The Houston Independent School District’s Transportation department has been ranked 13th among the top 50 green fleets in North America by the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas organization.
The winners of the 2015 Green Fleet Awards were announced during the National Green Fleet Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 24.The most recent designation marks the fifth year in a row that HISD transportation has made the list. Continue reading
All HISD families are invited to attend the Global Graduate Family Conference and Resource Fair on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Jane Long Academy (6501 Bellaire Blvd., 77074) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The event will feature a panel discussion and short workshops on various topics, such as free early childhood programs, choosing and applying to the right HISD school, graduating high school with associate’s degrees and technical licenses, and applying for college.
Board of Education member Michael Lunceford has partnered with the Family Learning Academy to host the event, which will have a special focus on resources for families newly arrived to the United States and students learning English. Continue reading
The Houston Astros got off to a rousing start on the road to the World Series by beating the Kansas City Royals last night in the first game of the American League Division Series.
In recognition of the team’s many contributions to public education and to HISD students in particular, all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to show their support by wearing Astros team attire and jeans on “Houston Astros Spirit Day,” which will be Monday, Oct. 12, 2015.
Submit your photos celebrating Astros team spirit to hisdphotos@yahoo.com. You can see a collection of the photos submitted on our Facebook page.
Go Astros!
Officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, this Caribbean archipelago is home to almost four million people. Its main island, Puerto Rico, is 100 miles long by 35 miles wide. Spanish and English are considered the official languages, however, the vast majority of the population are predominately Spanish-speakers. The culturally diverse Puerto Ricans are of European, Amerindian, and African descent. This mixture can be observed in its cocina criolla, or local cuisine, which includes grains, legumes, herbs, spices, tropical tubers, vegetables, and fruits — and, of course, lots of seafood, as well as meat and poultry. Some of its national dishes include the savory pasteles, tostones, and arroz con gandules. Continue reading
Volunteers are needed at HISD schools on Monday, Oct. 19, to help set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of children being read to in a 24-hour period. During the event, called Read Across the Globe, 92 HISD elementary campuses will join schools in other cities and countries across the world in a mass reading of “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table,” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The goal is to read to 300,000 children simultaneously, smashing the current record of 238,000.
Parents, community members, and HISD staff can participate in Read Across the Globe by volunteering to be a classroom reader, timekeeper, or witness. Volunteers need to be over 18 years old and should plan on being at an HISD elementary campuses from 8 to 11 a.m. or noon to 3 p.m. on Monday, October 19. To sign up and to pick a campus, go to www.Connect4Literacy.org/readacrosstheglobe. Continue reading
This month’s Workshop Wednesday featured HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones speaking on the importance of the district’s minority- and women- owned business enterprises (M/WBE) program.
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Located on the western coast of South America, the Republic of Peru boasts a mixture of historical, cultural, and natural beauty. It once was home to various civilizations, but it is perhaps most widely known for being home of the Inca civilization — considered the largest empire in the Americas, prior to the arrival of Europeans. One of the most iconic representations of the Incas is Machu Picchu, a site located almost 8,000 feet above sea level. It is believed to have been built around 1400 AD, for the Incan emperor, Pachacuti. Machu Picchu is one of the top archeological sites in the world and it has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. In Peru, you can also find the Nazca Lines, giant sketches that can only be seen from the air, by flying over the Nazca Desert. These are believed to have been made by the Nazca Indians from 200 BC to 700 CE. Hundreds of designs include human body shapes, hands, trees, condors, hummingbirds, monkeys, sharks, llamas, and fish.
HISD hosted its annual Top-Tier College Night on Oct. 6, and hundreds of students and their families came out to learn more about what Ivy League and other high-profile institutions have to offer, as well as what qualities they are looking for in applicants.
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“Some of our students have amazing grades, and some don’t,” explained Justin Segal, a representative from the University of Pennsylvania. “But comparing yourself to others is not really fair, because grades don’t tell the whole story. We’re more focused on if your application is consistent with your stated interests. Because if you’re applying to business school, but all you’ve done so far is arts and theatre, there’s a bit of a disconnect there.” Continue reading
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Sharpstown International School held its second community meeting on Tuesday to brief more than 50 students, parents and community members on district plans to renovate its existing campus.
“The (Project Advisory Team) and design team worked very hard for the last eight months for the vision and future of Sharpstown International,” said Michael Sabouni, architect at Autoarch Architects. “We are very happy to share the journey of success of how will we transfer a school built 50 years ago into a 21st century educational facility that is going to serve us for an additional 50 years.”
After a devastating earthquake hit the island of Haiti, one Bellaire High School graduate was inspired to do something — and one of the nation’s largest banks is helping her in her quest to light up the world.
Andrea Sreshta (Bellaire HS Class of 2002) and one of her Columbia University graduate-school classmates invented a solar-powered light that is collapsible, lightweight, and affordable. They called it LuminAID, and made the first 50 prototypes by hand in 2010. It has since been used in more than 70 countries around the world, and during disaster relief after Hurricane Sandy, Typhoon Haiyan, and a recent earthquake in Nepal. Continue reading