Yearly Archives: 2015

eNews Highlight: I’m no Disney princess, but dreams do come true

When Meghan Berndt learned that she would be attending her dream college this fall, she immediately began thanking all of the people who helped her get accepted there.

Read more about how the Sharpstown High School senior reacted to the exciting news in the Jan. 23, 2015, edition of eNews.

Other stories in this week’s edition include:

A look at the expansion of the district’s successful dual language program to 21 additional campuses this fall.
A feature on the 19^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition, which was won this year by a student from Cornelius Elementary School.
An interview with Read Houston Read volunteer Susan Imre, who got involved in the mentoring program because of her son, a teacher at Wheatley High School.

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Click here to see the full issue for Jan. 23.

Gallegos ES educator named finalist for TCEA Teacher of the Year

Alex Jones works with students on a geography lesson using both old (the globe) and new (iPads) technology.

Alex Jones, a science lab teacher at Gallegos Elementary School, has been named one of only three finalists (.pdf) for Texas Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) Classroom Teacher of the Year. The award is presented annually to the educator who best recognizes the importance of technology in school and actively tries to promote its use in his or her classroom.

Jones previously served as an education specialist, a special projects coordinator, and an educational technologist, “but my love for children brought me back to HISD and the classroom” this year. His passionate lobbying also persuaded Principal Jessica Tejeda to purchase iPads especially for the science lab.

“I am extremely passionate about teaching young children and enhancing my lessons through the use of technology,” explained Jones, “especially with iOS devices.”

Carnegie Vanguard HS students mastering art, music, fencing

Ariel Simmons

Three students from Carnegie Vanguard High School are making news this week for being at the top of their respective games.

Cole Bennette, a junior, recently entered and won an art contest titled “Houston in 2025,” in which he had to envision what the Bayou City would look like in another 10 years. Cole’s artwork now adorns a billboard on I-45 at Smith Street, whose space was donated by Clear Channel Communications. The contest was sponsored by the Center for Houston’s Future.
Ariel Simmons, a senior, won gold medals at two prestigious fencing competitions: He won the U.S. title for 20 and under in Salt Lake City, Utah, earlier this month and the U.S. title for adults last month in Dallas. His sport is epee check.
Junior Kerrigan Quenemoen and her partner, Kenneth Yu (a senior at Bellaire High School), have once again advanced to the national finals of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior Piano Duet Competition in March. They also shared this honor back in 2013.

Congratulations to these talented students!

Teachers can now use the HUB ‘Library’

As part of HISD’s transition to digital teaching and learning, the PowerUp:HUB is playing an increasingly central role. One key feature of the online teaching and learning platform is the HUB Library, which is designed to hold a comprehensive collection of “learning objects” for use as part of the teaching and learning process. Learning objects in the HUB Library can be anything from adopted instructional materials (i.e., HISD’s adopted digital textbooks) to activities and resources that teachers create and share. One unique feature of learning objects in the HUB Library is that they can be tagged with standards and keywords that allow teachers to search for just the resource they need. Continue reading →

Red ES students challenged to build robots at annual STEM night

RedES_Curtis_225 More than 200 parents gathered on the campus of Red Elementary School on Jan. 15 for a family STEM night that featured many fun, hands-on activities for participating students.

Children could design a floating car, create computer code, solve math problems, or read books on subjects related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The highlight of the evening was a robot-building contest judged by representatives from the community, HISD administrators, and the National Society of Black Engineers. Students were required to put together a humanoid-looking creation between three and four feet high using only recycled items. Pre-K student Curtis Mayfield (pictured) won the contest with a design made from a cereal box, empty vinegar bottle, old pair of tennis shoes, and cardboard toilet paper rolls. His prize was a new Samsung tablet.

On-campus licensed athletic trainers help students get back on track

Licensed Athletic Trainer Stephanie Polydore helped her Waltrip HS student Xavier Smith recover from a season-ending injury last fall. Now fully recovered, he plans to run track this spring.

For Licensed Athletic Trainer (LAT) Stephanie Polydore, one of the most gratifying aspects of her job is helping injured student athletes get back on track—both literally and figuratively.

“I love helping athletes get back to their full ability to compete in their sport,” said Polydore, who also teaches a sports medicine class at Waltrip High School.

The former stadium-based LAT is now one of only two campus-based LATS in HISD (the other is at Chávez HS). And while Polydore wasn’t able to salvage the football season for senior Xavier Smith, who broke his leg during the very first scrimmage of the season, thanks to the rehab he completed under her supervision, “he says he feels stronger now than he did before he was injured. He’s actually going to run track this spring.”

Continue reading →

Team work makes the dream work for students in Petro Challenge

Hundreds of HISD students competed for awards in the field of oil and natural gas exploration at the annual Petro Challenge held at the University of Houston Jan. 20-23, 2015. The event consisted of two days of training and two days of competition. A number of teams made up of 163 students from Energy Institute High School competed Wednesday, and Team Petros won the day. On Friday, competition took place among 210 students on teams from HISD’s other petroleum academies — Milby HS, Westside HS, and Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zrj_aGWM04″ responsive=”no”] Continue reading →

HISD adding 21 campuses to dual language program in 2015–2016

HISD is expanding its successful dual language program to 21 more campuses in 2015–2016, launching thousands of additional pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students on the road to learning a second language. Currently, 31 HISD schools offer a Spanish dual language program.

Starting in August, kindergarten students — and pre-kindergarten students, at some schools — will be learning in both English and Spanish. One grade will be added to the program each year until it reaches school-wide.

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/116680573″ ] Continue reading →

Mother inspired by teacher son’s experiences to join Read Houston Read

Read Houston Read volunteer Susan Imre with her son John Lohmann, a social studies teacher at Wheatley High School.

The people who volunteer as Read Houston Read mentors do so for a variety of reasons. Some do it because they simply love teaching. Some do it because they have wonderful memories of enjoying books as young people and want to give that experience to other children. For Susan Imre, the reason is a bit more personal. Her adult son is a teacher at Wheatley High School, and she was inspired by the challenges he faces each day with students who struggle in the classroom. Continue reading →

HISD school board to consider plan to reduce classroom overcrowding

The Houston Independent School District is working to readjust attendance boundaries at almost two dozen schools in an effort to reduce classroom overcrowding.

The move is in response to a directive from the Texas Education Agency, which requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a state waiver.