Our History
The Human Rights Forum was formed in the 2013-2014 school year by our first student president, Blaire McClure with our first teacher sponsors, Mrs. Lindsey Cullins and Ms. Angela Hardy. Since then, the Forum has grown to become a chapter of the Dallas-Fort Worth Junior World Affairs Council.
To learn more about the Forum, our current officers, teacher sponsors, and former leaders, scroll over the "About" tab in the navigation menu and explore the sub tabs of "FAQ", "Meet the Officers", "Our Founder", "Our Sponsors", "Former Leaders", and "Contact Us".
To learn more about the Forum, our current officers, teacher sponsors, and former leaders, scroll over the "About" tab in the navigation menu and explore the sub tabs of "FAQ", "Meet the Officers", "Our Founder", "Our Sponsors", "Former Leaders", and "Contact Us".
Our VisionWe are committed to inspiring a shared sense of humanity in our community by eradicating the epidemic of oppression; breaking down barriers of ignorance, apathy, stereotypes, and distance; and dispelling myths about culture to reveal hidden beauty. Through the education of individual human rights we will inspire and equip our members, our school, and our community with the means to assist not only themselves but also to extend aid to those whose rights have been denied.
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Our MissionThe Newman Smith Human Rights Forum is a group of upstanding students dedicated to improving the lives of all people by advocating for the principles of human rights, as defined by the United Nations General Assembly in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We meet once a month to discuss global and local human rights issues and engage with our community by planning events, creating awareness campaigns, and organizing fundraising and volunteer opportunities. To achieve these aims, we build partnerships with nonprofit organizations and form coalitions with like-minded student organizations within and beyond our school community.
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Our Campus
Our campus is Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas. Our school's mission statement is “to graduate confident and competent individuals prepared to communicate, contribute, and interact responsibly in our global community.” We are home to Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district’s International Business Academy, a competitive pathway that offers specialized curriculum, real-world experiences, and internships. We have organizations on campus that work toward promoting being better global citizens such as the Gay-Straight Alliance, the Asian Culture Club, the Environment Club, and the Human Rights Forum (a chapter of the Junior World Affairs Council). The Interact Club, National Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society give back to our community through volunteering. We offer foreign language classes in Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese. Our teachers lead student exchanges to multiple continents and connect with classrooms across the globe using videoconference technology. Our principal, Mr. Joe Pouncy, wholeheartedly supports cultivating a global perspective in our students by encouraging curriculum, programs, and opportunities that offer an international vision.
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