Yearly Archives: 2013

Neff Elementary to Celebrate Dedication of New School

‘Hooray for Neff Day’ will mark new building constructed under 2007 bond program

What:  Neff Elementary School students and staff will dedicate its new 750-student campus, built under the 2007 bond program, with a ceremony in the school’s cafeteria. The ceremony will be followed by “Hooray for Neff Day.”  Events will include student performances, special guest speakers and classroom tours of the new facility.

Who:  Neff Principal Rupak Gandhi, HISD Board of Education Trustee Greg Meyers, HISD Chief School Officer Sydney Zullinger

When:  Friday, May 24, 2013, 9 a.m. – Ceremony; 11:30 a.m. – ‘Hooray for Neff Day’

Where: Neff Elementary School cafeteria, 8301 Neff  St. Houston, Texas 77036

NBA Legend Launches Hospitality Program for High School Students

NBA Hall of Famer and philanthropist David Robinson is partnering with the University of Houston’s Hilton College, Hilton Worldwide and American Liberty Hospitality to create a scholars program that will provide HISD high school students with a pathway to a degree and career in the hospitality industry. The Admiral Hospitality Scholars (AHS) program was announced by Robinson at a kick-off event on May 20 on the University of Houston campus.

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HISD to Announce 2013 Teachers of the Year

Twenty-two elementary and secondary teachers among finalists

Teachers from all 276 HISD schools, including the 22 finalists for the districtwide teacher of the year award, will be at the annual HISD Celebration of Excellence today at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

HISD will announce the two 2013 Teachers of the Year, and each winner will receive $5,000, a plaque, and a custom made ring from Herff Jones Graduation Center. The principals, assistant principals, first-year principal and first-year teachers of the year and employees of the month will also be recognized.

Click here to read more about the 22 finalists for Teacher of the Year.

Who:  HISD Board of Education Trustees, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, principals, teachers and staff

What:  Team HISD Celebration of Excellence ceremony honoring the 2013 Teachers of the Year

When:  Tuesday, May 21 at 6p.m.

Where:  George R. Brown Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston

Project Advisory Teams Busy Guiding Bond Projects

Members of Sterling High School's Project Advisory Team discuss plans for a new school under the 2012 bond program.

When Sterling High School students, teachers and community members joined the school’s Project Advisory Team, they already had an idea of what they wanted their new school to look like.

They envisioned state-of-the-art technology, customized coursework and flexible learning spaces as the southeast Houston school begins the planning and design phase under the district’s $1.89 billion 2012 bond program.

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Washington Students Partner with British School to Build Colony on Mars

Although she is just a high school junior, Booker T. Washington student Elizabeth Nolazco is managing a project to build a colony on Mars. She and her classmates are collaborating with students at the Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, England. The cross-Atlantic team is designing and planning every aspect of interplanetary living.

“We Skype every other week and discuss everything we need to build a base on Mars from the working space, to the kitchen, sleeping areas, restrooms and the airlocks that separate them,” said Nolazco. “We are learning so much about science and life in space, plus learning how to work with another project team that is far away.”

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HISD students receive free bicycles from motorcycle club

(Web Team)If the smell of new rubber bike tires didn’t serve as the theme for Friday’s bike giveaway at Coop Elementary, the roar of nearly 20 motorcycles entering the school’s parking lot sufficed.

Members of the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, with a donation from the Lester and Sue Smith Foundation, donated more than 90 bikes to deserving students at the school as part of the Bikes for Excellence program. The giveaway was part of a two-day effort to give more than 350 bikes to Houston ISD students at four schools who excelled in academics, conduct and attendance.

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2012 Bond Campuses Using Environmental Design to Keep Schools Safe

At DeChaumes Elementary School, the main entrance to the school is controlled through an intercom system and two sets of locked doors.

The design process has started for the first phase of HISD’s 2012 bond program, and district officials plan to incorporate crime prevention through environmental design on all 40 campuses under the $1.89 billion bond project.

“We’re going to create safe and secure environments for our students and faculty,” HISD’s General Manager for Facilities Planning Sue Robertson said. “That doesn’t mean creating prison-like environments, but including common-sense applications.”

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Team HISD Honorees to Walk the Red Carpet

Teachers of the year from all 276 HISD schools will walk the red carpet on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at the annual HISD Celebration of Excellence at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Joining them will be the 22 finalists for the districtwide teacher of the year, along with the beginning teachers of the year, the principals and assistant principals of the year, first-year principals of the year and the employees of the month.

Even if you are not planning to attend, you can catch live coverage on Facebook. We’ll be taking and posting photos of attendees in their snazziest duds on the red carpet, so be sure to like us at facebook.com/houstonisd.

You can read more about the 22 finalists for Teacher of the Year by clicking here. If you don’t have access to Facebook, read about the finalists on Pinterest.

UPDATE: See who won and check out pictures from the red carpet.

HISD to Recognize the 2013 Librarian of the Year at Upcoming Banquet

Award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni to be guest speaker

For more than 25 years, the Houston Independent School District has been recognizing the dedication and efforts of all school librarians in the district.  The Librarian of the Year for 2013 will be announced at the upcoming annual banquet on May 18, 2013.

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HISD Statement on Texas Legislature Budget Proposal

The following statement is being issued in response to today’s announcement that the Texas Legislature has reached a budget agreement, which restores $3.4 billion of the previous $5.4 billion cut to public education and provides $530 million for the Teacher Retirement System.

“The Houston Independent School District commends the Texas Legislature for the significant restoration of public education funding this session. This increase, although positive, does not restore the $5.4 billion in education cuts that were made in 2011. We look forward to working with the Legislature and other leaders to address the obvious shortcomings in the current school finance system, which has been declared unconstitutional.  For Texas to remain at the forefront of America’s economic recovery, we need a school finance system that recognizes the costs associated with helping all children achieve the high academic standards we have for them.”