Category Archives: High Schools

Milby HS educator named HISD’s 2014 Librarian of the Year

HISD’s 2014 Librarian of the Year Rowena Verdin (center) with Principal Roy de la Garza (left) and School Support Officer Justin Fuentes

Rowena Verdin has been finding innovative ways to do her job since practically the minute she stepped onto the Milby High School campus. After only a year of fielding requests for copies of old yearbooks from dozens of alumni, she launched an effort to digitize them for easier access. And to entice students to read more, she set up her own version of the Red Box movie-rental kiosk in a display window, adorning popular books with bright red covers that say, “Have you ‘red’ any good books lately?”

It is these efforts and more that have earned Verdin the title of HISD’s Librarian of the Year for 2014.
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Waltrip HS shares love of robotics with Garden Oaks ES

Garden Oaks Elementary students recently had a hands-on chance to learn more about science, technology, engineering and math thanks to help from Waltrip High School.

The theme of the May 22 STEM Night was “Around the World with STEM.” Students were given passports to visit four different areas. “Roboville” was one of the most popular “countries.”
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Lessons learned after 177 Days: Celebrate triumphs and make plans to improve

Natalie Nelson, Michael Bennett, Brandi Latimer, Mariela Niland, Shelbi Craig

Last fall, we asked five first-year teachers to share their experiences with us through a blog called 177 Days, and over the past year, our bloggers have learned a number of valuable lessons, such as the importance of having a back-up plan (Natalie Nelson), the discovery that little things can make a big difference (Shelbi Craig), how meeting with parents can improve both their own and their students’ performance (Michael Bennett), why setting behavioral expectations early is so critical to success (Brandi Latimer), and even the importance of staying well-nourished during the day (Mariela Niland).

Now the regular academic year is coming to a close, so we asked our bloggers to share some parting words with us before they cleaned out their desks and closed up their classrooms for the summer.
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HISD announces Nurses of the Year for 2014

A commitment to making every student feel valued and a refusal to limit care to an eight-hour work day have garnered two HISD nurses the district’s highest honors for medical professionals in a school setting.

Lashawnda Harris, who serves at Lyons Elementary School, and Karen Adams, who serves at Sharpstown International School (SIS), have been named HISD’s Elementary and Secondary Nurses of the Year (respectively) for 2014.

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New partnership shines spotlight on Linked Learning’s potential

When most people think about employment opportunities available at large grocery or clothing chains, they probably envision minimum-wage jobs such as cashiers, sackers, stockers, or parking lot attendants who collect abandoned shopping carts.

But a new partnership between HISD’s Career and Technical Education department, the University of Houston Downtown (UH-D), and various big-box stores is looking to change that misconception, and in the process, create a steady stream of high-school students poised for high-paying careers in retail management.

“This type of partnership does exactly what we want,” said Michael Webster, HISD’s assistant superintendent of career readiness. “It’s giving kids access to real-life situations. The idea is that within two to four years of graduation, they will be in a managerial role, and a typical manager at one of these stores makes $125- to $150,000 a year.”

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FotoFest program helps students improve literacy skills

Students at eight Houston ISD schools have been improving their literacy skills through a program created by FotoFest, and you have a chance to check out their work.

Literacy Through Photography utilizes photography as a tool to develop basic learning skills, particularly writing and critical thinking, for students in grades 3-12. It includes a curriculum aligned to state standards, professional development for teachers, and artist-educator residency programs for students in both in-school and after-school environments.

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Students’ achievements celebrated on Academic Signing Day

Hundreds of Houston ISD seniors got together on Friday, May 23, to celebrate their acceptance to two- and four-year colleges and universities.

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HISD students awarded nearly $2M worth of HLSR scholarships

(JACKRIGBY HudsonOH)

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo awarded more than $7 million worth of scholarships to 394 students in 77 school districts. More than 100 Houston ISD students received scholarships worth $18,000 each.

More than 100 students from the Houston Independent School District were awarded a total of $1,836,000 worth of scholarships from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Wednesday.

Fifty-eight students were awarded “metropolitan” scholarships, each worth $18,000 over four years. Students had to be in the top 25 percent of their class, score 1350 on the SAT, or score 19 on the ACT to qualify.

Forty-four students were awarded “opportunity” scholarships, each worth $18,000 over four years. Students had to be in the top 50 percent of their class, score 1300 on the SAT, or score 18 on the ACT to qualify.

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