Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

Six HISD schools recognized by Touchdown Club for demonstrating good sportsmanship

TouchdownClub2016_800Six high school campuses in HISD were honored recently for their athletes’ consistent demonstration of good sportsmanship during competitions. Austin, Kashmere, Lee, North Forest, Waltrip, and Westbury high schools were all named finalists for the Touchdown Club Houston’s annual Sportsmanship Awards.

“The annual gala rewards high schools for doing things the right way,” said HISD Senior Athletics Program Administrator André Walker. “Squads are judged based on their actions on the field, the actions of the support personnel in the stands, the number of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike fouls, and respect for the American flag.”

The schools were formally recognized during the Touchdown Club’s 11th annual luncheon held on Jan. 28.

HISD teacher receives state humanities award

Rebecca Ryan

Rebecca Ryan

Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men teacher Rebecca Ryan is among 12 recipients from across the state to receive the 2015 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.

The award is among several bestowed annually by Humanities Texas — a National Endowment for the Humanities affiliate — to encourage excellence in teaching and recognize Texas classroom teachers who have made exemplary contributions in teaching, curriculum development and extracurricular programming. Continue reading →

Twenty-four HISD students land 2016 all-state ensemble seats

TMEA2016Waltrip_250Two dozen HISD students have earned a spot on a Texas Music Educators Association All-State Ensemble this year.

Flutist Jiayuan Han (Lamar HS) and French horn player Eduardo Sierra (pictured, Waltrip HS), as well as seven students from Bellaire High School and 15 from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), will perform in various groups during the TMEA’s annual convention in February.

All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. More than 1,600 students were selected this year through a process that began with more than 64,000 from around the state vying for the honor to perform in one of 15 ensembles (bands, orchestras, and choirs).

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Lanier MS masters 30,013 words to earn top honors in National Vocabulary Bowl

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Students at Lanier Middle School screamed in excitement as they learned that Lanier came in first in the U.S.—beating more than 16,000 schools—in Vocabulary.com’s December Vocabulary Bowl.

The annual Vocabulary Bowl pits schools against one another in a friendly competition of word mastery. Students log onto the interactive learning game, select their grade level, and learn the meaning of words they may never have seen before. Teachers can also create vocabulary lists based on reading students have done in class.
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Black History Month 2016: Spotlight on HISD’s distinguished alumni

Editor’s Note: Black History Month runs from Monday, Feb. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, this year, and HISD is celebrating with a series of weekly stories recognizing distinguished African Americans who graduated from district high schools. This first article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful athletic careers. Others will spotlight artists, educators, legislators, and those with careers in radio, TV, and film.

HISD alumnus Moran Norris regularly gives back to the schools he attended, including Madison High School (pictured). Here, he is distributing backpacks to incoming freshmen during the fall 2015 orientation.

HISD alumnus Moran Norris regularly gives back to the schools he attended, including Madison High School (pictured). Here, he is distributing backpacks to incoming freshmen during the fall 2015 orientation.

From Wimbledon finalist and Olympic gold-medalist Zina Garrison (Sterling, Class of 1982) to National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year and Olympic bronze-medalist Chukwuemeka Noubuisi “Emeka” Okafor (Bellaire, 2001), HISD has produced dozens of African-American graduates who have gone on to enjoy impressive careers in professional sports.

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Seven student athletes honored by Sugar Land Skeeters

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Seven HISD juniors from three different high schools were recognized recently by a professional baseball team for their skill on the field.

The Sugar Land Skeeters honored Elizabeth Castillo, Julissa Duenas, and Marcus Mack (Bellaire HS), Courtney Taylor, Mary Tindall, and Jimmy Winston (Lamar HS), and Richard Bailey (Waltrip HS) during the organization’s fourth annual Hot Stove Banquet on Jan. 21.

The girls are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Softball Team, while the boys are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Baseball Team.

To see a list of all the honorees this year, please visit the Skeeters’ website.

 

HISD students win big in Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo School Art Contest

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo School Art Contest Committee judged nearly 600 pieces of HISD student artwork on Jan. 21 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Several HISD students walked away with top recognitions for this year’s contest, including three for Best of Show and four Gold Medal Awards.

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Bellaire HS coach inducted into Athletics Hall of Honor

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Coach Granvil “Wayne” Tedder has been guiding HISD athletes to greatness for more than 30 years, but on Jan. 22, district officials and students took time out to honor him, with a special ceremony held at Bellaire High School to induct him into the HISD and Houston Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

“It is quite an honor to be recognized by your peers, players, and friends,” said Tedder. “No one in my family graduated from high school except me. But I had coaches who helped me out, so I have dedicated my life to giving back what was given to me: love, knowledge, and commitment.”

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HISD joins U.S. Departments of Education, Health & Human Services to announce new initiative supporting healthy students, communities

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The Houston Independent School District and the U.S. Departments of Education and Health & Human Services joined forces Friday to encourage communities to link health and education services to better support students.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier welcomed acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King and Health and Human Services Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield to Sharpstown High School, a model for health and education collaboration.

While there, they toured the campus-based Memorial Hermann clinic and Apollo Market — which provides free food, health screenings, and community resources to students and their families — and participated in a roundtable discussion. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education elects new officers

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted Thursday to name Trustee Manuel Rodriguez as its new president.

Rodriguez has served on the HISD Board of Education since 2003.

Trustees also voted to elect new board officers: Wanda Adams, First Vice President; Diana Dávila, Second Vice President; Jolanda Jones, Secretary; and Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Assistant Secretary. Continue reading →