Monthly Archives: September 2015

63 HISD students named National Merit semifinalists

Sixty-three seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. HISD had 56 semifinalists last year.

The HISD students are among 16,000 from across the country to earn the semifinalist designation, allowing them the opportunity to continue in the academic competition and vie for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.

They attend Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading →

School supply donation excites students at Windsor Village ES

HISD community partner Kroger helps 48 HISD schools

School children always look forward to Fridays, but the students at Windsor Village Elementary School had an exceptional Friday on Sept. 4, when they received some much-needed school supplies. Kroger, a valued HISD community partner, donated the supplies to the school, which was one of 48 HISD schools chosen as beneficiaries this year.

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‘Support Our Science’ initiative kicks off at Sherman ES

Campus is one of only two in America selected to receive comprehensive STEM program

Students and faculty at Sherman Elementary School got a sneak preview of the numerous fun and fascinating activities that await them this year on Sept. 9, when representatives from Discovery Education and the Science Channel came to the campus to kick off the year-long Support Our Science initiative.

Discovery Ed Curriculum Specialist Patti Duncan led a number of entertaining demonstrations to illustrate various science concepts, such as an explosive combination of Diet Coke and Mentos that brings gas out of solution.

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Students at four schools create upbeat school murals

Thanks to the Moran Norris Foundation and artist Fernando Romero, dozens of HISD elementary students had a chance to create new murals at their schools in early September.

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Wearing face masks, the students learned how to apply spray paint under the direction of Romero, a former graffiti artist from New York City, and Moran Norris, a retired NFL player who enjoys giving back to his community. Moran and his wife Tamara established their foundation to help students succeed.

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Scarborough HS football team makes a comeback

It took 60 games, but the Scarborough High School Spartans finally broke their five-and-a-half-year losing streak on Sept. 4, 2015, when the football team defeated the KIPP Sunnyside Senators with a score of 18-14.

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The victory was particularly gratifying to Scarborough Coach Keith Alex, who is only in his first year as coach of the Spartans. “We are just delighted to get that monkey off our back,” he said. “It’s giving the kids such a huge momentum boost. We’re really excited.” Continue reading →

Sam Houston MSTC holds first bond community meeting

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Stakeholders of Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center were briefed this week on initial design plans for the school’s new building.

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Chevron contributing up to $1M to public schools through Donors Choose

HISD teachers have been partnering with Donors Choose to support student learning since that organization first launched in 2000.

Now Chevron Products Company, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., has offered to donate up to a million dollars through Donors Choose to fund eligible classroom projects at public schools in Harris County.

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Community Resource Guide links HISD schools and parents with resources they need most

Sometimes, HISD students and families have needs that go beyond classroom instruction. To help school principals, teachers, and staff meet those needs, the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department has created the 2015 Community Resource Guide. The guide is designed for use by schools, parents, community organizations, and partners to locate the most requested resources and services in the Houston area.

This year’s guide features 454 resources and services entries on 36 different topics. Besides location and contact information, each entry includes information on ages and grades served, eligibility for participation, cost, a description of services provided, language availability, and whether the service can be provided onsite at a school. Just a few of the topics include: Continue reading →

HISD proposing changes designed to simplify magnet application process

School Choice tours to be held at campuses on Thursdays this fall.

The Houston Independent School District is aiming to simplify its magnet school application process by moving to a priority-based system that was unveiled Thursday to school trustees.

Under the new system, parents would be required to rank the schools to which they are applying. If students qualify for multiple schools, they would only be accepted to the one that was ranked highest on their application. Students, however, could remain on waitlists for any higher-ranked schools without immediate available space — as long as they were eligible and qualified to attend.

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