The United States of America was founded 239 years ago on July 4, and there are many events around Houston where you can celebrate in style. Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2015
Sharpstown International School community hears about plans to update campus
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A community meeting was held at Sharpstown International School (SIS) this week to brief stakeholders on district plans to renovate the unique school.
SIS was developed in 2007 as a partnership of HISD and the Asia Society International Schools Network, and was known as the International High School at Sharpstown. In the 2011-2012 school year, International High School and Sharpstown Middle School were consolidated to become the first 6-12 grade magnet program in the district. With an international studies focus, it was named Sharpstown International School.
Passion fuels second-year teacher’s success
Switching careers can be a daunting decision, and Natalie Nelson knows first-hand how difficult that transition can be.
Natalie Nelson worked as a political researcher and an advocate for juvenile justice reform before joining HISD as a teacher a Chávez High School in 2013.
The Advanced Placement government and economics teacher at Chávez High School chronicled her experiences as a first-year teacher in 2013–2014 in an HISD blog called 177 Days, and recently, she reflected on finishing her second year in HISD. Continue reading
Hear what teachers are saying about the HUB
Online platform going districtwide for 2015–2016 school year
HISD’s online teaching and learning platform, known as the HUB , is moving from its pilot phase at a group of schools to full districtwide implementation during the 2015–2016 school year. To assist with the transition, K–12 teachers have been or will be attending a variety of training sessions this summer to learn how to use the online platform for classroom instruction and for collaboration with their colleagues.
Project teams work to preserve school history in designs for new schools
As HISD project teams are making plans to build or renovate 40 schools under the district’s current bond program, they also are giving careful consideration to items of historical or architectural significance that can be preserved and incorporated into the new designs.
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Hollingsworth Science Center project to benefit HISD students twice
Students hone their craftsmanship with new tools while updating a valuable district resource
Lee High School students—many of whom worked on the greenhouse project—pose with their trophies from the Texas SkillsUSA State Championships this year. Johnny Brooks’ millwork and cabinetry students routinely advance to the state level of the competition.
More than two dozen students taking millwork and cabinetry classes at Lee High School got a chance to show off their newly acquired skills recently, thanks to a donation that came with a special request.
Grant Hollingsworth, the brother of the late Marcile Hollingsworth, for whom the district’s Hollingsworth Science Center was named, donated $5,000 to make renovations to the center’s greenhouse, with the stipulation that the work be performed by district students.
Lee students constructed 10 tall wooden plant beds and one wooden storage unit for use in the greenhouse using brand-new hand tools such as saws and sanders that were purchased with a portion of the money.
Students’ graduation stories publicized in Times Square
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Three lucky HISD students got to see their names in lights on June 10, when hundreds of students from across the country were featured on a Times Square billboard in New York City.
Great debaters continue their tradition of success
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Lanier Middle School students know that oratorical skill can be a powerful tool. The debate team from that campus attended the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament for High School and Middle School Speech and Debate recently—and walked away with one of the top honors.
DiscoverU providing HISD students with global education opportunities
Turning out global graduates is the mission of HISD, and Houston-based nonprofit organization DiscoverU is helping the district achieve that goal. Forty-four HISD students completed college and career preparatory programs worldwide during the 2014–2015 school year, and more than 200 more are taking advantage of programs this summer.
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HISD Board of Education approves 2015-2016 budget; raises for teachers, principals, staff
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday adopted a 2015-2016 budget with significant salary increases designed to help the district hire and retain the most effective teachers and principals.
As part of the approved budget, teachers will get a minimum salary increase of 2 percent, with beginning teacher salaries jumping up to $51,500 — almost $5,000 more than they earned just two years ago. Certified bilingual teachers would earn an additional $4,000 annual stipend, more than triple the current stipend.