Buckner Preparatory announced its student council officers and representatives for the 2025-26 academic year, highlighting student leadership across grades six through eight.

On July 26, Cityscape hosted the first nationally known EmpowHER Latina Expo in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, designed to connect the Latina community with vital resources and empower area families. The event, led by Chicago-based Cesar Rolon, founder and lead producer of The Latina Expo and EmpowHER Latina Summit, brought together more than 50 local vendors and featured a dozen sessions and panels covering topics from healthy meals to launching a business

Cityscape Schools is excited to highlight Buckner Preparatory’s F.L.A.G. (Fly Lower And Gather) Club, which instills pride and respect for the United States flag. The club does this through an extensive education program for students. Students rush after school to find their teacher, Inez Marroquin, ready to teach them the importance of folding their country’s flag correctly while never letting it touch the ground. After answering questions and eating a light snack, students try out the experience for themselves.  They chose a partner, unfold the flag, and memorize each fold to tightly secure it.  “I like the discussions we have in the club meeting environment as it can range from the history of the U.S. flag as a symbol of our country to the events behind its display and the country itself,” says Marroquin. The founder and current president of the program, Jim Rodriguez, first visited the school in 2023 and gave a presentation to the students. Rodriguez told students about his veteran background in the Air Force. Marroquin said Rodriguez’s experience inspired him to pass on the love and history of the country along with passion for the national flag. Now, the club has 25 students participating in the program, and Marroquin emphasized the importance of students having access to the club. “Extracurricular clubs which allow the students to learn and have fun keep their interest in school as a place of wonder and learning,” he added. “It gives them an opportunity to enjoy themselves in a place usually seen only as a place to work.” For many students, joining F.L.A.G. has been a turning point – not only in how they see themselves, but in how they see…

Buckner Preparatory partnered up with Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center, part of the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, to offer an opportunity for our students to engage in sports, such as soccer and basketball.  The Dallas Park and Recreation Department offers these youth sports scholarships to ensure that the students can participate in this program without bearing the financial burden of a registration fee.  Thanks to this partnership, Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center offered 10 scholarships to students and also provided uniforms for game days. Buckner Preparatory was able to help toward half of the registration fee of several students.  “I look forward in continuing to work with the students and staff from Buckner Prep and invite other cityscape campuses to create a youth sports partnership with us,” said Mr. Ebelardo Faz, Recreation Supervisor.  Teams are separated depending on the age of the students. So far this school year, Buckner Preparatory has had teams in U4, U6, U8, U10 and U12 for outdoor soccer;  U6 U8 and U12 for indoor soccer, and U12 for basketball . Being involved in sports has had a positive impact on the students and this impact is reflecting on their academic grades and change in attitude. “Being a part of something motivates students to stay on track and follow behavioral expectations,” said Ms. Lira, Assistant Principal at Buckner Preparatory. “Overall, students show that they’re proud to belong to something.  “Our students are so happy that they belong to something outside of class, the other day we had jersey day and our team players chose to wear their game jerseys instead of professional jerseys,” said Ms. Dominga Lira, BP Vice Principal. “I see the faces of…

TIA Newsletter One of our seven pending TIA designees, Ms. Margarita Esquivel, hails from Zacatecas, Mexico and came to the USA when she was 11 years old. She has been with Cityscape Schools since 2015, working first as a TA, then an IA, and after completing her bachelor’s degree and passing her required state certification exams, has been teaching for Buckner Prep for the past three years. She has been teaching Pre-kindergarten classes for the past two years. Since last school year (2021-2022) was the first year of TIA eligibility for Cityscape Pre-kindergarten teachers, Ms. Esquivel did not realize that the district had made application to include PreK in our TIA plan and was very surprised to hear of her pending designation status. When asked about her high marks on the T-TESS and the CIRCLE assessment (student growth), she responded “respect for profession.” She added, “I accept responsibility for my job without expecting anything in return, except for student growth!”    When asked what advice she would give to a beginning teacher, she replied, “Take care of yourself: mentally, physically, and emotionally. You must serve as an example to your students, so they always see you at your best. Your priority is not only your students, but also yourself.” When asked to share what she admires about Ms. Esquivel, her principal, Ms. Clarencia Wade, stated, “she is an advocate for her students. She has a strong sense of knowing how to assist her students at the level of their needs. She LOVES teaching and working with those younger students.” When asked for a final word on teaching, she replied, “I never expect a reward for what I do. My values…

Meet Ms. Naima Howard TIA Exemplary Designee for the 2021-2022 School Year! In February 2023, Ms. Naima Howard was designated as Exemplary status in TEA’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program. Ms. Howard joined our district (via Buckner Preparatory) in 2020.  She currently teaches 5th and 6th grade mathematics/science and has been teaching for 9 years in total. Before coming to Cityscape, Ms. Howard earned her bachelor’s degree in education (with a concentration in mathematics) from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. One interesting note is that she has taught every grade level between Kinder and 6th, with the exception of 3rd grade. When asked about earning an Exemplary distinction, she responded “I think it all comes down to how your students perceive you feel about them. My students know that I am there to teach them, yes, but also give them confidence and motivation.”  Ms. Howard knows how important it is to prepare her students for state assessments and future grade levels, but believes it is equally important to teach them character and values.  In fact, one of her students recently told her that she would make a wonderful counselor.  When asked what advice she would give to new teachers, she replied that the focus in a classroom should be an equal mix of academics and social/emotional.  She has noticed that students with emotional problems are most likely to also suffer academically. When asked for some words of commendation for Ms. Howard, BP Principal, Ms. Clarencia Wade, said that when she thinks of the quote, “Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become…