This election season provided an excellent opportunity for schools around the district to engage students with activities related to government and the electoral process.

Aikin Elementary
Aikin's Election Day bake sale helped fourth grade students raise money to go on a field trip to The Texas State Capitol in Austin. Visitors and voters alike had an opportunity to enjoy a treat while supporting students.

Arapaho Classical Magnet
The ACM second grade classes held an election for president and vice president. Eight candidates gave speeches under the watchful eye of secret service agents. At the conclusion, all students headed to the polls and completed their ballots.

Big Springs Elementary
Big Springs Bobcats experienced the steps for voting leading up to Election Day. Students were registered to vote, each class came to the cafeteria stage where they presented their voter registration cards and received a ballot with both presidential candidates' names and pictures. They made their selection in individual voting booths and deposited the ballots into a grade level box. Intermediate students visited with the principal about the voting process, sharing their knowledge of what it means to exercise this civil liberty. Following the voting, results were graphed by grade level on a wall in the hallway. Students and teachers continued to extend their learning as they made observations and comparisons of the vote tally.

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Members of the Board of Directors of the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation spread out across RISD to deliver cookies to the TOP 10 schools supporting the annual payroll deduction campaign, We've Got You Covered!

Chairman of the Campaign, Dr. Carolyn Bukhair and EIE Board Chairman Gerald Bright led the way, delivering cookies and posters to the staff of White Rock Elementary, Richland Elementary and Richardson High School. One school, Lake Highlands Freshman Center earned both the Top 5 in Participation and the Top 5 in donations.

The Top Ten Schools surprise delivery were:

Top 5 in Participation:
• White Rock Elementary
• Jess Harben Elementary
• Richland Elementary
• O. Henry Elementary
• Lake Highlands Freshman Center

Top 5 in Donations:
• Richardson High School
• Berkner High School
• Forest Meadow Junior High School
• Apollo Junior High
• Lake Highlands Freshman Center

Central Administration led the way with the largest aggregate donation!

It was a successful campaign with donations projected for the year at $37,864. "We are very grateful for such sustained support," stated Dr. Carolyn Bukhair. "however, we are not yet at 100% participation and that is a goal we want to achieve. Thank you to all of you who gave and who participated." >Top

Berkner High School first implemented the AVID program in 2005 with four sections, eventually gaining recognition as a National Demonstration Site in 2009 for three years, the highest honor available. BHS has continued to perform at a high level by serving as a model teaching and research facility for other AVID systems around the state and the country. Berkner students are campus ambassadors for AVID, and teachers become mentors and leaders in the building through sharing of best practices. Students in the AVID College Readiness System at Berkner benefit from daily activities and reinforcement of writing, inquiry, collaboration, reading, and organization skills to aid in their preparation for college success. Berkner has received recognition for success with students including a featured spot on the Texas Education Agency Best Practices Clearinghouse, the Texas Exemplar Grant from the Texas High School Project, and visits from the AVID National Board and AVID founder, Mary Catherine Swanson.

In October 2012, fueled by the support of district and administrative leadership, site team, and staff, the Berkner AVID College Readiness System has again been named a national demonstration site through 2015. Congratulations to BHS and RISD AVID!  >Top

The Texas Department of Agriculture recently featured RISD's Child Nutrition Department on its website that shares best practices with districts and institutions around Texas.

RISD's use of posters, clings and visual aids to help students understand and make healthy food choices was determined by TDoA as a best practice that other districts could consider emulating.

For more information, please see the TDoA Best Practices website here. >Top

Prairie Creek fourth and second grade Panther Partners enjoy a Boo Buddy story. The fourth graders practiced writing by making a Halloween story for their second grade partner. The fourth graders then turned their desk into a haunted house and read their story to their second grade partner by flashlight. It was a great way to practice writing and make it exciting for both groups, with bright idea credit to teacher Renee Hayes. >Top

Each fall more than 21,000 fifth through twelfth graders from the Dallas, Frisco, Garland and Richardson school districts participate in the Dallas is Diversity Calendar Artwork Project. Students illustrate their ideas of how soccer promotes diversity with the calendar featuring holidays celebrated throughout the world. Thirteen pieces of artwork are selected, one for the cover of the calendar and one for each month of the year.

Along with the publishing of their artwork, five students are chosen to receive scholarships in the amount of $500 each for their outstanding talent and their vision of soccer "Bringing the World Together." The art teachers of the students selected will receive $200 to assist with purchase of art supplies.

Five thousand copies of the calendar are printed each year and distributed to the schools in each of the four districts. Copies of the calendar are also mailed to friends of Dallas Cup and sponsors. >Top

The entire Spring Creek student body recently came to school dressed up as a character from their favorite book. Students were in a wide variety of costumes, ranging from Fancy Nancy to Harry Potter. Each student at Spring Creek sets personal reading goals each six weeks and this event was a way to share favorite books and encourage students to meet their goal. >Top

On October 26, the Northwood Hills Elementary PTA dedicated a bench located in the school's updated landscaping to their recently retired Principal, Mackie Kazdoy. A plaque on the bench reads:

In Appreciation of
Principal Mackie Kazdoy
Welcoming Each Child
With a Smile Every Day
2006-2012

A representative of the PTA said, "These words are so true - Mackie not only stood at the front door and welcomed each child with a smile, but also greeted them by name and often with a hug." Mrs. Kazdoy's father, Edmund Seid, (pictured) was very proud to see his daughter receive this honor from the PTA current and past presidents. >Top