Sixty Edison Middle School students are proud owners of computers, thanks to a generous donation by Comp-U-Dopt.
Ninety-six percent of the school’s students are considered economically disadvantaged, so a computer isn’t something their families could easily afford to buy. Comp-U-Dopt, a nonprofit that provides laptops to underserved children in grades 3–8, gave refurbished laptops to students who completed an essay application to show a need for a working computer. Continue reading
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More than 160 parents, neighbors, and alumni attended a community meeting at Jack Yates High School on Thursday evening to hear about plans to build a new 21st century campus for the school. This was the second of three Yates meetings that will be held to update stakeholders on the project status.
A group of lucky fourth- and fifth-graders at Looscan Elementary School exchanged high fives with Houston Texans star Vince Wilfork on Tuesday as he arrived at the school’s SPARK park to present a $12,000 check for new playground equipment.
Wilfork, accompanied by United Healthcare team members, presented a grant that will help replace the school’s 20-year-old playground equipment. The 12-year NFL veteran and first year Texan teamed up with United Healthcare and the Dreambuilders Foundation to make the donation through the Vince Wilfork Foundation. The nonprofit organization provides funding for diabetes research, education and care, and financially supports disadvantaged children who need assistance.
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Nine HISD high school bands will be strutting their stuff in the district’s eighth annual Marching Band Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The festival gives bands the opportunity to receive feedback on their music quality, sections, music effects, visual effects, and visual performance. The critiques will help the bands prepare for future performances and events.
Participating schools include: Continue reading
The High School for the Visual and Performing Arts (HSPVA) is part of a new nationwide coalition aimed at promoting school success.
The Coalition for Leaders for Advanced Student Success (CLASS) was established this year and is focused on helping students overcome challenges to gain the skills needed to succeed after graduation.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to join with like-minded educators nationwide to help advance curriculum, policies, and activities that will help more high school students gain the valuable experiences and knowledge that will serve them well in both college and career,” said HSPVA Principal R. Scott Allen. Continue reading
Between El Salvador and Nicaragua is Honduras, the second-largest country in Central America. It is said that the country received its name — which means “great depths” in Spanish — once Columbus reached Honduran soil, after he survived a tropical storm off the coast and said, “Thank God we have departed these depths.” Honduras is generally mountainous, and is marked by fertile plateaus, river valleys, and narrow coastal plains. It also enjoys coastlines both in the Caribbean Sea as well as in the Pacific Ocean.
In Honduras, we find the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, an area surrounded by mountainous and lowland tropical rainforest with vast wildlife and plant life that has been a World Heritage site since 1982. The area also includes more than 200 archeological sites and it is home to more than 2,000 indigenous people. The reserve contains part of the largest surviving area of undisturbed tropical rainforest in Honduras and one of the few remaining in Central America, with numerous endangered species — including the giant anteater, jaguar, ocelot, margay, and many others. There are more than 2,000 species of plants, 40 species of mammals, 370 species of birds and 120 species of reptiles and amphibians throughout the reserve.
Food and music are an intrinsic part of Hispanic culture, and Honduras is no exception. Honduran cuisine is a fusion of indigenous Lenca, Spanish, Caribbean, and African influences. Many of the sweet and savory dishes feature coconut or coconut milk, with some of the more regional specialties including fried fish, tamales, carne asada, and baleadas (flour tortillas with refried beans, quesillo, or cheese and sour cream, plus other fillings, such as roasted meat, vegetables, or eggs). Punta is a dance and music style originated in Honduras by the Garifuna people — a cultural group of mixed Amerindian, Caribbean, and African origin — that is performed in various festivities. It involves rapidly moving the hips in a circular motion. Other sounds, such as Caribbean salsa, merengue, reggae, and reggaeton, are widely heard in Honduras as well.
Did you know…? Don’t be confused if you hear both the terms “British Honduras” and “Honduras” being used, as they do not mean the same thing. The former refers to what is known today as Belize, while the latter refers to the country of Honduras. The term “Banana Republic” was first applied to Honduras by the American writer O. Henry, for the influence the U.S. banana companies had at one time.
This is the fourteenth in a series of articles spotlighting different countries in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. To see a complete list of previous entries, click here.
Students at HISD’s Atherton Elementary School students will soon have more reasons to toot their own horns, after the Gospel Music Heritage Month Foundation (GMHMF) awarded that campus a $750 scholarship to support its fine arts programs.
Dr. Albert Lemons, who serves as Atherton’s principal, accepted the award on behalf of his school on Sept. 14, during the GMHMF’s annual show at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
“I’m very seldom speechless,” said Dr. Lemons. “But this came as a complete surprise. Every year, I work backstage at this event, helping the artists, making sure they have refreshments, and getting other people who don’t belong back there out. This year, nobody was saying anything, but they treated me like a guest and seated me in the front row. I thought, ‘Well, I guess they just want me to rest. And for the first time, I’ll get to see the show.’ But near the end of the last number, they sent someone out to say they needed me, and that’s when Sheila Jackson Lee told me my school was being honored.” Continue reading
“Growing” Global Graduates just got easier at HISD’s Kolter Elementary School, thanks to a new garden built in honor of a legendary Chinese philosopher.
The Confucius Garden — which has eight beds for cultivating traditional Chinese herbs such as mustard, cilantro, and parsley, as well as two different varieties of bok choi — was unveiled during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 29. The garden was built with funds from Hanban and the Asia Society, which provides a grant to Kolter each year as a member of its Confucius Classrooms Network.
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“We are so appreciative of the Asia Society and everything it has done for us,” said Principal Steve Shetzer. “We look forward to watching this garden grow along with our students.” Continue reading
Furr High School is new to HISD’s PowerUp initiative, but that didn’t stop enthusiastic campus leaders from spreading the word.
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A recently retired teacher from The Rice School has been selected as the 2015 Texas Association for Bilingual Education Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Tanya Thompson, who retired in May after more than three decades with HISD, was selected because of her teaching philosophy, which uses personalized learning to cater to the learning style of each student. Continue reading