District champions, regional advancers, state qualifiers, and simply the best of all UIL Fine Arts will be highlighted on Thursday, May 22, during HISD’s inaugural UIL Fine Arts Best of the Best Showcase.
The showcase will take place at Westbury High School from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., and will demonstrate the hard work and dedication HISD students have put into the development of their gifts, talents, skills, and crafts. Families, teachers, administrators, and community supporters who don’t normally get to see the work our students take to competition will have an opportunity to watch our champions perform and see the amazing pieces they produced for contest submissions this year.
Highlighted performances will include:
- Carnegie Vanguard HS students heading to state in the One-Act Play
- Westbury and Davis HS choirs in Solo & Ensemble
- Sharpstown HS students in Theatrical Design
- Furr HS state semi-finalists in Film will screen their documentary
Other performances will involve district champions from the elementary and middle school One-Act Play category, solo acting performers from elementary to high school, and UIL orchestras.
The event kicks off with the annual Mariachi & Ballet Folklorico Festival at 5:00 p.m., with presentations taking place on four different stages throughout the evening. Admission is free.
Herrera ES first-graders using 3-D printer to study water conservation
First-grade students in Robin Westphal’s class at Herrera Elementary School have been learning about ways to conserve water with the help of a 3-D printer.
The students began thinking about conservation while watering their gardens as a part of their International Baccalaureate unit, “How the World Works.” After brainstorming ways to get enough water to the plants and vegetables without using more than necessary, the children came up with a solution that regulated the flow of water from the hose.
The students printed out a hose attachment after locating a printable 3-D model on a website, then tested it by timing how long it took to fill a bucket both with and without it on the hose. Click here to see photos from the lesson.
Exhibiting good character pays off for 100 HISD students
A hundred students from four different HISD campuses got to go on a $100 shopping spree recently, thanks to their own exemplary behavior and the Moran Norris Shopping for Good Character Program.
Twenty-five students from each of the four participating middle schools—Dowling, Hartman, Marshall, and McReynolds—were selected to receive $100 gift cards and a free lunch from Target on May 9, after being identified by campus faculty and staff as students who had demonstrated good character throughout the school year. One lucky student from each school will also be selected to win an Apple iPad and attend the Moran Norris “Follow Me to the Stars” dinner on June 28, by submitting an essay to a contest through the same program.
Both initiatives are sponsored by NFL player Moran Norris and his wife Tamara, who are both proud products of Houston ISD, through the Moran Norris Foundation.
Energy Institute students design shelters for homeless using alternative energy
Energy Institute students just completed a project-based learning assignment in which they were challenged to create shelters for the homeless using alternative energy sources.
The students considered a variety of factors when creating their designs, such as climate, natural and artificial lighting, and passive heating and cooling.
The project was a cooperative effort between the Energy Institute and Prairie View A&M University, whose students visit Energy Institute classes and served as students’ mentors during the project.
The students presented their designs in front of a professional panel, and they were judged on a combination of ideas and information; presentation style; quality of presentation aids, such as posters, models, and 3-D digital renderings; 21st-century skills, such as collaboration; and responses to the panelists’ questions.
Leave a Reply