Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

DeAnda ES teacher named Teacher of the Month for October 

Fourth-grade students at DeAnda Elementary School thought it was just another day of learning prepositions and sentence structure, until Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan surprised their teacher, Hillary Smith, as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for October.

Having served as a fourth- and fifth-grade English/Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, Smith was selected for her tenacious spirit that brings literacy to life for students at DeAnda.

“We are grateful to have had Hilary serve DeAnda students for the last seven years,” said Principal Lauren Mailhiot. “Her high expectations coupled with passion pushes our students beyond their limits in both reading and writing.” Continue reading →

Three HISD schools named National Blue Ribbon Schools 

Challenge Early College HS, DeBakey HS for Health Professions and East Early College HS recognized by U.S. Department of Education

Three Houston Independent School District schools received a 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools award on Monday from the U.S Department of Education. The HISD schools are among 349 schools in the nation and 24 schools in Texas to be recognized.

The National Blue Ribbon award is given annually to high-performing schools to showcase the hard work of students and educators. Challenge Early College High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions and East Early College High School are this year’s HISD recipients. Each school is a previous National Blue Ribbon award recipient.

Challenge Early College High School’s mission is to graduate confident, lifelong learners who are prepared to succeed in higher education and be productive citizens worldwide. The school allows students to stay a year beyond graduation in order to take college credit courses and receive individual academic assistance to succeed in those courses.    Continue reading →

HISD Communications Department nominated for 5 Lone Star EMMY awards 

The HISD Communications Department has been nominated for five Lone Star EMMY awards for district videos and programming produced during the 2017-2018 school year.

Lone Star EMMY represents the most experienced and talented television professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all television markets in Texas.

“I am incredibly proud of the work HISD’s Communications team has done to be nominated for five of these prestigious Lone Star EMMY awards,” said HISD Communications Chief Rebecca Suarez. “It’s an honor for our team’s talent to be recognized in our daily mission to share the incredible stories of our students, our community and the district.” Continue reading →

HISD meets state accountability standard for 2017-2018

Under new accountability rating system, the number of schools with “Improvement Required” rating
declines to lowest number since 2012

Although the Houston Independent School District received a “Not Rated” label for meeting the state’s criteria to qualify for the Hurricane Harvey waiver, the district was calculated to have earned an overall B rating under Texas’ new school accountability system, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced Wednesday.

According to the ratings released today by TEA, 91 percent of HISD schools (251 out of 275 rated campuses) earned a “Met Standard” rating for the 2017-2018 school year.

“I’m elated about the progress we’ve made,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “It shows that the allocation of additional resources for critical staffing, student supports, and wraparound services encompassed by Achieve 180 is working. Though we are excited about the news we’ve received today, we know we still have work to do.” Continue reading →

Enter now to win a student World Youth Foundation award

The World Youth Foundation is hosting its annual back-to-school celebration! Students who exemplify scholarship, community service, and excellence outside of the classroom can apply to be considered for a World Youth Foundation award.

See below for details on the awards categories, which include Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law Enforcement, Urban Planning, and much more

HISD students grades 9-12 interested in being nominated are asked to complete this interest form no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 16.

Continue reading →

Lamar HS football coach retiring after 33 years of service at HISD

Tom Nolen

Lamar High School Football Head Coach Tom Nolen has announced his retirement after 33 years of coaching football at HISD.

Nolen led the Lamar Texans to 308 University Interscholastic League (UIL) wins and 19 district championships. In his 33 years, the Texans made the playoffs 31 times.

“Lamar has become part of my identity,” Nolen said. “My students and coaches are my best friends. In some cases, I’ve coached them, their parents, and their grandparents. I am deeply honored to have had the privilege of working with some great athletes at a school as special and diverse as Lamar.” Continue reading →

HISD thanks Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for Harvey efforts

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This week, HISD joined with more than 20,000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated to publicly thank them for donating thousands of dollars to district students and staff in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Continue reading →

Brookline ES unveils new student-created mural 

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Brookline Elementary School students have been working throughout the spring on an art mural that adjoins their campus. Artist Krista Birnbaum designed the mural for a 2,800-square-foot wall that borders the campus and is visible from the school. Young Brookline artists worked on the mural with Birnbaum during recess and on Saturday mornings.

The mural was dedicated on Monday, July 2, in a ceremony attended by HISD Trustee Sergio Lira, State Rep. Carol Alvarado, and Project Coordinator Theodore Wills, who is in charge of Brookline’s library, business partnerships, and community outreach and development.  Continue reading →

HISD principal named Region 4 Principal of the Year

Geovanny J. Ponce, principal of Jones Futures Academy, has been named the 2018 Region 4 Principal of the Year by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).

Ponce joins winners from the state’s 19 other Education Service Center regions in a pool of candidates for the honor of Texas Principal of the Year title. TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from each of the 20 regions every year.

“I believe in quality education for all children,” Ponce said. “We need to make sure our children will be successful in a global society by teaching them to be leaders.”

Ponce was selected to represent HISD in the Region 4 segment of the competition based on his outstanding performance with traditionally underserved children. Ponce instills collaborative leadership to ensure students from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds have equal access high-quality learning opportunities. Continue reading →

HISD receives national curriculum award for Achieve 180 program 

Research and Accountability Assistant Superintendent Carla Stevens also honored by CGCS for 25 years of service

HISD’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction has been awarded the “Making Strides Together Curriculum Award for Excellence in Urban Education” by the Council of the Great City Schools for the district’s work on its Achieve 180 program.

HISD Assistant Superintendent of Research and Accountability Carla Stevens displays her award for 25 years of service.

The award, which was presented this week in Minneapolis during the Annual Curriculum and Research Directors’ Joint Meeting, recognizes work across organizational silos to support a common goal to improve student achievement, as well as cross-functional teams’ planning, implementation, and progressmonitoring.

Achieve 180, which was implemented during the 2017-2018 school year, is a program to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming HISD schools. A key component of the research-based initiative is family and community empowerment. Achieve 180 also includes five other pillars: leadership excellence, teaching excellence, instructional excellence, school design, and social and emotional learning support. Continue reading →