Awards and Honors

The Dallas Independent School District has achieved record-breaking success in terms of student and school accomplishments. These achievements stem from the dedication of many people – the students themselves, their teachers and other school staff, principals, administrators, and the more than 19,000 community volunteers and school partners who support our students with time, talent, and funds.

Some of our awards:

2008

Schools

Central Elementary School Destination Imagination team won second place in the Destination Imagination State Tournament in Round Rock, Texas, and also won the Renaissance Award for outstanding design, engineering, execution, and performance.
The School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center has won the national Siemens Award for Advanced Placement for high schools. High schools receive a $1,000 grant awarded from the Siemens Foundation to be used to further support math and science education.

Students

Daniel Puente, a senior at the School of Business and Management at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, was awarded a $3,000 Eli Lilly and Company Scholarship by Black Data Processing Associates Education and technology Foundation.
Rolando Candanosa, a H. Grady Spruce High School student, placed first place in Dallas Bar Association’s 2008 Law Day Photo Contest. His entry was forwarded to the state level contest in Austin.
Andrew Albitz, a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was a semifinalist in the 2008 National Shakespeare Competition, sponsored by The English-Speaking Union of the United States.

Staff

The American Association of University Women Texas has selected Alice Black, executive principal of Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, as one of 100 Texas Women of Distinction. The award is given to women who are committed to advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

2007

Daniel Lomeli, a senior football player at H. Grady Spruce High School, was named a Sonic Scholar Athlete of the Week. Lomeli was chosen for his achievements in the classroom and on the field. He was featured on Inside High School Sports, which aired on Sept. 15 on Channel 5.
Three of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ finest students were chosen for the highly competitive Presidential Scholars program – more than any other school in the country. Seniors Brittanie Brown, Asher Frankfurt, and Jay Jackson got the nod for the program’s arts award, which is given to only 20 students in the country. Entries are judged based on academic achievement, artistic excellence, community service, school evaluations, and transcripts. Presidential Scholars and their teachers were honored in June in Washington, D.C.
In its May 28, 2007, issue, Newsweek magazine ranked the School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering first and second on its annual list of "America's Best High Schools." Both schools are located at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center. It's the second year in a row the magazine has ranked the Talented and Gifted magnet the top public high school in the country. W.T. White High School ranked 138 and Hillcrest High School ranked 635. According to Newsweek, the top high schools do the best job in preparing their students for college.
William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted received the Merit Award of Excellence from Magnet Schools of America for the school’s commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful desegregation and diversity efforts, and consistent delivery of quality services to all school stakeholders.
The Thomas C. Marsh Middle School Leadership Cadet Corps won the first ever national drill competition for middle schools. The school’s 35-member competition unit competed in six events and beat out middle school drill teams from across the country.
Everette L. DeGolyer Elementary School Destination Imagination team in May won eighth place in the 2007 Destination Imagination Global Tournament in Knoxville, TN, and it also won the state Renaissance Award for outstanding design, engineering, execution, and performance.