Author Archives: HISD Communications

Sharpstown International School community hears about plans to update campus

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A community meeting was held at Sharpstown International School (SIS) this week to brief stakeholders on district plans to renovate the unique school.

SIS was developed in 2007 as a partnership of HISD and the Asia Society International Schools Network, and was known as the International High School at Sharpstown. In the 2011-2012 school year, International High School and Sharpstown Middle School were consolidated to become the first 6-12 grade magnet program in the district. With an international studies focus, it was named Sharpstown International School.

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Passion fuels second-year teacher’s success

Switching careers can be a daunting decision, and Natalie Nelson knows first-hand how difficult that transition can be.

Natalie Nelson

Natalie Nelson worked as a political researcher and an advocate for juvenile justice reform before joining HISD as a teacher a Chávez High School in 2013.

The Advanced Placement government and economics teacher at Chávez High School chronicled her experiences as a first-year teacher in 2013–2014 in an HISD blog called 177 Days, and recently, she reflected on finishing her second year in HISD. Continue reading →

Project teams work to preserve school history in designs for new schools

As HISD project teams are making plans to build or renovate 40 schools under the district’s current bond program, they also are giving careful consideration to items of historical or architectural significance that can be preserved and incorporated into the new designs.

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Students’ graduation stories publicized in Times Square

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Three lucky HISD students got to see their names in lights on June 10, when hundreds of students from across the country were featured on a Times Square billboard in New York City.

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Great debaters continue their tradition of success

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Lanier Middle School students know that oratorical skill can be a powerful tool. The debate team from that campus attended the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament for High School and Middle School Speech and Debate recently—and walked away with one of the top honors.

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HISD Board of Education approves 2015-2016 budget; raises for teachers, principals, staff

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday adopted a 2015-2016 budget with significant salary increases designed to help the district hire and retain the most effective teachers and principals.

As part of the approved budget, teachers will get a minimum salary increase of 2 percent, with beginning teacher salaries jumping up to $51,500 — almost $5,000 more than they earned just two years ago. Certified bilingual teachers would earn an additional $4,000 annual stipend, more than triple the current stipend.

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HISD graduate reflects on the district resources that made the difference

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Meylin Ramirez just graduated with honors as a member of Reagan High School’s Class of 2015. But the journey behind that diploma is a testament to both her willpower and the strength of HISD’s support systems for students.

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Students win study abroad opportunities

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Two HISD high school juniors are well on their way to an education that straddles continents. On June 15, the Institute of International Education (IIE) bestowed Passport Awards on Luz De Leon of Davis High School and Karen Ortiz of Sharpstown International School. The Passport Awards were given to 13 students across the country in an effort to encourage these students to go abroad in college.

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HISD PD hosts School-Based Law Enforcement Summit series

About 200 law enforcement officials are now more equipped to address school safety and security
issues across Houston area schools, thanks to the 2015 Texas School-Based Law Enforcement Summit series held June 7-9 at Westside High School.

The event, hosted by Houston Independent School District Police Department, is a part of the Institute for Criminal Justice Studies program of the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University.

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Workshops helping teachers become better writing instructors

A series of writing workshops for HISD educators is giving teachers new tools for showing students how to become better writers.

In the June 11 workshop, participants practiced the technique of selecting a “seed topic” to inspire students’ writing through personal memories and experiences.

“When something is meaningful and important to you, you can tell a better story,” said Thompson ES teacher Lenora Green. “Just a prompt can be anything and may not be meaningful to you, but…if it means something, you’ll do a great job at it.”
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