19 Sep 2005
Vickery Meadow Elementary School Now Jill Stone Elementary at Vickery Meadow
DALLAS-Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Board President Lois Parrott joined community members at the renaming ceremony for Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow, Monday, Sept. 19.
"There can be no greater honor to an individual's legacy than having a school named in recognition of his or her contributions," said Superintendent Hinojosa. "The students and staff here are fortunate to have the example of Mrs. Stone's good works to guide them."
Jill Stone was an instructor at Southern Methodist University and coordinator of the Urban Studies Program. In 1988, Stone chose to devote her life to others - without pay. She served on the boards of the Visiting Nurse Association, Jewish Family Service, Mental Health Association, Phi Beta Kappa and League of Women Voters.
A major beneficiary of her work was the Vickery Meadow area, north of Park Lane and east of Central Expressway. Stone's work as a member of the Vickery Coalition Action Team included assessing needs and identifying resources to address them.
Stone collaborated with others from the National Council of Jewish Women and Temple Emanu-El to ensure that the needs of Vickery residents of all ages were addressed.
She focused much of her work on the students from the Vickery Meadow community attending Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Vickery Meadow Elementary School. When the elementary school opened in 1998, Stone was instrumental in developing the school's English Immersion Program, followed by the Helping Our Students to Succeed (HOST) program. Benjamin Franklin Middle School's Falcon Leadership Council was one of her special projects, and in the last few years, her efforts included a food pantry, coat drive and the Fun Saturday program at the elementary school that now bears her name.
In many of these projects, Stone and her husband Dr. Marvin Stone went beyond volunteer efforts and quietly supplied funds to help those in need. Even after her death in 2004, her work continues in the programs she helped develop. In recognition of her contributions, in June 2005 the Board of Trustees voted to change the Vickery Meadow Elementary School name to Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow.