate in education at the University of Oklahoma, with one big question circling in his mind for a potential dissertation: how to ensure that every student who starts at North Lake finishes.

“My goal is 100% freshman-to-graduation retention in each cohort,” he said. “Beyond that, I want Blue Ribbon recognition, a larger facility, and for North Lake to be one of the first names parents think of when they consider early college options in Dallas.”

He doesn’t frame this work as heroic. Instead, he circles back to his students, his staff, his family—and that Post-it on his computer monitor.

“I want to be remembered as an educator that worked incredibly hard for students to have a voice, for students to have the ability to do things that they otherwise may have not had the opportunity to do,” he said.

Whether teaching summer school or going on learning trips themselves or traveling with family, Dallas ISD team members are planning for a great summer. Some are undergoing procedures for their health or holding summer jobs different from their regular work. Here are a few team members’ plans:

This summer, I am planning to take a trip to New York and Destin, Flo., with my family. City lights and beach days ahead! 

Briana Garraway
Ed Tech Enterprise Support Services

June and July, I shall be in Kärnten, Austria, the homeland of my heart, as I am every summer. 

Catherine Knight Duncan
Charmaine and Robert Price Career Institute 

Most excited about visiting Washington, D.C., for the museums and historical landmarks. Attending The Caring For Every Mind conference and enjoying the long summer days with friends and family. 

Shakirae Ajaga
George W. Truett Elementary School

This summer, we plan to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a romantic cruise through Fiji and Tahiti. 

John Fore and Julie Fore
Young Women’s STEAM Academy

I’ll be attending a workshop event at the University of Iowa called Frogamans Printmaking for a week. I am very excited about building on my experience and hope to learn a new trick or two. 

Jessica Raff
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Traveling to see Harry Styles in Europe, going to see the World Cup in Dallas and Kansas City, and taking the Sue Rose Summer Institute course at Southern Methodist University. 

Marian Porras
Hogg New Tech

I will be traveling quite a lot this summer with my husband and friends. The first trip is Spain and Scotland with my husband. Next, it’s Los Angeles to visit my childhood best friend. Last is Tulum, Mexico, with a few friends. I will also periodically be going to Houston to visit my family.

Nataly Rodriguez
David G. Burnet Elementary School

I am among fifteen U.S. high school teachers who have been selected to participate in the 2026 GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program. The Fellows receive intensive, specialized GenEd training in Armenia this summer. 

Mirshish Boyd
W.H. Adamson High School

I’m looking forward to a summer filled with sisterhood, travel, and quality time with family. My mom and I—both proud Dallas ISD employees—are planning a girls’ trip to Las Vegas to attend the 72nd Boule for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® We’re excited for a week of connection, service, leadership development, and all things pink and green! Between conference events, inspirational sessions, and a little Vegas fun, we’re making the most of our summer break while celebrating the impact of education, sisterhood, and service. It’s the perfect way to recharge before another amazing school year begins. 

Natalie Richards
School Leadership-LEAD

I’m guiding a wilderness therapy retreat at Lake Tahoe. The retreat title is “Digital Detox.” 

Tami Gilmore
Mental Health Services

I was awarded a $5,000 Fund for Teachers fellowship. I will travel through Indonesia to study volcanic succession, island biogeography, and biodiversity across the Wallace Line. By documenting forests and land use from Krakatoa to Maluku, I will create place-based AP Environmental Science case studies that deepen students’ understanding of evolution, succession, and conservation. 

David McLoda
School of Science and Engineering

I will be offering a workshop to Dallas ISD art teachers and one to adults in the community in June. Then, my husband and I will go to Italy for the month of July. I will take long walks to the port, drink Americano, eat the greatest pizza, and visit with friends and family.

Stacy Cianciulli
L.O. Donald Elementary School

I won a grant from the National Education Association to travel to Spain to participate in professional learning while preparing bilingual literacy and STEM resources.

Katharine Joss
Gabe P. Allen New Tech Academy

Long ago, in a remote village, a dragon forgot how to fly. Normally, a grounded dragon wouldn’t be a problem for the villagers—but this one was the creator of the world’s winds. After a fierce battle with a rival, the amnesiac dragon must rely on a wizard mind keeper and a memory box—a wind‑up model showing the dragon in its former glory—to remember how air once glided through his wings. This is the kind of plot you’d expect from a fantasy novel, but at Julius Dorsey Leadership Academy, it’s part of a competitive, project‑based learning program.

Under the guidance of gifted and talented teacher Zugey Morin, the cohort in Destination Imagination dreamed up the story to investigate the physics of flight, resilience, and memory.

To explore a deceptively simple question—how can a heavy creature propel itself upward and remain suspended in the air—students had to think like engineers.They built mechanical wings and a gear box that could move the dragon in stages. When the dragon finally takes off across the stage, purple lights flip on, a neon backdrop glows, and the clouds roll away as wind returns to the village. 

For Morin, this challenge illustrates what happens when students are trusted to think, build, and imagine for themselves. 

“I don’t teach them like a sage on stage,” Morin said. “It’s more of guiding on the side.” 

She does this by asking questions: What do you want the audience to see? How could you show flight without just acting it out? How do you turn a theme—forgetting and remembering—into mechanisms and motion?

That belief in student agency has roots in her own story. A Moisés E. Molina High School graduate, Morin studied economics with a minor in business administration and worked in the corporate world before switching careers. 

“I realized I could be doing something a little bit more meaningful,” Morin said. 

As a child, she would even persuade her brother and sister to “play students,” printing out pages on Egyptian culture and mythology so she could “teach” them. Teaching, she said, always felt inevitable.

Through Dallas ISD’s alternative certification program, Morin started at Eladio R. Martinez Learning Center then went to John F. Peeler Elementary School, where she also served as an instructional coach and demo teacher. Eventually, she was recruited to Julius Dorsey, where she has now been for three years. There, she teaches gifted and talented students and science and leads the Destination Imagination team. 

Her classroom, the Imaginarium, funded through a makeover grant from United to Learn and Stemscapes, looks less like a traditional room and more like a compact workshop. Pegboards display tools; drawers and benches hold materials; a hot glue station, “chomp saw” station, and 3D printers line the walls. Everything is out in the open on purpose.

“It’s hard to be inventive when you don’t know your tools or how to use them,” Morin said. “Visible materials—foam balls, cardboard rolls, pipe cleaners—start spinning the wheel for the students.” 

Letting students roam that space means ceding some control. Morin acknowledges that “a lot of adults have a hard time letting go of control,” but her approach is to teach procedures and then trust students.

“If you teach students how to do things properly, they can be self‑sufficient,” Morin said. “My students get on the stepping stool and grab things on their own. By the end of the year, there’s no corrections needed. I’m just supervising and making sure we’re all safe.”

Her third graders, she said, have even used Tinkercad to design 3D‑printed pet shelters. Last year, they collaborated on elaborate utopian cities with residential, commercial, and green zones after reading the graphic novel adaptation of The City of Ember.

This is what makes Destination Imagination unique: it’s where the fantasy of flightless dragons meets the discipline of competition. 

“It’s sort of like the Olympics of creativity,” Morin said, “where teams of kids get together to solve challenges using their imagination, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.” 

Teams work on a central challenge for months and then face a surprise “instant challenge” on tournament day. This year, Morin’s team placed third at regionals. Only the top two teams advanced, but her students were already looking ahead. 

“Okay, we lost, but that’s all right because we are going to do better next year,” Morin said. That impulse to adjust and try again is exactly the kind of resilience she hopes to cultivate.

Above all, Morin wants her students to leave with a sense that learning can feel magical without losing its rigor.

“I want my students to feel empowered to use their imagination and creativity to problem-solve and simply be,” Morin said. “I want them to feel that learning was fun, and that they had a great time because it didn’t feel like work.”

It’s been a great year for Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy at A. Maceo Smith. Not only did the Class of 2026, which has 54 “brothers,” achieved a 100% college acceptance rate with $15.4 million in scholarships, but the school’s debate team also earned second place at the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues championship.

The multimillion-dollar scholarship total marks the second-highest scholarship amount awarded, paving the way for graduates, including several first-generation students, to attend elite universities like Princeton and Columbia to major in fields ranging from theater and finance to mechanical engineering and nursing.

Javier V. and Caleb J.carried the school’s legacy of debate excellence onto the national stage, recently earning second place at the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues championship. The championship brought debate teams from urban districts around the country, under one roof. 

“It was beautiful. It was my first time in the Northeast, and it was great to see Harvard in person.” Caleb said. “It was a very new experience, coming from Texas.” 

More than giving students the opportunity to visit a new city, the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues gives them an outlet to explore their passion and talent in ways they may not usually be able to.

For Javier, that opportunity also highlights a bigger issue.

“There are so many debaters with much drive who want to succeed. But they are crowded out because they don’t have resources or can’t afford to go,” he said.

Still, Javier and Caleb have found ways to compete at a high level. They regularly face larger, and oftentimes, private schools. Both say that having different life experiences than many of their competitors allows them to bring a unique perspective when they step up to the podium.

Now, Javier and Caleb are working together to ensure the debate legacy stays strong at BOMLA. 

“I want BOMLA to keep going to prestigious debate tournaments,” Caleb said. “I want to continue getting accolades and foster more growth as people become attracted to it and we get more experience.”

There are still openings for students at BOMLA for the 2026-2027 school year. To apply to attend the school, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/about-our-schools/discover-dallas-isd. 

In the courtyard of Richard Lagow Elementary School, what was once a slab of concrete used only for the occasional festival has become a vibrant garden, pollinator habitat, and community hub. 

The transformation began in 2017, when a fifth‑grade teacher, Jeanette Newland, secured a grant from the National Wildlife Federation to convert the unused space into a school garden. When she left the school, Luz Rivera Acevedo, a bilingual first-grade teacher, took over.

“At the beginning, it was completely cement and concrete, and that’s it,” Rivera recalled. “I think we only had one bench.” 

What followed was a years‑long effort involving students, parents, teachers, district staff, and community partners to turn that barren corner into a flourishing ecosystem. It now grows vegetables, i tomatoes, zucchini, and radishes among them; herbs, such as rosemary and basil; and fruits, including melons and pumpkins, all while supporting monarch butterflies, bees, and birds. 

“The kids harvest, clean, and prepare the produce together, using trays or small bags,” Rivera said. “At dismissal, the parents receive what we’ve grown, but the kids must be the ones to harvest it.”

The Environmental Education Center donated monarch butterflies for students to release, and students planted flowers to attract pollinators. Parent volunteers also installed birdhouses and birdbaths.   

“The first pathway we worked on was the schoolyard, preparing the garden beds with flowers to help increase the monarch butterfly population,” Rivera said.

Rivera, a Puerto Rican native who has been with the district for a decade, emphasizes that student leadership has been central from the start. As part of the National Wildlife Federation requirements, students had to conduct an environmental audit of the space. 

“They had a checklist, and they had to measure the space we were going to use,” Rivera explained. “Since the kids’ participation has to be at least 95%, we made sure to hit that mark.”

Students assessed water access, sunlight, and soil conditions, and used those findings to plan the layout of the garden beds.

From there, parents helped build raised beds alongside their children; volunteers, including Rivera’s husband, George Rey, brought tools and supplies; and the school community rallied behind the goal of creating a certified pollinator habitat. Over time, the garden earned Eco-Schools USA Bronze and Silver Awards before achieving a National Wildlife Federation  Green Flag School designation.

The Green Flag journey, however, demanded meticulous documentation—audits, interviews, surveys, and lesson plans. Rivera describes the process as both demanding and deeply rewarding. 

“We have binders with everything documented,” she said. “It was a lot, but very comprehensive and organized.

Students helped conduct surveys on favorite fruits and vegetables, interviewed cafeteria staff about menus and food preparation, and worked with Food and Child Nutrition Services to connect garden produce with lessons on healthy eating.

Rivera and her colleagues also made sure the garden was not just an aesthetic add‑on, but a true extension of the curriculum. Through professional development workshops with groups like Grow Garden Grow, she learned how to integrate math, science, social studies, and language arts into garden activities. She then created bilingual resources and shared them with the  faculty.

“Teachers now use alphabet rocks to build early literacy skills, measure garden beds for geometry, and link ecology concepts to real pollinators and plants just outside the classroom door,” she said.

The garden has also become a powerful tool for social‑emotional growth and behavior support. Rivera has seen firsthand how students who struggle inside traditional classrooms often thrive outdoors.

She tells the story of one student known for behavioral challenges who brought in sunflower seeds from home.Together they planted the seeds, and soon the sunflowers towered above the building. 

“He used to come back with his sister and his parents to help us,” Rivera said. “For me, it was amazing because the student’s sense of ownership and pride in the garden translated into more positive behavior and deeper engagement in school.”

That sense of ownership extends to all students, who see their work every day as they walk to the cafeteria. 

“They can see the garden every day,” Rivera noted. “They say, ‘Oh, this was my flower because I planted it.’ And they’ve told me they are doing the same at home.”

Families have even started small gardens, grown pumpkins, and experimented with composting, inspired by what their children learn at school.

Yet the garden still faces practical challenges: the National Wildlife Federation requires untreated wood for beds, which deteriorates faster. There is no automatic irrigation system, and the harsh Texas summers and winter freezes mean constant replanting and repair. Rivera, volunteers, and students are exploring solutions.

“Every time something dies, we see it as a lesson, not a failure,” she said. “We’re planning brick beds that retain water, a greenhouse to protect the crops in extreme weather, and even a gazebo with animals in the courtyard. The kids deserve to see that with patience and creativity, you can always find a way for life to grow again.”

Underlying all of this work is Rivera’s vision of what she hopes to leave behind: a sense of responsible stewardship for all of creation.

“I can tell you that what moves me most and the reason I expose my students to enriching experiences is their capacity for wonder, even at ‘small things,’ like a flower or the song of a bird,” she said. “We must help them preserve that beautiful capacity because that will lead them to develop a sense of responsibility toward nature, and this includes sustainability.”

Celebrating educators whose service and leadership leave a lasting impact on students and school communities is an important tradition in Dallas ISD, but this year’s celebration carried special meaning as the district honored a long-time counselor.

In addition to recognizing outstanding counselors and their dedication to supporting students across the district, the 2026 Counselor of the Year Ceremony honored Robert Muñoz, who is retiring after 59 years in Dallas ISD. Muñoz has served as a counselor for 28 of those years. He was also recognized during the 2026 Salute to Service Awards for his nearly six decades as an educator in Dallas ISD.  

Throughout his career as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and counselor, Muñoz impacted generations of students, families and educators across the district.  

“Every year, Dallas ISD Counseling Services creates a wonderful opportunity to celebrate those counselors who rise to the top through their stellar, comprehensive counseling programs,” said Stacy Owens. “The Counselor of the Year ceremonies serve as the opportunity to highlight their remarkable work.” 

The ceremony also named the 2026 Counselors of the Year:

• Elementary Counselor of the Year—Natasha McLaurin, Buckner Terrace Montessori
• Middle School/Multi-Level Counselor of the Year—Nsikak Otu, Royce West Leadership Academy
• High School Counselor of the Year—Angelica Gonzalez, Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School  

These standout counselors help students succeed academically, prepare them for college and careers, and guide students through social-emotional challenges. Their leadership as counselors also plays an important role in campus culture and schoolwide collaboration. 

“It is during this special occasion that we recognize the lasting impact counselors have on students, families, and school communities and how counselors shape futures, inspire confidence, and create environments where every student feels supported, valued and empowered to succeed,” Owens said. “We are very excited about all of our 2026 Counselor of the Year nominees and winners!”

Every spring, test coordinator and asset manager Stefanie Vick transforms her office at Moisés E. Molina High School into a prom dress wonderland. Desks are pushed aside to make room for what is a sea of formal gowns and sparkling embellishments. 

“Some girls could go all out, and I did not want some students to think they could not go all out [too]. I want them to have that opportunity,” Vick said. 

Vick began her career with Dallas ISD 17 years ago, first serving as a history teacher at W.H. Adamson High School and later transitioning to testing coordinator at Molina High School. Driven by her passion for supporting students, she created the prom dress initiative at the school three years ago after recognizing how costly prom can be. 

Vick wanted to ensure every student could attend without financial stress. Starting with her own dresses, she set up a boutique of sorts in her office, allowing students to browse, try them on, and select a dress for their big night at no cost.

“I never ask the girls to return them,” Vick said. “The dresses are theirs to keep. I am just happy that they find something they love—that’s all I care about.”

Over the years, kindness has spread. Friends, family members, community members, and coworkers now donate dresses or help with minor alterations. Local dry cleaners have donated garment bags to protect the dresses during the off-season. 

“We kind of all help out and pitch in,” Vick continued. “If I can’t be here with the students, another teacher comes in and helps them. It’s not just me helping.”

The collection of donated dresses has grown to more than 100, ranging from short to long styles in a variety of colors, sizes, and designs—some still with tags attached.

Senior Karina S. had been searching for a prom dress. When she walked into Vick’s office, she had no idea she would leave with exactly what she had been looking for—a sparkly dress in her favorite color, purple. The moment Karina S. put it on, Vick said her face lit up with a smile. 

“I just tried it, and it was perfect,” she said. “I really loved it. I knew I didn’t need to find another one.”

Over the years, Vick has seen what a perfect dress can do to boost students’ confidence. She has given away about 30 dresses this year alone and around 150 dresses since she started. These dresses are not only for prom, but also for anyone who needs them for dinner or other school events.  

“As long as I help someone, that is all I care about,“ she said.

But the impact of this project extends far beyond the simple distribution of dresses. Vick hopes the experience shows students the power of giving back. 

“I want them to know that they can pass something down,” she said. “I want them to know they can help each other.”

This small act of kindness is already inspiring other teachers to come together to make the students’ night truly special. 

“I’ve had teachers from other schools reach out and say, ‘Hey, can I bring a girl over? She needs a new dress,” Vick said. “Of course I want to help my own students, but if I can help even more girls across the district, I want to keep this going.”

When students with dyslexia need help developing the independent literacy skills needed to overcome reading and writing challenges and achieve long-term academic success, the Dyslexia Services Department is there to support them. 

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with reading words in isolation, spelling, or phonological awareness. The department serves approximately 4,300 students across the district who have been identified as having dyslexia, ensuring they have the support they need to succeed in reading and writing.  

Around 130 dyslexia interventionists are placed on campuses throughout the district, to work with students daily. Interventionists provide targeted instruction in reading, writing and spelling through specialized small-group support.  

“As a department, we are able to grow and develop our own practitioners and therapists and provide them with the training they need so they can help us close reading gaps,” said Veronica Allen, director of Dyslexia Services. 

Most recently, the department has been developing an updated tool that gives principals easier access to the information needed to support and evaluate the progress of dyslexia interventionists on their campuses.  

“We have a really great team, and we share the same purpose,” said Melita Carlton, coordinator in the Dyslexia Services Department. “We manage a large task in providing specialized services to students, and we’ve built effective systems to ensure they receive 180 minutes of reading per week. We are a team of hardworking individuals and talented thinkers.” 

The department’s work is contributing to the district’s long-term student outcome goals.  

During the 2024-2025 school year, students with dyslexia in third through eighth grades and in English I, showed increased performance across all standards on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR.  

During the year, dyslexia interventionists guide students through structured literacy programs in both English and Spanish that are grounded in the science of reading.   

Last school year, the department piloted a one-year curriculum for secondary students called the Scottish Rite Jet Reading Program. The program supports dyslexia interventionists in any subject they may teach and helps ensure all components of the dyslexia program are covered.  

“It’s amazing to see the student growth,” said Allen. When you look at the results from the beginning of the year to the end, it’s incredible to see students who could not identify letters and sounds now reading words. When we isolate the standardized scores from beginning- and end-of-year assessments, the progress is remarkable. When implemented with fidelity, the program works.”