Community Involvement

West Dallas Community School

Our Mission is to provide students with a challenging educational experience designed to help them know, love and practice that which is true, good, and excellent and to prepare them to live purposefully and intelligently in the service of God and man.

Our School seeks to serve the families of West Dallas primarily; those who live in poverty and have little hope. The school is committed to providing an exceptional academic education, instilling Godly character, creating a model for other urban communities, and bringing positive change to a forgotten part of the city.

Our Curriculum offers students an education that is both classical and Christian. It is classical in that it draws deeply on the rich heritage of Western civilization and culture; it is Christian in that it recognizes the Bible as the final authority in matters of life and thought.

Our Outreach instills hope and fosters unity within the community through the folloWing:

• After School Enrichment Program
• College Scholarship Program
• Good News Club
• Eagle Flight
• JAM Street
• Summer of Choice
• Basketball Leagues
• Other Co-sponsored events

Our Community is one of the poorest areas in the United States of America. Many children see a lifestyle of drugs, crime, and dependence as their future. A lack of math and reading skills prompts many West Dallas children to drop out of school by the tenth grade.

• 76% of the households in the projects near the school have incomes of less than $11,000 per year.
• The population is 94% minority.
• 70% of those over 25 years of age lack a high school diploma.

Our Need: Enrolled families can afford to pay only 5% of the total cost to educate their children. The school and outreach ministries rely upon individuals, foundations, churches, and businesses to provide the balance.

Sidney Lanier Elementary

Sidney Lanier Elementary, located at 1400 Walmsley, is comprised of two schools. Not only a neighborhood school, it is also a vanguard for the expressive arts, one of eight Dallas ISD elementary magnet schools. The school provides a well-rounded curriculum of elementary subjects including language arts, math, science and social studies. In addition, students in fourth through sixth grades take one or two expressive arts classes each day. These classes include theater arts, visual arts, choir, orchestra, band, piano, dance and gymnastics. Sidney Lanier also offers a traditional elementary curriculum for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth and an excellent bilingual program for all grades.

Listen to the Sidney Lanier choir and band!
Instrumental
Free at last
Faces of Change
Lift Up Every Voice

The Crescent Customer Leadership Council (TLC) assists the school with the purchase of supplies, books, computers, and other classroom needs and resources that directly support the children. You can view the needs and wish list here. FACES of Change® literature can be found in the Little Red Schoolhouse located in the lobby of 200 Crescent Court. Get involved! Contact Jack Gardner, Jennifer Benton, or Jennifer Rogers at The Crescent^® Management Office.

The Third Annual FACES of Change® Silent Auction will be held at The Crescent in the first floor lobby of the 200 Building this summer with all proceeds directly benefiting the school.

You can help the FACES of Change® Program help Sidney Lanier and our other school partners through Crescent's Community Fund.

Artwork on this page provided by the students of Sidney Lanier Vanguard for Expressive Arts

Crescent Stages Dr. Seuss event at Sidney Lanier Elementary!
March 2002 - In celebration of Dr. Seuss's 98th birthday, volunteers from The Crescent® dressed as the Cat in the Hat and read Dr. Seuss books to the children of Sidney Lanier Elementary. The read-in was in conjunction with the National Education Association's (NEA) "Read Across America", an annual celebration held on March 2nd - the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

Crescent employees in hats before just before leaving for the school. L-R: Lin Benson, Shelley Richardson, Amanda Tucker, Tina Thomas, and Jennifer Rogers.

Randy Hart rehearses "Red Fish Blue Fish" before his 9:00 class.

Third Annual FACES of Change® Silent Auction
August 2001 - The 2001 Silent Auction was our biggest success ever! The auction raised $10,000 for Sidney Lanier's playground renovation.

Jennifer Benton, Amanda Tucker, Diana Esparza (Customer), Susan Varsel, Suzanne Bohling, Amber Begnal

Amanda Tucker, Jennifer Rogers, Denise Weatherbee, Susan Varsel, Jennifer Benton

Jennifer Rogers, Diane Esparza (Customer), Susan Varsel