David Knittle has been selected as the new principal of Burbank Middle School.
A member of Team HISD for nearly 20 years, Knittle began his teaching career at Lee High School in 1997. For ten of those years, he served as an English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish teacher at Lee’s Newcomer Academy for recent immigrants.
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Students from six HISD middle schools—Cullen, Gregory-Lincoln, Hogg, Holland, Stevenson, and Williams—spent the morning exploring engineering, thanks to an ExxonMobil event for national “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.”
ExxonMobil provided engineers and supplies for a day of events, which included testing the girls’ problem-solving skills by challenging them to create marshmallow-launching catapults. While the marshmallows flew, other groups of girls got to speak with current University of Texas engineering students about their field, and with college admissions officers about getting into college.
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Nearly three dozen parents and neighbors turned out to Wilson Montessori K-8 on Thursday to hear the latest updates on the proposed addition and renovations to the school under the district’s bond program.
The Montrose-area school is slated to receive $18.9 million, and will feature a new three-story addition, as well as renovations to the existing facility, built in 1924.
Terry Smith of Smith & Co. Architects walked the audience through the latest design concept, in which the three-story building addition will feature a two-story library space designed with large exterior windows so that students can “experience the outside from the inside.”
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Catherine Smith
Two HISD educators, Catherine Smith and Madelyn Traylor, were recently honored as “Houston’s Hometown Champion” after winning the most votes in a national social-media contest sponsored by Radio One/News One.
The contest is held annually in each of the company’s major markets, and Smith and Traylor were recognized as the joint Houston winner this year for their “extreme work in the community” and for their efforts to improve the lives of others.
Sherrie Robinson
HISD Controller Sherrie Robinson has been named the interim chief financial officer (CFO) of the Houston Independent School District.
Robinson will assume her new role on March 1, when previous CFO and Deputy Superintendent Ken Huewitt becomes the district’s interim superintendent.
“Sherrie has been a tremendous asset to HISD over the past three years,” said Dr. Grier in an email to all employees, “and I am confident that the district’s finances will be in expert hands moving forward.”
Education experts, including HISD Deputy Superintendent Kenneth Huewitt, gathered for a Children at Risk press conference on Feb. 24 at Cunningham Elementary School to stress the importance of early childhood education.
“HISD’s data shows prekindergarten graduates outperform their peers in later grades,” said Huewitt. “We must start in Pre-K, with our most needy kids. No child should go without early education.”
HISD’s full-day Pre-K program, which is offered to three- and four-year-olds, began in 2006. HISD now offers full-day Pre-K at 155 of its 186 elementary campuses, with four of the nine early childhood centers focusing exclusively on Pre-K instruction.
The Black College Expo is making its return to Houston on Saturday, and many HISD middle and high school students are taking advantage of higher education opportunities days before the big event.
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College recruiters and representatives from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Power Center (12401 South Post Oak Road, 77045) to provide students and parents with one-on-one counseling, as well as scholarship and financial aid information. HISD students and parents can attend the event for free.
HISD’s annual State of the Schools luncheon will be taking place at the Hilton Americas Hotel on Thursday, March 3, and the theme for 2016 is “Ready for the World: Starring Team HISD.”
Attendees of this year’s event can expect to meet and mingle with some of the district’s biggest “stars,” including teachers of the year, nurses of the year, principals of the year, and even the city’s very first youth poet laureate (a member of HISD’s Class of 2016).
Vivian Ivory on her bus
Vivian Ivory has been driving children to and from school for the past 23 years, but recently she began taking an extra step to support her students at Elmore Elementary School.
Knowing that the children would soon be receiving their progress reports, Ivory made a deal: for every “A” the students earned, they would receive a small prize, which she and the children would decide upon together. Many students selected small items such as colorful pencils or pens, but Ivory has even given out a calculator or two.
“I usually give them candy to reward them when they have a good week, but this time I wanted to try to inspire them,” explained Ivory. “The children had been feeling a little depressed, so I wanted to do something new to help them be more productive. With this particular group, I see a lot of elderly people when I pick them up and drop them off, so I know the majority are being raised by their grandparents. They need a little bit more support.”
The HISD Board of Education is searching for a new superintendent, and trustees have been gathering feedback all week from community members about the qualities and traits they would like to see in a new district leader.
Board members will host a community meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092), and all interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend.