As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.
23 Feb 2001
By now, many people in Dallas probably have seen DART buses advertising the fourth annual DEAR Dallas event. In an effort by the Dallas Independent School District to garner citywide support for literacy, the term of endearment this time is being used as a call to action—Drop Everything and Read—Dallas. This year's observance falls on Friday, March 2, and a wide-range of activities have been planned to mark the occasion. (Drop Everything and Read is the event that precedes Texas Public Schools Week, March 5-9).
To make a stronger impact on the importance of reading in our society, DEAR Dallas has joined forces with the Read Across America campaign. This effort was developed four years ago by the National Education Association (NEA) to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss (March 2). The theme for 2001 is Oh! The Places You'll Go, and it's inspired by the beloved 1990 Seuss book which encourages children to embrace challenges and imagine possibilities.
Special events are being planned for Friday, March 2, at schools throughout the district. Some are listed:
• Inspired by the book of the same title, kindergarten students at Cabell Elementary School, 12701 Templeton Trail, will cook "green eggs and ham" at 8 a.m. The cooking lesson is the highlight of a unit featuring Dr. Seuss' favorite books. (MAPSCO code 13U)
• Former NFL quaterback Roger Staubach will read to the students at Anne Frank Elementary at 8:15 a.m. The school is located at 5201 Celestial. (MAPSCO code 14H)
• The 420 students at Elisha Pease Elementary will march outside the school holding books donated by Reading Is Fundamental and surround the school building. The exercise starts at 9 a.m. and—inspired by Dr. Seuss's book Oh, the Places You'll Go—the students will attempt to determine how many books it would take to go around the school. Book-guessing is not new for the students. They recently won a contest in which they guessed how many books it took to form a single lane from Dallas to Austin. (Note to editor: The books will be presented at 8 a.m. by National Education Association Secretary/ Treasurer Dennis Van Roekel, and by Texas State Teachers Association Vice President Donna Haschke. The school is located at 2914 Cummings. (MAPSCO Code 66A)
• WFAA- Channel 8 movie critic Gary Cogill will lead the students in silent reading at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School. The elementary campus is this year's flagship school for Drop Everything and Read. At 10 a.m., the students will read Dr. Seuss' books verbally and using sign language. The school is at 5828 E. Mockingbird. (MAPSCO code 36K)
• Dressed-up as Dr. Seuss' characters, at 1 p.m. bilingual students at Amelia Earhart Learning Center will read some of their favorite stories in Spanish. The school is located at 3531 N. Westmoreland. (MAPSCO code 43K)
In addition, the school district's Reading Department has issued a Superintendent's Reading list which includes favorite selections by district staff and community members. General Superintendent Dr. Mike Moses' selection is How to Quit Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. Dr. Carol Francois, DISD Associate Superintendent—Administrative Services, chose The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, as her current favorite. U. S. House of Representatives Congressman Dick Armey lists his as Jack London's Call of the Wild. LULAC National Educational Service Center Director Renato De Los Santos will read Why Am I So Brown? by Trinidad Sanchez.
For more information regarding Drop Everything and Read, call Earlene Mills-House at 972-925-4673. For information regarding NEA-Read Across America, call Roy Kemble, 214-821-2061.