Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School in Dallas to graduate first senior class on June 6

by PegNews wire

DALLAS — Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, Dallas ISD’s first all-female campus, will graduate its first senior class at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 6, at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, 650 S. Griffin. There are 21 seniors who will graduate during the ceremony.

Rangel opened its doors in August 2004, with 124 students and 12 teachers. At that time, the student body consisted of students in the 7th and 8th grade only. Today, Rangel has nearly 400 students in grades six through 12.

“This graduating class can be proud of their academic achievements, and they can also be proud that they were trailblazers of this program,” said Principal Vivian Taylor. “They started out as a group of 24, 8th-graders, and, today, it is gratifying to see the excitement in their faces as they prepare for this event and as they receive their acceptance letters from colleges.”

At its inception, the mission of Rangel was, and continues to be, to nurture the intellectual curiosity and creativity of young women and to address their developmental needs through dynamic, participatory learning processes. Rangel strives to prepare young women for the highest level of academic success in college and graduate school and for effective and ethical leadership in a democratic society.

The 2009 graduating class boasts at least one Bill Gates Scholarship recipient, two Hunt Scholarship winners and students who have participated in exchange programs and summer enrichment opportunities abroad.

“This has been an incredible journey,” said Taylor. “Watching the young ladies in class raising their hands and being willing to respond to questions and not being afraid to be wrong knowing that the other girls would step in and assist them has been a great experience. To see the students embrace and understand the benefits of single gender education has been extremely rewarding.”

Rangel is located at 1718 Robert B. Cullum Boulevard.

Source: DISD