16 Feb 2007
School Named in Honor of Advocate for Equal Education
DALLAS—Dallas Independent School District officials were joined by community leaders, parents, students, and elected officials Friday, Feb. 16, for the dedication ceremony of Sam Tasby Middle School, 7001 Fair Oaks Ave.
One of four middle schools in the 2002 bond program, Tasby Middle School serves 1,000 students and is the only school in the bond program to be named for a person who is still alive. Sam Tasby is an active community leader who paved the way for the creation of magnet schools, bilingual education programs, and other innovations to improve educational equity for all children in Dallas. In 1970, he filed a lawsuit in federal court which charged the Dallas Independent School District with continuing a dual school system prohibited under the Supreme Court's 1954 historic Brown v. Board of Education decision. In 1971, a U.S. district judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered Dallas ISD to develop a plan to desegregate its schools.
The $20 million middle school is located in the Vickery Meadow Community and is part of a 222,000-square-foot education complex that shares common spaces with the new Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School.
Principal Paul Zevallos led the celebration, which included the presentation of colors by the Sam Tasby Leadership Cadet Corps. The event included remarks from Dallas ISD District 3 Trustee Leigh Ann Ellis and Chief Academic Officer Denise Collier. Willie Russell, Sam Tasby's son-in-law, paid tribute to Mr. Tasby's leadership and his success in providing equal educational opportunity to Dallas schoolchildren.
Student Council President Claudia Calderon made a special presentation to Sam Tasby, and the ceremony included performances by the Tasby orchestra, band, twirlers, cheerleaders, drill team and ballet folklorico.
Trustee Ellis highlighted the school's enrichment initiatives, including a talented and gifted program, computer technology, Spanish language classes, band, dance, and choir. Students will also have the chance to explore potential careers in consumer sciences. After-school programs include tutoring and mentoring and participation in competitive sports such as track, volleyball, baseball, softball, and football.
Principal Zevallos concluded the ceremony with a commitment to honor the legacy of Sam Tasby. "We believe that this day, this minute, this hour make the difference- what we decide to do, can be done," Zevallos said. "Mr. Tasby said that he took action not out of meanness- as some might have thought- but out of love. Although it wasn't easy to maintain his commitment to what was right, he did it. And all children in Dallas schools benefit from the action he took."
Sam Tasby Middle School includes 26 core classrooms, six science labs, two art rooms, two music rooms, two computer labs, two career and technology labs, an instructional technology lab, a drama classroom, media center, gymnasium, and cafeteria. The gymnasium, cafeteria, and shared common areas are separated from classroom areas so students and visitors can gather and meet in these areas of the school without disturbing classroom instruction. These spaces also facilitate using the building for community and social events. Outside play areas provide students and neighborhood children opportunities for structured physical activity and play.
Tasby serves students who attended L.L. Hotchkiss, Jack Lowe Sr., Lee A. McShan Jr., Dan D. Rogers, and Jill Stone elementary schools. The school also received students from Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Students will continue their education at Emmett J. Conrad High School.
The construction and design team included program manager, Jacobs/Pegasus; architect, BRW Architects, Inc.; and builder, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
The 2002 Dallas ISD bond program funded a total of 21 new schools, more than 33 major additions and renovations to nearly every campus in the district. Sam Tasby Middle School is the fifteenth new school dedication of the 2002 bond program. The final dedication ceremony for this school year will be held at Felix G. Botello Elementary School, 225 S. Marsalis Avenue, Saturday, April 28, 2007.