Category Archives: High Schools

Houston ISD Meets Tougher State Accountability Standard

The Houston Independent School District earned an overall Met Standard rating under the new Texas school accountability system, the Texas Education Agency announced Thursday.

More than three-quarters – 78 percent – of individual HISD schools earned a Met Standard rating under the new system that seeks to measure whether students are on track to graduate ready for college and the workplace. Of the 210 HISD schools that were awarded a Met Standard rating, 154 earned an additional distinction designation for especially strong student progress, or achievement in math and/or reading/English language arts.

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Board of Education to Consider Partnership with Houston Community College to Open Two Middle College High Schools

Schools designed to serve students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out

The HISD Board of Education will consider a proposal Thursday to create a partnership with Houston Community College to open two Middle College High Schools focused on serving students who are in danger of dropping out of school or who have already dropped out.

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Families Required to Complete Application for HISD’s Free and Reduced Price Meals Program

Application available online and at all HISD campuses for 2013-2014 academic year

Families must complete an application for their children to qualify for free-and reduced-price meals and ensure their children start the school year with access to healthy meals.

Families can fill out their application at any HISD campus, at the HISD Food Services Support Facility (6801 Bennington Street), or online at www.mealapps.houstonisd.org.

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Principals Get Fired Up by Keynote Speaker

Fantastic! Inspirational! Amazing!

These are a few of the comments overheard after keynote speaker Alan Hooker ended the Welcome Back Team HISD event for principals and their staff on Wednesday morning, Aug. 7, at Chavez High School.

Hooker, HISD’s Leadership Development Officer, talked specifically about how to be successful in realizing your dreams. His childhood dreams included becoming a basketball star in high school, even though he was only 5 foot 6 inches at the time. He grew tall and made the team. His college dream was playing football for the Dallas Cowboys, and sure enough, they recruited him.

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North Forest Families Urged to Complete Application for HISD’s Free and Reduced Price Meals Program

Application available online and at all HISD campuses for 2013-2014 academic year

The Houston Independent School District urges all North Forest families to complete an application with HISD’s Food Services Department as soon as possible in order for their children to qualify for free or reduced price meals during the 2013-2014 school year.

“Many of our families may not realize they need to apply each year for meal benefits,” HISD Food Services Senior Manager Brian Giles said. “It‘s important that they submit the application in order to qualify so their children can start the first day of school with healthy meals.”

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HISD, Houston Urban Debate League Host Summer Debate Camp

Houston ISD students had an opportunity to hone their public-speaking and debate skills at the sixth-annual Summer Debate Institute July 29–August 2, 2013, at Austin High School. Hosted by HISD and the Houston Urban Debate League (HUDL), 85 students from 17 Houston-area schools participated in the week-long camp.

“It’s been informative and really helpful in other aspects, because debate keeps you apprised of relevant topics,” said Joseph Collins, 12th grade camp participant. “It’s given me the ability to not only state my opinion but actually back it up and be able to do the research.”

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Jordan, Wheatley Students Cultivate ‘Friendships Beyond Borders’

HISD students pose in front of a statue of former South African President Paul Kruger in Pretoria, South Africa.

Almost a dozen students from HISD’s Jordan and Wheatley high schools forged new relationships with their contemporaries from around the globe last month when they traveled overseas as part of a program designed to cultivate “friendships across borders.”

The students briefly visited the Netherlands before heading to South Africa through the International Youth Friendship & Development Program, whose mission is to connect young people with their peers from other countries to build mutual respect and understanding, with the ultimate goal of someday achieving world peace.

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Westside HS students travel to Japan through Kakehashi Project

Emily Wang, Geovanni Salcedo (standing, second and fourth from L), Idara Ukpanah, and Shadi Al-Tawrah (kneeling, third and fourth from left) study kendo, the Japanese art of fencing.

A dozen students from Westside High School did their part to improve international relations this summer when they participated in a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The students spent ten days exploring that island nation in July through the Kakehashi Project/Bridge for Tomorrow, a program designed to cultivate a more positive relationship between the U.S. and Japan through youth cultural exchange.

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EMERGE Helps Students Realize College Dreams

Students in the EMERGE program listen to a lecture at Rice University

Abel Diaz never imagined himself walking the centuries-old paths of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Growing up in Houston and coming from a low-income background, Yale seemed like another world. But Diaz has studied hard and excelled at Eastwood Academy High School, and Yale is exactly where he found himself earlier this summer, traveling with a group of 80 HISD students. The trip was coordinated through the district’s EMERGE program that aims to help high-performing, low-income students into Ivy League and Tier I colleges.

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