Keep bringing in your non-perishable food items and hygiene products, as well as monetary donations, through Thursday, November 6 for the district's annual Stuff the Bus Food Drive to benefit M.I. Lewis. Some of the items most needed by the food pantry are instant oatmeal, canned beans, macaroni and cheese, Chef Boyardee canned products, peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna or chicken, Spaghetti O's, ravioli, pinto beans, Spam, Vienna sausages, Hamburger Helper, boxed dinners, family sized soup, rice, powdered milk, toothpaste, hand/bar soap, dish detergent, toilet paper, Kleenex, laundry detergent, shaving cream and razors.

The school collecting the most items will earn the traveling trophy from M.I. Lewis and the classroom at each campus donating the most items will earn their campus' traveling trophy provided by the school district. 

Students in Jennifer Rady's third grade class at Silbernagel Elementary recently had an eye-opening presentation on the amount of sugar contained in popular candies given out at Halloween. Lacy Willey, registered dietitian and nutrition educator, in the Dickinson ISD Food and Nutrition Department used two-gram sugar cubes to demonstrate that elementary age students should have no more than 12 grams of sugar in a day (the equivalent of six sugar cubes). The students then were able to read the labels of popular candy to see how many grams of sugar are in a single piece of candy. Students quickly realized how little candy they should have to stay under 12 grams for the day. 

High school graduation... October 24, 2014. It is not a traditional date associated with high school graduation but for Dickinson Continuation Center senior Jazzee Rideaux, it will always be a special memory of when she donned a blue Dickinson cap and gown and walked down the DCC hallway for her "clap-out" as her classmates cheered her on.

 

Rideaux, the first DCC graduate for 2014-2015, finished all of her high school requirements this past month and is now a graduate of Dickinson ISD. She still plans to participate in the Dickinson High School graduation ceremonies next June, but is free to start the next chapter of her life now as a high school graduate.

 

The Dickinson Continuation Center opened in 2004 to provide students a voluntary, non-traditional educational environment to meet their individual needs. DCC is open, through an application process, to high school age students living in Dickinson ISD who have experienced difficulty achieving success in a more traditional high school setting. Many times these students have difficult family situations, no longer live at home or have family requirements or jobs that prevent them from succeeding in a traditional high school schedule. Other times, students may be excelling in high school but choose DCC to graduate early because they are ready to start college, technical school or enlist in the military.

 

By using an accelerated program through a combination of independent online courses and small teacher-taught courses in person, students are able to catch up on courses and, for some classes, finish a semesters worth of study in only nine weeks.

 

"Our students have to be very self-motivated and an advocate for themselves. Some students just do not perform well in the hustle and bustle of a traditional high school setting. They do better in our small, quieter setting," said DCC Principal Wendy Chide.

 

Last school year, DCC was proud to have 79 graduates. They currently have their maximum of 62 students; however, because students are finishing at different times they are always adding new students from their waiting list.

 

The school gives priority to juniors and seniors but does offer admission to freshman and sophomores whom they think are ready for the program. Juniors and seniors can attend on a half-day only schedule, while freshman and sophomores must attend all day.

 

"Our DCC students must meet all the same requirements as any other Texas high school student, including attendance and passing all required courses and state required assessments," said DCC Counselor Amanda Scardino. "As soon as a student finishes a course, I work closely with him or her to decide on the next course, which many times means starting a course at varying times."

 

DCC graduates are included in the DHS graduation; however, to mark the occasion when it happens, the school has a "clap-out," which serves as a chance to cheer for the graduate but also is a visual reminder to the classmates that if they keep working hard, they can reach this important milestone as well.