Tag Archives: students

Three Students’ Artwork Selected for HISD’s 2013 Holiday Greeting Card

DeBakey HS art teacher Neda Khan poses with student Tam Ngo and her winning design.

This year the Houston Independent School District honored the artistic talent of its students by selecting three finalists’ artwork for the 2013 HISD Holiday Greeting Card.  The winners were Adrian Pizarro from Park Place Elementary School, Amy Vaughan from Johnston Middle School and Tam Ngo from DeBakey High School for Health Professions.

“This is one of my favorite events of the year as we have the opportunity to recognize the amazing talent of our students,” HISD Chief of Business and Community Relations Dr. Michele Pola said.  “We are very grateful for all the art teachers who support their students in their creativity.”

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Student’s Artwork to be Selected as HISD’s 2013 Holiday Greeting Card

Artwork by more than 30 finalists considered

What:             Each year HISD honors the artistic talent of its students by choosing one of their designs for the district’s holiday greeting card.  This year more than 30 students from elementary, middle, and high schools were selected as finalists.  District officials will reveal on Friday HISD’s 2013 holiday greeting card, selected by Superintendent Terry Grier. The winning student will be on hand for the unveiling and all the finalist holiday cards will be available for purchase.

Who:               Winning student, HISD Board of Education Trustees and HISD Chief             Business and Communications Officer Dr. Michele Pola

When:             Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 at 11 a.m.

Where:           HISD Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street

HISD to Celebrate Being Named America’s Top Urban School District

HISD Board of Education, HISD Superintendent, administrators, teachers and students to partake in the district’s celebration

What:             Hundreds of school administrators, teachers and students will join the HISD

Board of Education and Superintendent Terry Grier as the district celebrates winning the Broad Prize for Urban Education. The prestigious award recognizes the public school system that has demonstrated the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students. The award also provides the HISD class of 2014 with $550,000 in college scholarships. HISD won the first Broad Prize awarded in 2002 and was also a finalist in 2012.

The celebration at the district’s headquarters will feature school marching bands, cheerleaders, community members and HISD’s #GreatAllOver school bus, among other festivities.

For more information about The Broad Prize, including video and photos, please visit www.houstonisd.org/broadprize.

Who:               HISD Board of Education trustees, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, administrators, teachers, students and community members

When:             Monday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m.  

Where:           Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street

HISD Distributes Laptops to Teachers as Part of District’s New PowerUp Initiative

Eleven high schools to participate in pilot stage of program

The Houston Independent School District will kick off its pilot stage of the PowerUp program, a districtwide initiative to transform how teachers teach and students learn through technology, by delivering laptops to teachers at 11 campuses across Houston.  A press conference will be held on Tuesday, August 13 at 10 a.m. at Austin High School, 1700 Humble.

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HISD Superintendent Terry Grier to Address Class of 2013 at Commencement Ceremonies

Nearly 9,000 seniors to graduate at 41 HISD graduation ceremonies

Starting today nearly 9,000 seniors will graduate from HISD high schools at 41 commencement ceremonies across Houston.  On Saturday and Sunday HISD Superintendent Terry Grier will be addressing the seniors at the commencement ceremonies for Chavez, Washington and East Early College high schools.  Members of the HISD Board of Education will also be taking part in commencement ceremonies across the district.

“It is such an honor to see thousands of students walk across the stage, ready to embark on a new chapter in their lives,” Dr. Grier said.  “At HISD we work hard to ensure all students are college and career ready, so we feel confident that every senior from the Class of 2013 is on the right path to success.”

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HISD to Offer Free Summer Meals Program at more than 200 campuses

Families invited to kick-off parties on June 11 and 12

The Houston Independent School District’s free summer meal program kicks off on June 11 at more than 200 schools. Children ages 1 to 18 will be able to enjoy a healthy breakfast and lunch at no cost through mid-July.  The start of the program will be celebrated with kick-off parties at Bonham and Kashmere Gardens elementary schools.

The ‘Summer Food, Summer Fun’ kick-off parties on June 11 and 12 will include giveaways, music, games and a special visit from Ace the nutrition mascot.

Children do not have to be enrolled in summer school nor show proof of income in order to receive a free meal at the participating HISD schools.  Adults may also participate by purchasing breakfast for $2 and lunch for $3.25.

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HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School Forms Sister School Relationship with Beijing Campus

Partnership to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities

April 15, 2013 – In an effort to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities for the students of both countries, HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School is forming a sister school relationship with The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China during an official signing ceremony on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.

This partnership will enable the students to use their knowledge of both cultures to think and act globally and become responsible and successful global citizens. Meanwhile, the educators will develop their language and teaching abilities to a high global standard that will maximize learning opportunities for their students.  By signing this agreement, both schools commit to work together to improve the quality of education for all students and explore ways in which the two campuses can share a variety of resources, expertise and learning opportunities.

What:              Official signing ceremony between HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School and The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

Who:                Harvin Moore, HISD Board of Education Trustee;  Bryan Bordelon, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School principal;  Dr. Andrew Houlihan, HISD Chief School Officer for Major Projects; Zheng Ruifang, The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China principal

When:              Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 1:30 p.m.

Where:             Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, 6300 Avenue B, Bellaire, TX 77401

32 HISD Schools Now Serving Free Dinner to Students

With more students spending most of their day at school, HISD’s Food Services has partnered with the 21st Century Community Learning Center program to serve dinner at various campuses to ensure students have access to healthy meals each day.

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Campus Safety Message from Superintendent Terry Grier

Dear HISD Community,

Schools are supposed to be places where our children feel safe to learn and play with their friends.  On Friday, we were reminded that even our best efforts to protect our precious students are sometimes not enough to prevent tragedy.  I know that all of you join me in praying for the Newtown community and sending them our sincere condolences as they grieve their unimaginable loss.

As Houston ISD students and employees return to class today, I want to assure you that we are taking action to ensure our schools are as safe as possible.  We have nearly 200 fully certified police officers in the HISD Police Department, and they are vigilantly patrolling our school neighborhoods and walking our campus hallways.  Every school in HISD regularly performs safety drills, and every campus leadership team has an emergency preparedness plan in place.  In the days and weeks to come, our police department leaders will be reviewing our procedures to determine whether any modifications are necessary to further protect our children and employees.

HISD also employs a well-trained team of psychologists whose services are available to every campus.  Our principals and teachers will not hesitate to bring them in to help any student who might need their care.   It is not uncommon for children to have questions and to express fears in these times.  We encourage parents to address their children’s concerns proactively.  The National Association of School Psychologists offers some helpful tips for parents as they discuss this tragedy with their children.  Those suggestions include reassuring children that they are safe, and acknowledging their feelings.  You can find more recommendations on the group’s website by clicking here.

The final week of school before winter break is always a time of celebration and anticipation.  We owe it to our children to keep it that way.  We also owe them a collective commitment to doing whatever it takes to keep them safe while they are in our care.  I want to personally wish each of you a joyful holiday season, and encourage you to hug your children just a little tighter and a little longer this year.

 Terry B. Grier