Author Archives: HISD Communications

Share your feedback on how HISD should utilize relief funds

In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as the ARP Act, was signed into law. The bill dedicated $122 billion for K-12 schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief (ESSER) III funds. As a result, HISD is eligible to apply for ESSER III grant funds under the ARP Act.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released the entitlements for HISD under the ARP Act, ESSER III grant funds. These are additional funds to HISD and are to be used to address the impact COVID-19 has had – and continues to have – on elementary and secondary schools.

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Mitchell Elementary students delight in virtual grand opening watch party

A long red carpet adorned with gold stars and flanked by large striped boxes overflowing with white and yellow balloons posing as popcorn helped set the stage for a celebration at Mitchell Elementary School.

Eager students grabbed bags of popcorn and gathered for classroom watch parties, loudly counting down the seconds until the premiere of the new school’s virtual grand opening.

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HISD schools earn high marks in annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. World News & World Report released its 2021 Best Public High School rankings, and several Houston Independent School District schools made the list.

Four HISD schools are among the top 100 schools in the country: Carnegie Vanguard High School ranks at number 42, DeBakey High School for Health Professions at number 46, Challenge Early College High School at number 89, and Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy at number 97.

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Outstanding high school seniors surprised with Superintendent Scholars Awards

It was a whirlwind tour of several high school campuses, as Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan surprised seniors with the Superintendent Scholars Awards.

This was the third year of the awards, which were underwritten by Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and the Houston ISD Foundation. Handpicked by Lathan, the 11 students were selected from HISD seniors nominated by their principals or leadership teams.

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Nine HISD students win national Scholastic Art and Writing gold medals

A record nine Houston Independent School District students from six campuses won prestigious national gold medals in the 2020 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

This is the first time HISD has had nine national gold medal winners in a single year. The winners competed against more than 80,000 students who submitted nearly 230,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Awards. Only 2,000 entries received national medals.

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Braeburn ES teacher named May Teacher of the Month

Braeburn Elementary School teacher Sandy Trejo was not expecting the sights and sounds that greeted her when she stepped outside of the school on Tuesday.

As students waved handmade signs of congratulations, a mini parade of brightly decorated cars snaked through the parking lot, blaring their horns to honor the first-grade ESL teacher as the district’s Teacher of the Month for May.

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May 12 is National School Nurse Day

The Houston Independent School District is honoring the hard work and dedication of school nurses as part of National School Nurse Day on Wednesday, May 12.

Since 1972, this day has been an opportunity to recognize these important members of our school communities. But this year, the importance of our school nurses has been made even more apparent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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HISD school lunch heroes honored with city proclamation

Dozens of Nutrition Services employees gathered by black tents as cars snaked through the parking lot at Barnett Stadium – a Neighborhood Supersite where families can pick up student meals, family food boxes, and household supplies.

But this Wednesday, the team was surprised with a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner designating Friday, May 7, 2021 as HISD National School Lunch Hero Day.

“Today, we celebrate Nutrition Services employees,” Interim Co-Chief Operating Officer Eugene Salazar said as he presented the proclamation. “This proclamation acknowledges your outstanding achievements and unwavering dedication to families and students in our community.”

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New partnership targets food desert surrounding Dogan ES

Sunny skies and a warm May morning helped usher in a new partnership that aims to battle food insecurity in the Greater Fifth Ward neighborhood surrounding Dogan Elementary School.

At a launch event on Friday at the school, the Houston Independent School District announced the partnership, which teams up local nonprofit Brighter Bites with the American Federation of Teachers, the Houston Federation of Teachers, and Houston Educational Support Personnel. The partnership hopes to address food equity issues and access to healthy food in the surrounding neighborhood.

The solution? A food distribution at Dogan—open to anyone in need from the community—offering fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as clothing and other supplies on a biweekly basis.

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In your words: HISD community shares what makes our teachers special

As Teacher Appreciation Week comes to a close, we are spotlighting some of the best teachers in HISD, chosen by you! There were many submissions to the online form, with a wide range of teachers from campuses across the district.

Below, you can find the teachers submitted by students, their parents, and fellow educators. For more teacher spotlights, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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