Category Archives: District V – Sue Deigaard

Share your thoughts on a new superintendent: Take a survey and attend an upcoming meeting

The HISD Board of Education is searching for a new superintendent, and trustees want input from community members about the qualities and traits they would like to see in the next district leader.

The board has hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to assist in the superintendent search process. The Illinois-based firm is conducting a survey (which you can find here) and helping trustees host a series of community meetings in March to gather input from various district stakeholders. Feedback obtained from those meetings will be used by trustees to finalize their superintendent profile and begin searching for candidates.

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Black College Expo highlights college and scholarship opportunities

The Black College Expo is making its return to Houston on Saturday, and many HISD middle and high school students are taking advantage of higher education opportunities days before the big event.

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College recruiters and representatives from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Power Center (12401 South Post Oak Road, 77045) to provide students and parents with one-on-one counseling, as well as scholarship and financial aid information. HISD students and parents can attend the event for free.

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Two HISD educators surprised with 2016 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards

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Two HISD educators were surprised by H-E-B on Wednesday with news that they are finalists for the 2016 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, one of the largest monetary programs for educators in Texas and the nation.

Bellaire High School teacher and international baccalaureate coordinator Ann Linsley was recognized as a teacher finalist, while North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson was named a principal finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.

The two are among eight educators from across Houston and 40 across the state who were selected as award finalists. They now will go on to compete at the state level, where they will have the chance to win additional cash prizes.

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HSPVA gets go-ahead to proceed on new building

Bond community meeting at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, October 14, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

The new HSPVA will be located downtown near Houston’s renowned Theater District.

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ new building project received a long-awaited Notice to Proceed from HISD last week, which gives the construction manager at risk (CMAR) the needed go-ahead to mobilize on the site and starts the clock ticking on the 31-month construction timeline.

This is music to the ears of HSPVA stakeholders, as the project has been delayed for about a year while the project team worked through a variety of issues to bring the project within its allotted budget.

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Bond construction becoming highly visible throughout district

School construction is progressing at a record pace in HISD, and if you’ve spent any time driving in district neighborhoods recently, you have probably spotted one or more of our schools under construction.

With fifteen projects currently in the construction phase, that’s more active construction than at any other time in the district’s history. Many of these projects are well into vertical construction, and visible progress can be seen almost daily.

Check out these latest photos taken the second week of February.

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As the district moves forward with implementation of the $1.89 billion bond program, which was approved by Houston voters in 2012, the bond team expects to have signed construction contracts on an additional six schools by the end of the first quarter of 2016, and nearly all the remaining projects will be bid by the end of 2016.

Phase 1 of the Worthing project will be complete by summer. Schools on track to open in time for the start of the 2016-2017 school year include Condit Elementary, Mark White Elementary, North Houston Early College High School, South Early College High School, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, and (non-bond) North Forest Early Childhood Center.

The bond program, which will rebuild or renovate 40 schools, including 29 high schools, also includes improvements to district-wide athletics facilities, middle school restroom renovations and significant technology upgrades. HISD is also building some non-bond funded schools: North Forest High School, North Forest Early Childhood Center and the Energy Institute High School.

More information on HISD Building Programs

 

 

Many African American artists among HISD’s distinguished alumni give back

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.

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Bellaire HS advances to “Sweet 16” round of global debate competition

Hundreds of debate teams from around the world entered the 2015–16 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) competition, but only 16 remain — including HISD’s Bellaire High School. If Bellaire advances in the next round, the team will win an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City on April 2.

Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only competition that gives high school students from around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. By advancing, the students remain eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize. The Bellaire High School team is one of only two teams from Texas to advance this round.

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Two HISD students win top honors in regional Scholastic contest

Anna White, from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was named an "American Vision" finalist in this year's Scholastic Art & Writing Contest for her painting, entitled "Afternoon Nap."

Anna White, from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was named an “American Visions” finalist in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Contest for her painting, entitled “Afternoon Nap.”

The Harris County Department of Education recently announced the regional winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing contests, and one of the top 10 finalists in each category attends an HISD school.

Anna White (High School for the Performing and Visual Arts) was named an American Visions finalist for her painting entitled “Afternoon Nap,” while Jaelynn Walls (Carnegie Vanguard High School) was named an American Voices finalist for her personal essay/memoir entitled “Prime.” American Visions and American Voices nominees are considered regional “best of show” winners in art and writing (respectively). Each will receive a $250 scholarship from sponsor Texas Art Supply, and one finalist in each category will earn the national medal in March.

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Twenty-four HISD students land 2016 all-state ensemble seats

TMEA2016Waltrip_250Two dozen HISD students have earned a spot on a Texas Music Educators Association All-State Ensemble this year.

Flutist Jiayuan Han (Lamar HS) and French horn player Eduardo Sierra (pictured, Waltrip HS), as well as seven students from Bellaire High School and 15 from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), will perform in various groups during the TMEA’s annual convention in February.

All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. More than 1,600 students were selected this year through a process that began with more than 64,000 from around the state vying for the honor to perform in one of 15 ensembles (bands, orchestras, and choirs).

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Seven student athletes honored by Sugar Land Skeeters

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Seven HISD juniors from three different high schools were recognized recently by a professional baseball team for their skill on the field.

The Sugar Land Skeeters honored Elizabeth Castillo, Julissa Duenas, and Marcus Mack (Bellaire HS), Courtney Taylor, Mary Tindall, and Jimmy Winston (Lamar HS), and Richard Bailey (Waltrip HS) during the organization’s fourth annual Hot Stove Banquet on Jan. 21.

The girls are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Softball Team, while the boys are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Baseball Team.

To see a list of all the honorees this year, please visit the Skeeters’ website.