High school teachers from throughout the district are spending their Saturdays and early-release training days learning how to integrate web tools and digital content into their daily classroom instruction. The training is part of PowerUp, a districtwide program that is giving students their own laptops to use at school and at home. HISD’s Professional Development and Instructional Technology Departments are co-hosting the training sessions, which are designed to give teachers hands-on instruction and guidance on how to use technology to make their lessons more engaging and student centered.
Category Archives: High Schools
PowerUp Parent Meetings Begin at Three Schools
Hundreds of HISD parents came out to the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy on October 3 to learn more about digital citizenship and the district’s one-to-one laptop initiative. YWCPA is one of 11 HISD schools where students will be given laptops to use at home and at school as part of the PowerUp initiative.
“I really think is a great idea,” said YWCPA parent Charlotte Goins, who attended the meeting with her teenage daughter. “Students today need certain skills to succeed in the work force, and by using computers they can develop and sharpen these skills.”
School Choice Fairs Scheduled Across Houston
The Houston Independent School District is hosting several school choice fairs across the district to inform parents of the different educational choices available to their children as they transition into middle and high school.
“HISD offers excellent opportunities to meet your child’s needs, challenge their thinking, and develop their skills,” said Dave Wheat, HISD assistant superintendent for school choice. “But most importantly, we prepare them for success in college and their careers.”
Cultural Pride Shines at HISD’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration
HISD hosted its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Moreno Elementary School on Oct. 4 with featured performances by students from Moreno, Burbank MS, and Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center. Visitors learned about and sample traditional dishes from more than a dozen countries, including paella from Spain, arroz con leche from Chile, empanadas from Colombia, and posole from Mexico.
Special guests included members of the district’s Hispanic Advisory Committee and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
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Master Chef Causes a Sweet Stir at Westside HS
An accomplished master chef who once worked at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel led about 80 culinary arts students in a series of “sweet” exercises on Sept. 27, when he came to Westside High School as part of the Culinary Institute of America’s Ambassadors program.
Five Things to Do This Month to Get College-Ready
October is College Awareness Month in HISD and over the next four weeks, the district will be hosting a variety of activities and events for parents and students to learn more about colleges, scholarships, testing, and more. Here are five things parents and students can do in October to get college-ready.
Furr HS Stages Mock Crime Scene to Draw Attention to Banned Book Week
Senior Kevin Berrios, an Advanced Placement Literature student, stands by his project on a banned book by author Clive Barker.
Students at HISD’s Furr High School got a surprise when they got to class on Sept. 26. As they settled into their seats, they heard the stern voice of HISD Police Officer Craig Davis on the intercom, announcing that the library was closed and forbidding students from entering it.
The teens’ curiosity grew all morning, as they passed by a library whose windows were obscured by black paper and covered in crime-scene tape, with a few holes strategically placed to reveal a cart labeled “banned books” filled with titles pulled from their own library’s shelves. The hallway leading to the school library was also decorated with mock crime posters featuring Furr teachers “wanted for reading banned books” and a display case filled with book covers of banned books found in Furr’s collection.
Car Show Proceeds to Benefit Chavez Motor Sports Program
Chavez High School is hosting a community car show to give students more opportunities in its motor sports engineering program.
The show will be held in the school’s teacher parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 28. Judging will be held at 1 p.m. The community is invited to enter their cars, imports, trucks and motorcycles for $25.
HISD Wins $12 Million for Magnet Schools
Six HISD schools have been awarded a combined $12 million in federal grant funds for new magnet programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction.
“This is fantastic news for HISD students, and for local taxpayers,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We have heard loud and clear from the business community that demand for graduates with a strong foundation of science, technology, engineering and math has never been higher, and that this demand will continue to grow. In addition to strong neighborhood schools, new magnet programs like these make HISD even more competitive as parents and students explore all of the great school choices available to them in our city.”
Student Stops Bus Stop Abduction Attempt
A Westside High School freshman was cut with a knife Thursday morning when he helped fight off a man who was trying to abduct another student.