Yearly Archives: 2012

Roosevelt Elementary celebrates official dedication

Near the finale of Wednesday’s official dedication ceremony for Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, at least one parent in the crowd let out a grito — a celebratory yell — during the final performance of a visiting mariachi band comprised of students.

It certainly wasn’t the only rave review at the school this morning.

Roosevelt Elementary, a Vanguard school for gifted and talented students, opened the doors to its new campus building in late November 2011, more than 80 years after the school originally opened.

The two-story school serves about 750 students, and most, if not all of them, Roosevelt principal Armando Lujan said, really enjoy learning with the new technology the school now uses.

“The students love this building,” he said. “They love the SMART boards, they love the technology. They love the fact that we are able to broadcast news over the SMART boards.”

During the celebration, attendees were entertained by three different musical groups, including songs by the school’s Pre-K students and its new choir team, as well as bookended performances by the mariachi band from Jefferson Davis High School.

Inside the school, students have access to a central library and large multi-purpose room, one Lujan said was nearly unusable in the old school. The design of the school allows for more natural light inside the hallways and classrooms, results in a nearly 20 percent reduction in energy use from the previous building.

“It’s come a long way,” said Mary Morales, president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization and mother to two students currently at Roosevelt. “It’s like the best thing they could give these kids nowadays that we didn’t have when we were younger.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “It helps (students) out a lot more. It expands their minds a lot more. I remember when I was little, I wasn’t doing projects. Now they are.”

The school was built with approximately $16.5 million from the bond program approved by voters in 2007. Roosevelt is one of 20 new schools built with funds from that bond program.

HISD Students Named Among Semifinalists for National Achievement Scholarship

Thirteen African-American seniors from four HISD high schools are among the semifinalists for the National Achievement Scholarships.  These students will have the opportunity to compete for 800 scholarships worth more than $2.5 million that will be offered next spring.

The National Achievement Scholarship program is a privately financed academic competition that was started in 1964 to recognize and offer scholarships to academically promising African-American students throughout the nation.

To be considered for this scholarship, more than 160,000 high school juniors took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test.  The nationwide pool of semifinalists, about 1,600 students, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To become a finalist, semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

“We are very proud of these students and their academic achievements,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier.  “To be recognized among the nation’s best students by the National Achievement Scholarship program is truly an honor and a testament to their hard work.” 

The selected semifinalist students are from the following HISD schools: Bellaire High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Westside High School.  The 2013 National Achievement Winners will be announced starting in April 2013. 

National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists

 Bellaire High School                                

Alexander Franshaw                                                              Evan S. McClain
Alayah M. Frazier                                                                    Lonnie A. Smith
Salem B. Hadgu

DeBakey High School for Health Professions

Rachel A. Adenekan                                                                   Nathalie C. Meremikwu
Anusha A. DeSilva Bradley                                                      Acara E. Turner                      
Malcolm C. Lizzappi                             

High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Ellisa M. Bray                                                                             Jyron Walls

 Westside High School

 Bianca R. Draud

PBS ‘Frontline’ Episode Tonight Highlights HISD’s Dropout Prevention Efforts

HISD’s efforts to get dropouts back in class — and keep at-risk students from leaving school in the first place — will be the focus of tonight’s (Tuesday, Sept. 25) special report by the award-winning Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television show, Frontline.

The two-hour “Dropout Nation” episode documents the challenges and obstacles four students face in their quest to earn a diploma from HISD’s Sharpstown High School.  The documentary was produced by a PBS crew that spent the spring 2012 semester embedded with the Sharpstown faculty and students.

On Monday night, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and Sharpstown Principal Rob Gasparello were featured on this Houston PBS program to discuss HISD’s innovative approaches to the national dropout crisis.  Today, HISD schools graduate 2,000 more students annually than they did in 2007, even though the overall number of students attending Houston schools is unchanged.  The HISD dropout rate has been in decline and the graduation rate has been climbing in for four consecutive years, and now stand at record levels. Read more about HISD’s latest dropout data here.

“Dropout Nation” is set to air on PBS and on the PBS website Tuesday at 8 p.m. You can watch a trailer here and check local listings for showtimes here.

There will be a live chat at 1 p.m. Wednesday following the airing of the episode with the film’s producer, Frank Koughan, Sharpstown administrator Brandi Brevard, and HISD dropout prevention expert Mark White.

Lewis Elementary School officially dedicated

Judd M. Lewis Elementary was the scene of a small gathering Monday morning to officially cut the ribbon on a new school that has been serving more than 900 students daily for nearly a year.

A handful of teachers, students, Houston ISD staff and dignitaries heard about the history of the school and its namesake, and a few of the more important features of the school built with funds from the 2007 bond program.

See more photos of the Lewis Elementary dedication ceremony by Damon Jasso of Ortiz Middle School.

Those who were in the school’s new library could only see a few of the major additions to the new two-story Lewis Elementary.

Technology and its assistance in classroom instruction were one of the key features of the new school, said principal Tonya Woods.

“This library!” said Woods. “The reading, the opportunities; we have thousands of resources just in the library alone. We have three mobile labs where (the students) can check out the computers in the classroom.

“We’re technology rich,” she said. “Everything is identical, giving the students the understanding that ‘you’re important,’… your learning is important to us and we value you.”

In addition to the upgraded technology, the school features multiple science and computer labs, as well as both a music and art lab. The school also includes a stage with a training room for drama students.

“The previous school looked nothing like this one, and as one of the young students here today said, it was the nicest building he’s ever been in,” said HISD Board of Education member Manuel Rodriguez Jr.

Rodriguez Jr. used the occasion to mention how the new school was built after voters approved a bond program in 2007. He also talked about how others, including nearby Austin and Milby high schools, would benefit should the electorate choose to support a $1.89 billion bond program on the November ballot.

“We need to have the type of schools that bring and attract new people and new firms to our area to be able to have a quality education for those children coming in, and for our own, because we will have leaders coming out of these schools,” he said. “I never expected to be on the school board when I was in high school, and here I am.”

As you approach the new school on Houston’s southeast side, you expect to see the features of a new school, but it’s some of the subtle touches that stand out first.

Pillars of baby blue hold up wavy, red colored walkways in front of a brick facade. There are multiple bike racks across the campus perimeter to encourage its student population — many of whom live less than a mile from campus — to walk or bike to school, and there’s a large covered play area off to the side.

Even still, you expect touches like that in a new school. It’s the inside of the year-old school that stands out. As you walk in, you’re greeted with a giant mural of a lion resting among a floral garden. The mural, produced by Houston artist Dixie Friend Gay, covers a 14’ by 14’ wall above the second set of double-doors to the school.

The new campus replaced one built in 1958 and named for the first poet laureate of Texas.

Johnston MS Orchestra Recognized at State and National Levels

Johnston Middle School’s Sinfonia Orchestra recently earned recognition at both the state and national levels.

The group was ranked as one of the top five most-outstanding middle school orchestras for the third consecutive year by the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), through the TMEA’s Honor Orchestra program. This annual competition seeks “to recognize and honor quality musicianship in the performance of advanced literature at the highest level” since 1960.

On the national front, Johnston was also named one of the Foundation for Music Education’s commended Mark of Excellence winners in the “string orchestra” category of the National Orchestra Honors project (Lanier MS is the other honoree from HISD; it won in the “full orchestra” category).

The Johnston Sinfonia Orchestra is directed by José Rocha.

Happy Birthday, Lamar High School! Campus Celebrates 75 Years

Lamar High School marked its 75th year this week by inviting members of its first two classes (1938 and 1939) back to campus to commemorate the occasion. Pictured are Ben Duffie (Class of 1938), Mayor Annise Parker, and Mary Ann Duffie (Class of 1944).

Sept. 20, 1937, was the official first day on which the school opened. At that time, the country was deep in the throes of the Great Depression, Westheimer was still just a shell road, and River Oaks boasted only a few completed homes.

Lamar will formally celebrate its 75th anniversary on Sat., Oct. 20, with an Open House starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by its homecoming football game against the Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center at 2 p.m. at Delmar Stadium.

Below is a photo of the campus from the school’s early years, before the stately oak trees that now grace the front lawn were even planted.

HISD to Dedicate Four New Campuses

In the coming days, four Houston neighborhoods will dedicate new campuses that were built using voter-approved funds from the 2007 HISD bond program.

            “These students now have a new campus to call home, and it’s all thanks to the bond program approved by voters in 2007,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “These schools represent the promises we made to the public then, and HISD continues to follow through with each one.”

            So far, HISD has opened 20 new schools and renovated 135 others using funds provided through the 2007 bond program.  The final three new school buildings included in that program are under construction.  The entire program is on track to be completed under budget.

            More information about the 2007 bond program is available here.  As the 2007 bond program comes to an end, HISD is asking voters this November to consider a proposal to rebuild and renovate 38 campuses, primarily high schools.  More information about the 2012 bond proposal is available here.

Dedication ceremonies will be held soon for the following four campuses, which opened during the 2011-2012 school year: Lewis, Roosevelt and Kennedy elementary schools. A dedication ceremony will also be held for the new addition at Grady Middle School.  A full Grady rebuild would be completed under the 2012 bond proposal.  Each school will be hosting their own dedication ceremony during the upcoming weeks.

These new elementary campuses are “green” schools, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.  Key features in LEED schools include the installation of water-conserving plumbing, energy efficient systems and controls, improved air quality, and use of natural light.

These new campuses also include features such as new libraries, computer labs and Smart Board technology in the classrooms.

            Upcoming dedication ceremonies:

  • Sept. 24 at 9 a.m., Lewis Elementary School, 7649 Rockhill
  • Sept. 26 at 10 a.m., Roosevelt Elementary School, 6700 Fulton
  • Sept. 27 at 9 a.m., Kennedy Elementary School, 400 Victoria
  • Oct. 1 at 10a.m., Grady Middle School, 5215 San Felipe

Sept. 25 ‘Frontline’ Episode to Highlight HISD’s Dropout Prevention Efforts

HISD’s efforts to get dropouts back in class—and keep at-risk students from leaving school in the first place—will be the focus of an upcoming special report by the award-winning Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television show, Frontline.

The “Dropout Nation” episode documents the challenges and obstacles four students face in their quest to earn a diploma from HISD’s Sharpstown High School.

The show is set to air on cable and the PBS website on Tues., Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. You can watch a trailer here and check local listings for showtimes here.

Lanier Middle School Symphony Orchestra Commended in National Competition

The Lanier Middle School Symphony Orchestra, directed by Laurette McDonald and Ali Jackson, has been selected by the Foundation for Music Education as Commended Winners in the Mark of Excellence/National Orchestra Honors project. More than 180 musical ensembles from across 35 states entered into the national competition.

For complete results, click here.

HISD’s DeBakey High School is a Finalist for Title I National Distinguished Schools Award

DeBakey High School for Health Professions is one of only two Texas schools that are finalists for the Title I National Distinguished Schools award.  The award recognizes schools that have consistently demonstrated strong academic performance over a three-year period and have also achieved the “academically exemplary” rating for the present year.   The schools must also have a population of 40 percent or more low-income students.

DeBakey was recognized for its successful curriculum and instruction and for providing opportunities for all students to succeed. All of its graduates are accepted into colleges or universities, and in 2012 DeBakey students received more than $30.8 million dollars in scholarship offers.  The school was also acknowledged for its continuing professional development for teachers and administrators and its partnerships with parents, families, and members of the community.  

“We are excited DeBakey High School for Health Professions is receiving national recognition for its effective approach to learning,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We’re proud of the hard work our students, administrators, and staff have shown in making DeBakey one of the best schools in the nation.”

DeBakey is also the 2012 No. 1 high-school in the eight-county Houston region, according to Children at Risk.  DeBakey received National Title I Distinguished school recognition during the 2006-2007 school year. This year’s winner will be announced in January.