Monthly Archives: July 2014

State Board of Education to honor Bellaire HS economics team

Jinchen Zhou, Ridge Liu, Michael Clark, Laura Zhang, Patrick Giradet

Bellaire High School’s economics team won the National Economics Challenge in May, and you can watch the ceremony live online when the Texas State Board of Education honors members at 9 a.m. Friday.

Team members Patrick Giradet, Ridge Liu, Laura Zhang, and Jinchen Zhou beat out more than 1,200 teams from 40 states to claim the title in a quiz-bowl live on CNBC. The students, who have since graduated, spent an average of 15 hours a week preparing for the competition and skipped their prom to be there. They each received a $1,000 award and rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange within a few hours of their win. Continue reading →

Design concepts for South Early College High School featured in video

South Early College High School recently presented the final design images of its new 21st century learning environment facility, which is highlighted in a new HISD video that explores the planning and design of the campus.

[su_vimeo url=”http://vimeo.com/100757146″ responsive=”no”][/su_vimeo]

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School leaders learn more about PowerUp:HUB

HISD school leaders recently got a closer look at the district’s new digital teaching and learning platform that will launch in the coming school year at 48 K–12 pilot schools. It’s called the PowerUp:HUB, and the online platform is part of the district’s larger initiative to digitally transform teaching and learning. During the 2014–2015 school year, all teachers will access the district’s curriculum through the HUB, and teachers at the pilot schools  will have access to additional features including a customizable planner, the ability to create assignments and deliver tests and quizzes for students, and the ability to collaborate with their peers to share ideas and education resources.

Principals and school administrators recently underwent introductory training on the HUB and will receive more intense training in early August.  “They were able to show us what it could look like and what it will look like in the coming year, and I am really excited about it,” said Highland Heights Elementary School Assistant Principal Raquel Sosa-Gonzalez.
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Question: ‘What skills should all HISD graduates possess?’

HISD staff collaborated with leaders in business and post-secondary education last week to create a graduate profile that reflects expectations the district wants all high school graduates to meet in order to be successful in college, career, and life — and the public and board of trustees will soon have a chance to weigh-in on this important benchmark.

“We want to make sure that our graduates leave with skills that are required to be successful in colleges and careers of the 21st century,” said Assistant Superintendent for Linked Learning Adam Stephens.

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Principals prepare for launch at New & Emerging Leaders Institute

Almost two dozen new principals will take the driver’s seat for the first time this fall at various HISD campuses, and the district’s New & Emerging Leaders Institute is helping to prepare them for success.

The intensive four-week training program, which started July 7, provides new and aspiring campus leaders with information on both practical matters, such as balancing budgets and analyzing data subjects, and more ethereal subjects, such as managing change, building community, and providing leadership.
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Online library helping HISD students meet their summer reading goals

If “Every Summer Has a Story,” the story this year is that HISD students who are in the mood for a good book don’t have to find a grown-up to take them to the local library. All they need is a device with Internet access and a few minutes to spare, and they can access more than 5,500 titles for free.

HISD joined forces with the myON website’s parent company earlier this year to offer students unprecedented access to age-appropriate online reading material, and participating children can read unlimited numbers of books at this website through Friday, Aug. 22, the last weekday before school starts.
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Summer enrichment program gives students a glimpse inside national politics

Carnegie Vanguard HS students Bonnie Sullivan (2nd from L), and Connor Burwell (far R) pose with Senator Ted Cruz.

Carnegie Vanguard HS students Bonnie Sullivan (2nd from L), and Connor Burwell (far R) pose with Senator Ted Cruz.

If Bonnie Sullivan still wasn’t sure about her plans after graduation, she is now.

Bonnie was one of four rising seniors from Carnegie Vanguard High School (and only 100 from around the world) to participate in a summer school program recently in the nation’s capital, and her experience there only cemented her desire to pursue a career in politics.

“I did it because I thought it would be interesting,” she said. “But being in D.C. and meeting policymakers made me realize it would be something I’d enjoy.”
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