Melissa Alloway, a teacher at Stonewall Jackson Elementary, recently was named Dallas Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year and was the recipient of the 11th annual Sanus/Dallas Public Schools Golden Apple Award.
Alloway has been a second- and third-grade deaf education teacher at Stonewall for more than 17 years.
When she was 14 years old, she says the movie “The Miracle Worker” sparked her interest in deaf education.
“I was intrigued by Helen Keller’s innate desire to communicate,” Alloway says. “Once she learned to communicate, there was a very intelligent woman inside.”
In the classroom, Alloway teaches multi-culturalism, emphasizing deaf culture, she says.
“I have children from many different cultures, from many different neighborhoods,” she says. “I want them to develop a sense of pride in their own culture and a respect for other cultures in the City.”
Alloway brings successful deaf adults into her classroom to provide students with role models from the deaf community, she says.
“It’s important for the children to know about their family’s culture, but it is also important for them to know about the culture of the deaf.”
Alloway received her award at a dinner honoring her and four finalists. The teachers were chosen from the more than 8,600 DISD teachers. The dinner was sponsored by Sanus insurance company.
Fannin Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
James W. Fannin Elementary celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in September by bringing local Hispanic professionals into the school to meet students.
Doctors, a police chief, a former military pilot now in law school, a college administrator and Judge Lena Levario with the 204th Judicial District Court (the only Hispanic female judge with the Dallas criminal court system) spoke to the students about staying in school and taking pride in their heritage, says Dulce Parker, Fannin’s community liaison.
Long Students Qualify for Duke Program
Several J.L. Long Middle School students qualified for the Duke University Talent Identification Program for 1993-1994.
The following students qualified by receiving scores in the 97th percentile or above on the verbal section, math section or the total composite of their sixth-grade achievement tests: Noah Bailey, Heather Black, Brian Bobek, Elizabeth Clore, Emily Cunningham, Adam Dunsworth, Jacqueline Goodman, Brennan Greef, Elizabeth Harsdorff, John Hoffman, Michael Karnowski, Jennifer Lilly, Teresa Mendez, Caitlin Morris, Jordan Roberts, Jesse Schenk, Laura Smith and Emily Stone.
High scores made these students eligible to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, a test taken by high school students for college admissions. These students, now in the eighth grade, took the test as seventh-graders.
Bailey, Bobek, Clore, Cunningham, Hoffman, Lilly, Morris and Smith received state recognition in the Duke talent search for scoring above 480 on the math section or 430 on the verbal section of the SAT.
Woodrow Goes Commercial
Woodrow Wilson’s band will appear in a Ford/Lincoln-Mercury commercial to air nationally this fall.
The commercial is for a minivan, says Richard Hayden, band director. It was filmed in Woodrow’s football field on Aug. 29.
“We marched around the van, and then the film company crammed as many kids into the van as they could,” Hayden says. “In the final segment, six kids played in the van while I drove it around our football field.”
Calendar
Oct. 13 – Stonewall Jackson Early Childhood PTA general meeting at 7:15 p.m. in the school’s library, 5838 E. Mockingbird. Debbie Clark will speak on “Reducing Stress for the Holidays.”
Oct. 15 – Garage sale at J.L. Long Middle School, 6116 Reiger, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Proceeds benefit PTA programs.
Oct. 17 – Stonewall Jackson Early Childhood PTA board meeting at 7 p.m. at Massimo’s, Mockingbird and Abrams. Everyone is welcome.
Oct. 27 – Stonewall Jackson Early Childhood PTA children’s outing to the Farmer’s Market at 3:30 p.m. For information: Jennifer Elbert, 827-7587.
Oct. 29 – Stonewall Jackson Elementary 55th Annual Fall Carnival, 1-6 p.m. at the school, 5828 E. Mockingbird.
