Author Archives: HISD Communications

Wiggins selected as one of Education Week’s 2020 Leaders to Learn From

HISD Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins has been selected as a 2020 Leaders to Learn From by Education Week, a weekly publication highlighting issues in education across the nation. 

Wiggins is one of 12 honorees for 2020. She was selected for the distinction based on her leadership in food services and equity.   

“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done in HISD Nutrition Services surrounding food equity. Food literacy and inclusion ensures students have more than a consumer relationship with food,” Wiggins said.  

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Breakthrough Houston putting new class of HISD students on path to success

Breakthrough Houston has announced it will return to HISD’s Gregory-Lincoln Education Center this summer to prepare high-achieving, low-income middle school students for competitive high school programs and exemplary college careers.

The Gregory-Lincoln campus will host 120 students in the Breakthrough Houston (BTH) program, which instructs, inspires, and empowers underserved middle school students to realize long-range academic and career goals. Many of the students attend HISD’s Achieve 180 schools, which receive strategic supports to bring about academic transformations.

In addition to the Gregory-Lincoln location, BTH operates at two non-district locations, serving more than 250 HISD middle school students.

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Ascending to Men Project to host roundtable discussion with students, community leaders

The Houston Independent School District’s Ascending to Men Project will host its spring roundtable discussion next month with students and community leaders to foster dialogue centered around issues impacting today’s male students.  

The theme of this semester’s discussion will be “Next Generational Leadership” and will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Lawson Middle School (14000 Stancliff, 77045). Participants will discuss the skills set necessary to thrive in leadership  

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Eliot ES and Washington HS principals named Principals of the Year

Washington HS principal also named H-E-B Excellence in Education finalist 

While school leaders across the district were greeting students at their campuses on Monday morning, Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan was entering hidden entrances to surprise HISD’s 2019-2020 Elementary and Secondary Principals of the Year. 

More than 20 North Area administrators, along with hundreds of students, packed into Eliot Elementary School’s cafeteria anxiously waiting to surprise Principal Zandra Aguilar as the district’s 2019-2020 Elementary Principal of the Year. 

“Aguilar is an exemplary principal who helps build leadership capacity with teachers and has continued to go the extra mile for a number of years in connecting with Eliot students and families,” Lathan said.  

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Washington HS pool construction nears halfway mark

Washington High School students soon will be able to practice their favorite swimming strokes in their new four-lane pool and natatorium, which is set to open in April. 

Tracking at 45 percent completion, the natatorium features large garage-style overhead coiling doors that open to allow fresh air inside and fencing at each opening to maintain a secure perimeter.  

The pool’s concrete foundation was poured last month, and pool walls are being constructed. After the pool is formed, the concrete deck and locker rooms will be finished.  

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Bond Oversight Committee meets for fourth quarter update

Upbeat music blared through the speakers of the Northside High School dance studio as the Dancing Pantherettes showcased their new studio space for Bond Oversight Committee members.

Led by Northside Principal Cecilia Gonzales, Associate Principal Victor Okoli, and Construction Services Senior Manager Sizwe Lewis, the tour of the new Northside also featured the new fine arts wing, black box theater, TV production room, and culinary kitchen. 

After the tour, Northside culinary arts students served a buffet-style, made-from-scratch breakfast — including biscuits, scones, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fruit — to showcase their magnet for culinary arts, hotel management, and media. 

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HISD ranked seventh in the nation for school breakfast participation

For the second consecutive year, the Houston Independent School District has been ranked one of the top 10 school districts in the nation for highest student participation in the federal School Breakfast Program.  

HISD ranked seventh in the nation and second in the state for the number of low-income students who participate in both the School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, according to the Food Research & Action Center’s 2018-2019 School Breakfast: Making it Work in Large School Districts report released Thursday.  

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Bastian ES to host free community health fair

Students, employees, and the community are invited to attend the free Smart Scholars Foundation Community health fair on Saturday, Feb. 29 at HISD’s Bastian Elementary School.  

The event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is sponsored by the Houston Food Bank and will feature free dental, health, vision and hearing screenings for the community, as well as enough food to feed more than 300 families.  

Hope Farms, a Recipe for Success Foundation dedicated to combating childhood obesity, will also be on hand doing culinary demonstrations to teach the community how to incorporate healthy vegetables and fruits into their diet.  

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact 832-367-9688. 

Browning ES math teacher named Teacher of the Month for February

Love was in the air on Wednesday when Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan surprised fifth-grade math teacher Gerardo Chapa at Browning Elementary School as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for February.  

“Mr. Chapa is very deserving of today’s recognition,” Principal Evangeline Campos said. “He routinely utilizes data to drive his instructional decisions and provides numerous opportunities for his students to engage in hands-on activities, which they absolutely enjoy.” 

A favorite among students, Chapa recently transitioned from third grade to fifth grade, giving students another chance to enjoy his lessons, while also helping the campus launch its first-ever after-school program. 

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Academic calendar for 2020-2021 school year now available online

The academic calendar for the 2020-2021 school year, which was approved by the Board of Education this month, is now available online. 

The calendar was drafted with input from a committee made up of principals, union representatives, and departments across the district, as well as the District Advisory Committee. 

The first day of school for students will be Aug. 24, and the final day of classes for students will be May 27. 

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