Category Archives: Building Updates

Construction continues at Scarborough ES

Work is progressing at Scarborough Elementary School with the building foundation and hollow core plank installation now complete.

Installation of the first and second-floor slabs are in progress.

Scarborough is one of four elementary schools — including Braeburn, Mitchell, and Kolter — being rebuilt as a result of damages sustained in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey.

Scarborough Principal Miriam Medina said the news of the construction progress has made the school community feel a sense of anticipation.

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Construction progresses at Braeburn ES

Steel structures and concrete slabs are now underway at the new Braeburn Elementary School with the installation of underground utilities and floor planks completed.

The campus is one of four elementary schools — Braeburn, Mitchell, Scarborough, and Kolter — being rebuilt as a result of damages sustained in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey.

“Our community and staff are excited to see our school building come to life from the ground up,” Braeburn Principal Amanda Rodgers said. “Now that the foundation is being set, it’s getting even easier to envision what our future home will look like. We look forward to returning to our neighborhood soon.”

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Lamar HS construction reaches 80 percent completion

In 2017, Lamar High School celebrated its 80th anniversary with a groundbreaking ceremony. Now the school’s construction has reached nearly 80 percent completion, with doors of the school’s new academic building opening to students for the 2019-2020 school year.

Both painting and flooring in the gymnasium is underway along with the installation of first- and second-floor ceilings, culinary and dining equipment, and joining the new building addition’s HVAC to the existing facility.   

Phased renovations to the existing facility are also in progress and an enclosed second-story skybridge connecting the two buildings is set for completion in August. 

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Northside HS on track for August 2019 opening

With a slated opening for the 2019-2020 school year, construction on Northside High School is now 90 percent complete.

The school’s science and art rooms and bus canopy are complete. Interior finishes in the performance arts wing, first floor classroom renovations, landscaping, and parking are nearly complete. In addition, stairwell upgrades in the historic building are underway.

The $66 million project is part of the voter-approved 2012 Bond program and calls for two new additions along with renovations to the original building, built in 1928.

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Arabic Immersion Magnet School relocating to former Kinder HSPVA campus

The Houston Independent School District’s Arabic Immersion Magnet School will relocate this summer to the former campus of Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts — a move designed to accommodate the school’s growing student population and transformation to a PK-8 campus.  

The new location, located at 4001 Stanford St., is just seven miles south of the original AIMS campus on West 28th Street in the Heights. The campus will provide a more central, neighborhood location while still maintaining proximity to the original campus. Additionally, the new building has space for the school to expand, including areas for fine arts, physical education, and a growing pre-kindergarten program. 

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Bond Oversight Committee tours Wharton Dual Language Academy, receives program update

HISD Bond Oversight Committee members toured the new Wharton Dual Language Academy during their quarterly meeting Tuesday, getting an inside look at the building that opened its doors to students just four months ago.

Wharton Principal Jennifer Day and HISD Construction Services Senior Manager Meredith Smith led the group around the colorful building, making stops in classrooms, science and computer labs, and art and music rooms, as well as the cafeteria, gym, and library.

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Wharton Dual Language Academy celebrates new school with grand opening

Hundreds of Wharton Dual Language Academy students, staff, parents, and community members gathered Thursday in their new gymnasium to celebrate the school’s grand opening. 

Red and yellow balloons created a colorful backdrop for guests as they were entertained by several student musical performances, as well as traditional folkloric dance routines performed by students clad in colorful, folkloric attire.  

“Today we celebrate the realization of the vision that we had for our new school,” Wharton Dual Language Academy Principal Jennifer Day said. “And it is a school that is built especially for our unique program,”  

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Kinder HSPVA wins 2019 Landmark Award

The new Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts building was named the winner of the Houston Business Journal 2019 Landmark Award this past week.

The annual award program recognizes impressive real estate projects that make a significant impression on the Houston landscape and help sculpt the look, feel, and image of the city.

“We love the new space,” Kinder HSPVA Principal Scott Allen said. “The building design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also incredibly functional, supporting our academic and arts programs.”

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Energy Institute HS receives architectural award, magazine cover feature

The new Energy Institute High School has been awarded the Citation of Excellence Award by Learning by Design, a magazine that recognizes the nation’s best new education school design and construction.

Energy Institute earned its award with innovative learning spaces designed to encourage project-based collaboration and communication and showcase students’ high-tech projects and presentations.

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Garden Oaks Montessori celebrates new additions and renovations

The Garden Oaks Montessori School gymnasium came alive Thursday when energetic students filled the new space to celebrate the school’s building dedication.

The room was decorated with balloon arches in the school’s signature green and yellow colors and students’ colorful artwork. The event celebrated the impact the new facility has had on student learning and included a spirited performance of “Congo to the Mississippi” by the school’s lower elementary students.

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