I wrote that the Outback Steakhouse at Conrad High that Heflin decried actually sounded like a good idea to me. Turns out, Heflin was even more wrong than I imagined. The restaurant isn’t even there anymore. Amy S, a volunteer at the school, wrote something in the comments to that post that deserves above-the-fold treatment:
As a volunteer at Conrad, I just about threw up my Dr Pepper when I read the “editorial” (??????) opinion of Mr. Heflin. His numbers are just flat out wrong. Per the Conrad stat sheet for ‘07-’08, with grades 9-11, Conrad had a total population of 927 students. This year they added the magnet schools and a senior class, and it is nowhere near the number of students listed. [Ed: the school has about 1,300 students, almost twice the 670 Heflin claims.]
Conrad lies in the heart of formerly “singles only” apartments that were opened to families by the courts in the early ’80’s. It is one of the highest density, high crime areas in Dallas, and last 70% of the population scored below 40% on the ITBS reading tests, 35% passed the previous years Math TAKS test. There is not any area in Dallas that needed a school that could offer the students an opportunity like this more.
Old news – Outback pulled out of the restaurant, like a year ago – something about liability insurance coverage. But seeing today’s economy, there may have been more behind-the-scenes factors helping them decide to withdraw. That having been said, Outback has made a commitment to the school to “consult” on getting the restaurant management magnet up and going. Without the hands-on help that a restaurant chain could have offered to help jump start this program, it is being revised and modified to suit the dining needs of the teachers and staff.
The kitchen at the school is nice, but having seen many kitchens in my time, it is not deluxe. It does have the required elements to produce food, with a dining room to learn service in.
They have a hard-working teacher this year with many years of restaurant management skills, and a teaching degree to boot. I, with the help of the community, have had a cookbook drive to provide the school with needed resources (over 300 books) – it does not have the hopes of a strong PTA to take on this role. Currently I’m trying to find a good (free) point-of-sale computer system so they can learn how to program the software.
Many of the students already work in fast-food, and they just want to find a way from where they are, to where they can be – in food. Oh, and they all want to meet Bobby Flay.
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I would like to add that from the moment I toured the Conrad restaurant (which was the summer before the school opened), I saw a facility that could be a “Booker T” of high school restaurant programs. It’s close proximity to the Dallas Arts Institute and the districts ties with DCCCD (El Centro has a great restaurant program) can mean educational advancement beyond high school.
Dallas has a love of food, and the entire restaurant and dining community can only benefit by having a facility that graduates students to be work-ready in a non-fast food setting.
It can’t all change overnight, but it is gratifying to see it beginning to take place in the right direction.
Enrollment info:
https://portal.dallasisd.org/mydata/SL/SD/ENROLLMENT/Enrollment.jsp?SLN=28
Sorry, did not read previous post. But it doesn’t hurt to point out again that the man doesn’t have his facts straight.
On another note, I have learned that DISD detractor and non-DISD resident Trey Garrison is working on a piece for D about DISD. I assume this time he will actually visit a few campuses before he writes another “Potemkin Village” generalization???
Talmadge Heflin sounds like the name of a heartless industrialist in a Sinclair Lewis novel.
Thinks like one, too.
My coworker just left to go watch a relative play football for Potemkin Village.
Really, they play high school football at the Landing?
I so wish.
Hey amy if you need help locating a POS terminal i could probably help, it would be aloha software. Feel free to e mail me Brittney0420@aol.com