Yearly Archives: 2014

Atherton drumline, cheering squad performing at national conference

atherton_drumlineThe Atherton Elementary School drumline and cheerleaders are taking their award-winning and upbeat percussion and dance routine on the road for the first time.

Thirty-two fourth- and fifth-grade students in the drumline and cheerleading program headed to Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday morning to perform at a national after-school conference called the Best of Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Conference. This is the group’s first time performing out of state, and the students are scheduled to perform Wednesday through Friday at the conference for about 2,000 attendees at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

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Persistence pays: Neff’s campaign hooks J.J. Watt as guest reader

Neff Elementary students had a dream that Houston Texans star J.J. Watt would come to their school to read to them, and it came true this week.
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The school had posted photos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram of students reading, along with a plea for Watt to come read to them. They created a hashtag, #Neffreads4JJ, and tagged Watt in the posts. “The purpose of the campaign was to show our students that literacy is important not just among what your teachers say or your principal says, but everyone thinks literacy is important,” Principal Manoj Gandhi said.

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Green schools shaping good stewards of environment

Berry Elementary School second-graders took out their green plastic knifes and chopped red peppers, cucumbers, cilantro and carrots before tossing the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

“This is fun,” said student Amairanny Macias as she smelled the ingredients for the herb quinoa and bean salad the students were making from ingredients from the school’s vegetable garden. “We’re going to mix the cheese in next.”

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Bond Oversight Committee updated on first quarter progress

bond_oversight_webThe next eight months of the year will be marked by much progress in the 2012 bond program, including the start of construction on all of the schools in the first group.

“We’re moving very quickly through our design phase,” said Daniel Bankhead, HISD’s general manager of Facilities Design. “This is an exciting time. We’re defining the character of the buildings.”

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EMERGE students help Eastwood Academy classmates excel

Last year, a pair of juniors in the EMERGE program at Eastwood Academy had a thought: EMERGE prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to successfully attend and graduate from Ivy League and other top-tier colleges. Maybe EMERGE students could volunteer to help other students study? And with that spark of inspiration, Students With Academic Grit – or SWAG – was born.

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Applications now available for Jones HS Futures Academies

HISD students have the opportunity to apply for the new Futures Academies at Jones High School. The districtwide program follows the HISD Board of Education’s decision to keep Jones High School open but to repurpose the campus into a home for a specialty program.

The Futures Academies at Jones — like other academies across the district — will allow students the chance to earn industry certifications, college credits, and even an associate’s degree, all at no cost.

Students who attend Jones will have two high-wage, high-demand career pathways to choose from: Health Sciences or Construction Technology. Health Sciences will give students the opportunity to work toward becoming a certified nurse assistant or certified personal trainer, with the possibility of going on to earn advanced degrees in nursing or physical therapy. Construction Technology will offer students the opportunity to work toward becoming an industrial electrician or HVAC technician, with the potential to earn advanced degrees in construction technology. Both programs will operate in partnership with Houston Community College.

“Our students can earn more than just a high school diploma. They are being prepared for both, high paying jobs and college,” said Geovanny Ponce, who recently was named as principal and will oversee the rollout of the new program and its pathways. “The decision to take a job or go on to pursue a four-year degree will be in their hands.” Ponce previously served as the principal of Hartman Middle School and is credited with helping to develop the school’s health and medical science magnet program.

The deadline to apply is May 21. Applications are available at the school as well as online at www.houstonisd.org/futuresacademy

‘We will always protect him since he cannot do it for himself’

A seventh-grade student at T.H. Rogers School has won a Gold Key in The Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards for her touching essay about what it’s like to have a sibling with autism.

Hailey Skye Tulio, 12, wrote about her life with her 22-year-old brother, Patrick. She said she chose Patrick as her topic because spreading autism awareness is very important to her.

Hailey Tulio

“There are many different kinds of autism, and each person diagnosed will have his own unique actions and expressions,” Hailey wrote. “In Patrick’s case, he’s in the middle, not too oblivious to the world, but not that aware of it either. If you ask him if he is ‘happy or sad,’ he will always say that he’s ‘happy’ even though he feels differently.”

Hailey’s essay is an honest glimpse into the challenges Patrick and his family face daily. She vividly describes the not-so-good times.

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HISD recognizes six top JROTC cadets in HISD Class of 2014

Houston ISD’s JROTC program formally honored its top six cadets from the class of 2014 during the annual HISD JROTC Final Review and Awards Ceremony on April 26.

The students were chosen from the ranks of all seniors in HISD’s 26 JROTC programs and all were promoted to cadet colonel (Army JROTC) or cadet captain (Navy JROTC), which is the highest ranking attainable in the JROTC program.

The selection board members for this year’s competition consisted of cadets from Texas A&M University. Cadets received points based upon their scholastic standing, demonstrated leadership skills, and participation in extracurricular activities. At the competition, cadets were awarded points for their proficiency on a JROTC curricular-based skills test, an oral presentation, a personal evaluation consisting of military courtesy, knowledge of current events, appearance, knowledge of geography, and an evaluation of first-aid techniques such as lifesaving, bandaging, and transporting sick and wounded victims.

The top six graduating seniors from the class of 2014 are:

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