Parker Elementary School is blossoming this spring with musical performances.
The American Boychoir will perform for Parker students on Friday, April 17, and in May, Parker’s own Advanced Chorus will sing with the Houston Symphony. Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2015
Students produce April Fools’ Day issue of school newspaper
Click on the image to enlarge.
“President Obama visits Lee High School and awards teacher ‘Hipster of the Year’” reads the headline on the first page of “The Traveler,” Lee High School’s student newspaper.
Also on page one is a story about Principal Jonathon Trinh paying cash to students for good grades. In fact, the first six pages of the monthly publication are filled with hilarious stories that reflect the cleverness of the staff reporters in producing an April Fools’ Day issue. Continue reading
Name That Book contests make developing literacy skills fun
Sometimes a little friendly competition can turn a task one has to do into an activity one wants to do. Such has certainly been the case with HISD’s annual Name That Book competition. It began almost 30 years ago at River Oaks Elementary School, and it became so popular that it eventually expanded districtwide and now serves students in grades K-12.
The basic structure of the contest has remained the same over the years: students are challenged to read 30 or more age-appropriate books from an approved list over a period of several months, then compete on teams to see who can correctly identify the largest number of titles, based on particular quotes read aloud. Teams with the highest number of correct titles are deemed the winners—but the truth is that every child benefits by participating.
“The great thing about Name That Book competitions is that they encourage students to do something we want them to do anyway: read for pleasure,” said HISD Director of Literacy Cindy Puryear. “Not only are they cultivating a life-long love of reading, they’re also building their comprehension and memory skills. After all, just scanning the words to get the gist of a book’s subject will not be enough. They have to understand and remember what they’ve read and figure out which book a line was pulled from based on context. Those are higher-level thinking skills, and they are exactly what we’re aiming to develop with Literacy By 3.”
Name That Book competitions are coordinated by HISD’s Department of Library Services. The 2015 finals have been underway since early March and will conclude on April 10 with the high-school-age contest. Be sure to check out the April 17 edition of eNews for a complete list of winners.
Foundation poured for new Delmar Fieldhouse
Construction for Delmar Fieldhouse reached a milestone this week, as workers poured the concrete slab, in preparation for the project to go vertical this spring.
The old 55-year-old Delmar Fieldhouse was demolished in 2014 to make way for this new facility that will be part of the new Delmar-Tusa Athletic Complex. As part of the current bond program, the new three-story, 139,000-square-foot facility will include a basketball and volleyball arena, modern locker and training rooms, and ample athletic storage for the complex’s existing stadium and ball fields.
HISD Transportation featured in video for green fleet training program
HISD’s Transportation department was recently featured in a YouTube video for two of its driver training programs and transportation efficiency.
Light It Up Blue to raise autism awareness on April 2
April is Autism Awareness Month, and in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, communities across the globe are being asked to “Light It Up Blue” on April 2.
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People will be lighting up their homes, schools, offices, and iconic landmarks with the color blue, and HISD will observe the month in different ways across the district, including adding blue accents to the cafeteria of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (HMWESC) and even changing up the appearance of the main district website.
There are endless ways for individuals to participate—you can swap out a blue light bulb on your front porch, get folks to wear something blue at work, or turn your Facebook profile picture blue to show support.
This is our chance to shine a light on autism, so please join us.
The Office of Special Education will also be hosting an autism parent support meeting on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at the HMWESC (4400 W. 18th, 77092) from 9–10 a.m.
Former HISD trustee now serving children as a classroom teacher
In this week’s edition of I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Harvard Elementary School third-grade teacher (and former District I Board of Education member) Karla Cisneros talks about how she went from the classroom to the boardroom and back again, the greatest gifts of her experience as a trustee, and if she’d ever consider running for that office again.
You represented District I on HISD’s Board of Education for five years in the early aughts, even serving as its president one year. Now you’re teaching third-graders at one of our elementary schools. How did that transition come about?
Karla Cisneros with her students at Harvard ES
Well, I was not a certified teacher before. I was just sort of a mom who got pulled in. They hired me at Travis Elementary to be a part-time science teacher, and one thing just led to another. After I left the board, I was going to work with my husband, but I realized I wanted to be back in education at kind of a grass-roots level, so I went back to school and got certified.
And I really, really, really like being a teacher. The best part of all is the kids, but then, that’s always the best part. I knew when my own children grew up and moved on that I was going to hate being an empty nester, but so much of teaching is not just about teaching. It’s about helping usher children through their lives, not just the curriculum.
HISD juniors awarded grant to visit Great Britain this summer
Four HISD students will travel free to Great Britain this summer, thanks to the British Foundation of Texas’s (BAFTX) Junior Achievers award. The students will travel for nearly two weeks learning about British culture.
HISD hires new academic, human resources chiefs
March 31, 2015 — HISD Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew Houlihan has been selected as the district’s new Chief Academic Officer, replacing Dan Gohl, who is leaving at the end of the school year to take a similar position in Broward County, Florida.
Houlihan will assume his new role on April 20, as Gohl moves into the position of special assistant to the superintendent. The move will ensure a smooth transition and allow the district to maintain the momentum generated by Gohl’s successful implementation of digital curriculum, innovative teaching practices and global education initiatives.
Student Congress elects new leaders for coming school year
Carnegie Vanguard High School student Zaakir Tameez will soon be handing over his gavel to a new leader. The graduating senior, who cofounded HISD’s new Student Congress last year, will be yielding his position as speaker of the congress to Amy Fan, a junior at Bellaire High School, after graduation this spring.
An election for new Student Congress cabinet members took place on March 28 at the Gregory Lincoln Education Center, and the new officers will assume their duties as of May 28.
“It’s been my effort from day one to create something that would last well beyond me,” said Tameez. “Today was a giant step in that direction.”
Below is a list of the new leaders-elect (pictured, L-R, above):
- Demetron Dotson, advocacy chair, Austin HS, Class of 2017
- Jacob Castillo, finance chair, Austin HS, Class of 2016
- Kate Ham, chief of staff, HSPVA, Class of 2016
- Amy Fan, speaker of the congress, Bellaire HS, Class of 2016
- Anusha De, initiative chair, Bellaire HS, Class of 2017
- Jessica DeBoe, outreach chair, HSPVA, Class of 2017
- Michael Talanker, governance chair, Carnegie Vanguard HS, Class of 2016
“Our election is a testament to our motto: student-run, student-led,” said new Speaker of the Congress Amy Fan. “Now that we have a strong base of members and the foundation is set, we’re ready to accomplish even more. I’m really looking forward to next year.”