Staff News

Community Liaisons Monica Zumaya from W.W. Samuell High School and Elsa Cardenas from Ann Richards Middle School attended Judge Faith Johnson and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office–Family Violence Division’s annual open house on Friday, Oct. 6.

During the open house, Ms. Zumaya and Ms. Cardenas were able to network with other organizations such as Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support, The Family Place, Catholic Charities, and Human Rights Initiative of North Texas to take back resources for their campus, parents, and community as well as bring about awareness of domestic violence.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Along with teachers, school principals play a vital role in laying the foundation for student success.

With that in mind, October is National Principals Month, and it’s a chance to thank these campus leaders who work so hard to make their schools successful.

Dallas ISD is encouraging community members, staff and students to share the below image and post it on social media. Include the name of the principal you are thankful for, and use the hashtags #DallasISD and #ThankAPrincipal.

If you’re looking for a fun and exciting way to support Dallas ISD students, plan now to volunteer at the Oncor Mayor’s 5K Race Saturday, Dec. 9. Join more than 10,000 students from all grade levels along with district faculty and staff for this annual community event. The Mayor’s Race is a morning packed with fun and encouragement for students and their families to engage in regular physical activity.

Go here to sign up today, and show students you believe they can accomplish their goals both in and out of school. Students have already begun training for the race, so come out to cheer them on and help distribute water and t-shirts to the participants. Each volunteer will receive a t-shirt, a huge thank you for supporting Dallas ISD students, and the satisfaction that comes with encouraging students to lead active, healthy lives.

Norma Wright, a counselor at Billy Earl Dade Middle School, is one of five finalists for the Lone Star State School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year program.

The program honors the best of the best in Texas: school counselors who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program at either the elementary, middle or high school level. This year’s school counselor of the year candidates completed an extensive application process and were judged by a panel of counseling professionals on multiple criteria, including school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills, and contributions to student achievement. There were 35 nominations submitted, 14 semi-finalists, and 5 finalists.

Wright was named the 2015–2016 Dallas ISD Counselor of the Year. Wright says that being a counselor is a calling.

“It is the work in serving the needs of any educational community that has driven me to be equipped with the skills necessary to meet the needs of that community,” Wright said. “We dice the children on academics, and performance, but the focus has to be on the whole child. It’s my unwavering commitment to building relationships that keep the core of the school on one heartbeat.”

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) launches October 1, 2017 for high school seniors. National and local reports show that students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to attend college, and the sooner they complete the application the better their chances are for receiving all eligible aid.

To help build momentum around the FAFSA launch date, the district’s college access partners and high school counselors will wear green FAFSA T-shirts on Friday, Sept. 29 (see attached pictures). Students and parents can turn to these campus staff members for assistance with financial aid applications for college. There are several myths about financial aid that prevent eligible students from completing the FAFSA, but advisors and counselors are ready to debunk the myths and help more students access money for college.

The Dallas Environmental Science Academy (DESA), along with both middle schools at Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy and Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, have been named 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The announcement was made Thursday, Sept. 28, by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who recognized 342 schools across the nation.

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Each school nominated for the 2017 honor was selected as exemplary, high-performing schools as measured by state assessments, and has an economically disadvantaged population of 22 percent or greater.

In November, the three winning Dallas ISD schools will be recognized at the Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“This incredible honor helps to validate our students’ extraordinary work, dedication and commitment to excellence and reaffirms our mission to prepare young women for leadership in a global society,” said Lisa Curry, principal at Rangel.

In 2011, Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and DESA each received a Blue Ribbon.

“With the various accomplishments at Dallas Environmental Science Academy, this award enhances the vision for the school to continue excelling academically through its rigorous curricular offerings, field experiences in the outer environment, and support of career options spanning throughout the science fields,” said Arnoldo Zuniga, principal at DESA.

Each of the Dallas ISD campuses awarded credit the hard work of their students, teachers, staff and community for helping secure the nomination.