Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

HISD wins excellence award for financial reporting and accountability

The Houston Independent School District was recognized this week by the Association of School Business Officials International for having met or exceeded the program’s high standards for financial reporting and accountability.

The district received the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for its 2014-2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The award is given to school districts that demonstrate superior accounting practices and reporting procedures, and confirms the district’s commitment to financial accountability and transparency.

“It is a tremendous honor for the district to be recognized for its commitment to financial accountability and good stewardship of public resources,” HISD Interim Chief Financial Officer Sherrie Robinson said. “As an entity supported by public dollars, it is our responsibility to provide services effectively and efficiently, and our finance team works extremely hard to ensure we do that every year.”

ASBO International is a professional organization that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth, and the effective use of education resources. This year marks the 36th consecutive year the district has received the award.

 

HISD wins third national Magna Award for Literacy By 3 efforts

The Houston Independent School District this week received its third national Magna Award, an honor designed to recognize school districts and their leaders for taking bold, innovative steps to improve the lives of students and their communities.

The district received the first-place Magna Award for its Literacy By 3 program, which strives to have all students reading and writing fluently by the end of third grade. HISD is one of five first-place winners in the over 20,000 enrollment category. Continue reading →

Davis HS band to compete at inaugural statewide UIL mariachi festival

DavisHSMariachi2016_800A dozen students from HISD’s Davis HS will be making history this weekend — both as participants in the University Interscholastic League’s very first State Mariachi Festival and as the only school from HISD to be representing the district.

Davis is one of almost 60 schools playing in the inaugural competition, which takes place March 11 and 12 in San Antonio.

“I am pleased to see that mariachi is being recognized at the UIL state level,” said teacher José Niño. “It combines orchestra, band, and choir all in one.”

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#TeamHISD rallies around Sam Houston MSTC as basketball team advances to state semi-finals

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HISD’s own Sam Houston Running Tigers got a raucous send-off Thursday before they head to the state boys’ basketball semi-finals this weekend for the first time since 1988, and fans are being encouraged to show their support by attending Friday’s game or cheering the team on through social media.

Students and staff – along with members of the school’s 1988 state basketball championship team – gathered at Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center for the morning rally before the Tigers’ trip to San Antonio, where they will take on the Atascocita HS Eagles (Humble ISD) in the initial 6A division match-up at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome. The winner of that game will play against either the DeSoto Eagles (DeSoto ISD) or the Steele HS Knights (Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD) the following night at 8:30 p.m. for the state championship.

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HISD Nutrition Services called a ‘role model’ after acing state review

TDA Lead Monitors Kelly Craig and Sally Page sign the preliminary review report to Nutrition Services Senior Administrator Audene Chung.

TDA Lead Monitors Kelly Craig and Sally Page sign the preliminary review report to Nutrition Services Senior Administrator Audene Chung.

HISD’s Nutrition Services Department was praised recently by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) as a “role model” for other districts after achieving a near-perfect score on an administrative review.

The preliminary review debriefing took place on Feb. 26, and Nutrition Services was praised for its efforts to provide HISD students with the best school meals in the state.

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HSPVA ensemble becomes first from HISD to be named ‘Madrigal Festival Honor Choir’

HSPVA_MadrigalCostu_2016_800A group of singers from The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) has just become the very first from an HISD campus to win a coveted state title.

The HSPVA Madrigal Singers were recently named the winner of the 2016 Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival and the 2017 Honor Choir by the San Antonio Madrigal & Chamber Choir Festival (SAMCCF). They competed against 41 other choirs from across the state on March 5, and as the winners of this year’s competition, they will return to the festival next year and perform the Honor Choir Concert.

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Five HISD schools recognized for their efforts to fight hunger

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Five different HISD schools were recently named “Champions off the Field” by the Souper Bowl of Caring for their efforts to fight hunger.

This annual food drive and fundraiser, which ran from Jan. 20 – Feb. 7, generated more than $9.9 million in donations nationally this year, a portion of which came from the 33 HISD schools that participated.

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Three HISD schools receive 2016 National Merit awards from Magnet Schools of America

Garden Oaks Montessori, Lovett Elementary School, and the Energy Institute High School were honored Friday with 2016 National Merit awards from Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and themed-based schools.

The three schools are among 258 public magnet schools and programs from across the nation to receive the award. They were selected for their commitment to high academic standards, school diversity, specialized curricula and instruction, family engagement, and community partnerships. Continue reading →

‘Eye on Houston’ exhibit showcases student photography

Detail of “Young Souls,” by Bellaire High School student Blanca Barrios. Image courtesy MFAH.

Detail of “Young Souls,” by Bellaire High School student Blanca Barrios. Image courtesy MFAH.

Art-loving Houstonians can see the world through the eyes of more than three dozen HISD students this spring, thanks to an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) that is returning for its 21st year.

Formerly known as “Eye on Third Ward” and limited to photographs taken by Yates HS students, “Eye on Houston” formally opened on Jan. 12 this year in MFAH’s Audrey Jones Beck Building (5601 Main Street, 77005), and features photographs taken by 37 students from five different HISD campuses. Those students are all juniors or seniors at Bellaire, Chávez, Westside, and Yates high schools, or the Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center.

The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, May 1, 2016.

Two HISD educators jointly recognized as ‘Houston’s Hometown Champion’

Catherine Smith

Catherine Smith

Two HISD educators, Catherine Smith and Madelyn Traylor, were recently honored as “Houston’s Hometown Champion” after winning the most votes in a national social-media contest sponsored by Radio One/News One.

The contest is held annually in each of the company’s major markets, and Smith and Traylor were recognized as the joint Houston winner this year for their “extreme work in the community” and for their efforts to improve the lives of others.

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