The world is full of stories about teachers who have inspired their students to reach for greatness.
But at HISD’s Westbury High School, campus staff members have turned the tables. Faculty and administrators alike have been stopping Westbury pupils in the hallways to share the many ways they feel inspired by these students to come to school every day and continue the work they do in public education.
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Grady Middle School students stepped inside their new $14.8 million classroom wing today – the first day of classes in the new building. With natural light streaming into classrooms and shared collaborative spaces, and flexible furniture placed throughout, the new wing truly reflects a modern learning environment.
The addition completes the multi-phase master plan for the campus that was begun with funds from the 2007 bond. The building features a core classroom wing with 24 classrooms, six science labs, six learning commons, and three administrative suites. Student capacity at the school is now expanded from 580 to 850 students.
Students at Kolter ES perform during a 2015 Lunar New Year celebration.
Monday, Feb. 8, marks the beginning of a new lunar year in many cultures, and to observe the occasion, HISD will be hosting two celebrations in partnership with the Confucius Institute.
The first will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School (6300 Avenue B, 77401), while the second has been scheduled for 6–8 p.m. at Westside High School (14201 Briar Forest, 77077).
Both are free and open to the public.
Editor’s Note: Black History Month runs from Monday, Feb. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, this year, and HISD is celebrating with a series of weekly stories recognizing distinguished African Americans who graduated from district high schools. This second article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful careers in politics or law. The first one spotlighted professional athletes, and others will feature artists, educators, and those with careers in radio, TV, and film.
Since its earliest days, Houston has been home to great leaders who, through their commitment to public service, have helped to shape our community and create opportunities for future generations.
African-Americans figure prominently in this group of civic and government officials, and HISD is proud to count many of them among our distinguished alumni, who have left a lasting legacy for citizens of Houston and students in HISD.
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About 40 parents, neighbors, and staff of Askew Elementary School participated in a bond community meeting at the school this week, where they were briefed on the project status and design plans for their new campus.
HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department is still recruiting families and part-time home instructors to work with the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program for the 2015–2016 school year.
HIPPY is a school readiness program for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children that helps parents prepare their preschoolers for academic success. Instructors visit parents in their homes for an hour a week over a 30-week period during the school year, and model research-based learning activities designed to help Pre-K children develop skills in reading, math, and science. Parents then practice the activities with their children over the week until they learn a new activity during the next lesson. Children whose parents participate in the program consistently outperform their peers in reading and math in kindergarten and first grade.
Houston Independent School District students will have the opportunity to attend several upcoming college readiness fairs being held across the city. The events are supported by HISD’s College Readiness department, which is committed to providing higher education access to all HISD students. All events are free for HISD students. Students should check with their college access coordinator to see if school-based transportation is available. Continue reading
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Of the eight schools that advanced to the Elite Eight, only the Final Four remained standing on Feb. 5, during the Read to the Final Four Literacy Competition pep rally at the University of Houston’s (UH) Hofheinz Pavilion.
After an activity-filled morning that included a dance-off, a science experiment by UH professor Dr. Simon Bott, and lots of cheering (assisted by the UH cheerleaders), the Final Four schools were announced. They are:
“It was so much fun!” said third-grader Braniya Banks, from top team Dogan Elementary. “All of Dogan helped us log our time to win.”
The Read to the Final Four Literacy Competition began in the fall of 2015, with 6,800 third-graders participating. Since that time, they have logged 6.4 million minutes of reading and, according to the Houston Public Library, checked out more than 5,000 books from its shelves.
Approximately 800 students attended the pep rally, which aimed not just to inspire the students, but to reward them as well for all of their hard work.
The top reader from each of the 68 participating schools will receive a bicycle, courtesy of CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education). The winning school will also receive a monetary award.
“This is a great event,” said Rachel Quan, vice president of External Operations for the Final Four Houston Local Organizing Committee. “It’s the culmination of a lot of different partnerships with the Final Four and the local organizing committee, the NCAA, the Houston Public Library, Cycle, UH and, of course, HISD. There’s a lot of folks involved in seeing that these third-graders get more excited about reading.”
The remaining four schools will continue competing until the final event in April, when the top school will be announced. Students at the other 64 schools should not stop reading, though, as there may be additional prizes for the top individual readers.
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A student at Jackson Middle School enjoys breakfast at her desk through the First Class Breakfast program.
HISD has been serving healthy, nutritious breakfasts for free to all students every school morning since 2010, and many of them receive it right in the classroom through First Class Breakfast.
Now, even more secondary students are taking advantage of this option. First Class Breakfast was already in place at 40 middle and high schools, but Nutrition Services recently added two more schools to the program and continues to add schools weekly.
Offering breakfast to students in the classroom eliminates many of the obstacles that get in the way of students eating the first meal of the day. Kenya Davis, a student at Washington High School, noted that some of her classmates ride the bus and get to school just as the bell rings. “I love the idea of breakfast in the classroom,” she said. “It gives students who are on time for school — but late for breakfast — an opportunity to eat.”
Hundreds of debate teams from around the world entered the 2015–16 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) competition, but only 16 remain — including HISD’s Bellaire High School. If Bellaire advances in the next round, the team will win an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City on April 2.
Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only competition that gives high school students from around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. By advancing, the students remain eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize. The Bellaire High School team is one of only two teams from Texas to advance this round.