Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

Vocabulary victories at Chavez HS, Lanier MS highlight effective literacy strategies

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Chavez High School and Lanier Middle School won the top prizes in Vocabulary.com’s 2015-2016 national Vocabulary Bowl, a competition that is becoming just one example of effective strategies to increase literacy across the HISD’s secondary schools.

Chavez won for the second consecutive year with 344,043 words mastered, and Lanier won with 230,034 words. Chavez celebrated on Monday, May 9, with a trophy presentation, medals and certificates for the top 100 students, and inspirational speeches and congratulations from local media and nationally known figures. Lanier’s celebration was Friday, May 13, in the school gymnasium.

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Vote in second round of ‘Fan Favorite’ Teacher of the Year 

Two winners to be announced at May 20 Educators of the Year banquet

Over the past two weeks, HISD staff, students, and alumni voted over 85,000 times for their “Fan Favorite” Teacher of the Year. Voters could choose from any of the campus-based Teacher of the Year nominees. The votes are now tallied and the top four elementary and secondary teachers are moving on to round two. The finalists are:  Continue reading →

Five HISD students win coveted Gates Millennium Scholarship

Five Houston Independent School District students are among more than 1,000 high school seniors from across the country to be selected this week to the final class of the Gates Millennium Scholars program.

The students — Nofisat Babajide and Esther Brown from Bellaire High School, Janeth Rodriguez from Carnegie Vanguard High School, Leslie Benavides from Eastwood Academy, and Sheighlah McManus from Jane Long Academy— will be awarded a scholarship that can be used to pursue a degree at accredited colleges or universities of their choosing. Continue reading →

HISD student wins corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship

Thao_LamA Houston Independent School District student is among more than 1,000 high school seniors from across the country to be selected to win a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship award.

Thao T. Lam of DeBakey High School for Health Professions received a $2,500 corporate-sponsored scholarship from The Novartis Group, a leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and health-care products. Lam plans to attend the University of Miami and later work in pediatrics. Continue reading →

HISD, mayor to recognize 100-plus seniors headed to nation’s top tier colleges, universities

The Houston Independent School District along with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will recognize 164 graduating scholars headed to the nation’s top-tier colleges and universities during the third annual EMERGE Senior Celebration on Thursday.

Through EMERGE, scholars from 28 high schools have earned the distinction this year of being accepted to colleges and universities including Yale, Harvard, Rice, Brown, Stanford, Smith, Dartmouth, Duke, Wake Forest, Northeastern, Pomona, and  Boston University.

The EMERGE program aims to help low-income, high-potential students gain admission to and graduate from Ivy League and other top tier colleges and universities across the nation. The EMERGE scholars will be recognized for their dedication and hard work during a banquet scheduled for Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Rice University in the Tudor Fieldhouse. Mayor Turner is scheduled to speak at the program along with HISD Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt. Continue reading →

HISD to celebrate College Signing Day as part of White House education initiative

The Houston Independent School District will commemorate national College Signing Day on Tuesday, April 26 by encouraging high school seniors to tout their college acceptance letters and wear college paraphernalia as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Better Make Room and Reach Higher initiatives to celebrate education.

HISD will host its College Signing Day event at Austin High School, where more than 300 high school seniors will be recognized for their academic excellence. The event will bring together students, administrators, teachers, school counselors and parents to celebrate seniors who are headed to college, thanks to academic scholarships. Many of the students will be the first in their families to attend college. Continue reading →

Help determine the ‘Fan Favorite’ for HISD’s Educators of the Year banquet

HISD will honor teachers and principals at a superhero-themed ceremony on Friday, May 20. HISD’s Educators of the Year banquet, sponsored by Cigna, will reveal the district’ elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year, but back by popular demand, will also 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 last year the Fan Favorite category was created so the HISD community could vote on social media for their favorite elementary and secondary teacher.

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Carnegie Vanguard ranked 10th best high school in nation

Carnegie Vanguard High School has been ranked as the 10th best high school in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 Best High Schools rankings.

Three additional Houston Independent School District schools were ranked in the top 100 — DeBakey High School for Health Professions, which was ranked 29th, Eastwood Academy, which came in at the 50th spot, and Challenge Early College High School, which was ranked 78th. Continue reading →

HISD chefs spotlighted by Texas Department of Agriculture 

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Chef Trainer Brittany Jones teaches students how to make pumpkin spice muffins.

The Texas Department of Agriculture recently highlighted HISD Nutrition Services Chefs David Husbands and Brittany Jones in their spotlight newsletter, Chefs in Texas Schools, for developing nutritious school meals for students.

Husbands, who is the executive chef, creates reimbursable school meals and works closely with dietitians to develop school menus. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with other colleagues and strives to provide better service to HISD students. Continue reading →