Dayanna Carson’s passion for Cesar Chavez Learning Center and its students came through in high definition during the 10 minute phone conversation I had with her today. It is no wonder the Dallas Independent School District named her Associate Principal of the Year Wednesday.
“It was really nice to be recognized by the teachers,” who nominated her for the award, she said. “This award is a reflection of the campus. Everybody works hard here. We all work together. I’m very honored and proud to be the associate here at Chavez.”
The school district honored Carson, a 10-year educator who is serving her second school year at Chavez, because she developed a one-page campus improvement plan, called the “Flight Plan,” which makes the school’s goals clear. The plan includes the “Flight Club,” which focuses on children who have a lot of potential but lack motivation.
Read more about Carson and the Chavez school after the jump.
Better than 90 percent of Chavez’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and one in 14 is homeless, Carson said. So it’s important for the school to take a holistic approach.
“It’s about the kids. We take care of the kids,” she said. “We have teachers who spend their own money to buy shoes and clothes for kids who need them.”
Carson makes sure that goal-setting, ethics and character-building are conspicuous parts of the curriculum. On the 100th day of school, the children released helium balloons that represented their goals for the semester, for example. And she brought one student to the awards luncheon Wednesday, “to show her that you can achieve anything you set your mind to,” Carson said.
She is proud that the school’s test scores are improving, and she predicts that Chavez will receive recognized status soon.
