Story By Michael Hubbard & Photos By Grant Meeks

Academic achievement has been lacking at A. Maceo Smith High School for many years now.  As a Texas Education Agency “Unacceptable” ranked school, low reading and math scores have been the norm since the school moved from the old Nolan Estes Plaza in 1989 to its current location in Oak Cliff.

Two years ago the DISD Board of Trustees voted to convert the school into a New Tech campus.  The New Tech Network (NTN) is a non-profit organization that helps high school students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, college, and the careers of tomorrow.

The official re-branding of A. Maceo Smith began in December of 2011. That’s when head principal Brian Lusk, a 15-year veteran of DISD, began working with his staff and the NTN to transform the school’s culture for the inaugural ninth grade class.

Michael Hubbard is a freelance writer and blogger.  A native of Dallas, TX, he is a proud graduate of James Madison High School.  Michael brings a unique, hometown perspective to his political and social commentary.  You can follow his opinions at mikeondallas.blogspot.com, and Mike can be reached at Mhubbard23@aol.com

Last night I attended a community meeting regarding the proposed closing and consolidation of D.A. Hulcy Middle School.  I’m not going to get too deep into the specifics with this post, but there were about 75 parents, teachers, staff and students at Atwell who heard about the proposed DISD school closings.

Below I posted a map that shows how students in affected neighborhoods would be dispersed to other middle schools.  The map also shows the new Zan Holmes Middle School set to open next year.

• Umphrey Lee and Martin Weiss Elementary Schools would feed into W.H. Atwell Middle School.
• Ronald McNair and Birdie Alexander Middle Schools would feed into T.W. Browne Middle School
• Students sent to Browne would eventually attend Kimball High School.
• Carter High School is not physically located in the zone with the communities slated to attend there.

Parents were left with more questions than answers. The main rationale for closing Hulcy was that enrollment currently stands at 45% capacity. The $11.5 million in district wide savings was again touted at the meeting.

But how approximately $9 million in salary dollars ($1.5 million total from Hulcy) will be saved was not well articulated.  What happens to kids who used to walk home from after school programs?  What about the campuses with students who were exceeding expectations being sent to campuses that aren’t?

More later.

By Sydney Giesey

Seventeen-year-old Jeffrey Ray walked into his principal’s office one day recently grinning from ear to ear. He shook Principal Rawly Sanchez’s hand as Sanchez congratulated him and said, “The big UTeeeeeee.”

Ray had just been accepted to the University of Texas. He is the first student at H. Grady Spruce High School to be accepted to a university in the last four years. He is also a member of the first class to graduate from Spruce since 2008.  Ray and his senior class of about 300 students will graduate in May 2012.

“It feels like a big honor,” Ray said. “I’m going to be known like a legend at this school.”

Starting Over

On July 26, 2008, the Dallas Independent School District voted to reconstitute Spruce because it had received an Academically Unacceptable rating from the Texas Education Agency for the previous five years. Ratings are based on the school’s TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) scores. The school had to start over from scratch.

Buses lined up. Students were shipped to other schools. One hundred percent of the staff was fired. Only 25 percent could be hired back. All athletic events were cancelled for the 2008 to 2009 season. The only students at Spruce were incoming freshman and any seniors who wanted to graduate.

“The school felt empty,” Ray said, who was a freshman at the time.

Every year the school added a grade. Ray and his classmates were the leaders throughout his entire high school experience. When he was a freshman, there were no sophomores to show him the way. When he was a sophomore, there were no juniors. When he was a junior—no seniors.

“It felt different because you really didn’t have anybody to look up to, you had to set an example for the rest of the classes,” Ray said. “It would have helped if we’d had upperclassmen, but we just took it into our own hands.”

However, looking back, Ray wouldn’t change anything. If Spruce hadn’t been reconstituted, he said, the school might have closed down, and students wouldn’t have the good grades they have now.

“I think it was a good decision,” he said.

Building Students, Building Relationships

World history teacher, Jim Harp, agrees, even though he admitted the reconstitution came as “a real shock” to him.

Harp has been teaching at Spruce for the last 13 years. He was part of the 25 percent of staff Dr. Lucy Hakemack, the principal at the time, was allowed to bring back. Seventy-five percent of his colleagues were gone.

Harp remembers some of the changes that were made during the reconstitution. He said Dr. Hakemack looked for teachers that were willing to put in the extra work and extra time. If not, “you don’t need to be back,” Harp said she told him.

“We were all focused on one thing,” Harp said, “to raise up those scores.”

And they did. When he first came to Spruce, the pass rate for social studies was 53 percent, Harp said. Last year, the pass rate was 94 percent.

After the reconstitution, there were a limited number of students. Teachers could devote all of their attention to the incoming freshman. As a result, teachers like Harp built relationships with those students.

“You get real close to those kids,” Harp said. “We feel a lot of pride that they’re going to graduate.”

Even new teachers feel a sense of pride for this year’s graduating class.

“I’m going to be a hot mess at their graduation, tears and all,” English teacher Bailey Holyfield said.

Holyfield graduated from SMU in 2010, joined Teach for America, and ended up at Spruce where she said she “fell in love with a bunch of angry 11th graders.”

Holyfield wrote Ray’s recommendation letter for UT.

“UT has been his dream since he started, and to see him have that dream,” Holyfield said, “it’s incredible. It’s almost indescribable.”

Getting connected

Principal Sanchez wasn’t around for the reconstitution. He started at Spruce in August, but said he already feels connected to the students. His eyes lit up when he got a text about Ray’s acceptance letter. He said the emotions never go away; he tears up every time.

“I absolutely love what I do,” Sanchez said. “When I look into the eyes of these kids, that’s me, that is absolutely me.”

This isn’t Sanchez’s first job as a principal. He was principal at W. H. Adamson in Oak Cliff for five years, from 2004 to 2009. In his first two years, the school was Academically Acceptable. In his third year, Adamson was Academically Unacceptable. By his fifth year, the school had a Recognized rating. Adamson’s drop out rate also decreased from 57 percent to 15 percent in those five years.

Even with his experience, Sanchez said Spruce is a learning process for him. He said people sometimes don’t understand the gravity of what happened to Spruce.

“When you shut a school down and start all over again, you have to rebuild,” Sanchez said. “You rebuild culture, you rebuild climate and you have to put a sense of worth and belief in the kids at the school.”

You also have to rebuild athletic programs.

Ray was a linebacker on Spruce’s football team. His team of sophomores in 2009, and sophomores and juniors in 2010, had to play against varsity teams with juniors and seniors. This season was the first season in four years that Spruce had seniors on their team. The Timberwolves went three and six this year. They only won one game in 2010.

Despite the obstacles, Spruce has made great strides in the past few years. Even since August, tardies have been reduced by two-thirds. But the school’s work is not over. It was Academically Acceptable for the 2009 and 2010 school years, but will have an Academically Unacceptable rating for the 2011 and 2012 school years.

In order to be Academically Acceptable, all students, and each student subgroup meeting the minimum size, must meet specific TEA standards for the reading, writing, social studies, mathematics, and science portions of the test.

There are four subgroups defined by TEA: African American, Hispanic, White and Economically Disadvantaged. Not all high schools meet the minimum size requirements for subgroups. Spruce, however, does meet the requirements and received its current Unacceptable rating because of its math scores among African American students.

In 2012, there will be a new challenge, not only for Spruce, but for all Texas schools. The STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness), a new standardized test, will be introduced in the 2012 to 2013 academic year. Harp said it will probably take teachers a year or two to figure out the new test.

“I think the STAARs test has kind of got everybody worried,” Harp said.

Sanchez said he looks beyond the scores.

“My goal for this school,” he said, “is to help kids realize the value of an education.”

Sanchez said students like Jeffrey Ray have an opportunity to change the course of life for themselves and their families. Sanchez has already seen this in his own family. He said one night, as he and his family sat at the dinner table, they discussed their futures.

His 10-year-old daughter asked him, “Do you know what I want to do when I grow up?”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I’m going to be the principal of Adamson,” she said.

Sydney Giesey is a senior at SMU graduating in Dec. She will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an English minor. She also served as a video editor for The Daily Campus and will be a part-time writer for CW33 News once she graduates.

Girl Scouts from Harry Stone Montessori Academy were recently featured on WFAA 8′s Good Morning Texas.  They were participating in Sleep Experts’ Share the Warmth Blanket Drive which asks North Texas families to drop off new or gently used blankets at any of the company’s 35 store locations, now through Thanksgiving.

Girl Scout Troop 9448, Left to right: Elise Davis - Dallas, Anneke Davis - Dallas, Christina Esters - Cedar Hill, Sarah Lawson - Dallas

Charles Jones is standing up front and center. Both pictures are at the morning lyceum.

Naomi Jones, sitting down in an Eastfield College lounge, wearing a black and white flowered shirt and an easy smile, remembers driving her son Charles home to Mesquite from school one day. She was muttering to herself about the rising gas prices when she said her son said something profound that she’ll never forget.

“He said ‘one day this is all going to pay off,’”said Jones, an Eastfield student. Jones realized then that all the extra time she puts in to guarantee that her son gets an excellent education is worth it.

Charles, 13, is an 8^th grader at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy and embodies the confidence this magnet school is attempting to nurture and develop.

The Obama Academy, the first all-boys school in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and the first all-boys public school in Texas, opened this year and has a current enrollment of 190 students from 6^th to 9^th grade. The school plans to add a grade each year until there is a 12^th grade.

Because it is a magnet school, there is an application process. Every student is required to have a minimum grade average of 80, take a math test, write an essay, and interview with Principal Nakia Douglas. Students living in Dallas make up 70 percent of the current enrollment, while 30 percent come from as far as Plano.

The Obama Academy, located on 4730 S. Lancaster Road in Dallas, sits between the Dallas VA Medical Center and an older apartment complex. The DART runs no more than 50 feet from the front entrance to the school.

Lew Blackburn, President of the DISD Board of Trustees, said the district intentionally decided to build the school in a neighborhood that could use a boost. The hope, he said, is for the Obama Academy to give the community a school as prestigious as St. Marks School of Texas or Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.

Community leaders and parents have high expectations for the Obama Academy that go beyond providing an excellent education. Parents want to see their children challenged not only academically, but also holistically to become better husbands, fathers, brothers, and community leaders.

“I want it to bring out some of the awesomeness that he has, to challenge him, to make him be the next whoever,” said Rose Hill, whose son George is a 7^th grader.

Hill said the expectations she has for her son start with Principal Douglas, who she describes as “dressed to impress: suited and booted, no tennis shoes, ties, pull up your pants, get ready and be eager, not normal, but extraordinary.”

Principal Douglas, who graduated from Dallas’ Lincoln High School, says he is committed to building a global society for tomorrow. He has visited and developed relationships with schools like Episcopal School of Dallas, Jesuit, and St. Marks to learn from their most effective practices and give him innovative ideas to engage the students at the Obama Academy.

“The goal is building a culture that lasts beyond our lifetimes,” he said.

It’s a culture built on accountability and belief. Douglas has the students address each other by “Brother” followed by their name. This is an intentional effort by Douglas to create a sense of “brotherhood” and accountability amongst the students. The students are asked to share each other’s successes and failures.

When a visitor to the Obama Academy walks into a classroom, a student will promptly get up to introduce himself and explain what he’s learning that day and how he’s applied it. The students wear uniforms of navy blazers, gray slacks, and ties.

The Obama Academy, inspired by the success of Irma Rangel Academy, the first all-girls school in Texas, offers a dynamic curriculum that includes robotics, Mandarin, Latin, and Spanish courses. The school already has a partnership with Yubei Middle School in Chonqing, China, and is working on a partnership with a school in Taiwan. In two years, the students will have the opportunity to study abroad.

Community leaders like Kevin Mondy, who is one of the founders of Project Still I Rise, understand the importance of community and parent involvement with the school.

“It’s going to take the community to give it [the Obama Academy] legs to walk,” he said.

Project Still I Rise, a nonprofit agency founded in 2002, provides several programs to train future community leaders and expose young men to the importance and opportunities of education. Several of the students at the Obama Academy are involved in Mondy’s organization. Mondy says their participation in Project Still I Rise should make the transition to the Obama Academy seamless.

One of the opportunities Project Still I Rise provides is to take students on to college campuses. Mondy said when a kid visits a college it increases his or her chances to go to college by 35 percent.

Tracy Williams, whose son is a 7^th grader at the Obama Academy and involved with Mondy’s Project Still I Rise, says getting her son and his friends excited about continuing their education is all about exposure. She was encouraged by a recent conversation she had with her son, Nickalas Lampkin, about where he was going to get his master’s degree.

“It’s not a matter of if you’re going to college, it’s when and where,” said Williams, who graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont.

All of the excitement of the Obama Academy hasn’t come without its challenges, however. In response to cuts to state education, for instance, the school has worked with a student to teacher ratio of 1-to-21, instead of a more ideal ratio of 1-to-15. Douglas and the Obama Academy have minimized the damage by creating what he calls “hybrid teachers,” or teachers that are teaching 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grade classes, instead of just one grade.

These limitations faced by the Obama Academy, and schools statewide, emphasize the importance of parental involvement in their children’s education, educators and community leaders say. The Obama Academy requires its students’ parents to sign an agreement upon enrollment that they will participate in at least two school functions during the year.

Charles recognizes his mom’s commitment to his education. As he walks into the auditorium for the morning’s lyceum, where the students of the Obama Academy gather every morning to harness their focus and recite the school’s motto and song, he reflects on what he said to his mom that day driving back home.

“When I get my degree, I’m going to help her.”

Brooks Igo is an SMU senior from Plano majoring in Business Management and minoring in Journalism and Sociology.

Leslie Swann wants to be known as the principal who knows everyone’s name. She is young, determined, intelligent, compassionate, and driven.

Swann, 40, is the first female principal in the history of Lincoln High School which was built in 1938 for African-American students. Ms. Swann is a West Texas native who grew up in Midland and graduated from Texas Christian University.

The Challenge Ahead

Lincoln Principal Leslie Swann

The school, located in South Dallas, is considered low performing by the state. Lincoln has a majority African American student body, with many of the students coming from disadvantaged and low incomes families. Standardized test scores are low. But Ms. Swann is out to see that the young people in her charge change their mind set and become high achievers.

“In the next three to five years, I want this campus to be a blue ribbon campus,” Ms. Swann said in an interview from her organized office. “I want excellence to be the normality.”

Shauntai Wooten, a senior and student body president, has known Ms. Swann for the last four years and admires her because “she keeps us grounded and she keeps us organized.”

“Ms. Swann reminds us in student council meetings that if one of us does not do our part, it brings our entire team down,” Wooten said.  Wooten realizes that LHS’ standardized test scores must improve, and she is encouraging her fellow students to do something about it.

“Even though I might do well on my tests and keep my grades up, the school itself is still failing because we all are not doing our part,” Wooten said.

Ms. Swann is requiring students to have an advising period before lunch to study different subjects. The period will last 45 minutes and each student must focus on one particular area so that they master their skills.

Ms. Swann is also calling for more student involvement. This includes students tutoring fellow classmates. Wooten, currently studying calculus, is participating in the program to help her colleagues.

Tiger Pride

During an interview, Ms. Swann proudly wears a purple blouse that represents her school’s color. Her hands wave up and down as she enthusiastically talks about her goals and aspirations for Lincoln.

Before Ms. Swann became head principal of LHS, she was the associate principal of the Humanities and Communications Magnet of Lincoln for six years. The magnet program offers students courses in radio, television, and film, as well as courses in print journalism and humanities. She left Lincoln in 2010 to become the associate principal at the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School.

Ms. Swann returned to Lincoln in 2011 and is once again a proud “Tiger”. Her favorite aspect of being back is the familiarity of the campus, the families, students, and staff.

Jerry B. Chambers, 74, has been working at Lincoln as a historian and part-time liaison for 45 years. Chambers proudly shows visitors a classroom, which bears his name over the door’s entrance. His picture hangs in the classroom as a reminder of how long he has worked for the school.

Mr. Chambers said that he has seen principals come and go, but that,“Ms. Swann is the kind of principal people need.” Mr. Chambers believes that Ms. Swann and the staff of LHS can teach the students “more things than the books can.”

Ms. Swann reminisces about when Lincoln was one of the top high schools in the entire nation. In 1995, LHS was a featured story on “Good Morning America,” and in 1996, it was featured in the magazine Redbook, receiving an award for overall excellence.

Mr. Chambers was on the LHS school staff when “Good Morning America” came to film at the campus. Although test scores are lower than they were in the 90’s, Mr. Chambers believes that Ms. Swann has the tools to improve.

Swann said she was walking through campus one day and realized that the janitors were cleaning up and getting ready for lunch hour. She noticed some trash on the floor and without hesitating she picked it up. Immediately one of the janitors told her to stop what she was doing.

“I looked at him and explained that we are all on the same team. He looked back at me and gave me the biggest smile,” Ms. Swann said.

The Little Things

Ms. Swann realizes that even the small things are important to improving the success of Lincoln. If the campus is unkempt, the students and faculty will feel unmotivated. If the teacher’s do not feel like teaching, the students will not feel like learning.  “We all have to do our part,” she said.

One of LHS’ proud alumni, Hilari Younger-Powell.  Ms. Powell graduated in 1999 and is now an entrepreneur, running her own successful interior design business in Dallas. Powell believes that Lincoln gave her the necessary principals and values that made her successful in her life after graduating.

Ms. Powell describes how influential and defining her four years were at Lincoln and how her experience shaped and molded her into the person she is today.  “If I had gone to any other school, I would not have had the same experience. When I went to college, I was so prepared,” Ms. Powell said.

Ms. Swann wants the 2012 graduating class to feel the same way Ms. Powell did when she graduated. Ms. Swann wants them to feel exposed, educated, proud, and filled with lessons that will allow them to go on and be successful with whatever career they take.

“Lincoln has such a rich history. I want my students to know that we stand on the shoulders of greatness,” Ms. Swann concluded.

There are now eight paintings hanging behind a glass case in the middle of the schools hallway. There is one empty spot right in the middle of all the distinguished men to have been principal. It is already perfectly measured for another frame, for another picture, for another principal.

The space is reserved for Ms. Swann.

Molly McKone is a junior at Southern Methodist University and majoring in journalism with a minor in political science.  She grew up in Phoenix, AZ and her mother and brother both attended SMU.

Leadership DISD, a community-based leadership development program, is now accepting applications for the 2011-2012 cohort. Leadership DISD develops community members passionate about public education into informed advocates of, and empowered volunteers for, the Dallas Independent School District (DISD).

These education-focused community leaders are then well-positioned to serve  as volunteers in a variety of roles including on DISD Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) committees, volunteer board task force committees, and other leadership positions, and help strengthen DISD by advancing the broader education reform discussion within the community.

Open to all who live and work within and near the DISD service area, Leadership DISD strives for geographic balance, with spots reserved for residents of all DISD trustee districts and high school feeder patterns. Participants include parents, community volunteers, business leaders and anyone else passionate about education.

While current educators are welcome to apply, the main objective is to train and empower those not already working in education. Leadership DISD costs a participant only $200, which includes the orientation, all sessions and meals, course materials, the class project, and the graduation. Application materials are available on the Leadership DISD website at www.leadershipdisd.org. Completed applications must be received by 5:00 pm on Friday, September 2nd.

Each Leadership DISD cohort begins their year in September with an orientation during which they engage in teambuilding, discuss advanced leadership concepts, and receive an intensive introduction to the Leadership DISD experience. Starting in October, the cohort meets on the second Friday of each month for a half-day seminar focused on a particular theme in education. Sample topics include:

• The Achievement Gap: Understanding Our Schools & Overcoming Demographics in Education

• Schools and their Communities: Building Parental & Volunteer Support

• Paying For Education: Texas Public School Finance & DISD Budgeting

• Educational Accountability: Federal, State, and Board Policy on Student Achievement and Teacher Evaluation

• Educational Leadership: Governance, Goal-setting, and Development of School Leaders

• Educating for the 21st Century: Current Trends in Education and Schools of the Future

To direct their acquired knowledge and experience into positive action, each cohort designs and implements its own education-focused community service initiative as a capstone project for the program year.

“To provide the best environment for student achievement, DISD needs great volunteers engaged in supporting the District at all levels,” said Mike Morath, DISD District 2 Trustee. “Leadership DISD is an excellent way for individuals who weren’t sure how to get involved to become highly effective and engaged in supporting public education in Dallas and to support the positive changes that are happening here.”

For more information please go to our website or contact us at leadershipdisd@gmail.com.

Important Public Hearing about Dallas ISD Redistricting. Come, Bring a Neighbor and Participate!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 – 6:00 p.m.

Justin F. Kimball High School
3606 S.Westmoreland Rd.

Review and respond to:
*  Proposed maps
*  Census population data
*  Voting population data
*  Other relevant redistricting information

Dallas ISD redistricting attorney will be available to respond to questions.

A metal, undulating ceiling; an elevated area called the “perch” made of fiber-cement-board panels from Europe; Italian marble in the bathrooms; and a stage with a wall that opens up to an outdoor amphitheater.

Miles from the arts district in downtown Dallas, construction crews are busy finishing the city’s newest showplace to open by the first of August. It’s not a hotel, museum or convention center. It is the Dallas Independent School District’s new Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy—named after the DISD’s first female African-American board member—and when adults see it, they are going to want to go back to high school.

(left to right) Gilliam Collegiate Academy Principal Gayle Ferguson Smith looks over the library area of the new high school as counselor Lenora Brown, facilities supervisor Lasandra Coleman, and office manager Blanca Vasquez watch.

Strategically located on the northeast edge of the campus of the University of North Texas at Dallas, leaders hope the location will boost the number of students who graduate and go to college.

“We want to do everything we can to create a smooth path for students in this area to succeed in finishing high school and college,” said UNT Dallas President John Ellis Price. “We’ve even thought about building a walking path from our current buildings to the high school’s campus.”

Students at Gilliam and the DISD’s other two “early college high schools” complete grades nine through 12 while completing as much as 60 hours of college credit simultaneously. The program is specifically geared for public school students who would be first-generation college students.

Gilliam Principal Gayle Ferguson Smith said it was ideal for the new high school to be located adjacent the city’s first public, four-year university.

“The location really worked out. We will be partnering with them and sharing some services. I’m looking to take advantage of some of the tutoring services that they provide. We’re looking for a smooth transition because we do want many of our students to attend UNT Dallas.”

Construction crews continue work on the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, slated to open Aug. 1. The yellow-colored area in the middle is the faculty office area called the “perch,” and the space in front of it is the dining area.

Construction began 12 months ago on the $21.5 million, 110,000 square-foot facility. Funding for the school came from a $1.35 billion bond election in 2008. The man in charge of construction, Paul Arden with Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, said the district got a great building for the money.

“For this day and age, I think they got an exceptional building for $22 million, multi-use, and it’s an art form also. To be honest with you, you could probably add another $10 million if the economy was better, but because of the times, everything was cheap.”

But cheap doesn’t mean poor quality. Arden and his crews are proud of the building they’ve built.

“It’s definitely a cornerstone project for the whole district,” Arden said. “There’s a lot of high-end finishes in here you would not normally see in a high school. It’s something to be proud of.”

On Aug. 22, 350 students will join 15 teachers at the school. They can’t wait to move in and take advantage of the wonderful facilities, Smith said.

In the school’s temporary location at Nolan Estes Plaza on I-35E, there were few windows, lots of stairs and dimly lit hallways. Smith said it will be “awesome to be able to get sunlight during the day.” Unlike their temporary location, students also will have access to a gym, outdoor recreational facilities, a library and spaces that enhance learning.

The long, open building will be easier for adults to monitor the students, too. From the entrance area, one can see almost all of the movement in the building. Other areas will be under video surveillance, such as the outdoor fenced-in “porch” area at the far end of the building where students can enjoy the trees on the campus.

During a recent tour, Arden led Smith and several school staff around the building as crews continued working around them. The school features 25 classrooms, all of which are on the north side of the atrium with views of the Dallas skyline. The wireless building has two computer labs, a “Go Center” (a resource room to help students with college and scholarship applications staffed by UNT Dallas students), a lecture hall/theater and an amphitheater.

But the most impressive part is the large atrium that includes dining space, a commons area and a unique structure at the far end called the “perch.” Above the library, the perch is a collaboration space housing meeting rooms and offices for teachers, the school counselor and associate principals.

“Nobody has this, but again it’s to have more of a college feel and prepare those students so the transition will be very easy from high school into college,” Smith said. “It’s like a student union at a university.

The building meets CHIPs (Criteria for High Performance schools) requirements, which is similar to the now-popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The carpet is made of recycled content. There are few VOCs (volatile organic compounds—the bad stuff that gives you cancer), and lots of sustainable materials such as bamboo, daylight controls and geothermal cooling and heating.

A refrigerant in the air conditioning system will run into 300-feet deep holes on the property where the earth will cool it in the summer and warm it in the winter. “It’s very efficient. It keeps the energy costs down,” Arden said.

The building was designed to look like a college campus, said project architect Amy King with SHW Group in Dallas. “It’s amazing. It’s definitely a step up from typical high schools around here. It’s inspiring, especially getting to see the kids’ faces as they enter the building and interact.”

If there is an architectural theme to the building, King said, it’s “easing the transition from high school to college and making you more aware of free time, free space, making you feel okay with achieving higher learning.” That is the goal for the entire program, Principal Smith said.

All DISD students “have access to the dual credit, but the difference is our program offers support. We’re walking with them hand in hand, step by step along the way providing intensive support so when they are on their own at the college level, they will be ready,” Smith added.

This was King’s fifth high school to design, but her firm has designed hundreds or more. Does this building seem special? “Yes it does,” King said. “I would say I was very fortunate to have worked on this amazing building. It is one that we will probably do case studies on and follow for future schools.”

At a groundbreaking ceremony April 23, 2010, Alma Garcia, program officer with the Texas High School Project, said the school will serve as a model for schools around the state. Her organization promotes public-private partnerships to develop early college high schools.

UNT Dallas, the DISD, the Dallas County Community College District and the AT&T Foundation are partners in the early college high school program. In 2009, the AT&T Foundation provided a $1 million gift to establish a scholarship fund for students who enroll in UNT Dallas after graduating from early college high schools.

If you walked into a 7th and 8th grade classroom and saw them playing with LEGOS®, what would you think? You’d probably fold your arms, shake your head in bewilderment and wonder, “What in the world has public education come to?” It may sound a little odd, but for one hour a week this is the norm for a small group of students attending Sarah Zumwalt Middle School.

At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, a group of dedicated Frito-Lay men and women from the MOSAIC resource group for African-American employees began a weekly journey from Plano to Southern Dallas to mentor kids while helping them build robots. Every Friday, about 15 students (girls and boys) met and worked in teams to build and program robots in preparation to compete in a head-to-head RoboSumo competition, The team would vie for championship while celebrating National Robotics Week, April 9 – 17.

Robot sumo wrestling?  Yes, you read correctly. Robots are built from LEGOS to certain specifications, then fitted with sensors to “see” their opponents. The robots are then programmed to compete against each other on a small board in a good old-fashioned, robot-styled wrestling match. As they push and shove each other around, students cheer on and marvel at their creations.

HIGHER ORDER THINKING

As in every sport, there are winners and losers. Robots falling off the board are eliminated.  The team with the last robot standing wins the title and bragging rights for an entire year! Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? But what does it have to do with education and mentoring? Well, usually mentoring groups gather in a room and talk about student “issues.” Students rarely get to interact and learn from each other. Instead they just sit and get. In other words, listen to people tell them what to do and what not to do in life.

BORING!

Not so with this particular program. Teaching robotics allows students to be introduced to important life skills, such as teamwork, tolerance, discipline, and respect in a fun and practical way. The robotics equipment used by the students is provided by the Frito-Lay MOSAIC team to help students learn about mathematics and technology, and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

Educationally, robotics builds higher-order thinking skills because students have to think through the consequences of their decisions, both positive and negative. Through robotics, middle school students are exposed to scientific concepts such as center of gravity and equilibrium, which are typically introduced in physics.

FROM MOTOWN TO D-TOWN

Terrence Southern (kneeling) addresses Zumwalt students

Terrence Southern, Project Engineer at Frito-Lay, leads the program, which expanded a decades-long partnership with Sarah Zumwalt Middle School and Frito-Lay.  Terrence, a recipient of the 2007 Black Engineering of the Year Award for Modern Day Technology, joined Frito-Lay in May 2010 and immediately got to work in the community.

Relying on his past successful 8-year track record of working with teenagers and robotics, he knew the impact such a program could have on a child’s life.  Terrence moved from Detroit to Dallas last year. While at General Motors, he led a team to 2nd place in the world Robofest competition in 2009, an annual autonomous robotics competition focusing on learning STEM for students in grades 5 – 12 and college students.

“This program gives students the opportunity to learn about how robotics are being used to improve manufacturing in our society, helping companies save money.” said Southern. “But most importantly, it teaches them critical life skills such as time management and team work, as well as concepts in math and science,” he said. According to Southern, one of MOSAIC’s goals is to enroll as many students in the program as possible.

Students are hungry to get into the robotics program and with the exposure of the most recent competition, even more interest is brewing amongst the student body. “It’s great to see students be competitive! I consider this to be a ‘sport of the minds’ where students explore the idea of being more than just a football or basketball player.”

Terrence also faced similar situations as many inner-city kids – limited opportunities, lack of positive role models, poverty, and lack of exposure to higher-education and career opportunities. But, he didn’t allow that stop him pursuing his dreams. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a B.S. in computer science. Today, Terrence is a nationally recognized leader in his field.

By giving back of our time and talents, we bring the future [our students] forward. I challenge everyone to get involved in the lives of young people. Everyone has something to give. We’re using our education and careers to help students be successful in life.

Terrence Southern

Southern and his team from Frito Lay are the epitome of service. Not only are they changing lives, they’re also allowing their lives to be changed as well.  “My greatest ah-ha moment was when I saw the students programming their robots without getting any assistance from me or the other mentors,” said Southern. “For me, this meant, ‘Wow, they really get it…teamwork, responsibility, trust, independence!’” he added.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So, you might not be able to afford driving 30 miles to volunteer for one hour a week.  Or maybe your job doesn’t offer the flexibility to leave work and give of your time. Maybe you feel like you don’t have anything to share with a student or you just simply don’t have time. Blah, blah, blah.

We can all sit around and find reasons not to get involved. This is your wakeup call! No more excuses. Our future depends upon the success of today’s youth, rather they be black, white, rich, poor, class clown or valedictorian. We must all make the time! Working together within our schools, we can bring the future forward.

Saki Milton is a middle school math teacher at Westlake Academy and co-founder of logos2400 educational services. You can reach her at smilton@logos2400.com.