Author Archives: HISD Communications

Condit ES receives highest honor in school architecture competition

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Condit Elementary School was named Thursday as one of four state recipients of the prestigious 2017-2018 Caudill Award, the highest honor given in the annual Exhibit of School Architecture competition.

Contest judges described the newly built school as a “transformational learning environment” that makes excellent use of its space, reflects the school’s 100-year history, and serves as a showcase campus for the district. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves turnaround plans for schools in year two Improvement Required status

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved turnaround plans for the campuses designated Year Two Improvement Required by the Texas Education Agency.

Schools with this designation have not met state standards for two years. These four campuses – Bonham Elementary School, Gregory-Lincoln Education Center (prekindergarten through grade 8), Madison High School, and Washington High School – are required to develop and submit a two-year plan to improve student outcomes. Continue reading →

Three HISD schools nominated for national Blue Ribbon Schools award

Challenge Early College HS, DeBakey HS for Health Professions, and East Early College HS nominated among exemplary and high-performing schools

Three Houston Independent School District schools have been nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious national 2018 Blue Ribbon Schools designation.

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 among 26 public schools in Texas to be nominated by the Texas Education Agency. Each of these three schools is a previous National Blue Ribbon Award recipient. Continue reading →

3 new HISD trustees, 3 re-elected trustees take oaths of office 

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education welcomed three new trustees and three re-elected trustees on Thursday, Jan. 18, in the Manuel Rodriguez Jr. Board Auditorium at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Elizabeth Santos (District I), Sergio Lira (District III) and Susan Deigaard (District V) were formally sworn in, and trustees Wanda Adams, Anne Sung, and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca renewed their oaths of office.

Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education to swear in new members

Trustees also will consider turnaround plans for schools in second-year Improvement Required status

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will swear in three new trustees – Elizabeth Santos (District I), Sergio Lira (District III) and Susan Deigaard (District V) – and re-elected trustees Wanda Adams, Anne Sung, and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca.

Santos won the seat vacated by Anna Eastman. Deigaard won the seat vacated by Michael L. Lunceford. Both Eastman and Lunceford chose not to run for re-election. Lira will fill the unexpired term of the late District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr., which runs through 2019. Continue reading →

Henderson ES site of first elementary school salad bar  

When students at J.P. Henderson Elementary returned from the holiday break, they were met with a healthy new option in the cafeteria: a salad bar filled with crisp lettuce, fresh cheese, and cool cucumbers.

Henderson Elementary is the first elementary school in the district to have a salad bar included in its meal options. Nutrition Services plans on adding salad bars to another 22 elementary schools before spring break.  Continue reading →

Superintendent to deliver keynote address at HISD State of the Schools luncheon

The Houston Independent School District will hold its annual State of the Schools luncheon, sponsored by Chevron, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. The theme is Rebuild + Reimagine – highlighting how stakeholder support can help HISD rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and reimagine educational opportunities for Houston children.

The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the fourth-floor ballroom of the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel (1600 Lamar, 77010). Superintendent Richard Carranza will deliver the keynote address to nearly 1,500 members of Houston’s business, non-profit, and faith-based communities.

State of the Schools, hosted by the HISD Foundation, is an opportunity for business and civic leaders and other community partners to hear about district achievements and challenges from the past year and learn about district priorities, which include innovating teaching and learning in every classroom; uplifting historically underserved schools; bringing wraparound services to every community; and sparking young imaginations with the expansion of fine arts.

This year’s State of the Schools luncheon will benefit the Foundation’s Innovation Fund, which provides grants for teachers and schools to purchase equipment, supplies, and other items to enhance innovative teaching and learning in the classroom. Innovative projects completed by students from elementary, middle, and high schools across the district will be featured before the event in the “Innovation Zone” outside the fourth-floor ballroom.

In addition to Carranza’s keynote address, the event will feature various student performance and welcome remarks from 2018 Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

Those who are unable to attend but want to follow along may watch the address streamed live online at HoustonISD.org, Facebook.com/HoustonISD, and HoustonISD.org/LiveTV.

Follow us on Twitter — @HoustonISD and @HISDEspanol — to experience highlights from the event as they happen.

 

Gregory-Lincoln ES student wins annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition

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Gregory-Lincoln Elementary School fifth-grader Tchanori Kone channeled the composed, fighting spirit of her civil rights activist grandfather, Ester King, with her winning speech about her dream to improve the lives of the poor and grant equal and fair access to health care and education for all.

Kone, a native Houstonian, won first place for her speech titled “Making the Dream Come True” at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition. Twelve fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools competed in the event, which challenged them to answer the question “What is your dream for today’s world?” with original speeches.

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HISD news blog named to tech company’s Top 30 Houston Blogs and Websites list

The HISD news blog recently was named by Feedspot as one of its Top 30 Houston Blogs and Websites.

The HISD news blog ranked 9th overall, just after the Houston Museum of Natural Science and one spot above Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape. Read the entire list here. The best Houston blogs were chosen from thousands using search and social metrics, including the following criteria: Continue reading →

HISD Police Department adds emergency equipment to its fleet 

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Just in time for the new year, the HISD Police Department received a donation of kayaks, rescue gear and other emergency equipment secured by District II Board Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

“During Hurricane Harvey, I witnessed our police department’s efforts assisting people get to higher ground using every resource we had – buses, SUVs and cars,” Trustee Skillern-Jones said.  “If we are going to be a part of rescue efforts, we need to ensure our officers are equipped with safe equipment that allows them do so.”   Continue reading →