Students at Poe ES pose with Principal Jeff Amerson and their new books.
A new partnership between the Boniuk Foundation and Chicken Soup for the Soul is helping students in HISD and across Harris County to develop more cultural awareness while simultaneously building their literacy skills.
The partnership kicked off on May 14 at Poe Elementary School, where a group of students gathered to open boxes of books that were being delivered to the libraries of every school in Harris County.
HISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) has been designated a 2015–2017 Exemplary School by Arts Schools Network, the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools.
L-R are: Kenneth Yu, Christina Mao, Claire Weddle, Akash Shukla, and Michael Clark
Four students from Bellaire High School have been named the national champions of the 2015 National Personal Finance Challenge, after beating out more than 22 other teams to earn the title.
The competition took place in Kansas City on May 22, and students Christina Mao, Kenneth Yu, Claire Weddle, and Akash Shukla placed first, second, third, and fifth (respectively) in the country on individual tests before advancing to the third round of the competition, which was a team event.
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Educators at two HISD elementary schools have stepped up to handle the effects of the recent flooding, each in their own way.
On May 26, Steven Shannon, a music teacher at Lyons Elementary School, saved a woman from drowning.
Shannon was on a walk when he noticed that Glenda Reynolds was trapped in her car by the rising water in the underpass beneath Shepherd Drive. Shannon and three other Good Samaritans swam out and extricated Reynolds and her dog from the vehicle. Continue reading
Students at almost two dozen HISD schools are now better able to explore the visual arts, after their campuses won art supply kits valued at $1,000 each from the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA). The schools received the kits after submitting grant requests to George’s Art Closest, an initiative of the organization named for the well-known Louisiana-based artist who created “Blue Dog.”
Up to 20 campuses also got free field trips to a temporary exhibit of Rodrigue’s artwork at West Avenue at River Oaks, 2800 Kirby Dr., second floor, and Adrienne Lewis’ third-grade math class at Field Elementary School even received a visit from the artist’s son, Jacques Rodrigue, on May 18. Continue reading
Take the Stage is a brand-new Houston-based performing-arts TV show for kids debuting on Saturday, May 30—and a student from HISD’s very own Twain Elementary School holds one of the lead roles.
Payne Houck (left) in character on the show
Payne Houck, a second-grader, plays “Sawyer,” a high-spirited student with big dreams in an afterschool performing-arts class. In the show’s first episode, viewers take a ride inside Sawyer’s colorful imagination, where they see his fantasy of becoming an on-air talk-show host/comedian.
Keri Wittpenn
Keri Wittpenn, an assistant principal at the Jane Long Academy, has been named the winner of the Founders Award by the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program (REEP). The REEP Founders Award is given to one REEP Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree candidate each year. As a 2015 graduate of Rice’s MBA program, Wittpenn was chosen for this award by her fellow classmates due to her leadership in both the REEP and her educational community. Continue reading
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Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier made a surprise visit to Bellaire High School on Wednesday to present a dedicated and hardworking graduating senior with a $10,000 college scholarship.
The award was given to Alisa Hamilton, who was selected by Dr. Grier because of her drive to succeed academically and be involved on campus despite significant personal challenges. Hamilton, who is homeless, does not live with her parents and has worked two part-time jobs to make ends meet. She has done all of this while maintaining good grades and participating in Bellaire’s DECA business club. Continue reading
Trustee Paula Harris (far L) presents the Board Awards to some of the first graduate from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy
Each year, the HISD Board of Education honors distinguished seniors from district high schools in recognition of their accomplishments, as exemplified by their character, academic achievement, leadership, and service.
Selections are made by school-based committees appointed by each principal and the awards are presented by the trustee representing each district during commencement exercises.
One outstanding young man and young woman are selected from each high school, as well as up to five honorable mention students. A list of this year’s award recipients is here (.pdf) and a list of the students receiving honorable mention is here (.pdf).
HISD held its fourth annual Celebration of Excellence at the Hilton Americas Hotel on May 15, 2015, and one of the evening’s most exciting moments came when the district’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year were announced.
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Robert Uzick, a fourth-grade teacher at Cunningham Elementary School, and Jessica Joseph, a sixth-grade math teacher at Hogg Middle School, have been named the winners of these awards for 2015. Continue reading