Monthly Archives: August 2014

Lamar HS swimming coach earns lifetime achievement award

Stephen McDonald

Lamar High School’s swimming coach will be honored in September with the 2014 Theron L. Pickle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association.

Stephen McDonald has been coaching swimmers at Lamar for eight years. In that time, the school has won eight girls’ swimming, six boys’ swimming and five water polo district championships. Ninety-seven team members have been named to the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American Team. Continue reading →

Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #5 — Dual-language programs expanding to 14 more schools

This is the sixth in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

When the school bells sound Monday in HISD, 14 additional elementary campuses will be conducting classes in two languages, as the district expands its successful dual-language program to a total of 32 schools.

The structure offers foreign language immersion for English-speaking students and a bilingual program for Spanish speakers.

The expansion process started a year ago, when all HISD elementary schools were invited to apply for the successful program. Those chosen have spent months preparing. HISD has a six-year plan to turn at least half its elementary campuses into dual-language schools by 2020. Continue reading →

HISD PD honors personnel during 17th Annual Awards Luncheon

About 200 officers and personnel of the Houston Independent School District Police Department gathered at Thompson Elementary School on Friday to honor outstanding employees during their 17th Annual Awards Luncheon.

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Three HISD grads headed for Houston firefighter training with $5,000 scholarships

Growing up with two uncles as firefighters and listening to their stories of saving lives has inspired Furr High School graduate Justice Jones to take a similar career path.

“I understand the dangers of being a firefighter because I’ve seen my uncles come home from work with burns, cuts, and even a broken collarbone,” Jones said. “But that’s a risk I’m willing to take because I love helping people, and firefighters save thousands of lives every year.” Continue reading →

Teachers get tips on maximizing resources at Personalized Learning Institute

The first day of school is right around the corner, but teachers are still busily preparing for its arrival, learning about the many new resources available to them and their students at the Personalized Learning Institute (PLI).

The annual event, which concludes this week, provides content-specific training to teachers at each grade level in advance of the new school year. The 2014 Institute also featured an overview of the district’s Literacy By 3 initiative, a new approach to reading instruction. Continue reading →

Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #6 — Mascot makeover at four campuses

This is the fifth in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

Two HISD middle schools and two high schools will be sporting new mascots when fall sports launch, in a historic move that saw outdated and culturally offensive symbols replaced in an orderly months-long process.

The Board of Education approved a policy change earlier this year after Superintendent Terry Grier sought new guidelines that would “respect cultural differences, values, and attitudes” by placing a ban on mascots or nicknames using race or ethnicity.

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Learn the roads traveled by HISD’s newest leaders to reach our campuses

Did you know that one of HISD’s newest principals has actually met the queen of England? Or that another once jumped out of an airplane? How about the one who took 17 years to finally propose to his girlfriend? Or the one whose grandfather was in the circus?

Almost two dozen new campus leaders will take the driver’s seat for the first time this fall at various HISD schools, and to help parents, students, and their new colleagues get to know them a bit better, we asked each to tell us a little about their background, pick three adjectives to describe themselves, and reveal something people might not know just by looking at them. Continue reading →

Safety Expo puts HISD bus drivers to the test with hands-on drills

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HISD Transportation Services kicked off the 2014-2015 school year on Friday with its annual back-to-school Safety Expo training program – challenging more than 1,200 bus drivers and attendants to commit to student safety.

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Emerge students meet mentors at college send-off banquet

Emerge – HISD scholars were congratulated on their success and encouraged to continue to work hard during a college send-off banquet last week. The Emerge fellows, who will begin college this fall at schools such as Stanford, Yale, MIT, Tufts and other top-tier colleges celebrated their achievements and met the mentors who will guide them through the next phase of their education.

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During their years in high school, Emerge students keep in close contact with program managers who guide them through the process of qualifying for and applying to well-known universities. Yet the mentoring doesn’t end after students are accepted into college and put away their high school cap and gown. Students are assigned mentors — volunteers from the community — who help them navigate the college experience through their first year and beyond. Continue reading →