Yearly Archives: 2014

HISD Transportation unveils mobile-friendly website to track school buses

Parents soon will be able to track their child’s school bus along its daily route thanks to a new website being unveiled by the Houston Independent School District’s Transportation Services department.

This new mobile-friendly online portal — http://parent.silverlining.synovia.com/ — allows parents and legal guardians to track the morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off of their students. Viewable on any computer or smartphone, parents simply must enter a student identification number and HISD account number provided by each school. Continue reading

U.S. Dept. of Education checks out HISD’s Linked Learning

Visit by U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, Nadya Chinoy Dabby, to Eastwood Academy. (Houston Independent School District)

Nadya Chinoy Dabby visited Eastwood Academy on Oct. 22, 2014.

U.S. Department of Education Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, Nadya Chinoy Dabby, toured Eastwood Academy and visited several HISD Apollo 20 campuses Wednesday. She visited the campuses to see the progress that has been made through the federal Race to The Top grant that HISD was awarded 10 months ago.

The $30 million grant is helping to fund the district’s new Linked Learning approach that places real-life career experiences in the classroom. The initiative launched this school year beginning with 40 schools. Continue reading

New Energy Institute High School to feature innovative spaces

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How do you build a school so it doesn’t look like a school? And why?

The Project Advisory Team at Energy Institute High School has spent a lot of time coming up with answers as they plan and design a $37 million campus for the nation’s first school dedicated exclusively to energy studies.

Continue reading

Volunteers help prepare HISD Flip Kits for schools

Volunteers with HISD’s Read Houston Read program gathered together Tuesday to help get the program rolling.

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“They’re here today to prepare the Flip Kits that are actually going to be used in the schools,” said Kallie Benes with the Children’s Museum of Houston. “They are cutting ribbons, laminating supply sheets, taping the materials into the supply kit, putting books into the each kit, and putting all the materials into a Kit bag.” Continue reading

Harvard ES teacher gives back to the organizations that built—and healed—her family

Barbara Smith poses for a photograph at Harvard Elementary School, October 21, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Barbara Smith

When Barbara Smith makes her selections each year for whom to support through the Combined Charities Campaign, she finds it particularly gratifying to check off the boxes for Spaulding for Children and the DePelchin Children’s Center.

Those organizations helped build Smith’s family through adoption twice—then provided the emotional support needed for her children to heal—so she takes a special pleasure in being able to give back to them. Continue reading

Carnegie Vanguard HS wins top prize at UIL academics meet

More than 400 students from 14 Houston ISD schools participated in a UIL academics meet, the first of the 2014-2015 season, at Lee High School on Oct. 18.

Academics meets are held throughout the school year. They include character-building educational activities and emphasize good sportsmanship and fair play.

Here are the winners: Continue reading

Meet HISD’s one and only ‘Career Cowboy,’ Jake Breier

In this edition of I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, we talk to Jake Breier about how he became the district’s “Career Cowboy,” what he has learned about managing expectations through costumes, and the changes audiences can expect to see in the program this year.

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Let’s start with the basics. What is a “career cowboy” and what does one do?

Basically, I do two things: presentations (about possible careers) and activity stations. The presentations usually involve information and music, but recently we got a robot like the ones a few high schools received last year. Mine is blue, and sometimes I bring it out to talk about engineering and programming. Kids love it. Continue reading

Emerge recruiting students to prepare for college at top universities

A group of Eastwood Academy 10th and 11th graders learned what it takes to be in HISD’s Emerge program, which helps prepare high school students to receive college acceptances and scholarships to the nation’s top colleges and universities.

“We’re looking for students who aren’t afraid to work hard and show their drive,” said Emerge program manager Karthik Soora at an Emerge information session Tuesday at Eastwood.

Emerge is holding information sessions this month at various high schools across the district to encourage more students to apply for the program. The deadline for students to submit an Emerge application is Nov. 1. Continue reading

Oliver grant to let Davis HS culinary students share their knowledge

Students in Davis High School’s culinary arts program will soon be delivering lessons on cooking and healthy eating to their peers, thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Oliver Foundation.

Davis recently became the second HISD campus to receive a grant from that organization. The first was Condit ES in September. Continue reading

Three senior athletes earn Positive Coaching Alliance scholarships

Karoline Hight, Aaron Reese, Tre-Shunda James

Three Houston ISD seniors each have $2,000 scholarships to put toward college thanks to the Positive Coaching Alliance.

Karoline Hight (swimming) of Bellaire HS, Aaron Reese (football) of Kashmere HS and Tre’Shunda James (volleyball) of Carnegie Vanguard HS received Triple-Impact Competitors scholarships at a banquet held on Oct. 18.

Continue reading