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SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE

Dallas company builds virtual world for hybrid campus students

By Bethany Erickson

bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com

It may look like a game, but when students “walk” into the new Dallas Hybrid Preparatory at Stephen J. Hay this August, they’ll step into a virtual world designed to not only mimic the feel of going to school but also to tailor lessons to their interests.

STEMuli CEO Taylor Shead said her Dallas-based company aims to create a right-sized learning environment for every student and make it a little easier for teachers, too.

“One principal told me, ‘Taylor, I counted how many apps I have to use these days — it was 23,’” Shead said. “So, we talked to administrators as well as teachers in order to build a way that their lesson planning, instructional calendars, grades, and attendance in one pretty interface that connects those tools on the back end.”

The project has districtwide implications and grows from Dallas Education Foundation and Dallas ISD goals set before it became clear the platform would go in a hybrid school, Shead said. “They were like, ‘We don’t want to put a band-aid over the pandemic. We want to go forward. We don’t ever want to go back to the old normal.”

Shead anticipates a platform able to scale across all Dallas ISD schools in some fashion and perhaps eventually statewide.

“We have no idea what that exactly looks like, but we’re probably going to do a pilot test at Conrad High School next year as well in order to understand what this could look like in high school,” she said.

Sound cool? Yes. But it’s not only fun and games, Shead said. “People should understand that Fortnite and Minecraft and all these video games produce so much data on what players like to do, like where they’re looking, where they’re spending their time.”

Similarly, using data can improve the already popular personalized learning approach by being even more responsive to student interests.

“Traditionally, what personalized learning means is like, if you ask me a series of questions, depending on how I answer, I get a next series of questions pertaining to that answer, but this is different,” she said. “I want a student in fourth grade to be able to tell the system, ‘I want to be an astronaut,’ or ‘I want to be an exotic animal veterinarian,’ and when they tell our system that, we continue to produce experiences for these kids that can get them prepared for that career and actually see themselves in that career.”

Students attending the new Dallas Hybrid Preparatory at Stephen J. Hay will spend three days a week learning in a virtual environment created by Dallas-based STEMuli.

(PHOTOS: COURTESY STEMULI/SCREENGRABS )

LEARN MORE

See more of what the school day will look like for students at the Dallas Hybrid Preparatory at Stephen J. Hay, and read more of our conversation with Taylor Shead at peoplenewspapers.com.

Stumped! Neighbors decry removal of Colgate Avenue trees

By Rachel Snyder

rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com

The removal of 13 trees lining Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church’s west parking lot facing Colgate Avenue has upset some nearby residents.

“They were protected trees,” complained Preston Whisenant, who called them “an important buffer between” homes and nonresidential activities.

With work ready to begin on a Preston Center mixed-use development on churchowned land, crews removed the trees from city-owned land in May.

Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church removed 13 trees lining its west parking lot

facing Colgate Avenue. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER)

“We want the church to admit they were wrong, and we need them to commit to replacing the (trees) that were removed,” Whisenant said.

However, a church spokesperson said a certified arborist told church leaders that February’s winter storm irreparably damaged the trees planted by the church two decades ago.

“We were deeply saddened by this assessment,” said Melodie Elliott of Sunwest Communications. “We are thankful that the older, more mature Live Oaks on the east portion of Colgate survived.”

The church also has consulted with the city of Dallas, Elliott added. “We are working towards an appropriate resolution to the sad loss of these beloved trees.”

Whisenant informed Dallas City Council member Jennifer Gates’ office, before she left office, that the trees didn’t appear to be dead.

He also inquired about whether their removal complied with city code.

Gates’ office provided an update from the city arborist Preston Willms, who described the trees’ removal as unauthorized.

“We are holding the property owner responsible for full tree mitigation for the loss of the trees,” Willms said in a memo. “If they cannot prove their case for removal by natural death or decline, then we will require the replacement of inches of trees removed by planting and/or by payment in lieu of planting.”

The city will want to resolve the issue before building permits are issued, and tree replacement would require careful scheduling, he said. “We need to assure any trees installed in the location are not damaged from construction activity.”