Category Archives: District IV – Patricia Allen

2015 holiday greeting card artwork winners announced

The winners of HISD’s annual 2015 Holiday Greeting Card competition were announced on Nov. 3, and one was a repeat from last year.

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Gloria Xie, who won in the middle school category in 2014, also claimed that honor this year as a seventh-grader at Pershing Middle School. “I would just like to say thank you to my principal, Ms. (Kim) Heckman, and my teacher, Ms. Perugini, and my parents,” she said.

Each year, the district sends out hundreds of holiday greeting cards to principals, board members, legislators, local leaders, parents groups, and community partners. Since 2003, these cards have featured the artwork of HISD students.

The other students whose artwork was selected for 2015 were: Continue reading →

DiscoverU expands the number of educational travel opportunities for HISD students

DiscoverU has increased the number of partnerships it has with HISD schools to seven for the current school year, allowing even more students to expand their horizons through foreign travel, college campus residencies, business internships, and more.

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HISD Board of Education to vote on proposed attendance boundary changes

On Thursday, the HISD Board of Education will  vote on a plan to adjust attendance boundaries at 10 elementary schools for the 2016-2017 school year to address classroom overcrowding.

The proposal affects these elementary campuses: Bastian, Hartsfield, Highland Heights, Kelso, Smith, Stevens, Wainwright, Young, Frost, and Law.

Community meetings regarding the proposals took place in October.

Complete details, including maps and frequently asked questions, can be found here.

Automotive technician training program offers Sterling HS students hands-on career experience

Mapping out the road for life after high school can be intimidating for some students, but with the help of HISD’s Transportation department and International Trucks of Houston, students from Sterling Aviation High School are quickly on their way to meaningful careers in the automotive industry.

The Automotive Diesel Internship Program, sponsored by HISD’s Transportation Fleet Operations, creates a hands-on opportunity for departmental staff to train future automotive technicians and provide guidance to students. Training is divided among all five motor pools in the district in hopes of giving students the background and initiative to succeed in automotive mechanics.

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Yates HS stakeholders hear about plans to build a new school

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More than 160 parents, neighbors, and alumni attended a community meeting at Jack Yates High School on Thursday evening to hear about plans to build a new 21st century campus for the school. This was the second of three Yates meetings that will be held to update stakeholders on the project status.

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Nine schools to participate in Marching Band Festival Oct. 6

Nine HISD high school bands will be strutting their stuff in the district’s eighth annual Marching Band Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The festival gives bands the opportunity to receive feedback on their music quality, sections, music effects, visual effects, and visual performance. The critiques will help the bands prepare for future performances and events.

Participating schools include: Continue reading →

HISD kicks off student reading challenge with NCAA, Houston Public Library, UH

The Houston Independent School District announced Thursday a partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library and the University of Houston on a bracket-themed reading challenge that encourages students to read at least 30 minutes a day.

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Nearly 6,800 third-graders will participate in the reading challenge known as the NCAA Team Works Read to the Final Four Literacy Program leading up to the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four that will be held in Houston April 2-4 at NRG Stadium. Continue reading →

HISD third-graders to join NCAA Read to the Final Four literacy challenge

Nearly 6,800 Houston Independent School District third-graders will participate in a bracket-themed reading challenge as part of the NCAA Team Works Read to the Final Four Literacy Program.

The competition was created by the district in partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library, and the University of Houston. Houston will host the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four April 2-4 at NRG Stadium.

The literacy challenge kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 24, with a special celebration at Blackshear Elementary School, one of 68 campuses selected to participate in the challenge based on its high enrollment of at-risk students and commitment to the district’s Literacy By 3 Initiative.  Launched in the fall of 2014, Literacy By 3 aims to have every child reading on grade level by the end of third grade. Continue reading →

Sterling HS stakeholders sign beam to celebrate construction phase

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Sterling High School students, staff and community members had the opportunity to sign a steel beam today that will be used in the construction of their new school. The new $72.3 million building project, which is part of HISD’s current bond program, 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 now easily be seen over the top of the current school.

“Our community is ecstatic; the building’s going up fast,” said the Rev. A.L. Hickman, community representative on the school’s Project Advisory Team. “I know people who go out of their way to drive by here every day just to see the progress that’s been made.”

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.

63 HISD students named National Merit semifinalists

Sixty-three seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. HISD had 56 semifinalists last year.

The HISD students are among 16,000 from across the country to earn the semifinalist designation, allowing them the opportunity to continue in the academic competition and vie for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.

They attend Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading →