If 80 percent of success is just showing up, students at Harper Alternative School and Inspired for Excellence Academy are going to have a great year. These two HISD schools made the largest gains in attendance from the fall 2013 to the fall 2014 semesters and were rewarded with certificates and assemblies featuring inspirational speakers and entertainment.
“You did something great!” said Harper Principal Raymond Glass II to his students. “You beat out all the other schools in HISD.”
Comerica Bank awarded a total of $20,000 in community grants to five HISD schools in the Lockwood area to commemorate the bank’s 20th year of operation in Houston’s culturally rich Fifth Ward.
Pugh Elementary School was the big winner, with $10,000 for its proposal to put a tablet in every one of its classrooms. Wheatley High School received the second-place award of $4,000 and plans to invest in spirit incentives, as well as instructional improvements. McReynolds Middle School also took home $2,500, while Atherton Elementary School won $2,000, and N. Q. Henderson Elementary School won $1,500. The grants were awarded to these schools because they are located near a newly constructed Lockwood Banking Center.
Placing a strong emphasis on college attendance and completion, Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier on Wednesday unveiled plans to expand the district’s successful EMERGE program and double the number of college counselors available to high school students. Continue reading
The commandant of Texas A&M University’s Corps of Cadets will be returning to his alma mater on Thursday, March 12, 2015, when Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez Jr., U.S. Army, Ret., presents the keynote speech at Austin High School’s fourth annual White Rose Dinner.
After graduating from Austin, General Ramirez attended Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in science in 1979. He obtained a master’s degree in management from Webster University, St. Louis (1993) and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania (2000).
General Ramirez has earned numerous awards during his 31 years of military service, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and the Parachutists Badge.
The dinner will take place at 6 p.m. at the University of Houston’s Hilton Hotel (4800 Calhoun, 77004) and the public is invited. Tickets are $50 each, and there are three premium sponsorship levels available. To reserve a seat or arrange a sponsorship, please call 713-924-1600.
All proceeds from the event will be used to support Austin High School programs. The white rose, symbolizing truth, purity, and honesty, appears on the Stephen F. Austin family’s coat of arms.
Wretha Thomas, president of Houston Education Support Personnel, with HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. (Houston Independent School District)
Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier and local and state leaders from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joined forces on Monday, Feb. 9, to challenge school districts across the Houston area to join HISD in implementing a policy that formally bans workplace bullying.
Students whose families move during the middle of the school year are being allowed to stay at their “home school,” or the one they enrolled in at the beginning of the academic year, thanks to a innovative HISD program called Home Field Advantage. Since May 2014, schools involved in the program have seen their overall mobility rate drop by an average of 10 percentage points.
During his State of the Schools address last February, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier promised to create a program to build educational stability among highly mobile students. Subsequently, students at 13 elementary schools, where roughly 30 percent of families move in any given year, were offered transportation to their “home” school, even if their parents moved. Continue reading
HISD’s Workshop Wednesday last week featured David Kolts, a CPA and tax advisor who runs his own small business and also makes presentations for IRS small business workshops in the Houston area.
Students, faculty, and staff at Wheatley High School celebrated the grand opening of their new U.B.U. Lounge on Jan. 22. The cafeteria now features three dining stations, Custom Brothers, Tortilla, and Home Zone and students had the opportunity to sample items from all three.
“The food being sampled is good,” said Wheatley senior Mwyinika Heard. “I didn’t eat lunch at school much before, but I will start, if they are serving these items. The food is more flavorful than it has been in the past.”
The dining stations were designed to provide menu variety and offer students the ability to customize their lunch experience.
“Students at Wheatley participated in a taste test that helped us select items for the menu,” Nutrition Services Senior Administrator Audene Chung told attendees. “You provided your feedback and we listened. Our goal is to bring you items that you want to eat.”
[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000sIWuEXtarbg” g_name=”20150207-Sharpstown” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]
Sharpstown High School students, staff and alumni were joined by elected officials and business representatives Saturday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new 21st century campus.
A group of five HISD employees were recognized as the first employees of the month for Service Excellence at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Feb. 4 during a special breakfast.