Yearly Archives: 2013

Briargrove ES celebrates Earth Day with 1K Fun Run

All proceeds to be split between the school and The Berry Foundation

April 22 is Earth Day and campuses across the district are celebrating with a variety of fun and educational activities.

Jennifer Levy, a kindergarten teacher at Briargrove Elementary School, took a novel approach this year by staging the school’s first annual 1K Berry Earthy Fun Run over the weekend. Continue reading

Yates Community Meets Architects Selected to Design New Campus

Yates High School faculty, parents and community members got a chance to meet the architects that will design the new Yates campus under the $1.89 billion 2012 bond program.

More than 20 people turned out Thursday evening at the school’s auditorium, where attendees learned more about the planning and design phase of their campus and reviewed previous work from the Moody-Nolan firm, the nation’s largest African-American owned and operated architecture firm. Continue reading

HISD Plans to Integrate Sustainability in New Schools

First-graders Isai Rogel, left, and Fatima Carranza prepare to recycle materials from their class at Lewis Elementary school.

Imagine a school building that can be used as a teaching tool. Or a campus with roof-top gardens, energy-saving lighting and a curriculum designed not only to help students learn, but to encourage them to be better stewards of the environment.

Through a partnership with The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under NWF’s Eco-Schools USA program, HISD hopes to make this vision a vital part of the $1.89 billion 2012 bond that will replace or rebuild 40 schools across the city.

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HISD to Honor Top Six JROTC Cadets at Final Review and Awards Ceremony

The Houston Independent School District will honor the top six JROTC cadets from the class of 2013 during the annual Final Review and Awards ceremony.  The top cadets were chosen among all graduating seniors in HISD’s 25 JROTC programs and have been promoted to the rank of Cadet Colonel, the highest rank in the JROTC program.  Those cadets will be featured leading their respective command groups.

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Apply Now for New HISD Magnet Schools

Two students learning parts of the body with a

These could be your students at the new Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan beginning next fall.

Applications are being accepted now through the application deadline of May 16, 2013 for the newly created Energy Institute High School and the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan. The two new magnet schools were approved by the HISD Board of Trustees at a recent board meeting.

The Energy Institute High School will capitalize on Houston’s world-leading energy industry, representing the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology. HISD is expanding its existing partnership with the Independent Petroleum Association of America to enhance the school’s curriculum and instruction. The Energy Institute High School will begin with ninth-grade students and add a grade level each year to eventually serve students in grades 9-12.

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‘Pathways to the Future’ Event Focuses on Career/Technical Education Strategies

HISD principals, teachers, and parents discuss ways to incorporate career and technical education into new schools being built under the 2012 bond program.

More than 50 HISD administrators, principals, teachers and staff from 2012 bond program campuses gathered Wednesday to learn about strategies for incorporating career and technical education into traditional classes.

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HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language School To Share Virtual Classroom With Elementary School in China

Bryan Bordelon (L) and Zheng Ruifang, shake hands following the signing of a Sister School Agreement between their campuses.

Bryan Bordelon (L) and Zheng Ruifang, shake hands after the signing of a Sister School agreement between their campuses.

Students at HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School (MCLIMS) may soon be completing their projects with more than just their classmates a few desks over.

MCLIMS and The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China officially entered into a Sister Schools agreement on April 16, marked by a ceremony at the Bellaire area school. The partnership will enable students and teachers from both countries to share ideas and further develop language instruction in both English and Chinese, using technological resources to increase communication.
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HISD Focuses on Building Libraries with 21st Century Features

Students at Billy Reagan K-8 study in the library, which incorporates a large amount of natural light.

Gone are the days where librarians stock books on shelves according to the Dewey Decimal system. Today, librarians are considered information professionals who check out books to students through e-reader devices and facilitate learning through technology and collaborative groups.

“Think about the future of our libraries as a Barnes & Noble store combined with a traditional library,” HISD’s Manager of Library Services Liz Philippi said.

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HISD Schools Add Some Pep to STAAR Prep

HISD schools across the district are doing their part to get students prepared and pumped up for the upcoming STAAR exam. At Neff Elementary, Principal Rupak Gandhi and his teachers have been practicing their dance moves for an upcoming STAAR pep rally that they hope will encourage students to do their best. Over the past few weeks, members of the school’s fine arts team have spent their ancillary periods and after-school hours creating a fun “Gangnam Style” video that they will show at the campus rally on Monday, April 22, 2013. Students in grades three through eight will take STAAR April 23–26.

“We wanted to do something fun that would not only motivate our students to do well, but would involve the entire staff,” said Gandhi. In the video, entitled “Neff STAAR Style,” Gandhi breaks out his best dance moves and so do the school’s custodians, food services workers, and students.
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