Whether it applied to building solid relationships between Team HISD members or making the most of tools from the Digital Age, “connection” was the common thread that tied many of the break-out sessions together on the final day of HISD’s 2013 Summer Leadership Institute on June 20.
Hundreds of campus leaders took part in the three-day event at the Reliant Center this year, and many came away with new insight into how the concept of “connectedness” could help boost student achievement.
Two recent graduates are spending their summer living out their dream and a high school principal talks about how the unconventional hours at his campus leads recent immigrants to success. Those are just two stories featured in this week’s edition of Community eNews.
HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones and various administrators addressed dozens of parents at a public meeting at Kashmere High School Tuesday on the proposed changes to school attendance zones to prepare for the North Forest transition. The school zone changes would impact Kashmere High School as well as Key Middle School and Cook, Kashmere Gardens, McGowen and Paige elementary schools.
Chavez HS teacher Greg Ditch (center) poses with former students and recent graduates Eric Lopez (left) and Walter Campos.
While many recent high-school graduates are planning trips to the beach, enjoying their newfound freedom, or sleeping late, members of Chávez High School’s Class of 2013 Eric Lopez and Walter Campos are going full throttle this summer—literally.
These young men were part of the Motor Sports Engineering program launched this school year by science teacher Greg Ditch, in which students turned an ordinary Pontiac GTO into a fully-fledged land speed race car that was piloted by NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Donnie Neuenberger.
Students at HISD’s Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy didn’t want much—just an outdoor space on the grounds of their 88-year-old campus to take an occasional break from their studies.
Now, they have it, thanks to an organization called The Links, Inc. and the seven Houston chapters’ joint community service project.
Representatives from that organization came to the campus on June 19 to celebrate the unveiling and official dedication of the newly renovated courtyard, which is shaded by a huge oak tree, graced with a tiled fountain, and paved with 207 bricks sold for $100 each and engraved with the names of their benefactors.
Nearly 100 vendors and suppliers turned out Wednesday to hear about HISD’s latest efforts to build on the success of its program for minority and women-owned business enterprises. HISD will be implementing changes that will hold firms more accountable in meeting district goals.
Starting July 1, the district plans to roll out new paperwork on all its bids, incorporating a new scoring system for vendors and suppliers to meet HISD’s M/WBE participation goals. The goals are set at 20 percent for construction and the purchasing of goods and non-professional services and 25 percent for professional services.
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Teachers and administrators need to work with students’ families in order to truly better their lives, said the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s Summer Leadership Institute.
Karen Mapp, a Harvard University professor and consultant with the Department of Education, spoke to a packed hall of district and campus leaders during the second day of one of the district’s largest professional development events.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a monthly series of profiles on minority or women-owned companies 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, the contracts awarded to date reflect a nearly 51 percent M/WBE commitment.
Campus and central office leadership teams are gathering at Reliant Center for three days of professional development at the 2013 Houston ISD Summer Leadership Institute.
This year’s theme is “Becoming Great All Over … The Connection Between Rigorous and Consistent Instruction and School Safety,” and attendees took part in a number of breakout sessions designed to show how those concepts intersect.
Houston ISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier smiles after writing a message on a bus during the Summer Leadership Institute at Reliant Center, June 18, 2013.
During the first day of the HISD Summer Leadership Institute, Superintendent of Schools Terry Grier challenged principals to share what they can do every day to help their staff, their school, and their students to “become great all over.” Instead of writing their thoughts down on a piece of paper, however, the school leaders grabbed paint pens and “tagged” an HISD school bus parked in front of Reliant Hall.
“Great teachers, principals, and support staff is what it is all about,” said Dr. Grier, as he grabbed a black paint pen and inked his thoughts on the bus. “Our investment in human capital here at HISD is sincere and it is an extremely important piece of what we are ultimately trying to do, which is to make all our schools and students great.”