Category Archives: 2012 bond

Bond Community Meetings Offer Another Chance to be Involved

A student at Booker T. Washington High School explains a design schematic for the new school.

More than 150 people turned out for HISD’s first two community meetings on Tuesday to hear about the progress to rebuild Booker T. Washington High School and DeBakey High School for Health Professions under the district’s $1.89 billion bond program.

“The community was impressed with the work our project advisory team has done and the ideas they presented,” said DeBakey Principal Agnes E. Perry about the meeting at DeBakey, which drew about 75 people. “They liked being able to walk around to different stations to see the design drafts and to meet with the designers.”

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Board of Education to Consider 16 More Contracts Under 2012 Bond Program

Administrators are recommending that the HISD Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate contracts with seven firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected 2012 bond projects.

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Workshops Guide Designs for New HSPVA and DeBakey Campuses

Architects go over design ideas for the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions during a design charrette.

Houston ISD will be rebuilding two of its specialty high schools into 21st century campuses that cultivate creativity and collaboration when construction gets underway on the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions and the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

That consensus came as each school held a two-day design charrette with their Project Advisory Teams and architects to discuss specific goals and aspirations for the new campuses.

“Students are more open and receptive to learning if they can access it visually,” said architect Greg Papay, who is part of the architect team designing the new DeBakey. “We’re designing a 21st century school where learning will happen in a variety of spaces.”

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Community Meetings to Share Preliminary Design Concepts for 2012 Bond Schools

Attendees will have the chance to weigh in on proposed drawings and concepts  

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect new meetings dates.
The Houston Independent School District is hosting a series of community meetings for the first 17 schools slated for construction in the 2012 bond program to give participants a chance to review draft designs and concepts.

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Science Teachers Have Opportunity to Make Schools Greener

The National Wildlife Federation is hosting a workshop on Saturday, Nov. 2, for middle school science teachers to provide them with the framework to implement a student-based energy efficiency program at their school that applies STEM teaching methods.

Teachers who attend will receive a $100 stipend, 6 CPE credits and TEKS aligned curriculum. Schools that send a team of two to three science teachers will be eligible for a $500 grant from the NWF to help their school become more sustainable.

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HISD Supplier Diversity Team Networks with M/WBEs at Expo

The district’s supplier diversity team got the chance to tout business opportunities with HISD on Wednesday at the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council Business Expo.

The event, which attracted more than 1,500 corporate buyers, government agencies and educational institutions, provided a way for participants to network and build relationships. HISD took part in hopes of identifying more minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) that might be interested in future procurement opportunities in the district.

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HISD Breaking Ground on First New Schools of 2012 Bond Program

An excavator began doing site work this week for the new South Early College High School, marking the first new school to break ground within the 2012 bond program, which will build or renovate 40 schools across the city.

“We are very excited about this milestone,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “With construction underway, we are one step closer to our goal of providing our students with 21st century schools that will prepare them for college and careers.”

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Project Advisory Team, Architects Brainstorm on a New Milby HS

In talking about the future of Milby High School on Wednesday, students and members of the school’s Project Advisory Team spent just as much time reflecting on the historic high school’s past and traditions.

“There is a lot of pride and connection with the school,” said Colley Hodges, an architect at Kirksey, which is working to design a new facility for Milby that preserves the century-old school’s architecturally significant building structure. “There’s a lot of incentive for maintaining the historical fabric of the school.”

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Extensive Information Available Online for 2007, 2012 Bond Projects

Members of the Sterling High School Project Advisory Team discuss options for the new school.

Are you wondering about the progress at your school under the 2012 bond program? There’s no easier way to keep up to date than checking out HISD’s website dedicated to providing complete coverage of the program to build or renovate 40 schools at houstonisd.org/bond.

One feature of the website is a calendar listing all the meeting times of the Project Advisory Teams. These groups of students, staff, and community members hold monthly meetings at each bond campus to guide the design and the construction of the schools.  These meetings are open to the public and are a great way to stay informed.

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HISD Shares Information on its Green Building Program

The Houston Independent School District is highlighting its commitment to building sustainable schools with a new web section dedicated to raising awareness about its green building program and the different ways campuses are participating.

The web page is located at houstonisd.org/GreenSchools and features information about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, which were developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide builders a framework and guidelines for green building.

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