Blue Ribbons, heroes, $5,000 scholarships, and Cotton Bowl accolades all contribute to a winning fall for DISD.
Stonewall Jackson Elementary has been honored with a Blue Ribbon Award nomination from the Texas Education Association. The award is presented by the U.S. Department of Education to outstanding schools in the country. Then, one of only two students in Texas, Woodrow senior Olivia Ortegon, has been selected to receive the prestigious Horatio Alger Youth Award. Olivia will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Christopher Gutierrez, a second grader at Dan D. Rogers, was the winner among 4000 entries in the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Art Contest. Not only will Christopher and his parents attend the game and other festivities, his art can be seen in the programs and other event print materials.
The State Board of Education recognizes individuals from time to time who have made a difference in the lives of the children in Texas schools. Lakewood resident and Woodrow parent and tutor, Patti Hill, has been honored with the Hero for Children Award for her tireless efforts in advancing Woodrow students’ math skills for graduation. Over the last three years, Patti has worked with literally hundreds of students on a daily basis. These honors provide evidence of the many wonderful parents, teachers, volunteers and students in our local public schools.
In January, the DISD board begins interviewing and evaluating candidates for superintendent. The search firm has successfully identified quality candidates for several local districts and many across the nation and has been at work for several months developing a list of candidates for DISD. An announcement is scheduled for February.
Also of great importance to the City residents is the state of facilities in the DISD. The District’s extraordinary growth, 160,000 students, has superseded the expectations of the nearly complete 1992 bond program. Today, 1,800 portable classrooms are in use. Future plans are to build new schools and additions to existing schools relying minimally on portable classrooms.
The DISD’s Facilities Task Force worked for 20 months and recently made recommendations. These include 18 new elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and 43 additions to existing campuses. Also included is the upgrading of facilities, especially focusing on buildings built prior to 1950. More details will be forthcoming. Lakewood Elementary dad Craig Reynolds served as chairman of the task force, which included residents and DISD personnel. Craig is very active in his neighborhood of Hollywood/Santa Monica and contributed untold hours in this project to better the DISD.
