18 Feb 2005
Education, Leadership, Academic Innovation Highlighted Among Contributions
DALLAS—Several Dallas Independent School District employees have been recognized this school year for unique accomplishments in their field.
• Sylvia Fuentes, principal at Obadiah Knight Elementary School, was named Principal of the Year by the Dallas Association of Counselors. The award honors principals who use district resources to remove barriers to student learning, encourage and empower counselors, and develop excellence in his or her school's counseling program.
• Rachel George, principal at Julia C. Frazier Elementary and DISD's 2003 Principal of the Year, recently was presented the National Principal of the Year Award by the National Alliance of Black School Educators. George won the award for her continued dedication to the academic achievement of the students in her school and for the innovative programs that have made her school one of the 17 NABSE national demonstration school sites in the country.
• Andrea Hilburn, operations executive – Administrative Services, was a recipient of the Bayard H. Friedman Hummer Hero Award for being the most outstanding school administrator in North Texas in 2004. The award was presented by the Score A Goal in the Classroom School Incentive Program and Southern Methodist University. Hilburn received $1,000, a medal, and the use of a Sewell 2004 Hummer sports utility vehicle for her outstanding contributions to Dallas.
• Rhonda Howard, a teacher at Harrell Budd Elementary School, and Helen Lopez, principal at John F. Peeler Elementary School, were selected by the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program to travel to Japan in October 2004 to learn about that country's culture and educational system. The program allows distinguished primary and secondary school educators in the United States to travel to visit the country for three weeks to promote greater intercultural understanding.
• Shirley Ison-Newsome—Area 2 superintendent, was one of three Dallas residents to be recognized at the National Alliance of Black School Educators national conference in Dallas. Ison-Newsome was recognized for her extraordinary service to the Dallas community and praised for her noteworthy career as an educator and for the outstanding record of academic and cultural excellence of the schools under her guidance.
• Vicki Johnston, former director of Counseling Services and part-time specialist with the district, received the Presidential Award from the Texas Counseling Association for spearheading programs and initiatives at the DISD that have become a model for the state in enabling school counselors to spend more time working with students.
• Jacqueline Landry, associate superintendent – Program Development and Staff Training, has been named Educator of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women. The NCNW is a voluntary non-profit membership organization with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families and communities.
• Suzee Oliphint, executive director – Advanced Academic Services, was named 2004 Administrator of the Year by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. She received the award for improvements in district programs for talented and gifted students and for the expansion of the Advanced Placement Program. The number of AP classes and enrollment in the DISD has increased every year since 1995. The number of AP exams taken by DISD students in the 2003-2004 school year increased 26 percent over the previous year.
• Delores Seamster, executive director, Reading and Language Arts Department, received the Celebrate Literacy Award 2004 from the International Reading Association for her outstanding contributions to literacy in the Dallas community.
• Tommie Shedden-Lyle, specialist—Minority and Women Business Enterprise, was named an Advocate of the Year by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Texas at the organization's annual membership awards banquet. Stoney Crump, coordinator, Environmental Services/Fleet Maintenance Department, and Jerome Pilgrim, senior buyer, Procurement/Buying Services Department, were named Buyers of the Year. The awards recognize companies and individuals who support the American Indian business community.
In addition, two elementary school principals received the Dallas Art Educator's Association annual award for Outstanding Administrative Support of the Visual Arts. Lora Watson, Gilbert Cuellar Sr. Elementary School, received the award for her support of teacher and district programs. Ruth Vail, Ben Milam Elementary School, received the award in recognition of her implementation of a cross-curricular program that helped to increase literacy and vocabulary through the study of fine arts prints.