Ten neighborhood schools were among the 112 district-wide affected by the recent Dallas Public Schools leadership shuffle that re-assigned 153 administrators.

Woodrow Wilson, Bryan Adams, W.H. Gaston, J.L. Long, Alex W. Spence, Robert E. Lee, Lakewood, Mount Auburn, Dan D. Rogers and Ignacio Zaragoza will welcome new principals when school begins in August.

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Dallas Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Gonzalez says the shakeup, which has been in the works for several months, is aimed at placing district administrators in situations where they can be most effective.

“A number of groups, including parents and teachers, demand and depend upon the campus leadership to set the tone for the whole school,” Gonzalez says.

“For that reason, we strive to find the most qualified people to hold this most important job in the school district.”

Neighborhood school board trustee Roxann Staff says she supports the changes made by Gonzalez.

“Through the building of new schools and principals moving up, we had a number of principal jobs open up,” Staff says.

“The changes will be positive for our neighborhood.”

News & Notes

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

St. Thomas Aquinas Choir Receives High Marks: The St. Thomas Aquinas Honor Choir scored 96 out of a possible 100 points at the recent Greater Southwest Music Festival in Amarillo. This is the second year the choir participated in the event. The choir, which includes students from the third through eighth grade, is directed by Michael Linder and Cynthia Fruth.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Dan D. Rogers Student Honored: Suzanne Jean of Dan D. Rogers Elementary, along with 11 other Dallas Public Schools elementary students, recently was honored by the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Southwest Airlines as winners of the “What Education Means to Me” essay contest. The winners were accompanied by Rangers’ second baseman Mark McLemore on a trip to Austin.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

J.L. Long Claims Second Place At Olympiad: The J.L. Long Middle School math team racked up a second place finish at the 1997 Mathematics Olympiad. Benjamin Franklin Middle School placed first and Alex W. Spence Middle School finished third.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Woodrow Adds Another Perfect SAT Score: Woodrow Wilson senior Eric Cordova joined recent grads Erin Armstrong, Jeremy Liebman and Caroline Chlore as the fourth Woodrow student in the last year to achieve a perfect score of 800 on a section of the SAT. Cordova’s perfect score came on the math section.

Class of 1997 Valedictorians and Salutatorians: The Bryan Adams High School Class of 1997 valedictorian was Tiep Trong, 19. Tiep will attend Texas A&M University and study pre-med. Jonathon D. Medlin. 18, was the class salutatorian. Medlin will attend SMU and study psychology. The Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1997 valedictorian was Erin Armstrong, 18, who will attend Haverford, Pa., College and study mathematics and education. Todd Gaspard, 18, was the class salutatorian. Gaspard will attend Harvard University and study mathematics and business.

Woodrow Softball Players Honored: Woodrow Wilson freshmen softball players Ashley Lindsey and Sheryl Ray were named first team All-District 10-4A. Sophomore Starla Taylor made second team All-District.

Gibbs Named TACT Finalist: Recent Woodrow grad Jennifer Gibbs was named a finalist for the 1997 TACT award from the Dallas Morning News for her high standard of citizenship.