Tag Archives: Austin HS

Austin HS prepares for start of construction

Construction crews at Austin High School spent much of the summer working to complete demolition, abatement, and underground site work in preparation for the start of construction on their new building.

While significant progress was made, the project encountered some hurdles. City of Houston permitting procedures changed and now require additional documents and information to be submitted. Additionally, asbestos removal took longer than anticipated.

To accommodate the additional time needed to procure the permit and safely remove hazardous materials from the construction site, school and project officials have updated the construction timeline. The school is now scheduled to will move into its new facility in summer 2020, with students and staff returning for the 2020-2021 school year. Continue reading →

Austin HS undergoes demolition to make room for new facility

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Demolition is underway at Austin High School, where crews are working to bring down the back section of the building along South Lockwood Drive, making way for a new $79.6 million campus.

Asbestos abatement will be completed this month, and demolition already has been completed on the water tower, agriculture building, and workshop. The remainder of the demolition is expected to wrap up in June. Continue reading →

Austin HS students move into temporary facility while new campus is constructed

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Austin High School students and staff began the spring semester on Monday in a temporary campus in preparation for the start of construction on their new building.

The new Temporary Learning Center — dubbed by school officials as the “TLC” and made up of temporary buildings — was built to ensure student and staff safety during construction. It is located along South Lockwood Drive, directly behind the existing school building.

Located in Houston’s East End, the 80-year-old comprehensive high school is being rebuilt as part of the Houston Independent School District’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. Plans for the $79.6 million project call for a new facility that preserves the original building’s architecturally significant building structure and can accommodate up to 2,000 students. Continue reading →

Austin HS hosts community meeting to discuss temporary campus move

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Students, faculty, and community members gathered Tuesday in the Austin High School auditorium to learn about the construction plan for their new facility, as well as the logistics of their relocation to a temporary campus.

Austin High School is being re-built as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. The $79.6 million project calls for a new facility that accommodates 1,800 to 2,000 students and preserves the architecturally significant structure of the current building.

To accommodate construction and ensure safety, students and staff will relocate to a temporary campus — made up of 15 temporary buildings offering all of the school’s current academic and athletic programs — along S. Lockwood Drive. Students will report to the temporary campus, which is directly behind the current school, when they return from winter break on Jan. 8.

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Austin HS moving to temporary campus in January

Austin High School students and staff will relocate in January to a temporary campus in preparation for the start of construction on their new building.

Construction of the Temporary Learning Center — dubbed by school officials as the “TLC” and made up of temporary buildings — is nearing completion, with plans for students and staff to report to that location on Jan. 8, which is the first day of the spring semester.

The temporary campus was built to ensure student and staff safety during construction. It is located along South Lockwood Drive, directly behind the existing school building.

“It’s becoming a reality. The move is starting to set in,” Austin High School Principal Steve Guerrero said during a recent Project Advisory Team meeting. “It’s still a move, but we’re working to make sure the transition will be as smooth as possible.”

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Austin HS readying for construction of new school

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A temporary campus will begin to take shape this summer just across the street from Austin High School as crews begin installing modular buildings to accommodate students during construction of their new school.

The temporary campus will be located along South Lockwood Drive, directly behind the current school. Students will have access to the same programming, activities, clubs, and sports that are currently being offered. Continue reading →

Austin High School bond project update draws big crowd

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More than 300 students, staff and community members gathered at Austin High School on Tuesday to get an update on plans to rebuild the 80-year-old school and a first glimpse at what the new facility could look like.

Plans for the campus include modern, open spaces allowing for lots of daylight, better traffic flow in and around the campus, clusters of classrooms to allow for a neighborhood learning concept, and a new, defined entry off of Jefferson Street.

“This really is about our students. We’re providing them with a different type of learning environment,” HISD Design General Manager Dan Bankhead told the crowd, explaining that students no longer sit in rows doing worksheets. “What we find now is students work better when they learn from each other, when they’re collaborative.”
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College Readiness surprises two high school seniors with FAFSA scholarships

Completing this year’s FAFSA on time paid off big time for two high school seniors who were the surprise recipients of a $500 scholarship on Friday.

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The HISD College Readiness department made two surprise visits to award checks to Belen Mendoza of Austin High School and Ashley Guzman of Energized for STEM Academy, Inc. High School West Campus. As a part of this year’s HISD FAFSA Initiative to increase TASFA or FASFA application submissions, names of every student who completed their TASFA/FASFA by HISD FASFA Day on March 3 were randomly selected from a drawing.

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Update of Austin HS Bond Project

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Austin High School is slated to receive a new $68.4 million facility preserving the architecturally significant building structure for 1,800 to 2,000 students.

The project held its first community meeting in August of 2015 to discuss the design progress to date. The preliminary plan maintains the front facade and historic auditorium while renovating the architecturally significant portion of the building along Dumble Street. The back section of the building along Lockwood will be replaced with a new addition. The concept includes a new entrance for visitors to enter from Jefferson Street, which will be constructed adjacent to new administrative offices. The plan also includes cutout drives for buses on Lockwood and parent cars on Dumble to avoid blocking traffic lanes during commute hours. Additional features of the new campus will include new gymnasiums and CTE labs and a new kitchen and dining commons area with both indoor and outdoor seating options. The two current courtyards will be kept and enhanced as additional flexible learning space.

A second community meeting will be held in early to mid-2016, with the goal to have the project out for bid by the end of the year.

Photo gallery of HISD building projects

Nine schools to participate in Marching Band Festival Oct. 6

Nine HISD high school bands will be strutting their stuff in the district’s eighth annual Marching Band Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The festival gives bands the opportunity to receive feedback on their music quality, sections, music effects, visual effects, and visual performance. The critiques will help the bands prepare for future performances and events.

Participating schools include: Continue reading →