16 Apr 2010
Quintanilla Middle School to Make a Variety of Security Improvements
DALLAS—Raul Quintanilla Sr. Middle School, in the Dallas Independent School District, has been selected as the winner of ASIS International's School Security Funding Competition. As the winner, ASIS International, the largest organization for security management professionals worldwide, will award the school $20,000 for security improvements.
Quintanilla Middle School, located at 2700 Remond Dr., has 860 seventh- and eighth-grade students. It is one of 37 middle schools in the Dallas ISD, the 14th largest school district in the nation. Proposed improvements include adding security cameras and software, new outdoor lighting, two-way radios for campus communications and repairs to perimeter fencing.
"We are excited and proud to be the winners of the ASIS 2010 School Security Funding Competition," said Quintanilla Middle School Principal Luis Valdez. "With this money, we will make our school a safer learning environment for everyone and cannot wait to have the security systems installed. Our school community is very appreciative."
The ASIS School Security Funding Competition asked Dallas ISD schools to consider—through a series of short essays—their particular security concerns and how those concerns might impact their students, teachers and administrators. They were asked to describe security risks they would attempt to reduce and/or eliminate, and list specific security enhancements they would purchase with the funding. A committee comprised of members of the Dallas ISD police and security team, along with security management professionals from the ASIS North Texas chapter, judged the submissions.
"This is the seventh year that ASIS has sponsored this competition as a way of giving back to the community where our annual event is held," says ASIS International Chief Executive Officer Michael Stack. "The aim of the competition is to encourage local schools to assess the security issues that confront their buildings, staff and students every day."
The ASIS International 56th Annual Seminar and Exhibits will be held Oct. 12-15 at the Dallas Convention Center. With 750 exhibitors featuring everything from access control to X-ray scanners, along with more than 160 educational sessions, ASIS 2010 is the security industry's leading event. For more information, visit www.asisonline.org.
ASIS will recognize Quintanilla Middle School and Principal Valdez at a special awards luncheon on Oct. 15 at the Dallas Convention Center.
ASIS International is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with more than 37,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics.