Angela Lundy-Jackson, the principal of North Houston Early College High School, was awarded the Region 4 Secondary Principal of the Year on June 25. She was selected based on her school’s academic ratings, overall student performance, Advanced Placement and SAT participation, and her leadership skills. Lundy-Jackson is now a candidate for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals’ Principal of the Year award.
Get the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Brittany Lewis, an education technology specialist, who was named a 2015 emerging leader by the International Society for Technology in Education. Lewis’ colleague, Elvira Salazar, nominated her for the award, which honors educators 35 years or younger who demonstrate vision, innovation, action, and transformation using technology to improve learning and teaching. Read more about Lewis here.
- The Lamar High School football team, which received a generous donation from Chevron’s Fuel Your School program and a surprise visit from 2004 Lamar graduate and NFL player Brian Orakpo on June 24. Learn why he came to the campus here.
- Mai Pham, a 2015 graduate of Carnegie Vanguard High School, who was awarded a scholarship from The Texas Lyceum, a program dedicated to fostering youth leadership. Get the full story here.
- Recent Bellaire High School graduate Esther Liao, who will be playing the piano with the Houston Symphony on Saturday, July 11. Liao, who is a member of the Class of 2015, won the right to perform through the 2015 Ima Hogg Competition. Details on the performance are here.
- Waltrip High School’s Roarin’ Red Band, which played in the National Independence Day Parade at the nation’s capital. The band was invited to perform by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, and it was the only band in the state selected. Get that full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling made same-sex marriage legal in all U.S. states. In light of this decision, the following changes are being made to HISD’s health benefits plan:
- Employees married in the past 31 days in a same-sex marriage will now be recognized as a qualified life event change and will be treated the same as opposite-sex marriage life event requests. HISD Benefits is still working on programming issues, so employees needing to make a life-event change due to a same-sex marriage will need to contact HISD Benefits Service Center at 877-780-4473 for assistance in making the life event change. read more…
Photo credit: Wilf Thorne/Houston Dynamo
HISD employees can purchase discounted tickets to see the two-time MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo in action during two upcoming games.
The offer applies to the Saturday, Aug. 8, game against the San Jose Earthquakes and the Saturday, Sept. 12, game against Real Salt Lake. Tickets are only $20 each, which is a $5-$10 discount off regular prices.
Click here to view seats and purchase tickets.Use promo code “HISD” to access this special offer.
When the heat was turned up, the Westside High School’s Culinary Arts Program team stayed cool under pressure, taking home first place at the Cooking Up Change National Finals recently in Washington, D.C.
Students José Acosta, Jalien Noel, and Briseida Salas, working under the direction of Westside Chef Reggie Martin, wowed the judges with a menu that highlighted different flavors from the Bayou City: cowboy Cajun chicken lollipop, twisted Texas cabbage and collard greens, and a pineapple tart.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Carnegie Vanguard High School students Destiny Moore and Tyler Pugh, and Reagan High School student Jamal Felder, whose graduation stories were shared with thousands of people on a billboard in Times Square. Find out why here.
- Luz De Leon (Davis High School) and Karen Ortiz (Sharpstown International School), who received Passport Awards from the Institute of International Education on June 15. The awards are given to students across the country in an effort to encourage them to study abroad in college. Get that full story here.
- Lanier Middle School’s debate team, which was one of three winners of the Overall School of Excellence Awards at National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament for High School and Middle School Speech and Debate. Get that full story here.
- Dozens of members of the Class of 2015, who were honored with special awards by their schools’ respective Board of Education representatives. See the list of Outstanding Young Men and Women at each campus, as well as those earning Honorable Mention, here.
- HISD’s Office of Communications, which won two Golden Achievement Awards as well as several other recognitions this year from the National School Public Relations Association. Find out why they were honored here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
After months of gathering employee input and conducting focus groups with various departments, the IT and Communications departments are poised to launch a new employee intranet next month.
In early July, the first phase of the new site will go live. It will feature streamlined navigation so that employees can easily find district resources, a more robust search feature, and important news for all staff. The new intranet will replace the Employee Portal, which was running on an outdated and inadequate platform.
As the main users of the new site, employees are being invited to help name the new intranet resource. Click here to submit up to three names.The five most popular submissions will be presented to employees and a district-wide vote will be conducted to decide the winner.
Additional information about the new site will be communicated when the new intranet is launched.
HISD in the News
- Teachers, students prepare for new Arabic Immersion School
- HISD budget includes teacher raises, bonuses
- Ex-charter-school CEO heads to HISD
National News Links
HISD Chief Information Officer Lenny Schad was recognized by the Council of Great City Schools with the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt award on June 3, in recognition of his performance as an exemplary chief information officer.
He was also named one of the “top 30 technologists, transformers, and trailblazers” in 2014 by the Center for Digital Education.
Read the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Grady Middle School student Apurba Roy, who was named the fourth “Reader Leader” by myON for logging the most time spent reading on that website during a particular month. Roy read for an astonishing 219 hours and 34 minutes in myON in May. Get her story here.
- Sharpstown High School, which was named the beneficiary of the Houston Dynamo’s “Every Save Counts” program. Through that initiative, members of the soccer team got free tickets to the team’s home game on May 2, and the team received $500 in equipment for every save goalkeeper Tyler Deric made. Get that full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Consuelo Bravo (center) receives thanks and congratulations from Audene Chung (left) and Mark Welch
Seasoned Nutrition Services employees celebrated their retirement with a breakfast ceremony on June 1 at the Nutrition Services Support Facility. Fourteen employees, with a collective 340 years of experience, were recognized for their hard work and dedication to providing outstanding service to HISD children.
“Thank you for your service,” said HISD Nutrition Services senior administrator Audene Chung. “Now have fun and cherish every moment of your retirement.”
Retirees were presented with crystal awards amid cheers from their colleagues, family, and friends. The retirees expressed gratitude for their jobs and the experiences they had had as members of Team HISD.
Consuelo Bravo, a 28-year Nutrition Services veteran, said that working at HISD even helped her learn English. “When I started working with HISD, I did not speak English,” Bravo said. “My kids didn’t speak English, either. But I learned with my kids. And I love it. Thank you, HISD. Because I learned, my kids learned.”
Patricia Melton, who has 28 years of service under her belt, said providing hot meals for children has been her most rewarding memory, and she appreciates the affection she received from the students over the years. “The kids are the most important thing,” Melton said. “They came to me like I was their mama and I liked it. Even most of the ladies in the kitchen called me ‘mama.’”
The retirees plan to travel, rest, and enjoy their grandchildren. Melton is getting married.
Associate Teachers discuss classroom management techniques during the inaugural Associate Teacher Summit on June 8.
HISD understands that full-time teachers sometimes need to be absent from the classroom, but that doesn’t mean instruction has to stop.
To ensure that the district’s associate teachers are prepared to effectively fill in, the Onboarding & Organizational Development team hosted its inaugural Associate Teacher Summit on June 8 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. read more…
