Category Archives: District VII – Bridget Wade

Bond Oversight Committee tours Milby HS, hears update on third quarter construction progress

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The Houston Independent School District’s Bond Oversight Committee got an inside look at the new Milby High School while touring the campus as part of their regular quarterly meeting on Tuesday.

The eight-member group got to see 21st century learning in action as they made their way through the dining commons, library, gym, and various classroom spaces, including the welding, science, and culinary arts labs.

They also walked through the large central courtyard and got to see the historic main entrance, which now leads to a park-like green space. Continue reading →

Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Sterling Aviation HS recognized for design excellence

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Two schools in the Houston Independent School District’s 2012 Bond Program received national recognition this month in Learning by Design magazine’s 2017 Awards of Excellence.

Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, which opened in August 2016, and Sterling Aviation High School, which opened in January 2017, were among just 17 schools and university facilities from across the country to receive the top designations from the magazine.

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Workers prepare foundation for new Lamar HS

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Though there’s not much to see above ground, construction at Lamar High School is well underway, as crews are drilling piers and preparing to lay the foundation for the campus’ new addition.

As part of that foundation work, crews soon will begin installing grade beams and pouring the concrete slab. Once the groundwork and foundation are complete, installation of steel columns and beams will follow, taking the project vertical by year’s end.

“Once this project gets out of the ground, it will be easy to see progress almost every day,” said Heery International Project Manager Marvin Stone, who oversees the Lamar construction for the Houston Independent School District. “Stay tuned. This will be a fun project to watch.”

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Condit ES selected as finalist for Texas school architecture competition

Designs for three additional bond schools honored with ‘Stars of Distinction’

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Constructed as part of HISD’s 2012 Bond Program, Condit Elementary School has been selected as one of five finalists vying for the highest honor offered by the 2017-18 Exhibit of School Architecture Competition.

Three additional bond campuses — Atherton Elementary School, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, and Sterling Aviation High School — received Stars of Distinction.

The annual school architecture competition showcases new and renovated Texas schools and recognizes excellence in their planning and design. It is sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards.

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HISD Board of Education to vote on extended days for schools with delayed start

Sept. 14 2017 – In its first regular meeting since Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education Trustees will consider a proposal to make up instructional time lost because of the storm.  The Texas Education Agency approved waivers that exempt students from making up the first nine days the storm took away.  However, students at the 12 schools that suffered the most significant damage will have to make up any lost time beyond those days.

Here’s how the proposed plan works:  Students at the four schools scheduled to start on September 18 would be in school for 25 additional minutes every day.  Students at the eight schools scheduled to start on September 25 would go for an extra 55 minutes.  That extended school day would be effective from their first day of school until the end of the first semester in December. Continue reading →

Wisdom HS staff work around the clock to repair leaks, open new school after Hurricane Harvey

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Senior Jasmine Jones cringes when she thinks of the old Wisdom High School. Corridors were narrow and dark, the air conditioning was always on the fritz, and negativity seemed to surround the student body.

It looked and felt like a prison, Jones and her friends said Monday — their first day of class in the new Wisdom High School, which was built as part of the 2012 Bond Program.

“It’s just a whole new environment. It feels so different,” Jones said, noting that the impact of having a modern new building was academically and emotionally significant. “I feel like people are going to be more into school and trying to learn. I feel like even the teachers are more motivated.” Continue reading →

Hilliard Elementary among schools that suffered ‘extensive’ damage in Hurricane Harvey

Fifty-three campuses have “major” damage, 22 have “extensive” damage; assessment of campuses continues

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The floors of Hilliard Elementary School, where Hurricane Harvey floodwaters at one point reached 4 feet high, were still slick and littered with wet debris on Saturday, with water pooling in the hallways, cafetorium and classrooms. Flooring schoolwide will need to be torn out, walls removed 4 feet from the floor, and surfaces dried with humidifiers and covered in anti-microbial disinfectant.

The extent of devastation at the northeast Houston campus places it in the “top 10” of schools damaged by the storm. Continue reading →

HISD to open nine schools for 2017-2018 school year

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Nine schools across the Houston Independent School District will formally open their doors to all students for the first time on Monday — the first day of the 2017-2018 school year.

New schools set to open this school year include Furr, Milby and Wisdom high schools, as well as Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men and DeBakey High School for Health Professions. DeBakey technically opened to summer school students in May, but Monday marks the start of its first fall semester in the new building.

Another four schools — Kashmere and Waltrip high schools, Sharpstown International School, and Codwell Elementary — underwent major renovations. Continue reading →

Get an up close and personal look at district construction progress

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High School for Law and Justice

Want an up close and personal look at the construction underway at 2012 Bond schools throughout the district? It’s now just a couple of clicks away. Follow the progress from the comfort of your own home thanks to cameras that have been installed at several bond schools.

The cameras, which are mounted on a pole or roof of a taller adjacent building, capture an image once every 15 minutes — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Go online and view individual images or check out a time-lapse video and watch as the building comes together. The views also can be zoomed into and panned for more detail. Continue reading →

Wilson Montessori construction passes the halfway mark

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The Wilson Montessori K-8 campus is beginning to take a new form as crews continue building a three-story addition and gymnasium, both of which are now more than halfway complete.

The Montrose-area school is receiving $18.9 million under the voter-approved 2012 Bond program. The project includes construction of a new three-story addition, as well as renovations to the existing facility, which was built in 1924.

The renovation work, which includes updates to the library, reception area, and other rooms, could be completed as early as this summer. Work on the new addition will continue into the next school year.

Continue reading →