Monthly Archives: May 2015

HISD schools receive TEA reward designations

The Texas Education Agency has recognized two dozen HISD schools for high performance and/or high progress for the 2014-2015 school year based on 2013-2014 student performance results.

Sixteen HISD schools were included on the agency’s list of Title I High Performing Schools and eight schools were named as Title I High Progress schools. All eight of the High Progress schools were also recognized as High Performing schools.  Title I schools are defined as campuses with a student population of at least 40 percent low-income. Continue reading →

Meet the ten finalists for HISD’s 2015 Teacher of the Year

HISD will be announcing its Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year during the Celebration of Excellence on Friday, May 15. Check out the finalists below.

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Johnston MS students publish inaugural anthology of art, writing

LiterARTGreyhound_300Almost 100 works by 80 different students featured in The LiterART Greyhound

A team of four educators led by a self-published author has given the gift of literary immortality to 80 students at Johnston Middle School.

The LiterART Greyhound: 2015 officially went up for sale on May 4, through Amazon’s self-publishing arm, CreateSpace.

“As a performing and visual arts school, self-expression is important, and we try to do anything we can to fuel students’ passion for it,” explained campus network specialist Ches Smith. “The process is fairly simple and virtually free if you’re willing to do all the work yourself. And it occurred to me that it would be a great experience for our students if they could see themselves in print.”

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Grady MS holds beam-signing event as new addition goes vertical

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Students at Grady Middle School saw their new construction site go vertical today and marked the occasion by adding their signatures to a steel beam that will be used in the building of a 21st century addition to their campus.

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Bellaire HS teacher wins H-E-B lifetime achievement award

Michael Clark

Michael Clark

Michael Clark, a teacher at HISD’s Bellaire High School, was honored on May 3 with a Lifetime Achievement award at the secondary level through H-E-B’s 2015 Excellence in Education Awards.

Clark was named HISD’s own Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2011. He has been an educator for almost a quarter of a century, with the last 15 of those years spent at Bellaire High School teaching Advanced Placement government and economics courses.

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High School Ahead Academy bus driver honored for going above and beyond

High School Ahead Academy bus driver Clarissa Davis had no idea she would be recognized for going above and beyond her daily route assignment to help a student in need.

HISD Transportation Manager Alan Delaney, High School Ahead Academy bus driver Clarissa Davis and HISD Senior Manager Chandra Robertson

HISD Transportation Manager Alan Delaney, High School Ahead Academy bus driver Clarissa Davis and HISD Senior Manager Chandra Robertson

But Davis and four other HISD employees and volunteers were honored for their services during a special luncheon held on April 30. She says she has only been with the district since last November and was surprised to discover she would be receiving an award for simply doing her job.

“I’m really humbled,” Davis said. “I just treat students how I would want anyone else to treat my own children.”

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Milby HS student wins national digital storytelling contest

Nancy Casarrubias

Nancy Casarrubias

Milby High School’s library is a place “where learning never ends,” and now, the whole world knows it.

Senior Nancy Casarrubias created a five-minute video showcasing her library (and its librarian, Rowena Verdin) for a digital storytelling contest sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians—and her entry won in the high-school category (grades 9–12).

The contest challenged students to show how their school library/librarian helps advance their education by encouraging them to learn new things, fine-tune their research skills, and discover how to make the most of available resources. The focus of entries was the 2015 School Library Month theme, “Your School Library: Where Learning Never Ends.”

 

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Basketball showcase helps HISD girls ‘court’ scholarship offers

In February of this year, hundreds of male student-athletes got the chance to strut their stuff on the gridiron in the hopes of landing college scholarships, and a few weeks ago, it was the girls’ turn—only this time, it was on the basketball court.

More than 40 female junior and senior basketball players from HISD schools took part in the Houston Choice Select Girls Basketball Showcase on April 18. The event is sponsored by the Houston Area Coaches Association, Systems Basketball, and Houston Parks & Recreation, with assistance from the HISD Athletics department. It featured a professional skills workout with multiple scrimmages, and athletic scouts from a number of colleges and universities, including Concordia, Le Tourneau, Paul Quinn, and Tyler, were on hand to watch.

“I really enjoyed it,” said North Forest High School student Joi Simmons. “It gave me an opportunity to show off my skills and to consider other NAIA [National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics] schools for college.”

“I am so glad this opportunity is finally available for these inner city girls,” said North Forest High School Head Girls Basketball Coach Jasmin Cardenas. “I graduated from an HISD school and only wished that we had these opportunities then.”

Sterling HS valedictorian wins coveted Gates Millennium Scholarship

RobertChildress_250Robert Childress, a senior at Sterling High School, will be following his military dreams to Texas A&M University this fall at minimal cost to himself, after representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the winners of the Gates Millennium Scholarships for 2015.

Childress, who is the valedictorian at Sterling this year, was one of only 1,000 students chosen from more than 52,000 applicants nationwide—and the sole student selected from HISD.

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program was established in 1999 to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential.

Candidates for the GMS award must be citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States. Students must also meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria, have at least a 3.3 GPA (on a 4.0 scale), and have demonstrated leadership through community service or other extracurricular activities.

A full list of Gates Scholars from the Class of 2015 is available here (link to PDF is at the bottom of the article).

Annual Your Voice survey begins May 1

surveylinkMay 1 marks the kickoff of the annual Your Voice survey – Houston Independent School District’s largest customer satisfaction survey. Your Voice will allow more than 160,000 students, parents, instructional staff, and community members to give honest feedback about the district in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Parent and instructional staff surveys will be conducted May 1-30, 2015, and parents have the option of completing the printed survey or accessing it online. Student surveys are from May 11 until May 30, 2015. Continue reading →