Back to School Kickoff 2024
No event kicks off a new school year like the Arlington ISD Back to School Kickoff.
That’s why the district continues to bring it back year after year, this year marking its 10th anniversary.
“I was here on year one ten years ago and it’s grown so much,” said former Dallas Cowboy great Tony Casillas.
Over 10,000 students and families gathered at AT&T Stadium this past Saturday for a morning full of back-to-school preparation.
“It’s all about community coming together to support our kids,” said Arlington ISD superintendent Dr. Matt Smith. “The opportunity to make sure thousands of students feel excited and confident going into the new school year just blows me away. It’s amazing.”
With free backpacks filled with school supplies waiting for students, many Arlington ISD kiddos are now set and ready for day one – August 14!
Free dental services and vision screenings were also provided for students by Nonprofit Dental Health Arlington and Walmart Vision Center with the help of students from the P-TECH at Bowie High School.
But that’s not all. High school seniors from the district’s cosmetology program at the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center also brought back their expertise to provide free haircuts, too!
“It’s awesome,” Casillas said. “To be able to come out here and get prepared with so many free services and backpacks – I can’t think of any other city that does it like this.”
Fourth grader George Trevino felt the same way about his brand-new camouflage backpack.
“I’ve never seen one like this before,” he said.
In fact, that’s what brought Trevino and his mom Selina Perez back for their second Back to School Kickoff.
“My kids love the backpacks,” Perez said. “They’ve lasted us almost two years, so this year we wanted to get new ones. This event is pretty amazing. It saves me a lot of money that I don’t have. It’s so helpful for so many parents out here and we just love it so much.”
But the Kickoff was also about having some summer fun. Nearly 100 vendors provided helpful information along with sweet treats and goodies. United Healthcare was also at the Kickoff, making sure everyone knew about healthy eating habits. Families made their way to the outside football field for some football games and drills or inside the stadium to snap a picture with their favorite Disney characters. There was also a DJ playing tunes outside throughout the day.
“My favorite part is seeing the Arlington community unite and collaborate to support our students and families to have a great start to the school year,” said Aaron Perales, executive director of family engagement, equity and access.
With over 800 volunteers to help make the event possible, that’s exactly what they did.
“It’s been heartwarming,” said Kickoff volunteer and Starrett Elementary assistant principal Tamara Harrell. “The families are so excited, the kids are so excited, it makes us feel so happy to be here. It’s been so amazing to see different parts of the community coming together for such a good cause.”
In the summer of 2014, the Dallas Cowboys reached out to Perales about getting involved in Arlington ISD’s back to school festivities. That’s when several organizations came together to collaborate with the Cowboys to put on the Back to School Kickoff. Thanks to the following founding partners, Arlington ISD’s Back to School Kickoff has been one of the most anticipated events for the last 10 years.
- The Churches of Arlington
View all the photos from the 2024 Back to School Kickoff here.