Education
Early risers had a chance to see Tom C. Gooch Elementary students on TV taking part in September’s PARK(ing) Day. During the event, downtown parking spots were turned into temporary spaces that provided spots to read, do yoga, look at art and more. The segment aired on Univision, channel 23, and Telefutura, channel 49.
The Dallas Independent School District launched a new app for iPhones and Androids. The app lets parents and students see grades, bus routes, emergency notifications, cafeteria menus, a calendar and more. The free app, developed by School Connect, is available in English and Spanish at dallasisd.org/mobileapp.
Preston Hollow schoolteachers Rachel Burnett and Susan Bourenane received the Innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Teaching Awards, presented to 12 Dallas ISD teachers by the Texas Instruments Foundation in September. Burnett teaches algebra at W.T. White High School and is the core math teacher for the school’s Engineering Academy. Bourenane teaches technology and computer at George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy. The awards honor secondary math and science teachers that build student achievement in the STEM subjects, a problem area for many students. Each honoree received $10,000, half for personal use and the other half for professional development or instructional technology.
Danielli Costa, gifted math teacher at Thomas Jefferson High, was featured on the September cover of the North Texan, the alumni magazine for the University of North Texas. Costa was hired by the high school last spring. Her students had already seen five teachers come and go, and standardized testing time loomed near. She was ready for the challenge, in part because of the training and experience she received through UNT’s Teach North Texas program, she tells the magazine.
Hillcrest High student Sydney L. Pedigo was named a National Merit Semifinalist. Each year, more than 1.5 million high school juniors take the PSAT test to help qualify for college entrance and scholarships. And each year, students who achieve the top 16,000 scores among all test-takers are named National Merit Semifinalists. About half of the semifinalists will receive $2,500 National Merit scholarships, while the scores of the others help them obtain merit scholarships from colleges.
People
Preston Hollow resident Joanne Fay is now a member of the Dallas Parks Foundation board. Fay has served in organizations such as the Women’s Board of the Dallas Opera Guild and Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy, and she has chaired the boards of St. Mark’s School of Texas, LeukemiaTexas, the Dallas Woman’s Club and more.
