Author Archives: HISD Communications

Cardboard Boat Regatta keeping girls’ STEM career dreams afloat

Photo courtesy Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Photo courtesy Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Chávez HS students build, test their skills through unique partnership with Rice University

Thinking up a concept, executing its design, and thrilling in its success—or learning from its failure—that’s what the Cardboard Boat Regatta at Chávez High School is all about.

Eleven teams comprised of sophomore, junior and senior girls, with mentoring assistance from Rice University graduate students, GE Oil & Gas volunteers, and Chávez HS faculty, raced cardboard boats of their own design on June 25 in the new signature event of the three-year-old Rice University Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB) Girls STEM Initiative.

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California trip provides EMERGE students glimpse of tier-one college life

Rising juniors from schools throughout HISD tour seven colleges in five days

More than 75 rising juniors from high schools throughout HISD traveled to California during the week of June 15 to tour several tier-one colleges and universities, and learn more about the college application process. The group of students from HISD’s EMERGE program toured seven colleges in five days including the University of Southern California, Occidental College, and the Claremont Consortium, which is a cluster of private colleges that specializes in liberal arts, sciences, and engineering. Read below to learn more from several EMERGE students who were on the trip.

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Hear what teachers are saying about the HUB

Online platform going districtwide for 2015–2016 school year

HISD’s online teaching and learning platform, known as the HUB , is moving from its pilot phase at a group of schools to full districtwide implementation during the 2015–2016 school year. To assist with the transition, K–12 teachers have been or will be attending a variety of training sessions this summer to learn how to use the online platform for classroom instruction and for collaboration with their colleagues.

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Hollingsworth Science Center project to benefit HISD students twice

Students hone their craftsmanship with new tools while updating a valuable district resource

Lee High School students—many of whom worked on the greenhouse project—pose with their trophies from the Texas SkillsUSA State Championships this year. Johnny Brooks’ millwork and cabinetry students routinely advance to the state level of the competition.

Lee High School students—many of whom worked on the greenhouse project—pose with their trophies from the Texas SkillsUSA State Championships this year. Johnny Brooks’ millwork and cabinetry students routinely advance to the state level of the competition.

More than two dozen students taking millwork and cabinetry classes at Lee High School got a chance to show off their newly acquired skills recently, thanks to a donation that came with a special request.

Grant Hollingsworth, the brother of the late Marcile Hollingsworth, for whom the district’s Hollingsworth Science Center was named, donated $5,000 to make renovations to the center’s greenhouse, with the stipulation that the work be performed by district students.

Lee students constructed 10 tall wooden plant beds and one wooden storage unit for use in the greenhouse using brand-new hand tools such as saws and sanders that were purchased with a portion of the money.

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Yates HS grad wins her second Daytime Emmy

In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Daytime Emmy winner (and Jack Yates School of Communications Class of 1982 member) Kim Gagne discusses when she realized a career in television was her destiny, how she landed her first job in TV, and the journey that took her from covering crack houses on crime beats to producing “The Steve Harvey Show.”

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Kim Gagne as a fresh Yates HS graduate in 1982…

You have been in the television business for more than 20 years and are now the supervising producer of “The Steve Harvey Show.” How did you get your start and how did that lead to where you are now?

Well, after graduating from the University of St. Thomas in ‘86, I got an internship at FOX 26 in the Community Affairs Department. The news director, Will Wright, got sick of me begging him for a job. I literally begged him to put me in the newsroom. Every time I saw him in the cafeteria or anywhere, I would ask him when he was going to put me in the newsroom. Finally, one day he told me he had a spot on the assignment desk and that was my start. I knew I had to get a job in that building and I had to get that job or any job at FOX.

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Summer Bridge program preparing Futures Academy students for success

Rising sophomores get tips from former Futures Academy students and EMERGE fellows

The journey from high school to college to a career can be challenging, but HISD’s Futures Academy is helping students develop the skills they’ll need to get there.

The Summer Bridge Program is arming rising high school sophomores with critical knowledge in the areas of time management, team building, communication, and money management. Four sessions are scheduled for June and feature classes taught by Futures Academy and EMERGE alumni.

“One way we thought this message would resonate with students is by having former HISD Futures Academy and EMERGE students returning from their first year in college lead the sessions,” said Michael Love, assistant superintendent of the Futures Academy. “This allows the students to learn directly from peers who recently walked the same hallways as them.”

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Linked Learning gives recent grads a jump on public works careers

LiLe_PubWksTour_440x230Students from Furr and Chávez high schools tour largest wastewater facility in the city

The source of our water is becoming the source of a career for several HISD graduates. Fifteen students who just graduated from Furr HS and Chávez HS were selected to partake in a three-week class on water maintenance that will result in them gaining Class D water operator licenses as well as eligibility for employment with the City of Houston Public Works Department.

The class is a part of HISD’s Linked Learning initiative, which combines academics and hands-on learning to prepare students for real-world experiences and career pathways.

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‘HUB Camp’ introduces educators to new teaching and learning resource

Online platform to go live districtwide at all K-12 schools this fall

Summer camp may be traditionally for students, but during the first two weeks of June, nearly 1,000 HISD elementary teachers and campus instructional technologists attended “HUB Camp” to receive training and learn more about the district’s online teaching and learning platform, known as the PowerUp:HUB, or “HUB” for short. During the 2015–2016 school year, the HUB will be transitioning from the pilot phase at 48 schools to full districtwide implementation at all 283 HISD schools. The implementation is part of the district’s larger efforts to digitally transform instruction and integrate technology into content development and classroom instructional practices.

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/130157138″ width=”500″ height=”280″ responsive=”no”]

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Free SAT prep course now being offered by Khan Academy

Partnership with College Board to help students prepare for redesigned SAT

The College Board and Khan Academy have teamed up to provide free Scholarship Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation for all students beginning this month.

The SAT is a globally recognized college admission exam that demonstrates a student’s knowledge of reading, writing, and math. Most students take the SAT during their junior or senior year of high school, and many colleges use the test to make admission decisions.

HISD also offers a free online SAT coaching course for grades 9 through 11 called “PREP ME,” which is available here.

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Teachers: Attend a job fair for North Forest area schools on June 5

$5,000 sign-on/transfer bonus being offered

Teachers interested in making a difference in a child’s life can attend a job fair on Friday, June 5, for HISD schools in the North Forest area.

There are openings at all levels, and a $5,000 sign-on or transfer bonus is being offered to help recruit highly effective teachers to North Forest schools. You must be a pool-approved candidate to attend or a current HISD teacher to attend. Use the link below to apply now.

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