The Blazer Beat
February 27, 2026
North Lake Family,
It was quite the week at North Lake ECHS, with so much going on around our campus! Our update this week highlights the achievements of our students and the milestones for our school that occurred this week.
This week, we learned that one of our seniors, Ammaar Z, was named a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship! The National Merit Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards for a high school student to earn, and over 1.3 million students take the SAT in their junior year. From there, only the top 1% are named finalists for this award. We are incredibly proud of Ammaar’s work and of being the first student in North Lake ECHS history to be a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship! The winners will be announced later this semester, and we are wishing him the very best!
This week, I was also honored to be recognized as a finalist for the Dallas ISD Principal of the Year in the Choice/Magnet category. I was recognized by my peers and Dallas ISD School leadership on Tuesday, February 24th, and I am thrilled to represent our campus moving forward. I want to thank our teachers, staff, PTSA, Dallas College, and school community for believing in the vision we have for our campus. Being the principal of North Lake is one of the most rewarding and important parts of my journey, and I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child’s educational pathway. The winner will be announced on May 5, 2026, at the Dallas ISD End of Year Celebration.
Have an amazing weekend, and thank you for always supporting our campus! North Lake ECHS is where it is today because of your encouragement of our students and program! Make it a great week!
Sincerely,
Adrian Hernandez
Principal
North Lake Early College High School
Twitter @AdHernandez2648
Familias de North Lake,
Fue una semana muy intensa en North Lake ECHS, ¡con muchísima actividad en nuestro campus! Nuestra actualización de esta semana destaca los logros de nuestros estudiantes y los hitos alcanzados en nuestra escuela.
Esta semana, nos enteramos de que uno de nuestros estudiantes de último año, Ammaar Z, fue finalista de la Beca Nacional al Mérito. La Beca Nacional al Mérito es uno de los premios más prestigiosos que puede obtener un estudiante de preparatoria, y más de 1.3 millones de estudiantes presentan el examen SAT en su penúltimo año. De ahí en adelante, solo el 1% de los mejores es finalista. ¡Estamos increíblemente orgullosos del trabajo de Ammaar y de ser el primer estudiante en la historia de North Lake ECHS en ser finalista de la Beca Nacional al Mérito! Los ganadores se anunciarán más adelante este semestre, ¡y le deseamos lo mejor!
Esta semana, también tuve el honor de ser reconocido como finalista para el premio a Director del Año del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Dallas en la categoría de Escuelas Selectas/Magnet. Mis compañeros y el equipo directivo del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Dallas me reconocieron el martes 24 de febrero y estoy encantado de representar a nuestro campus en el futuro. Quiero agradecer a nuestros maestros, personal, PTSA, Dallas College y comunidad escolar por creer en la visión que tenemos para nuestro campus. Ser director de North Lake es una de las partes más gratificantes e importantes de mi trayectoria, y quiero agradecerles por permitirme formar parte del camino educativo de su hijo/a. El ganador/a se anunciará el 5 de mayo de 2026, durante la Celebración de Fin de Año del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Dallas.
¡Que tengan un fin de semana increíble y gracias por siempre apoyar a nuestro campus! North Lake ECHS está donde está hoy gracias a su apoyo a nuestros estudiantes y a nuestro programa. ¡Que tengan una semana excelente!
Atentamente,
Adrián Hernández
Director
North Lake Early College High School
Twitter @AdHernández2648
Dr. Baker 10th/11th Grade
Dr. Hart 9th/12th Grade
Hello North Lake Families!
Our ASP updates for this week are as follows:
Celebrations
· Our Senior class has officially earned over 11 million dollars in scholarships and grants!
· This Saturday, February 28th, four of our seniors will interview for the ASP X Centre College scholarship! Scholarship recipients will be notified on Friday, March 6th!
· Mohammed and Arturo have officially enrolled at Syracuse University!
· Alyssa has officially enrolled at the University of Rochester!
· Daphney and Astrid have officially enrolled at TCU!
· We have many students working on the DISD Superintendent Scholarship! I will be sure to work with students to ensure that their applications are submitted by the March 13th deadline.
· We had 23 students attend SAT Prep last week, which is the most students we have ever had in a single session!
Applications: 98% of our students have applied to multiple four year universities, and at least 87% have been accepted!
FAFSA: 96% of our students have completed their FAFSA/TASFA!
Scholarships: Our scholarship total is currently $11,387,627 Many schools have not released admissions and financial aid decisions, so this number should continue to rise as more and more schools release admissions decisions and financial aid awards!
Upcoming Events:
March 6th- Augustana College North Lake Visit: Our regional admissions counselor from Augustana College will be here to meet with seniors and juniors on Friday, March 6th from 11:00-12:00! We currently have 6 North Lake alumni at Augustana all going for under $100 per year, and we have many current students who have been accepted and have had their financial need fully met by Augustana. Students can meet their admissions counselor, learn about the school, and enjoy some pizza during lunch!
Thank you all for your continued support!
Beginning on the first day of school (August 12, 2025), all students will be expected to adhere to the the North Lake Early College dress code and uniform policy.
Wednesday will be "Uniform Day" On Uniform Wednesdays, students are required to wear their ECHS uniform shirt, black slacks, khaki slacks or a skirt (no shorter than “finger-tip length” with arms in normal position, i.e., arms hanging naturally, as student is standing straight and upright).
Senior Only Uniform of grey slacks or Grey/Blue plaid skirt with the North Lake ECHS uniform shirt or Senior Shirt!
North Lake ECHS Uniform can be purchased at Levine's two locations or via their website https://levinesstores.com/collections/north-lake-early-college-high-school.
Students will be required to follow the North Lake Dress Code on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please see the image below which outlines the do's and don'ts.
All students will be required to have clear or mesh backpacks for the 25/26 school year, small personal non clear bags are allowed. Dallas ISD will provide all students with one free clear back from the school year. I would recommend the mesh bag as they are more durable for the year. If you require a backpack, you can pick up at open house or first day of school
Mesh/Clear Backpack examples - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mesh+backpack&crid=21Z8OKVNB5ZZY&sprefix=Mesh+Bac%2Caps%2C144&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-data-refreshed_1_8
Seniors Only, click on the photo for product info at Levine's
John Johnson - Assistant Principal
Monique Gossett - Campus Coordinator
Kara Hoover - English I Cluster Lead Teacher
Kane Cortez - MAPS and Algebra I
Ana Martinez - Biology and AP Environmental Science
Hector Osegueda - AP Human Geography and AP African American Studies
Aaronia Ferguson - English II, Senior Sponsor and Cluster Lead Teacher
Bethany Crawford - Dual Credit German
Jeff Heiple - Geometry and Cluster Lead Teacher
Samah Al-Hamadi - Dual Credit Biology
Alexandra Locker - Algebra II
Swati Chakarvarty - Honors Chemistry
Aubry Born - Dual Credit English
Dr. John Davis II - Special Education
Elida Rueda - Parent Support Specialist
Dr. August Darbonne - Dual Credit US History and Mexican American Studies
Dhara Katbamna - Dual Credit Math and AP AB Calculus
Kelly Green - Dual Credit Government and AP Economics
Steven Nguyen - Dual Credit Health/PE and Cluster Lead Teacher
Michelle Smith - Dual Credit English
Danny Whitsell - Business and Financial Literacy
Nurse Archie - School Nurse
Natasha Sublet - Office Manager
Sandra Fisher - Financial Clerk and Parent Liaison
Cledy Olivares - Campus Safety Monitor
Tierra King - Teacher's Assistant and TSIA2 Math Tutor
Tonya Caston - Data Clerk/Registrar
