Twelve educators have been named as HISD’s 2020-2021 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year finalists, and two teachers have been named the Beginning Teachers of the Year.
The two Teacher of the Year winners will go on to represent the district in Region IV. The 12 finalists were selected from all 280 schools based on performance data and other criteria.
At the elementary level, the six Teacher of the Year finalists are:
Continue readingStationed in the hallway near the cafeteria, Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center junior Christopher Nazario ate his favorite breakfast cereal while going over the previous night’s homework on his laptop.
Like many across the country, the Nazario family budget took a recent hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. Having access to a healthy school breakfast served at no charge was a big help.
“Eating breakfast here helps my family, and it helps me because I can use the time in the morning to do homework,” Nazario said. “I know they offer a lot of different items for breakfast each morning. I hope they will serve pancakes sometime soon.”
National School Breakfast Week kicks off today (Monday, March 8) with the theme Blast Off with a Healthy School Breakfast. Nutrition Services is celebrating the week by shining a light on the role school breakfast plays in student success.
Continue readingThe school spirit was palpable as the Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center Mighty Tiger Marching Band played crowd-pumping music and the Tigerettes danced in fringed gold leotards with big bows fastened to their ponytails.
The performances were part of the school’s homecoming week festivities, which included a pep rally-style grand opening held to celebrate the new school and the impact it’s had on students, staff, and the community.
“Transitioning to this building has been a new beginning for everyone,” Sam Houston MSTC Senior Deann Mendoza said, noting that the new school changed her classmates’ attitudes. “The atmosphere here is different in a good way.”
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It was a seamless transition to the new Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center Monday as students entered the building for the first time.
“When I walked in for the first time, my jaw dropped. It literally looks like a college,” senior Yuri Caballero said. “There is so much light and space in here.”
Sam Houston MSTC is one of 29 high schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program.
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HISD will open six new schools next month, bringing the total number of new campuses opened during the past year to 21 and marking the completion of more than 80 percent of all school construction projects.
Schools include Madison and Worthing high schools, Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center, Barbara Jordan Career Center, Wharton Dual Language Academy, and Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. All are part of the 2012 Bond Program.
“We’ve completed a record-breaking number of projects,” HISD Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said. “Essentially, that means more students now have access to vibrant, modern, state-of-the-art learning spaces. That’s our goal.” Continue reading
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Work on the new Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center came to a temporary halt on Friday as the project team celebrated the building’s “topping out” after reaching the highest point in construction.
Nearly 200 contractors and sub-contractors gathered in the school’s main gymnasium, which is still under construction, where they enjoyed a barbecue lunch, door prizes, and entertainment from Houston MSTC Mariachis. Continue reading
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Construction on the new $118.9 million Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center is now 40 percent complete, with permanent power — a significant milestone for the project — expected to be connected by late March.
Tilt-wall installation is expected to wrap up later this month. Concrete slabs have been poured in all areas, and two sections of the complex are now completely enclosed. Crews are continuing to install sections of the roof, as well as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Sizwe Lewis, HISD senior manager of construction services, said the project experienced some weather-related delays, but he is hopeful that the crew can make up the time and remain on schedule. Continue reading
Construction on the new Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center is well underway and moving forward as scheduled with no significant impact to the timeline resulting from Hurricane Harvey.
Since breaking ground last spring, workers have completed underground mechanical, electrical and plumbing installation, along with most of the foundation work. Tilt walls are currently being raised, and are more than halfway complete.
“The project has been running very smooth so far,” said Skanska Project Manager Scott Conley, who oversees the Houston MSTC construction for the Houston Independent School District. “We’re on track with the schedule and pleased with the progress.” Continue reading
Houston MSTC seniors on Monday filed into the school library, past patriotic banners and toward tables dotted with voter registration forms.
As part of their government classes, the students were learning about the importance of registering to vote and how the voting process works. They also were the main audience for a news conference in which Mi Familia Vota (MFV) – joined by HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza, Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, and state Sen. Sylvia Garcia – announced the state’s High School Voter Registration Initiative.
“At HISD, we strive not only to send our graduates out into the world prepared for success in college or careers,” Carranza said. “We also strive to send them out to be good citizens who understand their civic responsibility and participate in the process that every single one of us must participate in, which is voting.”
Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, and through the High School Voter Registration Initiative, more than 140 Texas superintendents have pledged to ensure that their high school principals serve as deputy voter registrars at their respective campuses. In addition, the secretary of state said his office is looking at high schools first as polling locations to give students ample opportunity to vote.
“When you’re well-educated and involved, that is the best way to help serve your community,” Pablos said.
Houston MSTC senior Jacqueline Cano, who turns 18 on Tuesday, said she is excited to register to vote and cast her ballot in the Nov. 7 election.
“My family is Hispanic, and I’ve seen what it’s cost my family not to vote and not making our voice heard,” Cano said. “For me, it’s important to show that we have a voice.”
Carlos Duarte, the Mi Familia Vota Texas director, said the statewide effort register voters is critical to increasing participation in elections.
“Texas’ voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election was only 46.45 percent of the voting age population,” Duarte said. “Voting is the great equalizer in our democracy, and it is important that we instill the culture of voting among our youths.”
Americans can register to vote online at NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org. Supporters can also follow National Voter Registration Day activities through social media on Sept. 26 by searching #NationalVoterRegistrationDay.
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The excitement was palpable as the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center Mariachi Band began to perform on Friday, formally kicking off the celebration designed to mark the start of construction on their new school.
Blustery winds didn’t stop dozens of students, teachers, parents, and alumni from gathering in the school parking lot to witness the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Sam Houston — part of the 2012 Bond Program — and catch a peek of the construction that already is underway.
“I believe strongly that our students deserve a state-of-the-art school,” Sam Houston Principal Alan Summers said. “Not only because they deserve to go to a school that looks good, but also because they deserve to be in a building that has facilities to help prepare them for life after high school.