The best schools have mission-driven programs and talented, engaged educators who administer them and benefit from them. Building on our already strong teaching and learning foundation, the next step in elevating The Episcopal School of Dallas is making sure we have the resources to create a comprehensive and scaffolded curriculum that reflects our mission and to attract the best possible people to work and to learn here. This is the final piece needed to make ESD a school of national renown.David L. Baad, The Ann and lee Hobson Family Head of School
Executive Summary
Significant research has determined that productive and happy adults live lives of purpose. ESD 2030 will ensure that the people and programs required to achieve this goal are meaningfully interwoven so that every learner and teacher at ESD will thrive for generations to come.
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The vision behind ESDistinction enables students to discover purpose through building self-awareness, growing in understanding, and taking action by:
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D.I.S.T.I.N.C.T. Skills
Significant research has determined that productive and happy adults live lives of purpose. ESD 2030 will ensure that the people and programs required to achieve this goal are meaningfully interwoven so that every learner and teacher at ESD will thrive for generations to come.
| Definitions and Competencies |
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The DISTINCT Skills are ESD's Portrait of a Graduate: a shared description of the skills and competencies we want every ESD graduate to carry into the world. Together, Discern, Imagine, Steward, Traverse, Impact, Negotiate, Construct, and Thrive give us a common language for designing learning and recognizing growth across a student's journey. As our next step, we will develop a Portrait of a Middle Schooler and a Portrait of a Lower Schooler to make the progression of these skills visible across the child's development. |
| Discern |
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To sift through complexity to find clarity, perceiving underlying truths and distinguishing with keen judgment; to see the world through the lens of an educated conscience. Competencies
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| Imagine |
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To conceive of new ideas, possibilities, methods, or creative solutions. Competencies
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| Steward |
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To actively care for and responsibly manage the people, places, ideas, and resources entrusted to one's care. Competencies
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| Traverse |
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To cross obstacles with resilience, persist through ambiguity, and move through challenges with purpose and adaptability on the journey toward understanding. Competencies
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| Impact |
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To deliberately and constructively contribute. Competencies
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| Negotiate |
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To effectively articulate and advocate for ideas, listen with empathy to differing viewpoints, and work collaboratively to deal successfully with complex problems. Competencies
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| Construct |
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To mold diverse elements into a cohesive and purposeful whole, whether one is shaping an argument from evidence, a sculpture from clay, or a program from code. Competencies
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| Thrive |
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To flourish by living a life of purpose, resilience, and well-being. It is the ultimate outcome of the educational journey, marked by vigorous growth, intellectual curiosity, and a deep sense of engagement with the world, leading to a joyful and exemplary life. Competencies
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Networks
Connecting Learning, Interests, Experiences, and Purpose.
ESDistinction networks create interdisciplinary connections across departments, grade levels, programs, and experiences. They help students discover and pursue emerging interests, connect classroom learning to authentic applications, develop D.I.S.T.I.N.C.T. skills, and engage with faculty, peers, mentors, and community partners who share those interests.
| Business, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing |
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Network Leader: Amy Livingston Students explore how ideas become ventures through entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, and business strategy. Experiences connect classroom learning with authentic problem-solving, business leaders, and opportunities such as the EagleSpark Incubator, where students develop, pitch, and refine entrepreneurial ideas with guidance from experienced mentors. |
| Discourse: Leadership, Government, and Public Policy |
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Network Leader: Adam Walsh Students develop the knowledge and communication skills needed to participate thoughtfully and persuasively in civic life. Through public speaking, argumentation, Speech and Debate, Model UN, leadership experiences, and engagement with government and public policy, students learn to examine complex issues, consider multiple perspectives, construct compelling arguments, and use their voices effectively. |
| Visual Design: 2D Art, Design, and Content Creation |
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Network Leader: Lynda Gonzalez Students explore how visual art, design, and advertising communicate ideas and influence audiences. Through authentic design challenges, emerging technologies, collaboration, and public-facing work, students develop the creative, technical, and critical-thinking skills to communicate visually with purpose and integrity. |
| Engineering, Architecture, and Real Estate |
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Network Leader: Tanya Snook Students explore how engineering, architecture, and real estate shape the built environment. Through design, prototyping, planning, and authentic projects, students apply technical and creative thinking to solve problems while considering sustainability, project management, collaboration, and the needs of communities. |
| Editorial Arts: Composition, Curation, and Critique |
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Network Leader: Tolly Salz Students learn to write, curate, edit, design, and publish content for authentic audiences across genres, modes, and media. Working individually and collaboratively, they develop distinctive voices while creating purposeful publications that invite others to engage with ideas, creative expression, and the life of the community. |
| Data Science: Data, Systems, and Society |
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Network Leader: Dr. Charles Lena Students use data, statistics, programming, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to investigate authentic questions and develop meaningful solutions. From gathering and analyzing information to communicating conclusions and building applications, students learn to use data skillfully, critically, and ethically. |
| Networks Coming Soon |
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FAQs
| What is ESDistinction? |
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ESDistinction is part of the ESD2030 Strategic Plan and a means of articulating and exemplifying how our students discover, explore, and cultivate their passions that then ignite lives of purpose. Each Curriculum Network acts as a resource for students to delve into what drives them most. These networks abound with experiential learning opportunities that take textbook teachings beyond the classroom and into our greater community and global society. As students progress in these networks, our goal is to equip them with the skills, dispositions, and knowledge to effectively make a difference in our world. To do this, Curriculum Network Leaders have made connections with numerous nonprofits, institutions, and individuals across the nation, providing students with endless opportunities to take action and get hands-on experience in their desired field(s). These networks also feature internships, extracurricular activities, service learning, simulations, labs, field trips, study abroad programs, and more. |
| How does the program work? |
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As students advance through their scholastic careers, ESD has intentionally created an aligned, scaffolded program for students to discover, explore, and cultivate their passions. Aligned, meaning subject matter and the application thereof start at the Beginner level and increase in complexity and sophistication through senior year. Scaffolded, meaning students are supported at every grade level via faculty, advisory, mentorship, community, opportunity, and more, to ensure their personal success. Starting in Lower School, students are presented with experiential learning opportunities that help them discover their interests and develop a baseline of skills and knowledge pertaining to those interest areas. In Middle School, students explore those areas more in-depth, taking on projects and activities that put conceptual knowledge to practice, fine-tuning their skills, and developing dispositions related to their work. In Upper School, students combine their skills, knowledge, and dispositions to cultivate an overarching sense of purpose and further establish why they are passionate about what they do. Between each division level (Lower, Middle, and Upper), students will present a showcase that explains and exemplifies their passions, why they are interested in that work, and how they plan to continue pursuing their ambitions. We are aware that interests change and that not everyone is passionate about the same things, which is why students can participate in numerous Curriculum Networks at the same time at any point in their journey at ESD. Our goal in establishing these networks is, first and foremost, to help students ignite lives of purpose, and our faculty is committed to that mission through and through. |
| How is ESDistinction different from other curricular programs? |
| What sets ESDistinction apart is our approach to learning. We believe the most crucial aspects of learning take place in a hands-on environment, where students learn by doing. Through ESDistinction, students with all different kinds of interests are able to find their niche and put it into practice in the real world, further preparing them for life beyond ESD. |
| Who are the network leaders? |
| Each network includes a network leader who collaborates with academic leaders and teachers in all three divisions to ensure that the skills, virtues, and dispositions essential to the network are being discovered, explored, and cultivated. ESDistinction's network leaders create community partnerships with their designated network that expose ESD students in all three divisions to real-world practitioners and their problem-solving strategies. |
ESDistinction in Action
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Shark vs. Eagle: ESD Students Present Business Proposals in EagleSpark Incubator
As part of the ESDistinction Business Curriculum Network, the school hosts an annual Shark Tank-style competition that allows young entrepreneurs to pitch innovative business ideas to a panel of judges comprising Dallas business leaders, Southern Methodist University (SMU) faculty, and a former student winner.
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ESDistinction In ActionÂ
Through ESDistinction: Curriculum of Purpose, we are enhancing and aligning our academic program, distinguishing our academic identity, and constructing our value for students of today and tomorrow. But what does that look like in tangible terms? Read more to find out.
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ESDistinction - A Curriculum of Purpose
The spring edition of The Crest magazine highlights nine students pursuing their passions in STEM and the projects they have initiated.
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Introducing ESDistinction
The goal of ESDistinction is to identify and develop the skills, virtues, dispositions, academic interests, and community connections in our students to allow them to identify their life’s purpose and live a fulfilled life.
