Monthly Archives: September 2014

New manager of Energy & Sustainability has big green plans for HISD

In this edition of I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, we talk to the new Manager of Energy & Sustainability Kellie Williams about how her experiences at Fort Bend ISD will impact her decisions here, which sustainability efforts are already afoot in the district, and what’s on the horizon for HISD in terms of “green” initiatives.

You joined HISD in May as the new manager of Energy & Sustainability. What is your vision for that department in the years ahead?

Kellie Williams poses for a photograph at the Facilities Support office, September 22, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Kellie Williams

I’d like to see HISD become the leading K–12 entity in environmental stewardship, to participate in several energy initiatives, and to achieve national recognition for outstanding performance.

We’ll also be rolling out a new energy master plan, and bringing in some consultants and engineers to identify and address deficiencies starting this year with a really aggressive approach. They’re going to be collecting data first, such as utility usage and window-to-wall ratios, then gather boots-on-the-ground types of facility information, such as light levels, temperature, and humidity readings. The goal is to complete a thorough investigation and identify opportunities for savings. Continue reading →

Celebration of Francis Marcile Hollingsworth’s life set for Saturday

Marcile Hollingsworth

The retired educator who contributed so much to HISD’s science department that the district named its resource center after her has died. (Francis) Marcile Hollingsworth passed away on Sept. 26, 2014, at the age of 90.

Hollingsworth, who joined Team HISD as a science instructor in 1951, devoted 36 years to Houston’s children as a teacher and later as the director of science for all grades. She wrote HISD’s curriculum guides and laboratory manuals for chemistry and physical science, and it was because of her efforts that HISD created its Oceanography Department, which grew into the Living Resource Center. Continue reading →

Furr HS community hears about construction plans for new school

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Members of the Furr High School community gathered Thursday evening at the school for a presentation on the construction process and final design plans for a new school being built under HISD’s 2012 bond program.

Continue reading →

Sign up as a reading volunteer during Walking Towards Literacy event

Nine HISD elementary schools have joined in the effort to promote literacy across Houston by participating in the 3rd annual Walking Towards Literacy event on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Tidwell Park  (9720 Spaulding, 77016).

The free event, hosted by Making It Better (MIB), kicks off with a 1 ½ mile-long literacy awareness walk followed by a family festival celebrating the importance of literacy through arts and crafts, entertainment, food, music and more. Attendees will also be provided with books, health and wellness screenings, and financial literacy information.

Continue reading →

Sterling HS automotive students get job training with trucking company

The Sterling High School automotive program is getting a boost from a partnership with International Trucks of Houston – Kyrish Trucks, which is offering students job shadowing, field training, and internship opportunities in the trucking industry.

The company recognized five students in the program at an awards celebration Wednesday for the commitment they’ve shown throughout their internship. HISD Career Readiness program leaders had an opportunity to tour the trucking facility and see the partnership in action as students worked alongside diesel technicians. Continue reading →

Business expo provides networking, business opportunities

Supplier DiversityHISD joined hundreds of Houston employers – including big names like Chevron, BBVA Compass, NASA, and the City of Houston – at the George R. Brown Convention Center this week for the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) Business Expo.

“Energizing the Global Economy!” was the theme of this year’s expo. HMSDC actively involves its members in efforts that will increase and expand business opportunities and business growth for minority business enterprises.

Continue reading →

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist brings ‘Enrique’s Journey’ to HISD administrators

Dozens of HISD administrators got a better idea of the many challenges facing some of their immigrant students on Sept. 26, when Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario visited the district’s headquarters to share her story.

Nazario wrote Enrique’s Journey to call attention to the harrowing experience many unaccompanied minors face when leaving Central America to find their parents, and she shared both some of her own experiences from recreating one boy’s trek to find his mother and what educators can do to help these students once they arrive in Houston.

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Children who come to the U.S. by riding the tops of freight trains not only face constant exposure to the elements, but also the ever-present threat of being robbed, raped, or killed by corrupt law enforcement officials who control the check points or gangsters who also ride the rails and patrol the train stops. Continue reading →

HISD volunteer receives state honor for his service to Jones High School

Houston Ministers Against Crime president Pastor F.N. Williams, Sr., left, recognizes the volunteer efforts of Pastor Eugene Jones, right, during a press conference for Project Safe Start, a collaborative program between area ministers, law enforcement and school officials to encourage students to have a safe summer, May 27, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Pastor Eugene Jones was also recognized by Houston Ministers Against Crime in May for his volunteer efforts.

Earlier this year, the Rev. Eugene Jones was honored for his service to Houston’s school children work with the Charles Harding Senior Award during HISD’s annual salute to volunteers. Now, he is getting recognition at the state level as one of the Texas Board of Education’s 2014 Heroes for Children.

Each year, 15 Texans are selected by state board members and recognized for volunteering their time, talents and skills to help improve the public schools in their communities, and Rev. Jones was the only one from HISD to be selected. He was formally honored along with 14 other winners during a special ceremony held on Sept. 19, and his name will be engraved on a plaque that will be permanently displayed at the Texas Education Agency.

HISD Up Close: Juliet Stipeche talks about Read Houston Read, student congress

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HISD Up Close, hosted by HISD Board of Education President Juliet Stipeche, explores the initiatives, educational programs and information about the school district that is of interest to students, parents, teachers and the community. In September, Stipeche spoke with Cindy Puryear, the district’s literacy director, and Garcia Elementary School Principal Aaron Dominguez about HISD’s Read Houston Read program. Puryear discussed the formation of the HISD Student Congress with the organization’s founding members. Finally, Stipeche visited with Rice University’s award winning mathematician, Dr. Richard Tapia. Continue reading →