Category Archives: Achievement/Recognition

2014 Bilingual Teacher of the Year now serves at the first U.S. campus she attended

Sharon Samuel discusses life cycles with her second graders at J.P. Henderson Elementary School, May 16, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Sharon Samuel discusses life cycles with her second graders.

When Sharon Samuel first moved to the United States as a nine-year-old, she was terrified that her limited English skills would prevent her from making friends and succeeding in school. But a positive experience with her very first teacher here not only helped to quell her anxieties about fitting in but also set the stage for her own career in education.

“Mrs. Barrientos is the reason why I became a bilingual teacher,” said Samuel, who was named the Bilingual Teacher of the Year for 2014 by the Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators. “She consistently went out of her way to make me feel comfortable, not only as a student in her classroom, but also as a young girl living in the U.S. for the first time.”

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Manager of Health and Medical Services recognized in ‘Salute to Nurses’

Gwendolyn Jonson poses for a photograph, May 5, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Gwen Johnson

Gwen Johnson, who has served as HISD’s manager of Health and Medical Services department since 2010, is one of 100 Houston-area medical professionals being honored this month by the Houston Chronicle as a part of its annual “Salute to Nurses.”

The salute is designed to recognize local professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to nursing over the years. Only about 20 percent of nominees are included in the final 100, and the Top 10 are selected from that group.

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Joe Tusa to be inducted into Texas HS Football Hall of Fame

Joe Tusa, who served as Houston ISD’s athletic director from 1965-1989, will be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Tusa’s reign over the program saw many milestones, including the integration of schools in the late 1960s and the 1972 inception of Title IX, which prohibits educational institutions from excluding anyone from any activity on the basis of sex.

“It was absolutely rewarding,” Tusa told the Waco Tribune. “The thing that’s so great about sports is it’s based on a person’s ability and nothing else. That’s the way it ought to be.”

Before Tusa became the district’s longest-serving athletic director, he served as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Reagan High School.

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HISD announces 2014 Teachers of the Year at Celebration of Excellence

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HISD held its third annual Celebration of Excellence at the Hilton Americas Hotel on May 1, 2014, to honor the many dedicated professionals who contribute to the success of Houston’s students on a daily basis.

Among those recognized at the event were the district’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, who were revealed for the first time that evening.

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‘We will always protect him since he cannot do it for himself’

A seventh-grade student at T.H. Rogers School has won a Gold Key in The Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards for her touching essay about what it’s like to have a sibling with autism.

Hailey Skye Tulio, 12, wrote about her life with her 22-year-old brother, Patrick. She said she chose Patrick as her topic because spreading autism awareness is very important to her.

Hailey Tulio

“There are many different kinds of autism, and each person diagnosed will have his own unique actions and expressions,” Hailey wrote. “In Patrick’s case, he’s in the middle, not too oblivious to the world, but not that aware of it either. If you ask him if he is ‘happy or sad,’ he will always say that he’s ‘happy’ even though he feels differently.”

Hailey’s essay is an honest glimpse into the challenges Patrick and his family face daily. She vividly describes the not-so-good times.

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HISD recognizes six top JROTC cadets in HISD Class of 2014

Houston ISD’s JROTC program formally honored its top six cadets from the class of 2014 during the annual HISD JROTC Final Review and Awards Ceremony on April 26.

The students were chosen from the ranks of all seniors in HISD’s 26 JROTC programs and all were promoted to cadet colonel (Army JROTC) or cadet captain (Navy JROTC), which is the highest ranking attainable in the JROTC program.

The selection board members for this year’s competition consisted of cadets from Texas A&M University. Cadets received points based upon their scholastic standing, demonstrated leadership skills, and participation in extracurricular activities. At the competition, cadets were awarded points for their proficiency on a JROTC curricular-based skills test, an oral presentation, a personal evaluation consisting of military courtesy, knowledge of current events, appearance, knowledge of geography, and an evaluation of first-aid techniques such as lifesaving, bandaging, and transporting sick and wounded victims.

The top six graduating seniors from the class of 2014 are:

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Top teachers, principals, employees will get red carpet treatment at ‘Celebration’

HISD’s Teachers and Principals of the Year, plus the Employees of the Month for the past year, will walk the red carpet and be honored at the annual “Celebration of Excellence” May 1.

Highlighting the event will be the announcement of the top elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year, from the field of 12 nominees.

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Ceremony will honor top JROTC senior cadets

The top six Houston Independent School District JROTC cadets will be honored at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26, during the 2014 Final Review and Awards ceremony at the University of Houston Athletics/Alumni Center, 3100 Cullen Blvd.

HISD JROTC Cadet Corps Commander Cadet Colonel Ana Perez of High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice will be recognized as the top graduate.

The seniors were chosen from the ranks of all the graduating cadets in HISD’s 26 JROTC programs and will be honored for their leadership skills. The cadets will be featured leading their respective command groups.

YMCPA robotics teacher named SECME Teacher of the Year

Vince Hamilton, a teacher at Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy, got a big surprise on Thursday – the Southeastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering named him Teacher of the Year!

YMCPA Principal Dameion Crook and teacher Vince Hamilton (Houston Independent School District)

YMCPA Principal Dameion Crook and teacher Vince Hamilton

“I told him he needed to have a meeting with me about some issue with a parent and he needed to get down here right now,” Principal Dameion Crook said. “What he didn’t know was 400 kids and his family and friends had assembled in the gymnasium. When we brought him in, he was extremely surprised.”

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