Author Archives: HISD Communications

HISD named District of Distinction for dual language program

The Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Education has named Houston ISD as the recipient of the 2017 District of Distinction award for the district’s dual language program.

“This national award is presented to schools and districts that have been trailblazers in establishing powerful school programs that ensure the opportunity of bilingualism and biliteracy for their students,” said Rosa Molina executive director of ATDLE. “The dual language programs started in HISD over 20 years ago, and recognition for HISD’s commitment to this work is long overdue.”

The national award will be presented during 25th Annual Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Conference in Palm Springs, Calif. on June 27.  Continue reading →

HSPVA receives ‘Exemplary School’ designation from Arts Schools Network 

HISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts has been designated a 2017–2019 Exemplary School by Arts Schools Network, the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools.

The Exemplary School designation is presented to Arts Schools Network member schools that follow the ASN Principles of Exemplary Practice in strategically evaluating the school’s purpose, operations, and educational programs. ASN will honor HSPVA at the ASN 2017 Annual Conference in the Twin Cities, Minnesota on Oct. 25.  Continue reading →

HISD nutrition services officer serves as keynote speaker at Healthy Food Fuels Hungry Minds conference   

Nutrition Services Officer Betti J. Wiggins served as a keynote speaker during the Healthy Food Fuels Hungry Minds conference at Harvard University last week.

The conference was organized by a partnership between Let’s Talk About Food, the Massachusetts Health Council, and Harvard University Dining Services.

Wiggins was invited to speak about her experience as the executive director of school nutrition at Detroit Public Schools, where she adopted and implemented key principles that allowed students to receive the healthiest food available. Her work included creating community gardens and implementing the first CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) program that allowed 100 percent of students in the district to eat lunch at no cost.   Continue reading →

I am HISD: Brookline ES teacher secures outside support for Title I school

Ted Wills from Brookline ES (left) with Philip Ugalde, Regents Bank; Andrew Arizpe, Mutual of Omaha; and Doug Reinarz, Regents Bank, at an East End Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Brookline Elementary School teacher Theodore Wills wears many hats. Just four years ago, he was working as a fourth-grade transitional reading teacher when Principal Marco Morales asked him to take charge of the library and become the school’s community-engagement and corporate-outreach point person. Wills has a background in fundraising, public relations, and volunteer management, and he went to work raising $100,000 for the school’s library. It took a while, but he reached his goal recently. 

What did you do first after you got the new job? 

Immediately, I began inviting speakers and organizations for school and after-school programming, including Literacy Advance of Houston, Volunteer Houston, Houston Ballet, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, University of Houston’s Graduate School of Education, FotoFest, iWrite, Houston Skyline Rotary Club, and Hahn Gallery. I wrote to groups and foundations like Houston CPAs Helping Schools for grants to enhance our ebook collection. I started networking at local professional events and cultivating new contacts on LinkedIn.  Continue reading →

Business representatives get tips on tweaking sales styles to fit different personalities

Representatives from local businesses came together last week to get tips from Houston-area business builder and coach Ted Hair on how to increase their sales by tapping into a buyer’s personality.

Since the early 1900s, Hair said, a personality-based sales model has been used to teach salespeople how to identify and speak to different buyers by classifying them into one of four different categories —dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance (DiSC).

“You’re not a salesperson,” Hair said, stressing the importance of identifying your buyer. “You’re a problem-solver.”

Continue reading →

Plan to rebuild Bellaire HS moving forward

The Houston Independent School District is moving forward with a plan to rebuild Bellaire High School at its current location on South Rice Boulevard and has formally submitted applications to the City of Bellaire for required permits and variances.

The first stop for the project proposal will be the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on June 13, when the request for a Specific Use permit will be considered. In addition, the district is seeking variances from the Board of Adjustments that would allow construction of a building of approximately 434,000 square feet with up to four stories on some portions toward the interior of the site.

The Board of Adjustments meeting is June 15. If the Specific Use permit and variances are approved, the project then could head to the Bellaire City Council in August for a public hearing and final vote.

Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves changes to 2017-2018 Code of Student Conduct

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education approved a proposal to update the 2017-2018 Code of Student Conduct.

Among the changes is a plan to offer alternatives in some cases to students who have been referred to the district’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). Other changes include reclassifying the level of some non-statutory offenses and aligning the code with the district’s recently adopted policy banning suspensions in second grade and below. Continue reading →

HISD names new Officer of Business Logistics & Transportation

Alexis Licata

Houston ISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby has selected Alexis Licata to be the district’s new Officer of Business Logistics & Transportation.

Licata has served as general manager of the Office of Business Assistance for nine years, where she was responsible for the district’s risk management, supplier diversity, and warehouse services. She began her career with HISD in 1998 as a member of the HISD Nutrition Services Department.

In her new role, Licata is responsible for about 1,600 employees and a $45 million budget across the areas of transportation, fleet operations, logistics (previously warehouse services), textbooks, risk management, furniture services and supplier diversity. Continue reading →

U.N. visit highlights HISD newcomer school Las Americas

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United Nations Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements was in Houston recently to discuss the global refugee crisis and explore how refugees are resettled in Houston with the support of agencies across the city, carving time out of her schedule to visit HISD’s Las Americas Newcomer School in southwest Houston.

Clements observed a few classrooms, spoke with refugee students, and met HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza. Clements works for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for refugees and stateless people. Also attending was former HISD Trustee Juliet Stipeche, now director of education for the city of Houston.  Continue reading →