Friendly online competition also promotes team spirit, as schools band together to beat their cross-town rivals
HISD’s Bellaire and Chávez high schools usually face off against each other on the football field or the basketball court, but this year, those campuses are taking their rivalry to the Internet, and fighting for dominance in a more ethereal realm.
Read why this EMERGE student is keeping her options open in this week’s edition
While most seniors are fine-tuning a short list of colleges and universities they might want to attend, one student at HISD’s Carnegie Vanguard High School is doing exactly the opposite. Learn why Olaide Sode is pushing herself to apply to almost two dozen different schools, and how the EMERGE program is helping Olaide and other economically disadvantaged students to reach for the stars in the Nov. 7, 2014, edition of eNews.
Longfellow Elementary students are cultivating a sense of personal responsibility and leadership skills through the “The Leader in Me” program. The school, located at 3671 Norris in southwest Houston, will showcase those qualities in a special program from 9–11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13.
“’The Leader in Me’ provides the most solid foundation I have ever seen to help kids lead a principled, centered life,” said Longfellow ES Principal Norma Perez-Gwynn. “It has made an incredible difference with our children.” Continue reading
Volunteers in HISD’s Read Houston Read initiative have met the students they’ll be working with this school year and are beginning the journey of helping children develop a love for reading.
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“I come once a week, every Monday, to read to two special little boys,” said Kimberly Thompson, who volunteers at Sutton ES. “When someone from the outside comes in and reads to these children, they just feel special. When you feel special, you are more open to every experience that comes your way.” Continue reading
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Condit Elementary School on Saturday became the first school to break ground under HISD’s 2012 bond program, kicking off the construction phase of the school’s new 21st century campus.
Condit is in the first group of 17 schools transitioning from the design phase to the construction phase as part of the district’s $1.89 billion bond program to rebuild or renovate 40 schools.
Endurance runners and HISD employees Alyssa Howell (right) and her husband, John Smith, pose with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, at a pre-race dinner in Syracuse, New York, on Oct. 18. Switzer is holding the bib number she wore during the 1967 Boston Marathon, in which she broke the previously all-male tradition.
Ever wonder what it’s like to meet one of your personal heroes? If so, just ask HISD Teacher Development Specialist Alyssa Howell or her husband, John Smith, who teaches at Sutton Elementary School.
The night before competing in the Empire State half-marathon in upstate New York on Oct. 19, Howell and Smith got to meet and have dinner with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run in the prestigious Boston Marathon. Switzer entered the previously all-male race back in 1967 and completed it despite being physically assaulted by the race manager around mile six. Continue reading
More than 500 middle school students spent their Saturday at Hamilton Middle School on Oct. 25, competing in the first University Interscholastic League (UIL) Middle School tournament of the 2014–2015 season.
Students from 15 schools competed: Attucks, Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan, Black, Burbank, Clifton, Cullen, Fondren, Hamilton, Johnston, Pershing, Pin Oak, Revere and Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men.
Pin Oak Middle School was declared the sweepstakes champion, with Mickey Leland College Prep winning second place and Black MS taking home third.
Here are the individual results: Continue reading
Houston Independent School District became the recipient of a Proud Partner Award in the 2014 Mayor’s Proud Partner Awards on Monday. The district accepted the award for its National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools Program, along with five additional recognitions, during the 30th annual luncheon hosted by Keep Houston Beautiful.
The Mayor’s Proud Partners Luncheon, hosted by Keep Houston Beautiful, recognizes outstanding work by local organizations and individuals who aim to improve Houston’s landscape through environmental and beautification projects.
Betty Garcia from HISD’s Student Assessment Department reads aloud from “Nugget & Fang,” by Tammi Sauer, to Rodriguez ES students.
On the last two days of every work week, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., you’ll find members of HISD’s Student Assessment Department making their way across the busy intersection of Chimney Rock and Glenmont.
Why are they braving the lunch hour traffic? To get to Rodriguez Elementary School, on the other side of the street.
Last month, Rodriguez Principal Elena Martinez-Buley launched a new Reading Buddy Partnership with Student Assessment in support of the district’s Literacy By 3 movement, and now, more than a dozen volunteers from that department visit the school twice a month to read to students during their lunchtime. Continue reading
Shawn McMahan
For Shawn McMahan, HISD’s Combined Charities Campaign is about security—the comfort of never having to wonder if the money she gives is actually getting to the people it’s supposed to help.
“We’ve all had that experience where you’re stopped at the red light and a person shows you a sign asking for money,” explained the Horn Academy ESL teacher. “In your head, you debate whether or not to help them. You may worry that by giving them money, you’re just feeding some bad habit that got them there in the first place. Or you remember the story on the news about scammers who make their living off the generosity of others, but really require no assistance. But how can you look them in the eye and refuse to help? It’s a dilemma.” Continue reading