Tag Archives: Horn Academy

DeBakey tops Children at Risk’s list of best Houston high schools for sixth straight year

Reagan HS, Pilgrim Academy, and 20 other campuses also rated ‘Gold Ribbon’ schools

Children at Risk released its annual list of the top schools in the greater Houston area on April 27, and for the sixth consecutive year, HISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions was listed as number one.

Four other HISD high schools were included in the top ten: Carnegie Vanguard High School (#2), the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (#4), Eastwood Academy (#7), and North Houston Early College High School (#10).

T.H. Rogers, which serves students in grades Pre-K through 8, has held steady in the number one position among the top middle schools in Houston since 2011, and ranked first at the elementary level since 2012. Other HISD schools in the top 20 were: Wharton K-8 (#5), Pin Oak (#7), Lanier (#8), and Briarmeadow Charter (#15) at the middle-school level; and West University (#2), River Oaks (#3), Horn Academy (#6), Bush (#13), Condit (#14), Oak Forest (#17), and Roberts (#19) at the elementary level.

Continue reading

Combined Charities takes the uncertainty out of giving to the needy

Shawn McMahan poses for a photograph at Horn Elementary School, October 23, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Shawn McMahan

For Shawn McMahan, HISD’s Combined Charities Campaign is about security—the comfort of never having to wonder if the money she gives is actually getting to the people it’s supposed to help.

“We’ve all had that experience where you’re stopped at the red light and a person shows you a sign asking for money,” explained the Horn Academy ESL teacher. “In your head, you debate whether or not to help them. You may worry that by giving them money, you’re just feeding some bad habit that got them there in the first place. Or you remember the story on the news about scammers who make their living off the generosity of others, but really require no assistance. But how can you look them in the eye and refuse to help? It’s a dilemma.” Continue reading

Young scholars rewarded for meeting literacy goals

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000RKTIEWDK2ss” g_name=”20140924-Bikes” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Usually, the benefits of reading include a bigger vocabulary, greater word comprehension, and better conversation skills, but dozens of HISD students received a different type of reward recently from two of the district’s community partners for focusing on literacy over the summer.

Most of the students were recognized for participating in the district’s Extended Primary Year program, which was offered at 29 elementary schools.

“The HISD Literacy Team joined forces with Strategic Partnerships and Elves & More to award bicycles to 100 children who met their literacy goals, had excellent attendance and conduct, and exemplified a can-do attitude,” explained Literacy Director Cindy Puryear. “The Literacy Team will partner with Elves & More again this holiday season to reward more that 7,000 scholars for their hard work and determination. One thousand of those will be rewarded for meeting or exceeding their literacy goals.” Continue reading

Nine HISD Schools Win at State Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Fourteen schools participated in the state Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, April 13, 2013 and students from nine of those schools will advance to the World Finals in May.

Odyssey of the Mind has become the largest international creative problem-solving competition worldwide, and HISD teams have been working hard to on their projects and presentations since October.
Continue reading

Grier, Lunceford to dedicate Horn Elementary – a magnet academy focused on development of “whole child”

Administrators, staff and students will be joined by HISD Board of Education President Michael Lunceford and Superintendent Terry Grier during the official dedication ceremony for the new Paul W. Horn Elementary today at 9 a.m. at the new campus, 4530 Holly Street.

All building systems on the new campus were designed to yield a projected increase of 24.6 percent in energy efficiency. Click image above for video tour.

“Being a former Horn parent myself, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to see this new building,” said Lunceford.  “This is the kind of facility that every student in HISD deserves.  It saves energy, fits perfectly with the surrounding community, and will prove to be a hub of achievement that parents, students and teachers can be proud of.” 

The new Horn facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and all building materials were made using 41 percent recycled content.  All building systems on the new campus were designed to yield a projected increase of 24.6 percent in energy efficiency.  The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.                  

The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made this project possible. The new school includes:

  • New library;
  • Bioswale to reduce potable water use;
  • New science labs;
  • New computer lab; and
  • Smart Board technology in all classrooms.

“Our new facility truly supports our focus on a holistic curriculum that speaks to the needs of the whole child,” said Horn Principal Sarah Harrington referring to the academy’s mission as a magnet school.  “With Smart Board technology, our new library and computer lab, we are well poised to meet the needs of all our students.” 

For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.