Yearly Archives: 2013

Bellaire High School Graduate Wins New Car at ‘Cool to Be Smart’ Celebration

Bellaire HS grad Kevin Dwyer with the car he won at the Cool to be Smart celebration

Bellaire High School graduate Kevin Dwyer, who caught a ride with his friend to the event, left the third Annual Cool to Be Smart celebration on Sunday in a brand new 2013 Dodge Avenger donated by the HISD Foundation and Helfman River Oaks Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.

“This is really cool!  I never thought I’d win,” said Dwyer who will be studying electrical engineering at Texas A&M University this fall.  “My friend’s dad joked around that I would win, but I never imagined it would actually happen.”

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Jordan, Wheatley Students Cultivate ‘Friendships Beyond Borders’

HISD students pose in front of a statue of former South African President Paul Kruger in Pretoria, South Africa.

Almost a dozen students from HISD’s Jordan and Wheatley high schools forged new relationships with their contemporaries from around the globe last month when they traveled overseas as part of a program designed to cultivate “friendships across borders.”

The students briefly visited the Netherlands before heading to South Africa through the International Youth Friendship & Development Program, whose mission is to connect young people with their peers from other countries to build mutual respect and understanding, with the ultimate goal of someday achieving world peace.

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Westside HS students travel to Japan through Kakehashi Project

Emily Wang, Geovanni Salcedo (standing, second and fourth from L), Idara Ukpanah, and Shadi Al-Tawrah (kneeling, third and fourth from left) study kendo, the Japanese art of fencing.

A dozen students from Westside High School did their part to improve international relations this summer when they participated in a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The students spent ten days exploring that island nation in July through the Kakehashi Project/Bridge for Tomorrow, a program designed to cultivate a more positive relationship between the U.S. and Japan through youth cultural exchange.

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Alumnus Helping Students Become Published Authors Featured in Aug. 1 eNews

A writer who is helping HISD student become published authors is featured in the Aug. 1 edition of community eNews.

Vuthy Kwon moved to the United States when he was 3 years old, and he attended three HISD schools. His current project, “Every Child An Author,” is designed to encourage kids to love writing and reading by helping them become published authors.

Other stories highlighted in eNews include:

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New Teachers Get on the ‘Great All Over’ Bus

As Houston Independent School District representatives welcomed the newest members of Team HISD at this week’s New Teacher Academy, they were introduced to the district’s focus on “becoming great all over.”

“Great all over means having great teachers in every classroom at every school,” Assistant Superintendent of Support and Professional Development Lance Menster told the group of nearly 1,200 teachers.

During the four days of training at the Kingdom Builders’ Center, the new instructors were asked what they could do to help their students “become great all over.” Instead of writing their thoughts down on a piece of paper, however, they were asked to grab a paint pen and “tag” an HISD school bus.

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HISD Seeks Construction Manager at Risk Services for 2012 Bond Program Projects

The Houston Independent School District is requesting qualifications from general contracting companies interested in providing Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) services for 22 school and athletic facility projects within the 2012 bond program.

The CMAR contracts that will be awarded represent more than $1 billion in school construction work and are likely to draw national interest. Only one CMAR will be selected per project, but a company may submit qualifications for more than one project.

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EMERGE Helps Students Realize College Dreams

Students in the EMERGE program listen to a lecture at Rice University

Abel Diaz never imagined himself walking the centuries-old paths of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Growing up in Houston and coming from a low-income background, Yale seemed like another world. But Diaz has studied hard and excelled at Eastwood Academy High School, and Yale is exactly where he found himself earlier this summer, traveling with a group of 80 HISD students. The trip was coordinated through the district’s EMERGE program that aims to help high-performing, low-income students into Ivy League and Tier I colleges.

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Business Assistance Team Honored as ‘Supplier Diversity Champion’

Keith Davis, president of d-mars.com (left) and d-mars.com Senior Vice President Kevin Davis (right) present HISD’s Team Lead for Supplier Diversity Bernard Willingham with the 2013 Top 25 Supplier Diversity Champions award.

Houston’s monthly African-American Business Journal, d-mars.com, recognized HISD’s Business Assistance team Tuesday with the “2013 Top 25 Supplier Diversity Champions” award at the HESS Club in the Galleria area.

“HISD’s supplier diversity team is making a difference,” said d-mars.com President Keith “D-MARS” Davis. “As a minority business owner, I wanted to let them know they are important to our community.”

Bernard Willingham, HISD’s team lead for Supplier Diversity, said the Business Assistance team has worked diligently to help minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) improve their businesses with educational and networking events. The goal is to ensure the district’s suppliers and vendors reflect the diversity of the Houston community.

“It’s good to be recognized for the hard work that we’ve done; it’s certainly a team effort,” Willingham said.

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Bond Oversight Committee Updated on Developing Modern Learning Spaces

HISD’s Bond Oversight Committee got a detailed look Tuesday at progress being made under the 2012 bond program to develop innovative 21st century learning environments.

“We fully intend to push the envelope much further than it’s been pushed,” said HISD’s General Manager of Facilities Planning Sue Robertson.  She told the nine-member committee that the hallmarks of 21st century schools include flexible spaces that encourage collaboration and hands-on learning.

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Architects Help Craft Sustainability Goals for New HISD Schools

As the architects working under the district 2012 bond program start designing new schools, their goal will be to create 21st century, sustainable schools.

What that means precisely was the focus of discussion Monday at a half-day ‘Sustaining Momentum’ workshop, which laid out the goals and expectations of the district as it moves forward with the $1.89 billion bond program, which will  build or replace 40 schools across the city.

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