Yearly Archives: 2013

Food Services Celebrates Opening of 75th Dining Station

High school students across the district are customizing their own school lunch every day thanks to HISD Food Services. Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, 75 dining brand stations have been successfully added to more than 20 high schools.

On Friday, May 24, more than 60 guests gathered at Waltrip High School to celebrate the grand opening of the campus’s new dining brand station. The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony and menu samplings of the new brands. Special guests included HISD Board President Anna Eastman, HISD Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla, and Waltrip students who participated in a Food Services focus group.

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Two HISD Teachers in Running for Inaugural Music Educator Award

Mark Wurtzel of Pershing Middle School (Houston Independent School District)

Mark Wurtzel

A mind for music has led two HISD teachers into contention for a prestigious new national award for educators.

Lamar High School’s Scott Houston and Pershing Middle School’s Mark Wurtzel are two of the 217 music teachers from across the country to be named quarterfinalists for the inaugural Music Educator Award.

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Small Business Proud to Offer District Quality Customer Service

Editor’s note: This is the first in a monthly series of profiles on minority or women-owned companies that do business with HISD. The district’s minimum M/WBE goal levels are 20 percent for all levels of purchasing and construction and 25 percent for professional services. In the 2007 bond program, that commitment reached nearly 34 percent. In the 2012 program, the contracts awarded to date reflect a nearly 51 percent M/WBE commitment.

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Nine HISD Students Split $165,000 in Broad Scholarships

The Broad Foundation Scholarship winners. Click above to see more photos from the event.

Nine graduating seniors from HISD schools were awarded scholarships from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation at a news conference held during the organization’s second visit to Houston in two years.

“We’re so excited to be back in Houston for a second, consecutive year,” said Karen Denne, chief communications officer for The Broad Foundation. “We love coming back to districts that are repeat finalists because it means that their practices are working.”

The Houston Independent School District is one of four urban school districts in the running for the 2013 Broad Prize for Urban Education and for $550,000 in scholarships.

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Tele-Town Hall Meetings Tonight for North Forest Parents

In an effort to ensure a smooth transition for parents and students as the North Forest community joins the Houston Independent School District on July 1, HISD is hosting two tele-town hall meetings on Wednesday, May 28, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The meetings will give parents the opportunity to ask questions directly to Superintendent Terry Grier and other HISD administrators.

North Forest parents can participate in the tele-town hall meetings by calling a toll-free number. To participate in the English tele-town hall, parents can call toll-free 855-246-7045, extension 21856#.  Spanish-speaking parents may call 855-246-7045, extension 21911# to participate in the Spanish town hall. HISD will also be calling all North Forest students’ households directly when the tele-town hall meetings begins at 6:30 p.m.

In addition, HISD is hosting a school choice fair for North Forest students in grades 6-12 on Thursday, May 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Northeast Multi-Service Center, 9720 Spaulding. Students and parents can get more information on the variety of options available to them at HISD including magnet, charter, multilingual, International Baccalaureate, Vanguard, early college, college prep schools and career academies.

Jones STEM Project Fueled By Recent Natural Disasters

Teacher Justin Taplet and student Deysi Marquez view one of the early prototypes (Houston Independent School District)

Teacher Justin Taplet and student Deysi Marquez view one of the early prototypes

In the wake of recent natural disasters such Hurricane Sandy and the tornado that struck Oklahoma on May 20, a group of Jones High School STEM Academy students have taken the skills and knowledge they have  learned in class and applied them to the real-world problem of providing immediate housing to the survivors of such tragic events.

Over the last year, Jones students have planned and designed temporary emergency shelters that could be used to house up to five people in harsh temperature conditions. Multiple teams of three students each worked to produce different representations of the emergency shelter based on the design requirements of a hypothetical client.

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HISD Conducting Tele-Town Halls for North Forest Parents

Parents can participate by phone in English or Spanish  

In an effort to ensure a smooth transition for parents and students as the North Forest community joins the Houston Independent School District on July 1, HISD is hosting tele-town hall meetings to give parents the opportunity to ask questions directly to Superintendent Terry Grier and other administrators on May 29.

North Forest parents will be able to participate in the tele-town hall meetings by calling the toll-free numbers provided.  To participate in the English tele-town hall, parents can call toll-free 855-246-7045, extension 21856#.  Spanish-speaking parents may call 855-246-7045, extension 21911# to participate in the Spanish town hall. HISD will also be calling all North Forest students’ households directly when the tele-town hall begins at 6:30 p.m.

What:              English and Spanish Tele-Town Hall Meetings for North Forest parents

Who:               HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, HISD Chief Human Resources Officer Rodney Watson, HISD School Services Officer Lupita Hinojosa, HISD Multilingual Program Manager Evelyn Castro

When:             Wednesday, May 29th 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Walnut Bend Students Earn 3rd Place Honors at Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

For the second year in a row, students from Walnut Bend Elementary School were honored at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals for their outstanding performance and problem-solving skills. The team, along with eight other HISD schools, traveled to East Lansing, Mich., for the 34th annual World Finals held May 22-25.

Teamwork and creativity helped the Walnut Bend team earn third-place honors in the “Tumble-wood” category, in which students were required to “build a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that will balance and support as much weight as possible.” The Walnut Bend’s structure held an impressive 865 pounds.

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McGowen Elementary celebrates namesake during official rededication ceremony

(Houston Independent School District)During a celebration acknowledging the official name change of Houston Gardens Elementary, both educators and politicians spoke of Ernest McGowen’s legacy in serving his community as well as being a beacon for children who would someday walk the halls of the school now bearing his name.

While the name change became official earlier this year following a groundswell of community support, the school at 6820 Homestead on the city’s northeast side was officially dedicated as Ernest McGowen Sr. Elementary.

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