Boxes and boxes of green wire line the halls of Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center, as workers perched on ladders string together cable and carefully tuck it inside the campus’ ceiling tiles. After several weeks of back-breaking work, Sam Houston is ready to power up, literally, as one of the pilot schools in phase 1 of HISD’s PowerUp program, a districtwide initiative that will eventually provide every high school student with a laptop.
Monthly Archives: July 2013
M/WBEs share business tips with prospective HISD vendors
About 25 business owners learned about the importance of M/WBE certification at HISD’s monthly Workshop Wednesday held July 10.
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“Being certified has been really valuable for our work,” said Courtney Harper, panelist and owner of the architecture firm of Courtney Harper + Partners. “It’s opened doors and I’ve been able to get my foot in at great institutions.” Continue reading
Bellaire HS Students Take First Place With Anti-Texting-While-Driving Video
Aman Narayan and George Chuang with Mayor Annise Parker
A group of Bellaire High School students won first place in a video contest about the dangers of texting and driving run by Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s Youth Council.
Eleven videos were submitted to Parker’s “It Can Wait, Houston,” an anti-texting-while-driving campaign. The Houston Police and Fire Departments will use the winning videos, including Bellaire’s, in safety presentations at area schools.
Students Saddle Up During Summer Social Skills Program
A student prepares to mount a horse at the SIRE complex outside of Hockley, Texas.
As both the humidity and temperature rose on a recent Wednesday morning, 15 HISD students stepped off their yellow bus from the city and into a horse-riding arena skirting the Waller and Montgomery county lines. They had come to SIRE, Houston’s Therapeutic Equestrian Center, as part of the district’s social-skills enrichment program for those with autism.
Interaction with the horses has multiple benefits for people with mental or physical challenges, said P.J. Murray, head instructor at SIRE’s Hockley location. The non-profit group has been operating in the Houston area for 30 years, working with riders as young as three years old.
Twin Sisters Studying Abroad, Apart Highlighted in Community eNews for July 11
Stephanie (left) and Jacqueline Delcid
For nearly their entire lives, Jacqueline and Stephanie Delcid have spent their time with each other. But now, the twin sisters from the Houston Academy for International Studies will complete their high school education split by the Pacific Ocean.
Find out more about why they decided to finish abroad, how they’ll (sometimes) keep in touch and what drew them to HAIS in this week’s edition of Community eNews.
Summer STEM Camp Reaching Minority Students
Caleb Jolibett works on a project at the Houston Community College Minority Male Initiative STEM Academy
Ninth grader Caleb Jolibett is hoping to have an edge over his classmates this coming school year after spending most of the summer honing his math and science skills. “I think I will know a lot more than the kids who stayed home and didn’t take the initiative to learn something new,” said Jolibett, who will be attending Lamar High School in the fall.
Craft and Transportation Job Fair on Sat., July 13
The Houston Independent School District will be hosting a craft and transportation job fair on Sat., July 13, 2013.
The fair will take place at the Jordan High School for Careers (5800 Eastex Freeway, 77026) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
HISD’s New Fonwood Early Childhood Center in North Forest Offering Open Enrollment at Community Event
The Houston Independent School District’s new Fonwood Early Childhood Center will be offering open enrollment for children in the North Forest community at a free community event on July 13.
Team HISD Gets Busy Once North Forest Annexation Becomes Official
HISD staff works to get North Forest HS ready for students
When the clock struck midnight on July 1, seven schools in the North Forest community formally became members of the HISD family.
Once the keys were turned over to HISD officials, district representatives from a host of departments sprang into action, working feverishly to coordinate repairs, assess students’ records, and complete maintenance projects just one week before the start of summer school.
HISD Schools Win First, Second Place in Robotics Competition
EECHS students Christopher Martinez (left), Alexandra Santos (right) and homeschooled-student Nicolas Xiong (center)
Students at two HISD schools brought home first- and second-place trophies in the SECME National Engineering Competition, a robotics event held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Even a security snafu at the airport couldn’t stop East Early College High School (EECHS) students from winning the grand prize.
Alexandra Santos and Christopher Martinez won first place in overall VEX robotics, along with homeschooled student, Nicolas Xiong, who has been on EECHS’s team since 2011. Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy’s seventh-grade students Marcellus Jordan, Steven Jackson, and Daveon Clemons won second place in overall VEX robotics.