The Parent-Teacher Association at William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted raised $35,000 to provide an outdoor sport court with basketball and volleyball equipment for the school. In addition, the materials to replace the chain link fence that surrounds the school grounds with a wrought iron fence were paid for by the Uptown Public Improvement District.

National Basketball Association star Kenyon Martin from the Denver Nuggets and The Kenyon Martin Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to the Bryan Adams High School basketball team for the purchase of uniforms. In addition, the KMF donated an autograph lighted sign that is currently on display in the Bryan Adams’ Trophy Case. Martin is a graduate of Bryan Adams High School and was inducted in the BA Pro Hall of Fame in October.

Staff and students from Roger Q. Mills Elementary School, along with The Heart of America Foundation and Target volunteers celebrated the unveiling of the elementary school’s redesigned library in September. As part of the Target Volunteers School Library Makeover program, the school’s library received a complete transformation, including new books, furniture, shelving, carpet, and reading corners.

Many schools in Dallas are in desperate need of a facelift—of new plants and trees, paved walkways to replace muddy paths, and lights to brighten the façade. Relying on partnerships that include Mayor Tom Leppert, Dallas ISD, local businesses and organizations, and the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Operation Front Door is a project to transform the "front doors" of Dallas ISD schools, creating welcoming environments for learning as well as campuses that students, parents, school staffs, and the surrounding community can be proud of. Operation Front Door matches Dallas ISD schools with businesses that donate funds and organize their employees to donate time to clean up, redesign, and landscape the fronts of the schools. Business and school partnerships that have been formed so far include:

• Atmos Energy and James Madison High School
• CityPlace TIF District and North Dallas High School
• Deloitte & Touche and Thomas Jefferson High School
• Southwest Airlines and Thomas J. Rusk Middle School
• The Gables and William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted
• ValleyCrest Landscaping Development and South Oak Cliff High School
• Victory Partners LLC and Dan D. Rogers Elementary School

In preparation for the new school year, several area businesses and community organizations have stepped forward to collect and donate school supplies and uniforms for district schools and families in need, including:

Temple Emanu-el Dallas underwrites a food and clothes closet at the Fair Oaks Youth and Family Center, located at Emmett J. Conrad High School. In addition, the organization provides tutors and funding for special programs at Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow, including the monthly Fun Saturday Program, which provides entertainment for children while their parents attend workshops facilitated by the principal.

Thirty-one students from Charles A. Gill Elementary School got an early start on their back-to-school shopping and it didn't cost them a dime. As guests of the Mesquite Academy Sports + Outdoors, they got to go up and down the aisles, stuffing big plastic Academy bags with items they had selected. Each child got to pick out two school uniforms, a backpack, a pack of socks, a belt, and a pair of school-approved shoes. Dallas County Schools provided the bus that took the students and their parents to the store.

For more than 50 years the St. Simon’s after-school program has supported elementary school children and their families who are challenged by economic and family situations by providing a safe, familiar, nurturing place for children to be after school. The program is available to students, preschool through third grade, whose families qualify for free lunch and who do not have an adult available to care for them after school. Since 1957 the program has served more than 12,500 Dallas children.

The Rotary Club of Dallas has partnered with Woodrow Wilson High School’s administrative staff, counselors, and teachers over the last five years to design and operate a mentoring and scholarship program. The Rotary Dream Team mentoring program is designed to help high school students with financial need stay in school, prepare for and enter college on scholarships, graduate from college, and enter the workforce as productive citizens. In May, a mentoring photography portrait exhibition by Debra Shore Photography featured photos and thoughts of the Wilson High School students and their mentors from the Dream Team. According to the Rotary Club’s records, 100 percent of the students who remain in the Dream Team program have gone to college on scholarships. At a June luncheon, the Rotary Club presented $32,000 in scholarships to the Woodrow Wilson High School graduating seniors in the program.

Throughout the year, Dallas ISD schools host college and career days to give students a first look at their futures. Members of the Dallas community give their time freely to participate in career days. Their knowledge and insight help students get a better understanding of what is involved in performing specific jobs, the education and training needed, and how to set goals and career paths. Louise Wolff Kahn Elementary School hosted a career week in May. Participants included, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, members of the Dallas Fire-Rescue and Police departments, Dallas Deputy Marshals, Univision-23 anchor and reporter Wendy Cruz photojournalist Edgar Solis, and members of the Dallas business community.