Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

Madison HS wins top honors at OTC Energy Challenge 2017

Madison High School took home top honors Wednesday at the inaugural OTC Energy Challenge 2017, part of this year’s Offshore Technology Conference underway at NRG Park.

The OTC Energy Challenge is a team competition for local high school students to solve a real-world energy challenge, applying the scientific method with the aid of an academic coach and an industry mentor. Each four-member team received a $1,000 stipend to solve the challenge, and their projects were judged by a panel of representatives from the energy industry and academia. Teams were assigned one of five challenges covering areas such as remote offshore power, offshore wind energy, remote monitoring, decommissioning, and facility design. Continue reading →

Baylor College of Medicine at Ryan receives top national award from Magnet Schools of America

Baylor College of Medicine at Ryan has received the Magnet Schools of America President’s Award, one of the organization’s top national awards, as well as being honored with a Magnet Schools of Excellence Award.

Energy Institute High School and Parker Elementary School also received 2017 National Merit awards from Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and themed-based schools.

The three schools are among 244 public magnet schools and programs from across the nation to receive the awards. They were selected for their commitment to high academic standards, school diversity, specialized curricula and instruction, family engagement, and community partnerships. Continue reading →

Citgo, Harris County Sheriff’s Office honor 56 HISD students for perfect attendance

CITGO Petroleum Corp., in partnership with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday gave away 56 Kindle Fire tablets to HISD students with perfect attendance this school year – part of “Kindling Young Minds,” a project in its sixth year that is designed to boost attendance.

Six students from each of HISD’s eight regions (two students per grade level) plus eight special education students were selected at random and received their Kindles at a ceremony held at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. HISD’s Dropout Prevention and Information Technology departments worked together to develop a random selection tool to ensure equity. Continue reading →

HISD fifth- and eighth-graders see significant mathematics gains on STAAR

HISD’s fifth- and eighth-grade students made significant gains in mathematics on the first administration of the STAAR test in March.

Overall, passing rates for district fifth-graders in math increased 6 percentage points from last year, and rates for district eighth-graders rose 5 percentage points. In state results, both fifth- and eighth-grade scores rose 5 percentage points.

Among economically disadvantaged students, passing rates in math increased for fifth- and eighth-graders by 7 percentage points and 6 percentage points, respectively. Continue reading →

HISD names new director for its Family and Community Engagement Department 

Dr. Michelle Burke

Dr. Michelle Burke has been selected as the new director for HISD’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department.

Dr. Burke will report directly to Chief Student Support Officer Mark Smith. She will continue working on assisting schools, families, and community stakeholders with the tools, guidance, and resources needed to support student academic achievement. She will take an active role in empowering families and the community at large to make the best decisions for their child’s academic success.

“I am so honored to have the privilege to lead our family and community engagement efforts,” Dr. Burke said. “I look forward to sharing my passion and service to the community and will continue building solid partnerships with our schools, families, and the community to impact the success of our students.” Continue reading →

Help determine the ‘Fan Favorite’ Teachers of the Year 

Winners to be announced at May 19 Educators of the Year banquet

HISD will honor teachers and principals on Friday, May 19, at the district’s Educators of the Year banquet, and back by popular demand will be the announcement of the “Fan Favorite.”

The districtwide elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year are determined using performance data and other criteria, but the Fan Favorite category was created so the HISD community could vote on social media for their favorite elementary and secondary teacher. Continue reading →

48 HISD schools earn spot on 2016 Texas Honor Roll

The Houston Independent School District has 48 schools that have been named to the 2016 Texas Honor Roll by the Educational Results Partnership – with 15 more schools on the list than last year.

ERP, a nonprofit organization that showcases schools with high academic achievement, included 727 Texas public schools on its list. These schools display academic excellence, continue to improve over time, and show reduction in achievement gaps among ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students.

Continue reading →

Energy Institute HS places second at FIRST Robotics World competition 

Energy Institute High School’s Energy HEROs team on Saturday placed second in the world at the Houston-hosted FIRST Robotics World competition.

The HEROs were part of an alliance with three other teams: alliance captain, The Robonauts, and alliance partners Citrus Circuits and Columbus Space Program. Continue reading →

HISD announces new principal of Secondary DAEP School

The Houston Independent School District appointed Tynette Guinn as the principal of the new Secondary Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) School.

Guinn serves as principal of Lawson Middle School but is currently transitioning into her new role. She also served as principal of High School Ahead Academy and in numerous campus leadership positions within the district. Guinn earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in computer information systems from Prairie View A&M and her master’s degree of educational management from University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Continue reading →

Graduating EMERGE seniors to be honored at annual celebration 

There are 252 EMERGE seniors graduating in May and heading off to colleges and universities around the country, and they’re on track to receive more than $36 million in scholarships and grants.

This year, students have been accepted to schools such as Harvard University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Scripps College, Amherst College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University, St. John’s University-New York, and Johns Hopkins University.  Continue reading →