Category Archives: District IV – Patricia Allen

Abatement underway, with construction soon to follow for new Yates HS

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Yates will receive a new $59.4 million school to accommodate 1,300 to 1,500 students. The building will have a grand entryway with large windows that connects the front and back entrances and additional learning spaces designed to accommodate the school’s career and technology programming including the communications magnet.

Other features include a three-story academic wing with flexible core learning centers, and a one-story high volume performance wing with an auditorium, spaces for fine arts and JROTC, a gymnasium, and athletics area.

Abatement is underway on the Phase I buildings slated to be demolished to make room for the new school. Construction on the new building will start in the first quarter of 2016, with a target completion of first quarter 2018.

Photo gallery of HISD building projects

New DeBakey changing landscape of Medical Center

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Steel beams and columns soaring five stories high can now easily be seen in many parts of the Medical Center as construction on HISD’s new $64.5 million DeBakey High School for Health Professions is well underway.

DeBakey will receive a new five-story building, located on the western side of the Medical Center complex on land donated by the Medical Center. The 198,000-square-foot building for 900 to 1,000 students will feature state-of-the-art medical training equipment with teaching labs for dental, rehabilitation, and patient care. These will include mock hospital rooms and science labs designed to mimic real-world research labs.

The new building is scheduled to open for students in August 2017.

Photo gallery of HISD building projects

New Jordan HS making progress in design phase

Barbara Jordan High School is receiving $36.6 million under the bond program for a new school that will serve as a career and technical training hub for any interested students attending nine nearby high schools: Davis, Furr, Kashmere, North Forest, Reagan, Houston MSTC, Washington, Wheatley, and Yates.

Students will spend part of the day at their home school and the other part at Jordan. The transition to a career hub will take place as the school is rebuilt.

The school held its first community meeting in October to gather feedback on proposed design concepts. The new school would feature a central administration area, with the automotive shop, precision metal, and construction programs in one wing of the building and quieter programs, such as human sciences, on the other side.

The main entrance would be off Kelley Street, but the school also would offer an equally welcoming space for students coming into the school from the back, where buses would drop off. The goal is to create a building that will have a presence on a very visible site. Jordan is located at 5800 Eastex Freeway, at the intersection of U.S. 59 and Loop 610. In addition to lab space, the school would feature a learning commons with a monumental staircase that could be used for everything from studying to lectures. Because students will be traveling to Barbara Jordan from their home campuses, the building would feature grab-and-go lunch options.

Construction is tentatively slated to start in the second half of 2016, and would take approximately two years. A second community meeting to discuss the design development will be held in mid-2016.

Photo gallery of HISD building projects

New Sterling HS continues to rise as construction progresses

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Sterling High School students and other stakeholders had the opportunity to sign a steel beam that will be used in the construction of their new school.

The new $72.3 million building project is being built behind the existing facility, which will be demolished once construction is complete. The new three-story building is making great progress and can easily be seen over the top of the current school.

After the beam-signing, which was held in front of the current school, workers transported it to the construction site, where they will soon install it in the new building. The school has a target completion date of first quarter 2017.

Photo gallery of HISD building projects

Bastian ES students surprised by Houston Texans player during annual toy giveaway

A group of 25 students at Bastian Elementary School were surprised with a special delivery by Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph on Tuesday afternoon—just in time for the holidays.

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“I’m so glad to be here doing this for the holidays,” Joseph said. “On behalf of Academy and myself, we came to surprise [students] for this special occasion.”

Joseph, accompanied by team members from Academy Sports + Outdoors, gave students bikes on behalf of The Andre Johnson Foundation’s annual toy giveaway event. Students were chosen based on perfect attendance and outstanding grades.

“The community at Bastian Elementary is excited to once again team up with the Houston Texans and the Andre Johnson Foundation to do something special for students who have shown excellence throughout the school year,” said Bastian Principal Tonya Roberson.

Trustee Paula Harris honored before last board meeting

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HISD Board of Education Trustee Paula Harris, before stepping down from her District IV seat and attending her final board meeting on Thursday, was honored for her leadership and dedication to children.

“There are so many things I have learned through this journey,” said Harris, who has served for eight years on the board. “I really want to say a special thank you to this board because we all want what’s best for children.”

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Key to new DeBakey HS campus? Location, location, location

Construction on HISD’s new DeBakey High School for Health Professions is well underway, and the new location in Houston’s world-class Texas Medical Center is expected to forge even closer bonds with the medical community.

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Five campuses celebrate neighborhood parks during SPARK Park Week

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A tennis court, a pond, landscaping, vertical gardens and a volleyball court are just a few of the new features at a brand-new SPARK park at Clifton Middle School.

Clifton is one of five HISD campus that took part in observing SPARK (School Park) Week from Nov. 14-21, which celebrates the transformation of public school grounds into neighborhood parks — a collaborative effort involving the City of Houston, Harris County, HISD, parent-teacher groups, and the community.

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Students exploring Linked Learning through Junior Achievement

Thanks to a $30 million federal Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) grant HISD won in 2013, students at 119 campuses are connecting the concepts they learn in the classroom to the real world that awaits them after graduation. 

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