District 6 Student Named As One Of Seven District Gates Scholars

Seven Dallas ISD students have been named among 57,000 of the nation’s high school graduates as a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program pays full scholarships to any accredited college or university of their choice located in the U.S. The scholarships are good through graduation, meaning they are renewable based on program guidelines throughout a student’s higher educational pursuits—from the undergraduate to the master and doctoral levels.

The seven students are: Mang Lian, Sung Mawi, and Tika Acharya, all from Emmett J. Conrad High School; Dominique James, Bryans Adams High School; Frank Byers Jr., South Oak Cliff High School; Victoria Lennox, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and Kenneth Robinson, Justin F. Kimball High School.

Kimball Class Valedictorian Kenneth Robinson had to push through the tragic loss of his mother during his freshman year, and while it wasn’t easy, his commitment to leadership and excellence helped fuel his drive to succeed. He served as the highest ranking officer in Justin F. Kimball High School’s ROTC program, president of the school’s National Honor Society, student council, the National Academy of Engineering Advisory Board, and others. He plans to pursue his doctorate in physics to help develop new power sources.

Congratulations to Kenneth Robinson and good luck to him as he pursues higher education. What a great example of what is possible in Dallas ISD.

Gold Ribbon Schools
Children at Risk identified 24 Dallas ISD elementary schools as Gold Ribbon Schools, which are high performing, high poverty schools. For reference, Children at Risk only ranked one Dallas ISD elementary school as a Gold Ribbon School several years ago.

Of the 24 Dallas ISD Gold Ribbon Elementary Schools, 17 improved at least one letter grade from 2014 to 2015.

Accolades are in order for Jimmie Tyler Brashear, Leslie A. Stemmons, and T.G. Terry elementary schools which were recently recognized as Dallas ISD Gold Ribbon Schools.

Lone Star Challenge
More than 400 students from 40 district schools in grades 4 through 6 recently participated in the Lone Star Challenge competition that allowed elementary students to enhance their STAAR mastery. Competition categories included language, social studies, math, and science.

Congratulations to Clinton P. Russell Elementary School for placing second in The Lone Star Challenge Best Overall Team category.

Future Facilities Task Force
As Dallas ISD works to ensure that all of our schools meet our students needs and learning requirements, join in the conversation at the upcoming Future Facilities Task Force Meeting to be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., June 16 at Zan Holmes Middle School located at 2939 St Rita Dr, Dallas, TX 75233.

2015 Budget Town Hall Meetings
Parents and community are invited to learn how the district’s 2015–2016 budget is developed and have your questions answered. Attend an upcoming meeting from 6 to 7 p.m., Mon, June 1 at Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary School located at 2959 S. Hampton Road, Dallas, TX 75224.

STEM Opportunities for students

• Middle School College Journey at Camp Whispering Cedars, in collaboration with Mountain View Community College.  Select one of the two sessions June 28-June 30 or July 26-28 and sign-up before it’s too late!  Experience college life at 3-day, 2 overnight Middle School College Journey for $80. Girls will live at camp, do activities in science labs and earn environmental awareness incentives.
• High School College Journey at the University of Texas at Dallas for girls entering 9-12 grade. Girls will experience the fun and excitement of college life by attending this six day and five overnight experience. Girls will live in the dorms, take classes on campus, field trips (Frito-Lay) and learn what criteria college admissions staff use in the application process. 2:00 p.m., Sunday, July 12, 2015 – 6:00 p.m., Friday, July 17, 2015.

Financial assistance offered for all programs. Register at http://www.gsnetx.org/en/events-repository/2015/college-journey.html.

Girls Scouts Summer STEM Opportunities

• Girl Scouts entering grades two through five are invited to explore the beautiful Arboretum, investigate the connection between nature and science in the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, and earn Girl Scout patches at the Arboretum Remix at 9:00 a.m., Tues., June 16 through 5:00 p.m., Thu., June 18 at the Dallas Arboretum located at 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218. Attendance fee is $50.

• Explore the amazing home you live in through conservation-focused, hands-on activities that reveal the surprising truths about prairies, forests, and rivers at the Trinity River Remix from 9 a.m., Tues, June 23 to 5 p.m., Thu., June 25 at the Trinity River Audubon located at 6500 S. Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas, TX 75217. Cost is $50 per participant.

Don’t forget about the Girls Scouts Summer Resident Camps. Spots are limited and filling quickly!

For more information, please visit www.gsnetx.org/stemsummerseries and register today.