21 Oct 2003
TV Show Hosted by Students is First in Texas to Win Emmy
DALLAS—The Dallas Independent School District's innovative TV show, School Zone Dallas, received the Lone Star Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Program at a black-tie event held in Dallas this weekend.
School Zone Dallas is hosted by DISD students and airs the first Sunday of each month on KERA-Channel 13-PBS.
The prestigious award is believed to be the first Emmy ever presented to a school district in the state of Texas.
"We are so proud of the students and staff of Dallas Schools Television who produce this television show," said DISD Superintendent Mike Moses. "School Zone Dallas is a unique way to showcase the many outstanding students, staff, parents and volunteers in Dallas. To receive an Emmy for the staff's creativity and hard work is a tremendous honor."
School Zone Dallas is a magazine-style format show that premiered in October 2002. Each show is hosted from a different DISD school. Segments feature unsung heroes throughout the 164,000 student district.
"Our goal with School Zone Dallas is to showcase to the general public individuals whom they might never hear about and who are making a difference every day in our district" said Executive Producer Jon Dahlander "We feature everything from special Dads' Clubs and other volunteers to incredible teachers and outstanding student groups."
The original co-hosts of School Zone Dallas, Royce Williams and Ismenia Gaviria, attended the Emmy ceremony and presented an award. The two students now attend college out of state and received free transportation courtesy of Southwest Airlines and Greyhound Lines Inc.
"It was a special treat to have Royce and Ismenia attend the ceremony," said Cathy Reaves, Executive Director of Dallas Schools Television. "It was especially wonderful for us to hear the emcee of the event, Leeza Gibbons, introduce them as 'the future of television.'"
Additional nominees in the Outstanding Information Program were Tracking Texas Weather by KXAS-TV (Dallas/Fort Worth), Mysteries of the Vatican by Houston's ABC affiliate, KTRK, LaserVision: 20/10 by 2010 by Houston PBS and a program produced by Texas Parks and Wildlife. School Zone Dallas received a second Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Magazine Program category. That particular Emmy was presented to La Vida, which is produced in Dallas by WFAA-Channel 8.
"Obviously, it is a thrill to receive an Emmy but we have many people to thank," said Dahlander. "We are especially grateful to KERA for airing the program on its channels to reach potentially millions of viewers. We are also thankful to the support from the administration, as well as the students and staff of DISD who have helped every step of the way."
In addition to Royce Williams and Ismenia Gaviria, School Zone Dallas' original student lineup included: Kyle Howard, Moises Molina High School; Savannah Person, Seagoville High School; Kirsten Brew, Carter High School; Christy Terry, Skyline High School; Lauren Elliott, Bryan Adams High School; and Angele Coleman and Rebecca Ramirez, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
This year's cast includes Cari Abuanza, Thomas Jefferson High School; Saul Casteneda, Woodrow Wilson High School; Angele Coleman, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; Rachael Embler, Hillcrest High School; Lil' Joe Hamilton, Lincoln High School; Crystal Loftin, Skyline High School; Alfonso Maldonado, Thomas Jefferson High School and Samantha Rodriguez, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Kirsten Brew, a senior at Carter High School and Abraham Hernandez, a junior at Bryan Adams High School are this year's co-hosts of School Zone Dallas.
The next episode of School Zone Dallas will air on KERA-Channel 13 at 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 2. The show will be hosted from Walnut Hill Elementary and will feature stories about a volunteer who shows students the wonders of butterflies, a computer recycling program that has provided free computers to thousands of DISD families and the annual Battle of the Bands competition.
In addition to producing School Zone Dallas, Dallas Schools Television broadcasts live, interactive math programs after school, as well as produces Nuevos Amigos, which teaches Spanish to elementary school students.
KERA, a major public broadcasting producer and a leading community-based radio and television institution, is committed to documenting the issues and events that impact the lives of North Texans. In addition to airing award-winning national productions, KERA regularly contributes to the PBS schedule by producing programs that showcase North Texas to the nation.
For more information, go to http://www.dallasisd.org/schoolzone.htm. Story ideas can be sent to schoolzone@dallasisd.org.