It's hard to believe that it has been three years since I taught Dallas in PreCalculus 11. Before that time, I had never taught him before. I believe the only time I'd really encountered him before was in a school play. To be honest, I can not remember which play it was but I DO remember that Dallas was a great actor. Dallas's strength (as an actor) was his ability to not take himself too seriously. He didn't mind investing himself 100% in his acting. He was not stopped by thoughts of "I don't want to look silly", for example.
In fact, this is the way Dallas was in my class too. He always seemed very content with himself; in who he was / is. I know that sounds weird but that is actually a fairly rare quality in many (most?) people. Dallas was always very laid-back, friendly, self-depreciating, and polite. I remember he was often one of the first people into class each day and it was always great to share a few words with him before class started.
Dallas was a good Math student. He worked hard and he got good marks in my class. I always appreciated how Dallas took his studies very seriously but was still able to keep things in perspective - a less-than-perfect mark is nothing to be ashamed of (especially if you gave your best effort). Obviously, Dallas has continued doing a lot of math since leaving KG. Consider this update on what he has been up to (courtesy of Max G):
"Dallas is currently on summer break from 2nd year engineering at UBC. He is the VP of finance for the engineering department, and is involved in a lot of events and business regarding the engineers including sales of engineer merchandise (the classic red jacket, for example) and helps organize social gatherings for the engineers. In September he goes into 3rd year of engineering and 2nd year of electrical engineering."
Wow! Engineering is very admirable. But getting totally involved in the social aspect of the engineering department is doubly impressive!
Congratulations, Dallas, on doing such great work at King George and now at UBC. I wish you continued success for your last two years (it is two, right?) of school and for the many years of... whatever!... after that. You are sure to thrive with your smarts, determination, and positive outlook on life. All the best!