Bison News

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

Newt Gingrich

The work of our students is not just academics it is learning to keep going even when they are tired and want to give up. It is staying the course when there is no end in sight. The work of our students is changing lives and building futures. We are Sunset P-TECH and Perseverance is what we live by.

Our students were able to participate in some social emotional workshop series sponsored by the Children's Health Behavioral Health Team. There were four workshops based on the needs of our students. During COVID, our students experience a number of difficulties like many people during this pandemic. So through conversations with Children's, our P-TECH principal and the counselor we arrived to four workshops:

• Self-Care (Coping Skills) taught by Vanessa Simpson
• Anxiety about COVID-19 taught by Esmirna Corona
• Depression taught by Norma Hernandez-Canales
• Perserverance taught by Mariajose Fernandez

The workshops were great and the students really were engagement and insightful. We look forward to working further with this team to design some workshops for our parents.

As many may know, our Teacher Education students are offered a contracts from industry partner, Dallas HCM in their sophomore year. These contracts offer them an opportunity to come work with Dallas ISD after completing their bachelors degree and becoming certified through the state. It is Sunset P-TECH's job to ensure these students are prepared for this AMAZING opportunity. We have built a relationship with Region 10's Teaching and Learning department through our partnership with UNT Dallas. We have been invited to several Region 10 events which never disappoints. This workshop series was especially designed for our Teacher Education students based on their syllabus at UNT Dallas. For the month of March the students attended the Best Practices in Different Content Areas. We are working to build future Dallas ISD educators. Thank you Region 10!!

On March 31st, Christopher Phillip, Business Operations & Strategy Manager at Children's Health presented to the Lincoln and Sunset P-TECH students during their College Success Hour at UNT Dallas. During this session he highlighted the positive and negative effects of social media and the importance of building their social media presence. He then demonstrated the use of LinkedIn. The goal is for all of our students to build a LinkedIn accounts as they move into their professional worlds.

The Sunset P-TECH Public Health students have had the opportunity to see field of public health up close and personal. Through our partnership with Dallas County Health and Human Services, our students have had the opportunity volunteer along side Public Information Officer, Marisa Gonzalez and see what it truly means to serve the community. In the push to get Dallas County vaccinated, DCHHS has had various locations through out Dallas County assisting citizens with the registration process. Our students helped translate and assist with the registration. It is through opportunities such as these that the students understand the true work of Public Health.

Each year Strategic Initiatives hosts a Scorecard Industry Recognition Event. This year, there were over 150 stakeholders in attendance during this first-ever virtual event. During this event, Workplace Learning throughout the Dallas ISD P-TECH's is celebrated for their many accomplishments and contributions. Community leaders and college partners along with district personnel helped celebrate the industry partners for their continued support.

This year, we were honored to have one of our own on the student panel. Junior, Pedro Leon, honored his teacher, Mr. Cruz Perez, for helping him to see the value in himself which gave him the initiative to continue his P-TECH journey. Pedro explained, "No one has ever told me I was smart". The student panel consisted of Lance Fields, Lisbeth Avelar, Pedro Leon, and Gustavo Karns each gave inspirational testimonials honoring industry partners, teachers, and college partners and explaining how their support created unique opportunities for them while in the P-TECH program. It was an event that reminds us why we do this work...for students.

It has been a busy time at Sunset P-TECH as our students have been applying and interviews for multiple internship opportunities. It is important for our students to take advantage of internships while in the program. According to our P-TECH blueprint internships are a part of the work based learning requirement for every P-TECH student.

"Internships provide students the opportunity to learn by doing real work and being productively engaged in the workplace" (NYS P-TECH, 2017, p. 29). Often our students are not aware of the differences between a job and an internship or the benefits of an internship. We have hosted a number of workshops with guest speakers who have discussed how internships help propel students on their career journey.

This year our students have been fortunate to apply and interview with Thomson Reuters, Dallas Works, IBM, and PepsiCo. Through this process, students have demonstrated their ability to present a well-organized resume and effectively interview. Each final participant will gain the opportunity to expand their professional skills while having a competitive compensation of $15 or more. We are eagerly waiting to see who was able to snap opportunities.

Email: mapalomares@dallasisd.org
Website: https://www.dallasisd.org/domain/16978
Location: 2120 West Jefferson Boulevard, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-502-1612
Twitter: @SunsetCA17