Community & Belonging By the Numbers
As published in the Winter 2024 edition of Good News magazine.
120+ backpacks
During our annual summer in-service, faculty and staff had the opportunity to kickoff the year by serving with compassion. GSES employees teamed with Community Partners of Dallas (CPD) to fill over 120 backpacks with age-appropriate school supplies for DISD students, setting them up for a successful start to school!
6 session dance residency
Through the framework of physical education classes, Lower and Middle School students had the chance to participate in a six-session dance residency with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, where they explored connections between dance and basic kinesiology.
1st grade
As a part of their Cultural Parade unit, first grade students sharpened their global awareness skills during a visit with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Elaine Tricoli, Director of International Visitor Programs, spoke with students about working with people from different backgrounds and what it means to be a global citizen.
20+ kitten toys
Seventh grade students enrolled in Kindness Class learned how Operation Kindness provides lifesaving care, offers pet adoptions, and operates its interstate transport program. After hearing about volunteer opportunities, students made 20+ rockin' roller enrichment toys for kittens in the shelter.
Year: 1621
Third grade students took a virtual field trip to Plimoth Patuxet Museums to learn from an actual pilgrim who describes why pilgrims chose to leave England, what the Mayflower journey was like, how it felt to experience the first winter in New England, and what the 1621 harvest feast (known as the "First Thanksgiving") was like.
3rd grade
Third grade students took a virtual field trip to Plimoth Patuxet Museums to learn from an indigenous museum educator who uses artifacts to explore how Wampanoag families established communities and lived before and after the Europeans arrived.
150+ GSES students
By January 2024, over 150 GSES students have participated in disability awareness programming with To Be Like Me. Through these meaningful interactions, our students will continue to build greater empathy, inclusion, and compassion.
100+ attendees
The GSPO Parent Education Series began in the fall of 2022 to offer parents an opportunity to connect and learn about the challenges today's families face. Topics have included stress and the developing brain, social media safety, and overscheduling our children. Over 100 caregivers have attended thus far.
6th grade
GSES sixth grade students joined middle school students from St. Philip's School and Community Center for a service learning day. Working collaboratively, they bagged produce, stocked the freezer at Aunt Bette's Community Pantry, cleaned toys, and painted the Beautiful Beginnings play area. This partnership offered our students a deeper understanding of empathy, leadership, and teamwork.
400+ bookmarks
Students partnered with their community buddies to create 400-plus bookmarks for CPD to brighten the spirits of children in need.
8 Athletes
GSES hosted athletes from The University of Texas at Arlington's (UTA) Movin' Mavs' men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams. Athletes discussed their disability, how they define leadership, the importance of living responsibly, and more. Along with speaking and answering student questions, the Movin' Mavs' athletes and GSES students engaged in friendly free throw competitions.
300+ snack bags
Students learned about the life-changing support that Family Gateway provides to families affected by homelessness, and filled/decorated more than 300 snack bags for families in need.