Author Archives: HISD Communications

The Culinary Institute of America to offer college-level courses to HISD culinary students

The Houston Independent School District and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) announced an educational partnership Friday at Westside High School that will allow students in the culinary arts program to earn a semester of college credit from a world-renowned culinary college.

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“HISD is excited to announce a new relationship with The Culinary Institute of America that will feed into the passion our culinary arts students have for cooking and give them more hands-on culinary experience and skills to  prepare them for college and a career,” said HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier.

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M/WBE architectural firm designing new 21st century Furr HS

mwbe_snapshot1_rev1Editor’s note: This profile is part of an occasional series on minority- or women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) that do business with HISD. The district’s minimum M/WBE goal levels are 20 percent for all levels of purchasing and construction, and 25 percent for professional services. In the 2007 bond program, that commitment reached nearly 34 percent. In the 2012 program, contracts awarded are expected to top 53 percent. Continue reading →

North Carolina teachers finding growth opportunities in HISD

Six months ago, Lauren Paquette was teaching in North Carolina and living at the poverty level with her husband and son. Now, that’s all changed.

“We started realizing, ‘We can’t afford to live here anymore,’” explains the Hobby Elementary School fourth-grade teacher. “I saw that HISD was coming back to Charlotte, and I said, ‘You know what, let’s just go and see what happens.’”

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That was this past July, and within weeks of meeting with HISD’s Teacher Recruitment team, Paquette had packed up her classroom and headed to Houston.

“For me, it was a $20,000 raise, and that’s huge,” said Paquette. “It’s almost a whole other salary.”
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Community generosity helps Rodriguez ES ‘Get in the Game’ with new soccer field

Rodriguez Elementary School students, along with the Gulfton-area community, now have a new soccer field, thanks to the generosity and fundraising efforts of the Dreambuilders Foundation and United Healthcare. The two groups joined forces with Houston Texans player Chris Myers for a campus celebration on Nov. 11.

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Due to the weather, the rededication ceremony was conducted indoors, but despite the change in plans, Myers was able to create an indoor soccer challenge for the kids and talk to them about the importance of good health habits and being physically fit. Continue reading →

HISD Transportation recognized by national magazine for innovative programs

Magazine honors school district for bus-tracking tool, safety training, green fleet

The Houston Independent School District’s Transportation Department recently was named a recipient of District Administration magazine’s 2014 Districts of Distinction award.

Districts of Distinction is a new national recognition program created by the publication to honor school districts that are demonstrating education excellence with innovative approaches and ideas that work.

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‘Backpack Buddy’ program to become more convenient for HISD schools

HISD has been working with the Houston Food Bank for years to provide non-perishable, kid-appealing, nutritious foods to students who are at high risk of food insecurity or are chronically hungry over the weekend. About 2,100 district students from 62 schools receive bags of donated food each week through the Food Bank’s Backpack Buddy program.

Now, that program is slated to become even easier for campus administrators and staff, as HISD’s Nutrition Services department will begin delivering the food bags directly to participating schools starting Nov. 17. Continue reading →

Briargrove students enter solar-powered project in national contest

hydroplanterBriargrove Elementary School students are once again being considered for a national award for their efforts to build a greener campus and maintain a healthy environment.

As part of HISD’s recent Green Apple Day of Service, the school has entered their solar-powered hydro-planter project into the 2014 National Reuse Contest, sponsored by The Reuse People of America.

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Legendary ballerina, HISD alumna exposes dance students to fine arts careers

Houston Ballet’s first black principal dancer Lauren Anderson talked to dance students about her 20-plus-year career as a ballerina on Nov. 11 at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center.

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“When I first started dancing, I didn’t like it,” said Anderson. “But I never gave up…I’ve been in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty…I’ve been all of the fairies and the birds, and I’ve danced in almost every continent.” Continue reading →

CNN Hero helps Harvard ES kick off IB Action Project

Elizabeth Suneby and Razia Jan

Elizabeth Suneby and Razia Jan

Harvard Elementary students learned what some students in Afghanistan deal with on a daily basis, straight from a woman who founded an all-girls school in a rural area of the country.

Razia Jan visited Harvard on Nov. 11, 2014, as part of the school’s IB Action Project. Jan, who was named a Top 10 CNN Hero in 2012, is the founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in Afghanistan through community-based education. Harvard students will raise money for the foundation through a read-a-thon, selling spirit bracelets, and seeking direct donations. Continue reading →