Celebrate with District 3 students and teachers!
The 2022-2023 school year is in full swing, and I have been thrilled to witness so many successes in District 3 – from seeing L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School students receive their new P.L.A.Y. Initiative equipment so active students can participate in sports in meaningful ways, to cheering on Casa View Elementary School students as they dive into hands-on STEM learning. I cannot wait for the upcoming months.
Recognizing excellence
I was excited to attend the Bryan Adams Homecoming parade last month. What a great tradition and a great community! Bryan Adams showcased the band, the Belles, the athletes, the cheerleaders, the clubs, the ROTC and so much more. Robert T. Hill Middle School, W.H. Gaston Middle School and several East Dallas elementary schools also joined in the fun and participated in the parade. There were over 50 floats, and thousands came out to watch the parade and support our students. I am proud of our students and our community.
Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy also recently celebrated a new path forward for its East Dallas community with a ribbon-cutting building dedication ceremony. The school received more than $69 million for additions and improvements, thanks to the voters of Dallas. The ceremony highlighted many new construction upgrades, including a new secured main entry, a two-level classroom, fine arts additions, a new competition gym, a storm shelter and upgrades to the library, a media center, an auditorium and an outdoor plaza. As impressive as the new facilities are, what is even more impressive is Bryan Adams’ academic success: Bryan Adams again earned six academic distinctions from the Texas Education Agency.
Pursuing innovation
The Junior League of Dallas and Texas Instruments awarded 52 Dallas ISD educators grants of up to $2,500 each through the annual Grants for Innovative Teaching program. In total, nearly $113,000 in funds were distributed for deserving educators’ winning projects addressing reading and literacy enrichment, diversity, special education, STEM or arts and culture enrichment across one or more grade levels.
District 3 winners include Alex Sanger Preparatory School’s Shannon Smith; Emmett J. Conrad High School’s Monalisa Chadha; George W. Truett Elementary School’s Elma Martinez Padilla, Sue Mendoza, Shakirae Ajaga and Jennifer Belchi Segura; Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School’s Liliana Daza; and Lee McShan Jr. Elementary School’s Arianna Zeb. Congratulations to each of these outstanding teachers!
Filling the gaps
In a time when there is a national teacher shortage, I am pleased to report that Dallas ISD has filled over 99 percent of its teaching positions with the remaining positions being covered by substitutes. Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde credits district staff who stepped back into the classroom, including Patricia Barroso. Ms. Barroso was a teacher for 14 years before becoming an early learning specialist six years ago, and she immediately switched to teacher mode when she heard she was going back to the classroom to support students at Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School. Thank you to Ms. Barroso and all the other teachers who are going above and beyond for student success!
Celebrating community involvement
District 3 is better together, and we saw an incredible outpouring of support when Nordstrom and Shoes That Fit donated a new pair of Nike shoes to all 417 students at Bayles Elementary School. WNBA star Isabelle “Izzy” Harrison joined them to help everyone find the best pair, and the students were overjoyed.
Thank you also to Paula Croxon, a community member who donated two uniform shirts and a care package complete with food essentials and toiletries to 100 percent of the students at Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School and Sam Tasby Middle School.
Dallas ISD Trustee Dan Micciche, District 2
