Challenge Early College HS, DeBakey HS for Health Professions and East Early College HS recognized by U.S. Department of Education

Three Houston Independent School District schools received a 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools award on Monday from the U.S Department of Education. The HISD schools are among 349 schools in the nation and 24 schools in Texas to be recognized.

The National Blue Ribbon award is given annually to high-performing schools to showcase the hard work of students and educators. Challenge Early College High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions and East Early College High School are this year’s HISD recipients. Each school is a previous National Blue Ribbon award recipient.

Challenge Early College High School’s mission is to graduate confident, lifelong learners who are prepared to succeed in higher education and be productive citizens worldwide. The school allows students to stay a year beyond graduation in order to take college credit courses and receive individual academic assistance to succeed in those courses.   

“We are very excited and very humbled,” Principal Tonya R. Miller said after receiving news of her school’s award. “It’s really nice to have your work recognized in this way. I must say, the teachers and students really do work hard and they deserve this.”

DeBakey High School for Health Professions offers students interested in science and health careers an alternative to the traditional high school experience. It was the first high school for health professions in the nation and continues to develop and provide a rigorous and comprehensive pre-college program. Last year, DeBakey relocated to the Texas Medical Center.

“We owe this award to a fantastic staff, outstanding students, and great parents and community support,” Principal Agnes Perry said. “We have a tradition of excellence. We were pretty confident, and we feel fantastic. We just want to share this with our parents and our community.”

East Early College High School is dedicated to creating a college-bound culture. The school’s mission is to graduate all incoming freshmen in four years with up to 60 hours of college credits. East Early’s targeted population is previously underserved students from HISD’s East region. The school’s philosophy is rigor, relevance and relationships.

“I feel extremely proud to serve as principal with a strong group of teachers and students,” Principal  Stephanie Square said. “My advice to other principals is to be inclusive when planning and setting goals. Include teachers, students and parents. They will buy into goals they feel they are a part of creating.”

The three HISD schools will be honored by the U.S. Department of Education at awards ceremonies on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

For more on Challenge Early College High School go to: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/79449

For more on DeBakey High School for Health Professions, go to: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/36

For more on East Early College High School go to: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/42563