Yearly Archives: 2015

New Confucius garden helping Kolter ES ‘cultivate’ global graduates

“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 →

Principal stages freestyle rap session to help students ‘PowerUp’

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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Longtime HISD educator named Bilingual Education Secondary Teacher of the Year

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 →

Upperclassmen invited to attend Top-Tier College Night Oct. 6

High-achieving HISD juniors and seniors who want information about opportunities at the nation’s most-prestigious institutions of higher learning should mark their calendars, as HISD’s Top-Tier College Night has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Washington High School (119 E. 39th, 77018).

Formally known as “Ivy-Plus College Night,” this event allows students to interact directly with admissions representatives from top-tier schools across the nation, as well as participate in hands-on workshops on the following topics:

  • Personal statements
  • Financial aid
  • Branding yourself as top-tier student
  • Liberal arts colleges
  • National research universities

Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education outlines timeline for superintendent search

Search firm to be selected by December, community input to be gathered beginning in January

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday outlined a timeline for the search for a new district leader to replace outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier, who announced last month that he is resigning in March.

Trustees plan to issue a request for proposals this month, pending approval at the regular board meeting on Oct. 15. They then would interview potential search firms in the latter half of November, with the ultimate goal of making a final firm selection in December.

Once a search firm is in place, they can start gathering community feedback to develop a superintendent candidate profile, a process that would begin in January. The selected firm would help trustees host community meetings and gather input from various district stakeholders, including parents and students, school-based staff, district employees, and business and community members.

Trustees also have scheduled a training session focused on the search process for early November. The training will be conducted by Cathy Mincberg, a former HISD school board member who now serves as president and CEO of The Center for the Reform of School Systems.

Dr. Grier has said he plans to step down on March 2, 2016. This is his seventh year as superintendent of the Houston Independent School District.

HISD offering school tours, open houses to help families select schools for next year

The Houston Independent School District Office of School Choice will host four open houses and offer weekly campus tours throughout the fall semester to help families make more informed school selections for the next year.

Families will be able to explore their neighborhood schools, as well as the district’s 100-plus magnet programs, specializing in areas such as fine arts, language studies, college and career readiness and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math).

The weekly tours will be held at all HISD campuses every Thursday from Oct. 8 through Dec. 3. Elementary and K-8 school tours are scheduled for 9 a.m. Middle and high school tours begin at 1 p.m. Continue reading →

Guatemala: Mayan heritage, archeology, and crafts

Once home to the Mayan civilization, Guatemala — which means “places of many trees” in Nahuatl — is today the third-largest country in Central America. Close to 50 percent of the Guatemalan population is considered descendants of the Mayas, and that is reflected in their vibrant and thriving culture, as well as the traditional dress many woman and children wear. The first concrete traces of the Mayan civilization date back to the Preclassic period around 1,800 BC in the Mirador Basin in Petén, in northern Guatemala. Mayans built awe-inspiring temples, pyramids, and cities and developed the only fully known writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas, the Maya hieroglyphic script.

Because of its Mayan heritage, Guatemala houses a large number of archeological sites, including the Tikal Temple, an ancient city in Guatemala’s rainforest that was once one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.  Monte Alto is another site notable for the more than 40 major structures and other interesting sculptures it houses. El Mirador and Cancuén are also noteworthy sites, for having the largest pyramid (La Danta) and palaces in the Mayan world, respectively.

Weaving, baskets, pottery, wood carvings, and many other handmade crafts are very popular in Guatemalan culture. They are also known for their colorful textiles, many of which are woven using the ancient art of backstrap-loom weaving. The art of weaving is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. It can be observed in the traditional dress most indigenous people still wear today.

Did you know…? Guatemala is the main coffee provider for Starbucks. Spanish is the official language in Guatemala, but there are about 21 Mayan dialects still spoken. The Mayans came up with the mathematical concept of zero.

This is the thirteenth in a series of articles spotlighting different countries in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. To see a complete list of previous entries, click here.

Bellaire HS senior aces both SAT and ACT

September 30, 2015 – Bellaire High School senior Antony Yun has officially earned bragging rights after receiving a perfect score on both the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams.

Antony Yun

Antony Yun

Yun was among four Houston Independent School District students from two schools to earn perfect scores on the SAT during the 2014-2015 school year. Three seniors from DeBakey High School for Health Professions —Anushka Madhuvarshi, Sasha Raman, and Gary Zhang — also earned the highest possible score on the SAT. Continue reading →

Video highlights bond progress amid booming construction market

Houston’s construction market is booming, and HISD is a big part of that.

A new video released this week highlights progress that has been made since Houston voters overwhelmingly approved the district’s $1.89 billion bond program three years ago.

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/140311424″ responsive=”no”]

Continue reading →

SAT scores up for HISD students, despite declines in state and national averages

Number of graduates scoring at college-ready level is up in all subjects and across all student groups

Sept. 30, 2015 — The Houston Independent School District saw an upswing in graduating seniors’ overall reading and math scores on the 2015 SAT college entrance exam, bucking state and national trends that showed slight decreases in all subjects.

The increase in scores coincides with an increase in the number of students taking the SAT. The total number of participating students has more than doubled in the last six years, largely because of Superintendent Terry Grier’s decision in 2011 allowing all high school juniors to take the SAT for free at their home campus during regular school hours. Students also receive free access to the College Board’s online SAT test preparation materials. As a result, more HISD students than ever are scoring at the college-ready level in all three subject areas and across all racial and ethnic groups.

Continue reading →