19 Apr 2010
Event Will Celebrate Community Leader's Impact on Education
DALLAS — Community leaders, parents, students and elected officials will join Dallas Independent School District officials at 10 a.m., Friday, April 23 for the groundbreaking of Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, 1700 E. Camp Wisdom Road.
The $21.5 million campus, scheduled to open in fall 2011, is Dallas ISD's second Early College High School program. A specialized curriculum and unique campus design offer students an opportunity to prepare for college through a learning experience that mirrors the collegiate environment. Three hundred students from the existing academy at Nolan Estes Plaza will transition into the new building that includes such features as an observation deck, a tiered lecture pavilion and amphitheater.
The school is named for Kathlyn Joy Gilliam, who served as the first African-American woman elected to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees and the first African-American to serve as president of the Board. During her 23-year tenure, Gilliam insisted on greater ethnic minority representation throughout the district, championed an affirmative action plan to increase the number of ethnic minority teachers, and administrators, and played a pivotal role in school desegregation.
The 111,000-square-foot school will accommodate up to 500 students, and includes 24 classrooms, multiple indoor/outdoor common spaces designed for dual-use, an activity field and wireless internet access within and surrounding the campus grounds. The design and construction team includes program manager Jacobs, architect, SHW Group and Satterfield & Pontikes, general contractor.
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, County Commissioner John Wiley Price and Mrs. Gilliam are scheduled to make remarks.