Yearly Archives: 2013

Texas Supreme Court Justice is Austin High School’s White Rose Dinner Keynote Speaker

Second annual event to raise funds to benefit students and school programs

April 16, 2013 – Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, an Austin High School alumna, will be the keynote speaker for the school’s second annual White Rose Dinner on Thursday, April 18.

Justice Guzman was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas in 2009.  Before her appointment, she served as an Associate Justice on the Houston-based Texas 14th Court of Appeals for eight years and as a trial court judge in the 309th Family District Court.

The annual dinner is hosted by Austin faculty, staff and alumni to raise funds to benefit the students and school programs.  Last year, the dinner raised $7,000 and all proceeds were used to purchase incentives to promote perfect attendance and honor roll.

The cost per person is $50, and sponsorships are available.  For ticket information, call 713-924-1600.

What:              2nd Annual White Rose Dinner

Who:               Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court Justice and Austin High School alumna

When:             Thursday, April 18, 2013, 6 p.m.

Where:            University of Houston Hilton Hotel, 4800 Calhoun, Houston, TX 77004

Record Number of Houston Schools Make Nation’s Top 9 Percent

Carnegie Vanguard HS

Carnegie Vanguard High School is one of the national top 100 schools in the Washington Post High School Challenge.

Houston ISD high schools made their strongest showing ever this year in the prestigious Washington Post High School Challenge rankings that were released this week.

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HISD Claims Nearly One-Quarter of Texas’ Top High Schools

Record number of Houston Schools Make Nation’s Top 9 Percent

Houston ISD high schools made their strongest showing ever this year in the prestigious Washington Post High School Challenge rankings that were released this week. 

The rankings are based on the number of college-level Advanced Placement exams attempted, the number of students passing at least one AP or International Baccalaureate exam, and the percentage of students from low-income families at each campus. Only the nation’s top 9 percent of schools make the rankings. This year, HISD landed 33 high schools on the list, the best showing since 2010 when 25 HISD schools made the cut.  Statewide, 146 high schools appeared in the rankings, meaning Houston high schools account for 23 percent of all Texas campuses named in the annual report.

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Nine HISD Schools Win at State Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Students from Horn Academy pose as pirates for part of their Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Fourteen schools participated in the state Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, April 13, 2013 and students from nine of those schools will advance to the World Finals in May.

Odyssey of the Mind has become the largest international creative problem-solving competition worldwide, and HISD teams have been working hard to on their projects and presentations since October.
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Reagan Seniors Treated to Prom Shopping Spree

Reagan High School senior Diana Velasquez is excited about her upcoming prom and thanks to the generosity of several local organizations she’ll be going to the event dressed to the nines. “It’s going to be a big day for me and I am very lucky to have my dress, jewelry and even my shoes paid for,” said Velasquez.

Velasquez and 27 other Reagan senior girls, who might ordinarily miss out on the magic of prom, were recently treated to a shopping day from the Houston Heights Woman’s Club. Continue reading →

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

HISD administrators and principals, teachers, staff from 24 campuses will join discussion

What:             Learn about the latest strategies in connecting career and technical education into traditional core classes during this half-day symposium titled, “Pathways to the Future.” Moderating the discussion will be ConnectEd, a project of the California Center for College and Career that promotes expanding pathways to college and career success.

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Supreme Court Justice to speak at Austin HS’s second White Rose Dinner

Texas’ first Hispanic female Texas Supreme Court justice will be returning to her alma mater on Thursday, April 18, 2013, when The Honorable Eva Guzman presents the keynote speech at Austin High School’s second annual White Rose Dinner.

Guzman is a member of Austin High School’s Class of 1979. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas on Oct. 8, 2009, by Texas Governor Rick Perry, and has been named one of the “101 Most Influential Latino Leaders” by Latino Leaders magazine, “Latina Judge of the Year” by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and “Judge of the Year” by the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas Foundation.

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‘Your Voice’, the largest survey in HISD history, set to begin May 1

On May 1, 2013,  the Houston Independent School District will begin the largest customer satisfaction survey in the district’s history. The Your Voice survey will allow more than 160,000 students, parents, staff and community members to give honest feedback about the district in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Your Voice website

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HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School Forms Sister School Relationship with Beijing Campus

Partnership to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities

April 15, 2013 – In an effort to expand international exchange programs and learning opportunities for the students of both countries, HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School is forming a sister school relationship with The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China during an official signing ceremony on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.

This partnership will enable the students to use their knowledge of both cultures to think and act globally and become responsible and successful global citizens. Meanwhile, the educators will develop their language and teaching abilities to a high global standard that will maximize learning opportunities for their students.  By signing this agreement, both schools commit to work together to improve the quality of education for all students and explore ways in which the two campuses can share a variety of resources, expertise and learning opportunities.

What:              Official signing ceremony between HISD’s Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School and The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

Who:                Harvin Moore, HISD Board of Education Trustee;  Bryan Bordelon, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School principal;  Dr. Andrew Houlihan, HISD Chief School Officer for Major Projects; Zheng Ruifang, The Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China principal

When:              Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 1:30 p.m.

Where:             Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, 6300 Avenue B, Bellaire, TX 77401