Category Archives: High Schools

Countdown to 2014-2015: What’s new in HISD #8 — Cybersafety website unveiled as part of PowerUp expansion

This is the third in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.

As 21 more HISD high schools gear up to become part of the PowerUp one-to-one laptop initiative in the 2014-2015 school year, HISD has unveiled a powerful new companion — an all-encompassing cybersafety website to make sure students’ cybercitizenship matches their technological knowledge.

Developed for use by students, parents, and educators at all grade levels, the new site offers updated and user-friendly information about safe and sensible use of the Internet and social media. The site, which includes content from Common Sense Media, features resource links, tip sheets, videos, learning resources, parent information, and a model media agreement for families to use to set down guidelines for use of cell phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices. Continue reading →

Furr freshmen focus on science, technology, team-building

Solar powered cars, goldfish surviving below soil, wind turbines that generate enough energy to light a house — these aren’t scenes from an environmental film. These student projects were on display as part of a STEM exhibit during the last week of the summer bridge program at Furr High School.

Students and teachers culminated nearly two weeks of activities to prepare incoming ninth-graders for high school by showcasing projects centered on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Israel trip delivers powerful life lessons to eight HISD students

Rising senior Mai Pham (CVHS) wades in the Sea of Galilee.

Rising senior Mai Pham (CVHS) wades in the Sea of Galilee.

Eight current and former HISD students got the trip of a lifetime recently, after spending four weeks in Israel courtesy of the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship.

Students from Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS), the Houston Academy for International Studies (HAIS), Reagan High School, and Yates High School won eight of the ten spots available in the program, which is open to both rising seniors and recent graduates from Texas’ 18th Congressional District.

Continue reading →

Futures Academy session teaches reality of income, money management

Long Academy student Jheysson Menendez imagined what his life would be like if he was a mail clerk with an annual salary just over $29,000.

“I have to cut back on my phone and cable bill,” Menendez said while making a budget during a financial literacy session Wednesday at the Junior Achievement Finance Park, an interactive community with business models created to teach students about career readiness, entrepreneurship, and money management.

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Students were given real-life scenarios that consisted of a job, family, and home during the session, which was part of the Futures Academy Enrichment Week held Monday through Wednesday for rising 10th graders interested in applying for the academy. The academy offers students the opportunity to receive college credit, career training and industry credentials to provide them with options for a promising future after high school. Continue reading →

HISD fathers encouraged to take kids to school on first day

An organization is dubbing the first day of school National Fathers Take Children to School Day.

The “Million Father March” movement is being organized by The Black Star Project, which is based in Chicago, to encourage fathers to take an active role in their children’s education. The Black Star Project is requesting employers to give men a few hours off of work, with pay, so they may take their child to school and participate in any activities for parents a school may have planned.

Many Houston ISD schools, including Jack Yates High School, are encouraging fathers of students to take part in the movement. Continue reading →

Volunteer for 2014 Grads Within Reach Walk Sept. 6

Help HISD get dropouts back in school by volunteering for the 2014 Grads Within Reach walk.

This year’s event will be held at 24 high schools from 8 a.m. to noon on Sat., Sept. 6, 2014. Volunteers will be placed in teams and fan out across the city, based on the school to which they are assigned, and visit the last known address of students who dropped out or didn’t show up for the first weeks of school. Continue reading →

Westbury HS band surprises Michael Strahan at Hall of Fame parade

Westbury High School’s band and dance team traveled to Canton, Ohio, last weekend to celebrate former student and athlete Michael Strahan’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they had a special surprise for him.

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Strahan played for Westbury for one year, and attended and played at Texas Southern University before his 15-year career with the New York Giants. The last game he played was Super Bowl XLII, which the Giants won.

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Washington HS students take lift-off dreams to New Mexico for seventh straight year

After eight months of construction, five Booker T. Washington High School engineering students finally had a chance to try to launch the high-powered hybrid rocket they nicknamed The Golden Eagle Four. The students traveled to the White Sands Missile Range last week in New Mexico to launch the rocket, hoping to see it reach a height of 100,000 feet.

“Seeing our rocket on the launch pad was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen,” said Washington senior Michael Ortiz. “We worked so hard to get to that point. We started with calculations on paper to drawing a rocket to actually seeing the rocket on the launch pad.”

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New Middle College High School trains corps of leaders

When the new Middle College High School-Gulfton campus starts classes Aug. 25, it will already have a trained group of student leaders.

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About 40 seniors from the school learned confidence- and team-building skills last week at a five-day summer leadership camp held at Talento Bilingue de Houston. Continue reading →

HISD schools claim spots on TEA Title I Reward Schools List

12 schools earn recognition for both high performance and progress

The Texas Education Agency has recognized several HISD schools for high performance and high progress for the 2013-2014 school year. Seventeen HISD schools were included on the agency’s list of Title I High Performing Schools and 17 schools were named as High Progress schools.

“The students and staff of the schools included on this list are focused on implementing innovative programs to affect student outcomes in a positive way,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “Their successes are models that can be used by all schools across the district to ensure that each of our students are not only receiving good grades and scoring well on tests, but are exposed to an academically rigorous education that creates learning leaders.”

Continue reading →