Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

Class of 2018 valedictorians, salutatorians to be honored at Scholars Banquet 

The Houston Independent School District will pay tribute to each high school’s valedictorian and salutatorian during its annual Scholars Banquet on Wednesday evening.

Every spring, HISD honors the top two scholars at each of its high schools with a formal celebration of the accomplishment of finishing first or second in their class academic rankings. During the banquet, each valedictorian and salutatorian is presented with a medallion in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements.

The 2018 Scholars Banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at the Westin Galleria Hotel (5060 West Alabama St., Houston, 77056). Continue reading →

HISD Director of Athletics named 2018 National Sport and Security Professional of the Year

HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino

HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino has been selected to receive the 2018 National Sport and Security Professional of the Year Award, presented by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The award recognizes a member of management in the field who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in addressing safety and security issues over the past year.

The honor is selected by each respective sport league, association, or advisory committee, and will be presented on Wednesday, July 11, during the 2018 National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition in Louisville, Kentucky.

HISD PD dispatcher stays calm under pressure to help ensure safety

HISD PD dispatcher Raycinda Buxton

Sitting behind four large computer screens with a headset attached to her left ear, Raycinda Buxton spends her days responding to other people’s emergencies.

On any given day, the HISD Police Department dispatcher is answering 911 calls, dispatching officers, monitoring alarms and video surveillance — often all at the same time.    Continue reading →

HISD COO Brian Busby named one of Houston’s top 40 under 40

HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby

Houston Independent School District Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby has been named as one of the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for 2018.

The list honors young professionals in Houston who have become key leaders in their respective industries and in the community. Judges selected the honorees based on leadership, community involvement, and the ability to overcome challenges.

“I am truly honored to be selected by the Houston Business Journal as one of their 40 Under 40,” Busby said. “The work I do each day in my career and my community is my passion. To be honored for it is indescribable.”

Continue reading →

Assistant principal’s challenging youth helps him mentor students in disciplinary program

When you meet Tristan Love, assistant principal at HISD’s Secondary DAEP campus, you first notice how polite and smartly dressed he is – wearing a light gray suit, pink bowtie, and polished shoes. He has a sparkle in his eye and a smile for everyone. It’s a far cry from his former life as a gang member.

Love’s politeness and respect extend to his students at the school, who are among the most behaviorally challenged students in HISD. They all have been sent to Secondary DAEP from their home campuses, many of them gang members. But this doesn’t faze Love. He’s living proof that coming from poverty, a broken home, being a gang member, and living a life of violence doesn’t mean you can’t have a bright future.

“I tell my students, my job is to serve you,” Love said. “If I hadn’t run into the caring adults I did when I was younger, I don’t really know where I’d be.”  Continue reading →

HISD to honor top volunteers at annual VIPS recognition ceremony 

District designating April 16-20 as Volunteers in Public Schools Recognition Week

The Houston Independent School District on Thursday, April 19 will recognize the efforts of thousands of volunteers and will honor the top volunteers of the year at the Volunteers in Public Schools Recognition and Awards Ceremony.

During the ceremony at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., Houston, 77092), HISD will acknowledge the contributions of the volunteers in four award categories:

  • Jean Davis Myers Volunteer Service Award (the most prestigious award) – Presented to an individual or group whose program or volunteer efforts have had an impact on several schools (at the same time) in HISD and have enhanced the quality of education through volunteering for HISD students for two or more years.
  • Parent Partner of the Year – Recognizes a parent or parent group/program that promotes the active involvement of parents for the improvement of the school or region in a manner that positively impacts student achievement.
  • Youth Volunteer of the Year (K-12) – Recognizes a young person or youth group for outstanding volunteer service in the school(s).
  • Charles Harding VIPS Senior of the Year – Recognizes a senior citizen (55 years or older) who assists schools, teachers and/or students in a manner that positively impacts student success.

Continue reading →

Special needs student lands full-time job at Houston Food Bank 

HISD has several transitional programs for students with cognitive disabilities that train them to find meaningful work and sustainable life situations after graduation. After two years in the H.E.A.R.T. program at the Houston Food Bank, Trevor has been hired as a full-time worker. Trevor is doing everything regular employees do—chopping vegetables, cutting bread, packaging meals, and washing trays and utensil. Trevor’s mother is thrilled.

Watch the video to find out what Trevor is planning to do with his first paycheck.

Assistant superintendent of School Choice named interim chief academic officer 

Noelia Longoria, HISD’s assistant superintendent of the Office of School Choice, has been named interim chief academic officer of the Houston Independent School District.

Longoria assumes her new role immediately, reporting to Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

“Ms. Longoria has more than 25 years of experience in urban education and a proven record of turning around underperforming schools,” Lathan said. “I am confident that she will have a positive impact in helping to guide instruction across our district.”  Continue reading →

Lamar HS senior’s story of 20 college acceptances goes viral 

Micheal Brown received his first college acceptance in November, and after that, they just kept rolling in—20 in all, including all eight Ivy League schools and 12 other top-tier universities across the country.

When word got out that not only did Brown get accepted, but he got a full ride to all of them, the story went viral. The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, CNN, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, local TV stations, and news outlets in Atlanta, San Diego, and Seattle are just a few that ran the story. Lamar Principal James McSwain said that for the past few days, he has been Brown’s press agent, fielding calls and even holding a press conference at the high school.

Brown leaves in a few days for Stanford University, which has been his top pick since middle school. Now, however, he is not so sure, so he is going to try to visit his top seven schools before making a final decision by May 1. The Lamar senior’s mother, Berthinia Rutledge-Brown, hopes he picks Stanford, but she will support him no matter what, just as she has his entire life. Brown is her only child, so it will be bittersweet when he leaves for college.   Continue reading →

Popular Waltrip HS band director crowned Teacher of the Month  

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Tuesday was a day of surprises for Waltrip High School Band Director, Jesse Espinosa, who was crowned the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for April by Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan.

“Mr. Espinosa is so deserving of this award and I couldn’t be more than happy to recognize all his efforts on today,” Principal Dale Mitchell said. “It is his passion and commitment that pushes students beyond the band hall.”

Left speechless during his surprise Tuesday morning, there’s no denying it’s the Waltrip High School alum and Army veteran’s determining spirit that has allowed the Waltrip High School’s band program to be recognized as one of the “Top 5” Title I music programs in the United States.  Continue reading →