27 Sep 2004
Founder of National Award Joins in Celebration October 1
DALLAS–Dallas Independent School District Interim General Superintendent Larry Groppel will join Bart Teal, director of Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, at Walnut Hill Elementary School, 10115 Walnut Hill, 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct.1, for a celebration honoring the school as a 21st Century School of Distinction Award winner.
The festivities will begin at noon with a schoolwide picnic lunch and balloon launch. The program in the auditorium will include remarks from District 1 Trustee Ken Zornes, Groppel, Teal and Principal Brian Lusk, concluding with a slide presentation.
In June, Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services Jim Scales, JoAnne Hughes, principal at the school until 2004, and teachers Jeri Kitner, Kathryn Giddens and Genelle Parra were flown to New Orleans for a black tie gala and awards ceremony. Two schools were named Best of the Best and received $25,000. Walnut Hill Elementary School is one of the remaining 18 schools that received $10,000. In addition, each one of the 20 schools will be awarded technology equipment and materials valued at more than $120,000. Created by Intel Corporation, Scholastic Administrator and the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Foundation, the national award program recognizes the finest kindergarten-twelfth grade schools in the United States.
Walnut Hill receives the honor in the category of Technology Implementation, for practical implementations in technology usage among students, teachers, administrators, and parents. From a total of 1,285 applications submitted by schools across the nation, 20 schools were chosen as winners in this, the first year of the award program. Winners were selected based on implementation of innovative programs that support positive educational outcomes.