Category Archives: District I – Elizabeth Santos

Summer Bridge program preparing Futures Academy students for success

Rising sophomores get tips from former Futures Academy students and EMERGE fellows

The journey from high school to college to a career can be challenging, but HISD’s Futures Academy is helping students develop the skills they’ll need to get there.

The Summer Bridge Program is arming rising high school sophomores with critical knowledge in the areas of time management, team building, communication, and money management. Four sessions are scheduled for June and feature classes taught by Futures Academy and EMERGE alumni.

“One way we thought this message would resonate with students is by having former HISD Futures Academy and EMERGE students returning from their first year in college lead the sessions,” said Michael Love, assistant superintendent of the Futures Academy. “This allows the students to learn directly from peers who recently walked the same hallways as them.”

Continue reading →

Nutrition Services partners with high-school transition coaches to build students’ job skills

Waltrip High School students work at Garden Oaks Montessori with their transition coach and the Garden Oaks cafeteria team lead.

Waltrip High School students work at Garden Oaks Montessori with their transition coach and the Garden Oaks cafeteria team lead.

Through HISD’s Community Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI) program, high-school students can go into local businesses for a couple hours a day, a few of times a week, to develop their workplace skills through on-the-job training.

For the first time this year, HISD’s Nutrition Services department is one of the partnering organizations, and it is working with two or three students from each of five high schools: Lee, Madison, Scarborough, Sharpstown, and Waltrip. Participating students learn about the food service industry by working in school cafeterias, performing tasks such as washing dishes or serving fruit.

Continue reading →

Garden Oaks Montessori community hears about renovation and expansion plans

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000p3C3swFcAlo” g_name=”20150602-GardenOaks” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

More than 70 members of the Garden Oaks neighborhood came out to learn about initial design concepts for Garden Oaks Montessori. The meeting on Tuesday was the first of at least three community meetings that will be held at various phases of the project.

As part of HISD’s current bond program, the school will receive new additions and general renovations to accommodate up to 900 students in pre-K through 8th grade.

Continue reading →

Waltrip HS Ram Band heading to D.C. to perform on Independence Day

WaltripBand_300HISD’s own Waltrip High School band is hoping to head to the nation’s capital next month to take part in America’s annual Independence Day celebration.

The Roarin’ Red Ram Band is the only representative from Texas expected to be at the event. The students were invited to perform based on a recommendation from Governor Greg Abbott.

The Waltrip band will march in the parade and play alongside other bands from across the country during the celebration, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 4, 2015.

Continue reading →

‘Chicken Soup’ books to feed students’ reading appetite

Students at Poe ES pose with Principal Jeff Amerson and their new books.

Students at Poe ES pose with Principal Jeff Amerson and their new books.

A new partnership between the Boniuk Foundation and Chicken Soup for the Soul is helping students in HISD and across Harris County to develop more cultural awareness while simultaneously building their literacy skills.

The partnership kicked off on May 14 at Poe Elementary School, where a group of students gathered to open boxes of books that were being delivered to the libraries of every school in Harris County.

Continue reading →

Garden Oaks, Washington students team up to launch rocket

GOES_BTW_Rocket_400Students from Garden Oaks Montessori collaborated with students from Washington High School’s engineering magnet program over the past school year to design and fabricate a payload for the One Mile-One Pound Rocket Challenge.

After their teachers were connected through a mutual colleague, students from both schools began researching, designing, building, and testing a stable rocket capable of attaining a height of one mile with a one pound payload that could be recovered safely.

Continue reading →

Hundreds of seniors receive associate’s degrees alongside diplomas

Members of the HAIS Class of 2015

Members of the HAIS Class of 2015

A high school diploma looks better when it’s next to an associate’s degree.

That’s why several HISD campuses offer students the opportunity to obtain an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree from Houston Community College while they’re still in high school. More than 300 HISD seniors met the challenge this year, enabling them to graduate with an associate’s degree as well as a diploma.

Continue reading →

Flooding spurs HISD community members to take action

Educators at two HISD elementary schools have stepped up to handle the effects of the recent flooding, each in their own way.

On May 26, Steven Shannon, a music teacher at Lyons Elementary School, saved a woman from drowning.

Shannon was on a walk when he noticed that Glenda Reynolds was trapped in her car by the rising water in the underpass beneath Shepherd Drive. Shannon and three other Good Samaritans swam out and extricated Reynolds and her dog from the vehicle. Continue reading →

Twenty-two HISD schools get free art supplies from Rodrigue Foundation

FieldES_RodrigueBlueDog_400aStudents at almost two dozen HISD schools are now better able to explore the visual arts, after their campuses won art supply kits valued at $1,000 each from the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA). The schools received the kits after submitting grant requests to George’s Art Closest, an initiative of the organization named for the well-known Louisiana-based artist who created “Blue Dog.”

Up to 20 campuses also got free field trips to a temporary exhibit of Rodrigue’s artwork at West Avenue at River Oaks, 2800 Kirby Dr., second floor, and Adrienne Lewis’ third-grade math class at Field Elementary School even received a visit from the artist’s son, Jacques Rodrigue, on May 18. Continue reading →

Board of Education announces student awards for 2014–2015 school year

Trustee Paula Harris (far L) presents the Board Awards to some of the first graduate from the Young Women's College Preparatory Academy

Trustee Paula Harris (far L) presents the Board Awards to some of the first graduate from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy

Each year, the HISD Board of Education honors distinguished seniors from district high schools in recognition of their accomplishments, as exemplified by their character, academic achievement, leadership, and service.

Selections are made by school-based committees appointed by each principal and the awards are presented by the trustee representing each district during commencement exercises.

One outstanding young man and young woman are selected from each high school, as well as up to five honorable mention students. A list of this year’s award recipients is here (.pdf) and a list of the students receiving honorable mention is here (.pdf).