The Blazer Beat

North Lake Family,

We kicked off the short week by welcoming our incoming students to North Lake ECHS for Signing Day on May 2, 2026. It was great to see all our new families and students getting to know our campus and learning our culture! When we returned to campus, we kicked off AP testing, and it has been a busy week on campus!

This past week, I was honored by Dallas ISD and named the Principal of the Year for Choice/Magnet Schools for the 2025-2026 school year. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done at North Lake ECHS and was truly humbled by the results. I want to thank our students, teachers, and families for believing in the vision we have set out for our campus. I truly believe that this honor is a reflection of our commitment to ensuring all our students are ready for the challenges they will face after high school. Being named a Principal of the Year in the 2nd largest school district in Texas and one of the largest in the country is something that I will value for the rest of my life. Thank you again for your support.

This coming week, we will have our first graduation ceremony, as our Seniors will graduate from Dallas College on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. The ceremony will begin at 6 pm, and all guests must have a ticket to attend. I would highly recommend that graduates arrive early due to the heavy traffic that is expected. This is an exciting time here on campus and I can’t wait to share the memories with you! Let’s make it a great week!

Sincerely,

Adrian Hernandez

Principal

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernandez2648

Familias de North Lake,

Dimos inicio a esta semana corta dando la bienvenida a nuestros estudiantes de nuevo ingreso a North Lake ECHS con la celebración del "Signing Day" (Día de la Firma) el 2 de mayo de 2026. ¡Fue maravilloso ver a todas nuestras nuevas familias y estudiantes conociendo nuestro campus y empapándose de nuestra cultura! Al regresar al campus, dimos comienzo a los exámenes AP, ¡y ha sido una semana de gran actividad en nuestras instalaciones!

La semana pasada tuve el honor de ser reconocido por el Dallas ISD y nombrado Director del Año en la categoría de Escuelas de Elección/Magnet para el ciclo escolar 2025-2026. Me siento increíblemente orgulloso del trabajo que hemos realizado en North Lake ECHS y verdaderamente conmovido por los resultados obtenidos. Deseo agradecer a nuestros estudiantes, maestros y familias por creer en la visión que hemos trazado para nuestro campus. Creo firmemente que este reconocimiento es un reflejo de nuestro compromiso de asegurar que todos nuestros estudiantes estén preparados para los desafíos que enfrentarán tras concluir la escuela secundaria. Ser nombrado Director del Año en el segundo distrito escolar más grande de Texas —y uno de los más grandes del país— es algo que atesoraré por el resto de mi vida. Una vez más, gracias a todos por su apoyo.

Esta próxima semana celebraremos nuestra primera ceremonia de graduación, ya que nuestros estudiantes del último año se graduarán de Dallas College el jueves 14 de mayo de 2026, en el Curtis Culwell Center en Garland, Texas. La ceremonia dará comienzo a las 6:00 p. m., y todos los invitados deberán presentar su boleto para asistir. Recomiendo encarecidamente a los graduados llegar con antelación debido al intenso tráfico que se prevé en la zona. ¡Es un momento de gran emoción aquí en el campus, y estoy deseando compartir estos recuerdos con todos ustedes! ¡Hagamos de esta una semana extraordinaria!

Atentamente,

Adrián Hernández

Director

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernández2648

On May 5, 2026, Mr. Hernandez was named the Dallas ISD Principal of the Year for the Choice/Magnet Category! He becomes the first Principal in North Lake ECHS history to receive the award! This is a huge honor for the campus and we are excited for Mr. Hernandez! Photos below include Superintendent Dr. Elizade, Chief Huitt-Powell, and the winners of the Teacher of the Year plus Principal of the Year!

Mrs. Leo's final day on campus was on May 6th! She has completed her student teaching and we are excited for her future! Thank you, Mrs. Leo! You will always have a place at North Lake ECHS!

Congratulation to founding staff member, Mrs. Alex Locker! Mrs. Locker is our Algebra II teacher, Student Ambassador, and Destination Imagination Sponsor. She is an amazing part of the North Lake ECHS family and we are fortunate to have her! She will represent North Lake ECHS and hopefully move on to be a finalist for District Teacher of the Year!

Ms. Tierra King, is an aspiring math teacher who serves the North Lake ECHS community as our Teacher Assistant. She is always willing to help in any areas needed and has been a major factor in our students being able to pass TSIA2 Math. Congratulations!

Ambassador initiation for our incoming amabassors and our Senior farewell for the ambassadors graduating! Celebrating our award winning counselors and PTSA dropping off gifts during teacher appreciation week! Plus one more photo of Mr. Hernandez with the Principal of the Year trophy.

May 11 - May 15, 2026

Value of the Week - Integrity

What will you do to show this value during the week?

Monday, May 11, 2026 - A Day

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - B Day

AP Pre Cal Exam 8:00 am

AP Psychology 11:45 am

Soccer Games During Clubs

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - A Day - Uniform Day

Club shirts are ok!

Mandatory Senior Graduation Rehearsal after School

Thursday, May 14, 2026 - B Day - College and Career Readiness Day

Dallas College Graduation 6 pm

Friday, May 15, 2026 - C Day - North Lake Spirit Day

AP Environmental Science Exam 8 am

Save the Dates!

AP EXAMS

AP Pre Calculus 5/12/26

AP Psychology 5/12/26

AP Environmental Science 5/15/26

Class of 2026 Graduation

May 14, 2026 - 6 pm Dallas College Graduation

May 23, 2026 - 9 am - High School Graduation

North Lake ECHS Social Media

Instagram:

@northlakeechs

X/Twitter: @NorthLake_ECHS

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NLECHSDISD

Password resets will be handled by the student themselves (via calling tech support at (972) 925 - 5630) or by the classroom teacher they are with at the time. Instructions for resetting passwords can be found linked here which is also at the bottom of this Student password document.

Laptop repairs: Please familiarize yourself with the NEW process here students are asked to follow for laptop repairs, notifications, and pick-up. The blue wagon mentioned in the process is located in the front office in front of Mr. Matney’s workspace.

Please look over these videos to support you with TSIA ELAR and Math! Also the Study Guide Breaks down the test for you!

pdf

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Taking on the TSIA2 (Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2).pdf

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IMPORTANT! PLEASE REVIEW ROUTES.

Please review the routes below, a live link is also available. If you encounter any issues, please contact transportation first. 972-925-4287. Remember, buses can run behind schedule due to increased traffic.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OuunwjN-sbEmHSFSN-Q6HG7WeMZGaOoPL0jACIWJ7xU/edit?gid=1532365375#gid=1532365375

This link also provides information on tracking your bus.

Tutoring buses arrive between 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Please make sure you have joined the North Lake Tutoring Buses Remind nlechbus so you are notified of your bus’s arrival.

We have created a family handbook that answers many of the questions you may have for the 2025-2026 school year. Please click on the link below to access the handbook.

pdf

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25_26 North Lake ECHS Family Handbook.pdf

Download

9.9 MB

Visit our Counseling website for additional resources and Information!

Parent Counseling Needs Assessment - Please complete today!

Register for an upcoming district Parent Training!

Dual Credit & End-of-Year Reminder

Next week is the final week for Dual Credit classes. Please encourage your child to finish strong, as many students will have final exams, projects, and assignments to complete and prepare for.

Although college classes are ending soon, please remember that the last day of school is May 27th.

Students are still preparing for high school exams and completing end-of-year requirements. It is very important that students continue to attend school every day, stay focused, and maintain strong attendance through the end of the school year. Let’s work together to help our students finish the year successfully!

Credit Recovery Summer School

Students earn high school credits by successfully passing their classes. If a student does not pass a course, they must retake it or attend summer school to recover the credit.

In Dallas ISD, students are classified by the number of credits earned:

10th grade (Sophomore): at least 6 credits
11th grade (Junior): at least 12 credits
12th grade (Senior): at least 18 credits

Credit Recovery Summer School will be held June 1–25, 2026 at the following campuses: W. H. Adamson, David W. Carter, Sunset, W. T. White, and Woodrow Wilson High Schools.

School counselors will reach out over the next few weeks if enrollment is necessary for your child.

Internship/Scholarship Opportunities

Summer Law Intern Program (Dallas Bar)

Home Depot: Path to Pro Program (18+)

Ladder Internships

Law Internship

NASA Internships

Rabbi Gerald Klein HS Internship

Dallas County

Justice of the Peace Internship

Lumiere

Summer Program Opportunity for Juniors Only

SOAR (Seeking, Observing and Achieving Results) Program

Dr. Baker 10th/11th Grade

Dr. Hart 9th/12th Grade

North Lake ECHS Families!

I hope you all had a great three day weekend! May 1st was national college decision day, and 80% of our seniors have enrolled at a college/university! The remaining 15 students have been accepted to multiple schools and are currently in the process of weighing their options. I will keep you updated on what they decide. Below are our current college enrollment decisions!

Enrollment Spotlights

University of Edinburgh:

Ammaar Zafar

Davidson College:

Paris C: Physics (ASP X Davidson Scholar)
Nicolette: Psychology & Anthropology

University of Rochester

Alyssa: Pre-Medicine

Syracuse University:

Mohammed: Dual Engineering/Business
Arturo: Business
Roman: Undecided

Augustana College:

Bailey: German major/Education minor (Shout out to Mrs. Tam for being her inspiration!)
Bryan: Pre-Veterinary Science- University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine early acceptance program!
Iris: Biochemistry/Pre-Law
Gisselle: Business
Kimberly Gomez: Marketing
Erwin: Business Management

Cornell College

Emmanuel: Pre-Physician’s Assistant (Emmanuel is North Lake’s FIRST Posse Scholar!)

Albion College:

Juan Reyna: Business Management
Valentina: Political Science

Juniata College:

Shahida: Pre Medicine- Shahida will be the first student from North Lake to attend Juniata!

Texas Christian University:

Daphney: Nursing
Astrid: Nursing
Kim Vega: Pre-Medicine
Ruth: Pre Law

University of Texas at Austin:

Angelina: International Studies
Mario: Undecided, debating between applying for Economics or Business major.

Angelo State University

Itzel: Pre- Physical Therapy (Itzel will be the first student from North Lake to attend ASU!)

Tarleton State University:

Angelique: Criminal Justice

Midwestern State University

Tyrese: Nursing
Carlos: Criminal Justice
Gabriela: Pre Medicine
Dailin: Nursing

University of North Texas

Jeffrey: Engineering
Bruno Lopez: Criminal Justice
Jayden: Business Management
Enrique: Engineering
Alex: Engineering
Seforah: Pre-Occupational Therapy
Olivia: Fashion Merchandising/Marketing
Eric: Integrative Studies- Music & Philosophy
Rachel: International Business
Jesus: Business Management
Dominique: Psychology
Roberto: Business
Juan Avila
Natalia
Allison
Joseph
Bianca
Ivan
Genesis

UT Arlington:

Alondra: Nursing (Terry scholarship recipient!)
Cynthia: Nursing
Sorays: Pre-Occupational Therapy
Avril: Nursing
Jazmin

UT Dallas:

Genevieve: Animation
De’Mariyah: Animation

Texas Tech University

Elizabeth Alcantar: Engineering
Juan Rodriguez: Engineering
Emiliano

University of Houston

Trayvon: Economics
Natalie: Business

Centenary College of Louisiana

Mailyn: Pre-Law

University of West Florida

Tayja: Undecided

Dallas College

Dana: Ultrasound Technician Program

Metrics:

Acceptances: 100% of our students have applied to at least 3 colleges, and 100% of them have been accepted!!

FAFSA: 97.4% of our students have completed their FAFSA/TASFA!

Scholarships: Our seniors continue to soar past their scholarship goal of 20 million! As of this morning our seniors have earned at least $22,590,911 in scholarships and grants!

Enrollment: While many students are still weighing their options, 81% of our senior class have made their college decision! I will be supporting students this week and meeting with families to help them decide on the best option for their family before the May 1st enrollment deposit deadline.

Have a great week!

The Milton Wolf prize is awarded for projects that exemplify civic awareness and a call to activism. Sponsored by Centropa, the annual contest asks for students to find a community problem, encourage others to become involved, provide resources for civic engagement and tie this cause to the work of Milton Wolf. Read more about this project by visiting https://www.centropawolfprize.org/

This year six exemplary projects were submitted for the grand prize of $400 and runner up prizes of $250. The past two years, North Lake Early College High School have been awarded a grand prize five times. We are hoping to add this number this year.

Ableism Awareness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=of8SE4UYbSnZrEFx&v=lajq3EJa-MA&feature=youtu.be

Liberate Literature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Py88WMtO4

Discrimination Against Minorities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS_xNTdE3jE

Obesity Awareness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E653QI30Bgk

Education Disparities in Texas

https://youtube.com/watch?si=3q_u1SA5FSEuIUrt&v=eRTbBsJek0Q&feature=youtu.be

Keeping Our Streets Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWGyvMnpplo

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

Please review the bell schedule for the 2025-2026 school year. If changes occur due to testing or special events, parents and students will be notified ASAP.

The building is open from 7:15am - 4:15pm. Classes are from 8:00 am - 3:20pm. Note that tutoring will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm - 4:45pm.