Yearly Archives: 2015

HISD students earn top award for summer rocket launch

This summer, while many high school students were still enjoying their vacation, students from HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School were traveling with their teacher to White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico to attempt to launch a rocket they built as a classroom assignment.

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Only five high schools qualified to travel to WSMR this summer, and this was Washington’s fifth attempt. But for the first time this year, the students’ vehicle successfully left the launch tower — marking only the second time a high school has ever reached that milestone. The students received the SystemsGo Goddard Level Diamond Award for their achievement at a special ceremony held on Oct. 16. Continue reading →

New Jordan HS for Careers to feature modern career labs

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The early designs of a new Barbara Jordan High School for Careers showcase a building that would give students the tools and labs to learn the latest skills for professions as diverse as welding and marketing.

“We want to use all of this building,” Principal Ross McAlpine told a small gathering of parents and alumni Tuesday night. “We don’t want any wasted space. We really need this school to work for the kids.”

Continue reading →

Davis HS culinary students sharpen their skills at charity event

Davis High School students had the opportunity to help raise money for charity and put their culinary skills to use at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Red Shoe Chef Challenge 2015.

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Dozens of students in the school’s culinary arts program spent hours making about 1,300 hors d’oeuvres on Oct. 8 that would be served to the approximately 350 attendees. More than 20 students were involved in the morning shift, and a second crew of students came in to complete the dishes.

Chef Tim Mehne and his wife, Kim, who supervised the students during the preparation of the hors d’oeuvres, said he has worked in the food industry for more than 40 years and described the students as “rock stars.” Continue reading →

HISD schools participate in attempt to set reading world record

Ninety-two HISD schools participated in Read Across the Globe on Oct. 19, an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of children being read to in a 24-hour period. The goal was to read the same book, “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, to 300,000 children simultaneously.

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Hundreds of generous Houstonians, including former First Lady Barbara Bush, volunteered to be a classroom reader, timekeeper, or witness of the event. Many HISD schools tweeted photos during the event, and you can see a collection of those at the end of this article. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education to vote on proposed attendance boundary changes

On Thursday, the HISD Board of Education will  vote on a plan to adjust attendance boundaries at 10 elementary schools for the 2016-2017 school year to address classroom overcrowding.

The proposal affects these elementary campuses: Bastian, Hartsfield, Highland Heights, Kelso, Smith, Stevens, Wainwright, Young, Frost, and Law.

Community meetings regarding the proposals took place in October.

Complete details, including maps and frequently asked questions, can be found here.

New tool determines which magnet schools students qualify to attend

Parents who are looking to choose a magnet school for their children now have a new tool to help them make their selections. The Magnet Matrix Calculator determines whether a student is qualified for inclusion in the lottery for some magnet secondary non-vanguard and fine arts schools. The calculator is based upon the matrix many schools use to determine student eligibility.

Continue reading →

Revere MS teacher showcased on Doug Lemov’s ‘Teach Like a Champion’ blog

Erin Krafft, a math teacher at HISD’s Revere Middle School, was spotlighted last year for her effective instructional practices. Now, she’s getting recognition from the very person whose techniques she has been implementing in the classroom: Doug Lemov, author of the bestselling book, “Teach Like a Champion.”

Krafft was the subject of a “Field Notes” entry on Lemov’s blog dated Oct. 19, in which Colleen Driggs highlights “how beautifully she built a positive, productive and efficient procedure for Turn and Talk,” and how skillfully she laid the foundation for a method she could build upon the entire school year.

To read the full story and see the video, please visit the Teach Like a Champion website.

Tech leaders visit HISD to see digital conversion

Digital curriculum efforts showcased at three-day conference

Technology leaders from schools districts throughout Texas and the U.S. traveled to Houston Oct. 14–16 to get a firsthand look at HISD’s digital transformation efforts — including the conversion of curriculum and the launch of the HUB, the district’s new online teaching and learning platform.

The visit was part of the Teaming for Transformation conference sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking, also known as COSN. HISD is a member of COSN and was asked to host the event because of its efforts with PowerUp, a comprehensive initiative aimed at digitally transforming teaching and learning across the district. Continue reading →

Automotive technician training program offers Sterling HS students hands-on career experience

Mapping out the road for life after high school can be intimidating for some students, but with the help of HISD’s Transportation department and International Trucks of Houston, students from Sterling Aviation High School are quickly on their way to meaningful careers in the automotive industry.

The Automotive Diesel Internship Program, sponsored by HISD’s Transportation Fleet Operations, creates a hands-on opportunity for departmental staff to train future automotive technicians and provide guidance to students. Training is divided among all five motor pools in the district in hopes of giving students the background and initiative to succeed in automotive mechanics.

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Lisa Hernandez named principal of new Mark White Elementary School

Lisa Hernandez poses for a photograph, November 2, 2015. (Dave Einsel)Lisa Hernandez has been named the principal of the new Mark White Elementary School, which is scheduled to open in August 2016. She previously served as the assistant principal at the School at St. George Place, a position she held since 2012.

In her 18 years as an educator, Hernandez has also served as a teacher, instructional specialist, and International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator. She began her career as a fifth-grade teacher in Austin ISD, where she taught for 10 years before becoming a math instructional specialist. In 2008, Hernandez moved to HISD and worked as a fifth-grade teacher at Twain Elementary School.

Hernandez received a bachelor’s degree in applied learning and development from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas State University.