Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

Local chamber of commerce recognizes Heights-area educators

Two HISD employees were recognized recently for their contributions to the education of Heights-area children.

Shakiri Hooper, a clerk at Garden Oaks Montessori, has been named the Paraprofessional of the Year, while Joyce Rogers, an instructional specialist at Waltrip High School, was named the Educator of the Year by the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce.

Nominees were judged by a committee on the basis of their experience and evidence of leadership, service, and dedication to making a difference in students’ lives.

“Ms. Hooper is extremely hard-working and goal-oriented,” wrote Garden Oaks Principal Lindsey Pollock. “She is a team player who seeks win-win solutions even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.”

“Joyce has served as a role model not only for staff, but also for students,” said former Waltrip High School Principal Andria Schur. “She takes a personal interest in motivating people to be their personal best, while also challenging them to serve as models and motivators to those around them.”

Both women will be formally recognized during the organization’s annual education luncheon on May 18.

HISD students receive corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship

Two Houston Independent School District students are among more than 1,000 high school seniors from across the country to be selected this week to win a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship.

Sophia Cen of Bellaire High School received a $3,000 corporate-sponsored scholarship from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and Henry Hoang of Carnegie Vanguard High School was awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Lockheed Martin Corporation Foundation.

Both students are in the first group of 2015 winners to be announced as part of the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, which rewards academically talented U.S. high school students who score well on the PSAT with free money for college. The students’ scholarship awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study.

The corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards are financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Scholarship winners must either plan to pursue a degree or career in the company’s industry, be a child of company employee, or be a resident of a community the company serves.

Additional recipients of other National Merit scholarships will be announced in May followed by the announcement of winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards. In September, 56 HISD students were named National Merit semifinalists.

32 HISD high schools rated as best in nation in 2015 Washington Post rankings

Five HISD high schools land in top 100 of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.

A Houston Independent School District high school has been named as one of the top 10 high schools in the country, and four more have been listed among the top 100, according to the Washington Post.

The five schools are among 32 HISD high schools that made it onto the Washington Post’s 2015 list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools. Nearly three-quarters of the district’s high schools received the prestigious distinction, which was granted to just 11 percent of schools across the country this year.

Carnegie Vanguard High School took home top honors for HISD, ranking 9th out of the more than 2,300 high schools from across the country that made the list. Eastwood Academy ranked 63rd, Challenge Early College High School came in 79th, Energized for STEM placed 84th, and the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice ranked 87th.

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Westbury HS students create fancy footwear for Vans Custom Culture contest

Clockwise from upper L are the Westbury HS entries for local flavor, art, music, and action sports.

Clockwise from upper L are the Westbury HS entries for local flavor, art, music, and action sports.

Seven creative students from Westbury High School are putting their best foot forward for the chance to win thousands of dollars for their campus’ art program—and to see their designs on other people’s feet.

The Westbury group—which is comprised of Joel Arredondo, Miguel Arredondo, Johnlee Chukwu, Cristian Garcia, Jailen Mendez, Silvester Laguna, and Klo Lay Pla—was selected from among 200 teams of applicants to participate in the Vans Custom Culture contest.

The competition is designed to foster high-school students’ creativity while simultaneously building awareness of shrinking arts education budgets across the country. Participants are challenged to customize four pairs of plain white Vans shoes using the following themes: art, music, action sports, and local flavor. Details from Westbury’s submissions include an astronaut against a backdrop of the Houston skyline (local flavor) and a skateboarding ramp complete with hand rail (action sports).

Judges will determine the top 10 semifinalists for each of five regions, and those will be presented to the public for voting starting Friday, April 24. Voting will last through Monday, May 11, with the top five finalists being announced on May 12.

All 25 regional finalists will be flown to New York City for the announcement of the grand prize winner in June. The grand prize winner will receive $50,000 for its high school art program and a chance for its designs to be sold in Vans retail stores. Runners-up will receive $4,000 towards their schools.

The Westbury team works under the direction of art teacher Amanda Fuchs.

Sanchez Elementary dancers win first place in San Antonio

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Congratulations to Sanchez Elementary’s ballet folklorico dancers, who took first place in the Pre-Junior Elementary and Duet categories at the ACADEZ dance competition on April 18, 2015, in San Antonio. They competed against schools from across the country.

ACADEZ is an acronym for the Academia de la Danza Amalia Hernández. Hernández (1917-2000) was a Mexican ballet choreographer and founder of the renowned Ballet Folklorica de Mexico in 1952.

Eleven HISD students win scholarships from Texas Legislative Black Caucus

Graduating seniors from five HISD high schools collectively received more than $20,000 in scholarships from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus (TLBC), including Madison High School valedictorian Luis Piñeda, salutatorian Idalia Castro, and two of their classmates: James Russell Jr. and Cherish Spears.

Other HISD students who received TMBC scholarships this year are: Decory Edwards (Waltrip HS); Giovanni Johnson (Kashmere HS); Michael Suber (Leland College Prep Academy); and Dillon Kennedy, Sheary Mandapat, James Pierce II, and Brittany Spriggs (Washington HS).

TLBC scholarships range from $1,500 to $4,000 for qualified high school students from across the state. To see a complete list of recipients for 2015, please visit the TLBC website.

HISD group wins Wayne Williams Library Project of the Year Award

WayneWilliamsGroup_400A group of educators from HISD, including three librarians—Jo Reed (Scroggins ES), Cheryl Hensley (MacGregor ES), and Sue Carnes (Bell ES; now retired)—was recognized recently with the Wayne Williams Library Project of the Year Award for 2015 by the Texas Library Association.

The librarians were selected for coordinating schoolwide reading campaigns at their respective campuses based on the Lunch Lady series of graphic novels by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. The project not only built on students’ enthusiasm for graphic novels, but also increased their awareness of health and nutrition through a cleverly organized partnership with HISD Nutrition Services Dietician Jennifer Lengyel that connected daily meal offerings to literature.

The project was so successful that at Scroggins, interest in graphic novels spurred the principal to quadruple the school’s collection of that type of book from 12 to 48. At MacGregor, circulation of the Lunch Lady books increased by 90 percent. And at Bell, the demand for graphic novels increased so much that emergency rations of books had to be secured.

The Wayne Williams award is designed to recognize a project that exemplifies the highest levels of achievement, professional standards, and inspiration to other libraries. Reed and her colleagues were formally honored during a special ceremony held on April 15 at the Texas Library Association’s annual conference in Austin.

Three HISD schools win prizes at 2015 Art Car Parade

A tribute to legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix has earned students from Reagan High School the top prize at the 2015 Art Car Parade—on their very first try.

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“Electric Ladyland,” a 1981 Mercedes which was #106 in the parade lineup, was awarded the Mayor’s Cup Trophy and $2,000 in cash. It was the school’s first-ever entry into the parade, and its success was likely due to the guidance of veteran art-car builder Rebecca Bass, who was hired on a part-time basis by HISD this year especially to guide Reagan students in designing a car for this year’s parade. Visiting artist Johnny Rojas also contributed to the project. Continue reading →

HSPVA’s ‘Sound of Music’ nominated for six Tommy Tune Awards

Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) announced the nominees for the 13th annual Tommy Tune Awards, and HISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) received six nominations for their production of “The Sound of Music.”

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Burbank MS student wins scholarship to summer math camp

Shermya Parkere poses with Principal Rosa Hernandez (L) and teacher Olivia Holub

Shermya Parkere poses with Principal Rosa Hernandez (L) and teacher Olivia Holub

Shermya Parkere, a seventh-grader at Burbank Middle School, is one of one two middle-school students in the State of Texas to win a Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) scholarship to attend the Summer Mathematics Institute (SMI).

The program is sponsored by the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at the University of North Texas. Shermya will live on the college campus and meet other gifted students who share her passion for mathematics. She learned of the opportunity to apply for the scholarship from her math teacher, Olivia Holub.

“I was really surprised and excited,” said Shermya, who plans to pursue a medical career as an obstetrician. “This experience will look great on my applications next year, when I apply to high schools.”

The institute is a three-week residential program with an intense focus on mathematics. Students enroll in a single class and have the opportunity to complete one year of high school mathematics in this self-paced program.

Thanks to the generosity of Summer Mathematics Institute, the Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT) has awarded the full scholarships to the SMI program, valued at $2,250.