DeSoto ISD Announces Nov. 11 Family Academy and Magnet and Innovation Showcase
Program Offers Families, Students Engaging Workshops, Opportunities to Explore District Programs
DeSoto Independent School District announces an exciting and ground-breaking opportunity to explore district programs and engage in workshops and interactive informational sessions aimed at helping families better engage in the educational process supporting scholars’ success.
“Here, in DeSoto ISD, we are committed to creating viable experiences for students to learn and grow through hands-on, project-based learning opportunities,” said Dr. David Harris, DeSoto ISD Superintendent of Schools. “The annual Family Academy and Magnet and Innovation Showcase is an excellent program that affords families and students the opportunity to engage with DeSoto ISD while gaining valuable information that can inform family decisions around planning student educational experiences.”
The DeSoto ISD Family Academy and Magnet and Innovation Showcase will take place from 8am to 12:45 pm, Sat. Nov. 11 at the DeSoto High School Academy Cafeteria located at 600 Eagle Drive.
“The DeSoto ISD Family Academy and Magnet and Innovation Showcase is a day of learning and exploration for families and community,” said Monet Reed, Director of DeSoto ISD Family and Community Engagement. “This is an event in which we hope families will dive in and ask questions about how to get involved in the student educational experience through the carefully selected interactive programs and informational sessions.
Here, in DeSoto ISD, we want to equip families with the information and tools they need to successfully steer and support student academic interests.”
Family Academy:
The event themed, “It’s a Family Affair: Where Engagement and Innovation Meet,” is a program that offers a 24-course roster of sessions for families and students around the topic of family engagement.
Studies show that when parents and families are involved and engaged in the educational setting, students are more likely to demonstrate concern about their studies, perform better and work harder in school.
DeSoto ISD is committed to ensuring that parents and families are equipped to support the student academic experience from the home and in the home while also creating opportunities for families to engage in the educational experience on campus and collaboratively with teachers and administrators.
This year’s family academy will feature keynote speaker Dr. Nathaniel Hearne, former assistant football coach who was a coach on the 1989 National Football Champion Permian High School football team.
Hearne has served as an educational administrator, public speaker, motivator, mentor, life coach.
As an assistant principal, Hearne’s dropout prevention program was recognized by the “Texas School Business” magazine as the best prevention program in Texas in 2010.
Dr. Hearne believes in motivating students to apply themselves and maximize their potential for future success and accomplishment.
Hearne uses his personal experiences as the child of a working single mother, as a student who found hope in an educator that inspired him to aim for more and his professional experiences as a coach, mentor and educator in an impactful story-telling style to engage families through his dynamic presentations on “Leaving a Legacy.”
Magnet and Innovation Showcase:
The annual DeSoto ISD Magnet and Innovation Showcase features a vendor-style opportunities for current and prospective families and students to engage with DeSoto ISD schools and special innovative programs featuring opportunities to explore foreign languages like Spanish and Mandarin to arts, music and tech. At the DeSoto ISD Magnet and Innovation showcase, families will learn about the vast array of highly-rigorous and academically-competitive programs available.
The Magnet and Innovation Showcase will feature performances and demonstrations from students and schools highlighting special academic features and programs that provide unique experiences in STEM and STEAM, Arts, Career and Technical Education and advanced academic programs like International Baccalaureate, a globally-focused, highly-rigorous academic program.
DeSoto ISD features elementary magnet programs which provide students career and academic disciplinary exposure in kindergarten through second grade providing an opportunity for students to select a magnet focus by grade three and commit to an academic track by grade four and five, a pre-requisite to House Bill 5’s endorsement plan which asks students to select a graduation plan focused in STEM. Business and Industry, Arts and Humanities, Public Services or a Multi-disciplinary plan.
Regarding secondary educational opportunities and features, DeSoto ISD offers the middle school iSTEAM3D program. The iSTEAM3D academies are middle school magnet programs that focus on creativity, innovation, and design. They capitalize on artistic learning in a unique instructional setting called, Project Based Learning. The iSTEAM3D academies prepare students for engaging programs of study, each of which provides a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the 21st Century.
DeSoto High School offers opportunities in career and technical education through programs like veterinary science, agriculture, auto mechanics, cosmetology and culinary arts and more. The high school also features innovative and tech-rich courses with opportunities for honors and advanced placement courses.
The high school also features a collegiate academy where students can obtain college credit while still in high school for free and graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.
“We are so excited about the opportunity to offer a one-stop-shopping experience for families interested in exploring educational opportunities that support students’ goals and dreams,” said Debbye LaShun Garner, director of DeSoto ISD Magnets and Innovative Programs. “In DeSoto ISD, there is a program for every student, for every interest, for every ability and academic level. We aim to create individualized educational experiences for students and families to equip students for the next phase of their lives whether that be college or career.”
Registration for the event opens Mon., Oct. 9 at www.DeSotoISD.org.