IISD Trustees Appoint Acting Superintendent

During a special called meeting of the Irving ISD Board of Trustees March 27, Dr. Neil Dugger, assistant superintendent for personnel and administration, was named acting superintendent through the end of April.

Dugger joined Irving ISD in 1979 and was named assistant superintendent in May 2006. He earned a Doctorate of Education and Master of Education from the University of North Texas, and a bachelor of arts degree from Angelo State University. In addition to assistant superintendent, Dugger has served as teacher, principal and as director of personnel, all within Irving ISD.

Dugger’s appointment comes following the resignation of Jack Singley, who held the position of superintendent since 1988.

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MacArthur, Nimitz Advance in Theater Contest

Theater students from MacArthur High School and Nimitz High School will advance to district competition in the 83rd Annual UIL One-Act Competition at Duncanville High School April 2.

MacArthur and Nimitz won the zone contest comprised of Irving High School, MacArthur, Nimitz, Duncanville, Grand Prairie High School, South Grand Prairie High School, and Cedar Hill High School.

Performing “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”, MacArthur students won three out of eight all-star cast awards and four of eight honorable mention all-star cast awards. Nimitz students performed “The Shadow Box”, winning two all-star cast awards, one honorable mention all-star cast award, best technical crew member, best actor, and best actress awards.

MacArthur is the first group to perform at 5 p.m. April 2, and Nimitz will follow at 7 p.m. Two schools from district competition will advance to the area contest at Coppell High School April 11. Duncanville High School is located at 900 W Camp Wisdom Road in Duncanville.

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MacArthur Alumna Named ISF Director

Irving Schools Foundation (ISF) has hired non-profit veteran Mandy Hamilton as executive director for the foundation.

Hamilton began her career with Best Buddies International, an organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Following service with Best Buddies, Hamilton worked as associate and then senior director with the American Heart Association, and most recently as national director for Irving-based Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Hamilton currently voluntarily serves the following: board member, Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas; member, Board of Directors for the Miss Dallas Organization; volunteer co-chair, Kilgore College Rangerette Alumni Association; official ambassador, American Stroke Association; and certified victim advocate, MADD.

A 1994 alumna of MacArthur High School, Hamilton attended Kilgore College before transferring to University of North Texas to earn a bachelor of arts degree in psychology.

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Application Deadline for Credit By Examination

April 17 is the application deadline for the Irving ISD summer administration of Credit By Examination (CBE) for advancement in grades K-12. CBE evaluates mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for a particular subject or grade level.

At the elementary level, options include acceleration from kindergarten to first grade and skipping a grade level in grades 1-5. At the secondary level, CBE is offered to students as an opportunity to receive credit for a course in which the student has received no prior instruction. A student may advance one grade level (6-8) or one course per subject area (9-12) in each testing period. Scores of 85 percent or above on an approved exam is required to receive credit. Students may also earn CBE if they have received prior instruction in the subject for which the exam is taken. Scores of 70 percent or above on the course examination and/or completion of applicable projects is required.

Testing dates will be June 8-10 at Lively Elementary School, 1800 Plymouth, in Irving. For more information or to download the application, access www.irvingisd.net/ppage/credit_by_exam.htm.

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Tennis team members from MacArthur High School attended the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch March 13-15, receiving instruction from former U.S. Open Singles Champion John Newcombe.

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The Irving City Council presented a proclamation for Celebrate Irving: The City and The Man March 19. Lea Bailey (left), IISD director of learning resources, received the proclamation on behalf of Irving ISD. Also pictured are Paul E. Jones, longtime Irving resident (dressed as Rip Van Winkle), Jan Bodnar, representative of the Irving Public Library, and Dan Matkin, president of the Irving Heritage Society.

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Construction and renovation at MacArthur High School begun June 6, 2008, and installation of the masonry façade is now complete. The completion of interior finish work is now the focus so that select classes can begin utilizing the new space in May of 2009. For more information, access www.irvingisd.net/facilities/construction.

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