Hillcrest teacher Susan Blanchette has been elected vice president of the National Council for the Social Studies, the country’s largest professional organization for social studies educators. Blanchette has taught both middle and high school in DISD, and she has more than 30 years of experience as an educator.

Several W.T. White students have been selected to be a part of DISD’s student-run TV news shows this year. Julie Negussie will be a reporter on “School Zone Dallas,” a 30-minute news program about DISD, which is produced by district employees and hosted by students. Fabiola Martinez was chosen to co-anchor the show’s Spanish version, “Zona Escolar de Dallas.” It airs on KUVN. Paola Arreola and Daryl Zarate will be reporters for “News Beat”, a new student-hosted program that covers current events. That will air on cable channel 98 and on the district’s website.