Yearly Archives: 2015

Chávez HS scores surprise first-place finish at state chess competition

Coach Robert Myers (far L) with the Chavez HS team at regionals

Coach Robert Myers (far L) with the Chavez HS team at regionals

Students at Chávez High School were thrilled to walk away with a third-place team victory at the State Scholastic Chess Championship in McAllen, Texas, last month, but they were even more excited when they learned that due to an extremely complicated tie-break system, computer results revealed that they were actually the first-place winner among unrated players.

The team had to score among the top five groups at the regional tournament to advance to the state competition, and placing first there qualified them to compete in the national tournament held in Columbus, Ohio, where they ranked sixteenth in the nation in the unrated section.

“Chess is about options,” said Chávez Coach Robert Myers. “The students exercised those options and continued to practice, study, and develop. They have learned through perseverance to never give up, never surrender.”

The team subsequently placed first at a KIPP chess tournament held on April 18.

 

HISD students honored for their winning dental posters

From left: Dr. Piazza, president of the Greater Houston Dental Society; Piney Point ES fifth-grader Viviana Jimenez; Garden Villas ES third-grader Alejandra Rodriguez; White ES second-grader Sandy Kong; Condit ES fifth-graders Eden Barr and Heidi Tamm; CoChairs of the Dental Health Committee Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Aguilos.

From left: Dr. Piazza, president of the Greater Houston Dental Society; Piney Point ES fifth-grader Viviana Jimenez; Garden Villas ES third-grader Alejandra Rodriguez; White ES second-grader Sandy Kong; Condit ES fifth-graders Eden Barr and Heidi Tamm; and Dental Health Committee CoChairs Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Aguilos. Not pictured: Scroggins ES second-grader Gabriel Velazco.

Every year, HISD elementary and middle school students participate in the Dental Health Poster Contest, which promotes the American Dental Association’s National Children’s Dental Health Month campaign. The purpose is to convince children and adults of the importance of good oral health.

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Yates HS holds Elective Fair for future freshmen

Yates High School held an Elective Fair and Signing Day event on April 29 for Houston-area eighth-graders to see all that the school has to offer. Yates has two magnet programs—communications and maritime—and a Career & Technical Education program in health sciences.

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Fondren MS recognized for providing exemplary customer service

A commitment to meeting high expectations in every area has resulted in a big prize for Fondren Middle School. That campus was recently named the inaugural winner of HISD’s Blue Star Award for Service Excellence.

The award was created to honor schools that provide exemplary customer service; a friendly, professional environment; and a culture of positive expectations, and Fondren was selected from a field of 22 nominees and five finalists. As a part of the evaluation, a team of volunteer judges made unannounced, structured visits to each nominated campus, in which they conducted walk-throughs of the facilities and interacted with staff members. They also made anonymous calls to each school to test the clerical staff’s response.

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Support budding entrepreneurs on Lemonade Day, Sunday, May 3

It’s been almost a decade since Lemonade Day first came to the Bayou City, and over the years, thousands of HISD students have participated in this annual exercise in learning how to start and run a business.

Lemonade Day is scheduled for Sunday, May 3, 2015, and the competition for Houston’s Best-Tasting Lemonade will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at four locations that day:

In addition to the Best-Tasting Lemonade contest, this year’s event will offer students a few more opportunities to earn recognition, including a Best Stand contest determined in part by “likes” on social media. Other contests for young people include competitions for the Most Innovative Business Plan, Most Charitable Entrepreneur, and Best Social Media Campaign.

“Judges will give their opinion of the best-tasting, of course, but in the other categories, we really want to reward the children who are putting in the work and getting creative,” said Lemonade Day Houston Associate Director Gabrielle Gunn. “These competitions will be based in part on the stories that are shared by teachers, principals, students, and customers, so we encourage everyone to come out and support Houston’s young people.”

For a full list of lemonade stands and their locations, please visit the Lemonade Day website.

HISD to recognize 99 seniors headed to nation’s top tier colleges and universities

The Houston Independent School District will pay tribute Tuesday to 99 graduating scholars from 24 high schools during the second annual EMERGE Senior Awards Ceremony.

Through EMERGE, the scholars have earned the distinction this year of being accepted to colleges and universities such as MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Rice, Smith, Stanford, Tufts, and Yale. As a whole, the group has been awarded more than $20 million in scholarships and financial aid, with the majority of students receiving individual financial packages totaling upwards of $40,000 per year. Continue reading →

Washington HS students building prosthetic hand for use in real life

Kindergarten student in Waller ISD to benefit from E-Nable project

Engineering students at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School are connecting their learning to the real world in a very tangible way, by using a 3D printer to create a prosthetic hand and part of an arm for a kindergarten student in Waller ISD.

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The students got involved with the project through E-Nable, a global network of volunteers who build free prosthetic hands for people who were either born without them or lost them due to injury or illness. They stumbled upon the organization last fall while researching solutions for another 3D project.

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Local chamber of commerce recognizes Heights-area educators

Two HISD employees were recognized recently for their contributions to the education of Heights-area children.

Shakiri Hooper, a clerk at Garden Oaks Montessori, has been named the Paraprofessional of the Year, while Joyce Rogers, an instructional specialist at Waltrip High School, was named the Educator of the Year by the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce.

Nominees were judged by a committee on the basis of their experience and evidence of leadership, service, and dedication to making a difference in students’ lives.

“Ms. Hooper is extremely hard-working and goal-oriented,” wrote Garden Oaks Principal Lindsey Pollock. “She is a team player who seeks win-win solutions even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.”

“Joyce has served as a role model not only for staff, but also for students,” said former Waltrip High School Principal Andria Schur. “She takes a personal interest in motivating people to be their personal best, while also challenging them to serve as models and motivators to those around them.”

Both women will be formally recognized during the organization’s annual education luncheon on May 18.

DeBakey tops Children at Risk’s list of best Houston high schools for sixth straight year

Reagan HS, Pilgrim Academy, and 20 other campuses also rated ‘Gold Ribbon’ schools

Children at Risk released its annual list of the top schools in the greater Houston area on April 27, and for the sixth consecutive year, HISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions was listed as number one.

Four other HISD high schools were included in the top ten: Carnegie Vanguard High School (#2), the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (#4), Eastwood Academy (#7), and North Houston Early College High School (#10).

T.H. Rogers, which serves students in grades Pre-K through 8, has held steady in the number one position among the top middle schools in Houston since 2011, and ranked first at the elementary level since 2012. Other HISD schools in the top 20 were: Wharton K-8 (#5), Pin Oak (#7), Lanier (#8), and Briarmeadow Charter (#15) at the middle-school level; and West University (#2), River Oaks (#3), Horn Academy (#6), Bush (#13), Condit (#14), Oak Forest (#17), and Roberts (#19) at the elementary level.

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Austin HS and Sam Houston MSTC project teams meet to design new schools

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Project Advisory Teams from Austin HS and Sam Houston MSTC attended a charrette, or intensive workshop, where they collaborated on preliminary design plans for their new schools.

Each school’s project team – along with architects, facilities planners and project managers – spent the two-day session focused on how to design a 21st century school that will incorporate the needs of students, teachers and other stakeholders while creating an engaging learning environment.

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