It’s been a great year for the Arlington ISD, and there has been so many newsworthy events.
Did you know the district published more than 300 stories on its Looped In blog in 2022 alone. It’s hard to pick what have been the biggest stories when you have so many highlights, but we’re giving it a try.
Here are the top 10 stories in the Arlington ISD in 2022. We’re going to give them to you in David Letterman countdown order. If you don’t know what that means, you can look it up.
10. Gator time
When students at the Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center wanted to get creative for their Mardi Gras meal, they went Cajun. The students, with the help of the CTC chefs, created a jaw-dropping spread that included …. alligator. You can read all about it and see the gator here.
9. Different kind of snacks in machine
Food in vending machines is boring. If you head to Wood Elementary you can see that kids there devour books thanks to the brain child of former Martin High School student Courtney Brecheen. You can read all about the books here.
8. Raises times three
The Arlington ISD continues to set the tone for compensation for its employees across the Metroplex. Over the summer, the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees approved a 4% raise for employees paid on the teacher salary scale. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the district has now done it three-straight years, and the starting salary for first-year teachers is now $60,400. You can read about the raises here.
7. Super fun
The Arlington ISD is home to two Super Bowl champions. When the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl, that was big for the district. Rams teammates Bobby Brown III, a Lamar graduate, and Justin Hollins, a Martin grad, have new jewelry to wear with their Super Bowl rings. You can read about the lead-up to the game here.
6. Going for gold
Did you know the Arlington ISD is a bobsled hotbed? Well, maybe that’s a reach, but we do produce Olympic medalists. Bowie graduate Sylvia Hoffman captured a bronze medal in Beijing. We were able to catch up with here before the Olympics here.
5. Record number of scholars
The Arlington ISD recognizes National Merit semifinalists and students who receive College Board recognition at a February board meeting. The second board meeting this February took a long time as the district recognized a record 61 students. You can read about it here. And, hint, that record will get shattered in February of 2023.
4. She looks Forbes-ulous
Martin senior Vivian Nguyen has made quite a name for herself in the district. She’s also nationally known thanks to being honored by Forbes Magazine as one of 6 Teens Who Make the World a Better Place. Read all about Vivian here.
3. 18 PLUSS students to the rescue
What do you need when you lose your most prized possession? Arlington ISD 18 PLUSS students. A man lost his wedding ring at a local golf course and our 18 PLUSS students were the heroes and saved the day by finding the ring. Read about their heroics here.
2. Cooking in the Arlington ISD
We know our Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center turns out outstanding students. Preston Nguyen is one example. Nguyen bested some of the top chefs in the world to win the World Food Championship Final Table challenge. The win netted Nguyen $100,000. Find out about his journey here.
1. Full STEM Ahead!
The Arlington ISD started the 2022-23 school year by becoming the first district in the state to offer free pre-K for everyone and to have STEM embedded in the curriculum. This was huge news, and the proof is in the numbers as the district has nearly 4,000 pre-K students. You can read all about the launch here.
That wraps up the best of the best for 2022. We can’t wait to see what 2023 has to offer.