HISD Board of Education Member Rhonda Skillern-Jones has partnered with the Family and Community Engagement and Linked Learning Departments to host the District II Family Learning Academy on emerging career opportunities.
The free event will take place from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, at Washington High School (119 East 39th Street, 77018), and will connect families with resources to help parents engage in their children’s education.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Kashmere High School celebrated the opening of HISD’s second ProUnitas, Inc., center with the unveiling of the Kashmere Success Center. The center, which was created, supported and financed by 40 different non-profit, for-profit, community, and municipal groups, is dedicated to empowering the Kashmere community by providing much-needed services to students and their families.
“This came about because there was a need in the community and the school,” said District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “It does take a village to beat the effects of poverty, which a lot of the kids in this community face. So our village has stepped up and decided to come to the aid of our children.”
Created by former Kashmere teacher Adeeb Barqawi with the help of Skillern-Jones, ProUnitas was designed to provide essential goods and services that were seen to be lacking in the community. The center features a counseling room with trained counselors, a food pantry, a clothing drop, health services, and a workforce and college-readiness development center.
“At the end of the day, what I want you to keep in mind is that this is the product of a community coming together,” said Barqawi. “It’s not that we’re saying change is going to happen in a day. But we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
Kashmere High School will celebrate the opening of a campus-based multiservice center that provides health, education, counseling, and workforce development services to students and their families.
The Kashmere Success Center was launched in January by ProUnitas, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities by connecting social service organizations and resources to students and families with unmet needs. Continue reading
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 third article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful careers in the fine arts. The first and second articles spotlighted professional athletes, and lawmakers/politicians (respectively). Others will feature educators and those with careers in radio, TV, and film.
HISD has a wealth of African-American alumni with talent in the performing and visual arts — and many of these distinguished graduates have chosen to share their gifts with later generations of students.
Six 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.
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
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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Washington HS sophomore Karla Bueno displays her new laptop.
Students at a dozen HISD high schools will soon be making the most of 21st-century technology, thanks to HISD’s PowerUp program. The districtwide initiative to transform teaching and learning enters its third and final phase during the 2015–2016 school year, and students in the last group of 12 high schools began receiving laptops this month for use in the classroom and at home.
Noah Brown, a tenth-grader at Booker T. Washington High School, said he was excited to be receiving the device on Jan. 20. “It will make classwork easier,” he said. “Up ‘til now, I’ve been doing research on my phone.”
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education will welcome its two newest members on Thursday, swearing in newly elected District VIII Trustee Diana Dávila and District IV Trustee Jolanda Jones.
The two trustees were elected to the board in November. They will be formally sworn in prior to the first meeting of the year during a special ceremony at 11 a.m. in the board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Continue reading
Two Houston Independent School District elementary schools have been nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious national 2016 Blue Ribbon School designation.
National Blue Ribbons are awarded annually to high-performing schools to validate the hard work of students and educators. Lovett and Oak Forest elementary schools are among 26 public schools in Texas to be nominated for the recognition. Continue reading