Yearly Archives: 2013

HISD’s Transportation Services Takes 2013 Top Fleet Sustainability Award

Awarded by nation’s leading fleet management association

The National Association of Fleet Administrators awarded the Houston Independent School District its Excellence in Public Fleet Sustainability award for 2013. 

“This award is a great recognition of the drive and determination of the entire transportation team, from the bus drivers who monitor engine idling, to the shop team members who reduce their waste stream,” HISD Transportation General Manager Nathan Graf said.  “Everyone in the department played an essential role in this award.”

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Special Education Meeting for Parents Scheduled for May 22

The Houston Independent School District’s Office of Special Education Services (OSES) would like to invite parents to the final meeting for the current school year on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Parents will have the opportunity to share their ideas, successes and challenges, and learn about all the great initiatives the OSES has implemented this year to support students.

The event will take place in Room 3C10 of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St.) from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Gregory Finora, Special Education parent liaison, at 713-556-7041 or gfinora@houstonisd.org.

HSPVA Selected For Jazz ‘Peer-to-Peer Education’ Tour

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) is among two schools in the nation selected by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to participate in a national “Peer-to-Peer Education” tour.

Six HSPVA students will be in Indianapolis May 20-24, 2013, to present jazz “informances” in public schools. Continue reading →

EMERGE Students Accepted to Prestigious Summer Learning Programs

Seven Eastwood Academy students and two Furr High School students have been selected to attend several prestigious learning programs this summer. All of the students are a part of EMERGE, an HISD program designed to help bright students from low-income families attend Ivy League and other top-tier colleges.

Eastwood students Jorge Garcia, Darryl Beronque and Nancy Aguilera have all been offered full scholarships to attend Cornell’s Catalyst Academy. Only 44 students nationwide were selected to participate in this prestigious summer engineering program held at the Ivy League College in Ithaca, New York.

Meanwhile Eastwood student Ivy Salinas and Furr High School students Sade Harnsberry and Karen Banda are headed to London, England this summer. They are three of only six students in the state to receive full scholarships from the British American Foundation of Texas to attend a summer course at the American Community School in London, England. Last week, over 200 people attended a special banquet that was held in their honor at the Houston Federal Reserve Building in Houston.

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HISD’s Washington High School Partners with British School to Build a Mission on Mars

Partnership possible thanks to KBR’s support

Students at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School are collaborating with students at the Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, England to build a mission on Mars, thanks to KBR’s Discover Engineering Committee.

The SAMbassadors program is designed to engage students in science and engineering projects with a global perspective.  The students at both campuses Skype every other week to discuss the logistics of this project and share documents online.  Each school has 25-30 students in the program.

One group of students has been determining environmental conditions on Mars such as wind speed, temperature, atmospheric gases, sunlight and shade, radiation and soil conditions. Another group is designing the living conditions.  Meanwhile, the British students at Victory Academy are creating 3D CAD drawings.

The students from both campuses will Skype immediately following the press conference on Monday, May 20, 2013.

What: SAMbassadors, program to a build mission on Mars

Who:  Aimee Yuan, KBR-DEC chairperson; Patrick Harkin, KBR-DEC outreach chair; Jack Kramer, KBR engineer; Dr. Nghia Le, engineering teacher, Washington High School; LaShonda Bilbo-Ervin, principal, Washington High School; Elizabeth Nolazco, student, Washington High School

When:  Monday, May 20, 2013; Press conference – 9:30 a.m.; Skype interview – 10 a.m.

Where: Washington High School, 119 East 39th Street, Houston, 77018

North Forest Non-Instructional Job Fair To Be Held May 18

HISD is hosting a non-instructional job fair for North Forest employees interested in working in HISD’s transportation, food services, police and facilities departments. The fair will be held Saturday, May 18, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the HISD Food Services Administration building, 6801 Bennington St., in Houston. Those attending are asked to bring two forms of identification.

Current North Forest teachers can apply for positions at HISD for the 2013-2014 school by visiting www.houstonisd.org/careers. The deadline to apply has been extended to May 22.

The Texas Education Commissioner has ordered HISD to annex the North Forest ISD effective July 1, 2013. Approximately 7,000 NFISD students will become HISD students on the annexation date. North Forest parents and students are encouraged to learn more about HISD by visiting www.houstonisd.org/northforest.

HAIS Student Wins Prestigious Scholarship To Study Abroad

Erik Herrera of the Houston Academy of International Studies. (Web Team)Erik Herrera, a junior at the Houston Academy for International Studies, has been awarded one of 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships. The NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs. NSLI-Y offers overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.

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Houston ISD Police Commits to Participate in National Click It or Ticket Campaign

National Campaign to Boost Seat Belt Use

The Houston Independent School District Police Department is joining other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country for the 2013 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization to crack down on motorists who are not belted.  The campaign will run from May 20 to June 2.

“We are committed to ensure the safety of all our students and staff and that means enforcing seatbelt use,” said HISD Police Chief Jimmy Dotson.

Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across America each year. In 2011 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide.  On the other hand, lack of seatbelt use led to a devastating number of deaths that same year.  More than half of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide were not wearing seat belts.

“It only takes a couple of seconds to buckle up, and that alone can save someone’s life,” Dotson said.  “We urge all of our students, staff, parents and community members to buckle up and help us advocate the importance of seatbelt safety.”

While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 20 through June 2, motorists should remember that officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.

For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.

HISD to Recognize District’s Top Volunteers at VIPS Recognition and Awards Program

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier to deliver remarks

The Houston Independent School District is recognizing the efforts of thousands of volunteers and awarding the top volunteers of the year at the upcoming VIPS Recognition and Awards Program on May 22, 2013.

The Volunteers in Public Schools Program (VIPS) started in 1970 and to date, HISD has more than 30,000 volunteers district-wide who have dedicated countless hours to schools, programs and events across Houston.

During the VIPS Recognition and Awards Program, HISD will be giving numerous awards including the Jean Davis Meyer and Special Lifetime Achievement awards recognizing the most outstanding volunteers.

What:  VIPS Recognition and Awards Program

Who:  HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, HISD Board of Education President Anna Eastman, Trustees Rhonda Skillern Jones and Michael Lunceford and VIPS volunteers

When:  Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9a.m.

Where:  Kingdom Builder’s Center, 6011 West Orem, Houston, 77085