Category Archives: District IV – Patricia Allen

Coding club students learn how to build computers

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Over the winter break, Lockhart Elementary School hosted a free three-day computer camp for 60 students in a coding club sponsored by Schlumberger, a global technology supplier. The camp was also sponsored by KidsXplore, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching kids about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Students in grades 4-6 learned how to build computers using a new computer platform called Raspberry Pi. The students connected wireless keyboards, monitors and speakers to their CPUs (central processing units).  Once their computers were built, students connected them to a Wi-Fi network where they were able to load Scratch and other computer programming software. Students also participated in a circuits workshop to explore circuit design. Continue reading →

Celebrations mark beginning of construction for 2012 bond projects

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Right on schedule, the fourth quarter of 2014 brought the beginning of construction for the 17 schools in Group 1 of HISD’s current bond program, bringing groundbreaking ceremonies and more activity to worksites across the district.

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DeBakey wins $7,500 grant in national H&R Block budget challenge

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The DeBakey High School for Health Professions recently received a $7,500 grant from the H&R Block Budget Challenge, a teen financial literacy program that rewards high school classes for mastering real-world budgeting and personal finance decision-making. H&R Block representatives presented campus leaders with a check at a special gathering held in December.

High school students and educators nationwide are competing this year to win a portion of $3 million in classroom grants, college scholarships, and cash prizes through the Challenge, which was created to help students learn to manage their money and become financially responsible adults. Continue reading →

Student Congress giving high school kids a voice in their own education

Speaker of the Congress Zaakir Tameez (lower left) poses with members of the Student Congress at the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

Speaker of the Congress Zaakir Tameez (lower left) poses with members of the Student Congress at the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

A group of juniors and seniors from four HISD campuses is on a mission to give their peers a voice in public education—and they have created a new Student Congress to do it.

More than a dozen students from Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, Lamar, and Yates high schools founded the congress last spring, after participating in senior Zaakir Tameez’s Texas Performance Standards Project at Carnegie Vanguard.

“We were originally called ‘Our Shared Future’ and talked about current events,” explains Outreach Chair Amy Fan, now a junior at Bellaire High School. “But as we met with city leaders from all over Houston, our conversations would constantly lead back to education. Yet the only people with whom we could share our critiques was each other.” Continue reading →

HISD breaks ground on four new campuses, celebrates first project to ‘go vertical’

Two years ago, Houston voters approved a $1.89 billion bond to replace or repair 40 HISD campuses, including 29 high schools. Now, taxpayers are starting to see the fruits of that decision, as HISD officials and community leaders have broken ground on four brand new campuses over the past two weeks, and recognized the first project from the 2012 bond to “go vertical.” Continue reading →

Community partner changing the culture at one HISD school

CullenMS_Jackets_400Members of Team HISD at HISD’s Cullen Middle School are feeling better about themselves and their campus, thanks to an on-going partnership with a nearby faith-based organization.

First Presbyterian Church has been uplifting the spirits of the faculty, staff, and students at that school through a variety of projects since 2011, and it recently surprised campus leaders with an additional $20,000 donation. Continue reading →

Pre-K students get a holiday surprise

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Preschool students at Farias Early Childhood Center enjoyed an early holiday treat Tuesday, Dec. 16. Santa and his helpers along with HISD high school students and members of Leading Ladies, a nonprofit female youth service organization, distributed toys to 380 excited four-year-olds. Continue reading →

Chuck Norris congratulates HISD students at martial arts belt ceremony

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Martial arts champion and actor Chuck Norris visited Revere and Thomas middle schools for a belt ceremony last week to congratulate hundreds of students who have excelled in martial arts.  Continue reading →

DeBakey HS breaks ground for new school in Texas Medical Center

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DeBakey High School stakeholders and area dignitaries gathered Monday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the construction phase of the school’s new 21st century campus located in the Texas Medical Center.

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Day 4: Code.org awards school $10,000 for new laptops

Students at Kolter Elementary School cheered and posed for pictures alongside a $10,000 check from Code.org that will go toward purchasing new laptops after the school won the nonprofit’s Hour of Code registration challenge. Kolter was selected as the Texas school winner along with 50 other schools that were named the winners for their state. [su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/114167212″ ]

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