Category Archives: High Schools

Millionaire Club Spotlight: What Are You Reading This Summer?

Jack Yates HS librarian Velda Hunter

HISD’s Millionaire Club is a literacy initiative designed to encourage students to read for pleasure during the summer months. Each week, we’ll catch up with one HISD librarian to find out what’s on his or her reading list. This week, we spoke with Velda Hunter, a librarian at Jack Yates High School.

What are you reading right now? What attracted you to those selections?

I never read just one or two books at a time. I am reading a variety of good reads, including high school Name That Book selections. Mystery is my favorite genre, so the mystery-thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is one of the first I chose from the new Name That Book list.

Continue reading →

Early Adopter Teachers Help Lead Laptop Initiative

HISD is calling upon some of the district’s most tech savvy teachers to help launch PowerUp, HISD’s groundbreaking initiative that will eventually give every high school student a laptop computer.

“Students learn differently than we did as children so you have to engage and empower them with technology,” said Bellaire High School teacher Seth Mintz during a training session involving select teachers from the 11 schools involved in phase 1 of PowerUp. Mintz and the other teachers were hand-picked by their principals because of their proven willingness to embrace technology in the classroom. This group of early adopters have been tasked with helping their campus colleagues embrace the initiative and its potential.

Continue reading →

HISD Announces New Health Science Futures Academy at Westside High School

Provides students chance to earn an associate’s degree and technical training

The Houston Independent School District, in partnership with the Houston Community College and the University of Texas MD Anderson School of Health Professions, announces a new Futures Academy of Heath Science Careers at Westside High School.  Press conference will be on Tuesday, July 30 at 10 a.m. at Westside, 14201 Briar Forest Drive.

Continue reading →

HISD to Give Away New Car at Third Annual ‘Cool to Be Smart’ Celebration

HISD Foundation supports the event for third year in a row

Nearly 1,000 recent graduates will have the chance to enter a drawing to win a brand new car and more than $10,000 in scholarships at the upcoming third annual Cool to Be Smart celebration on Aug. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road.

Continue reading →

SAT Boot Camp Boosting Chances for Ivy League Admission

HISD students at three high schools say they are more confident and prepared to take the SAT thanks to a summer boot camp that raised their practice test scores by double digits.

“At first I found it really difficult,” said Sharpstown sophomore Giovanna Deleon. “Now, after taking the practice tests and seeing my score increase week after week, I am very proud and optimistic.”

Continue reading →

Millionaire Club Spotlight: What Are You Reading This Summer?

HISD’s Millionaire Club is a literacy initiative designed to encourage students to read for pleasure during the summer months. Each week, we’ll catch up with one HISD librarian to find out what’s on his or her reading list. This week, we spoke with Rowena Verdin, a librarian at Milby High School.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth and I started The Dog Stars by Peter Heller.

Insurgent is actually the second book in the series by Veronica Roth. The first book, Divergent, was in last year’s Name That Book list. I enjoyed the first book; it’s like Hunger Games. Plus, I really like dystopian novels, so I just had to read the second book. The third book is supposed to come out in October.

Dog Stars is on the Name That Book (NTB) list.

Continue reading →

PowerUp Pilot Schools Learning Best Practices

Nearly a century ago, famed educator John Dewey said, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” Dewey’s words of wisdom resonated among 150 HISD school leaders, central office staff members, and teachers as they gathered this month for a four-day retreat to officially launch and learn more about PowerUp, HISD’s groundbreaking initiative that will eventually give every high school student a laptop computer.

Principals and teachers involved in phase 1, or the pilot phase of PowerUp, along with members of curriculum, professional development, and instructional technology, met July 15-18 at Sharpstown High School to train with over a dozen educators from the Mooresville Graded School District located in Mooresville, N.C. MGSD has received national recognition for undertaking a digital technology initiative that provides every student in grades 4-12 with a computer to use at school and at home.

Continue reading →

Reagan HS and Hogg MS Celebrate IB Authorization

Reagan High School and Hogg Middle School are the two latest HISD campuses to receive official authorization to operate as International Baccalaureate World Schools. The announcement, which came on July 5, creates the first continuous IB feeder pattern in the historic Heights neighborhood. Students now can begin the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) at Harvard Elementary and then progress to Hogg Middle School and Reagan High School for the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).

Continue reading →

Waltrip HS Robotics Team Wins Awards in Summer Competitions

Joseph Townsend, Tyler Townsend (mentor), Jeremiah Miller, Joshua Benton, Brooke Welch, Amanda Edwards, Andrew Kain, Alyssa Murrell, NayJeah Pridgen, and Sean Russell.

Waltrip High School’s robotics team competed in two international events this summer and came home with three awards.

The team won the gROVer award at the International M.A.T.E. Underwater ROV Competition in Federal Way, Wash. That award is given to a team that demonstrates kindness, courtesy, professionalism, and assists other teams, providing technical and moral support. Team member Sean Russell received the engineering evaluation MVP award.

Continue reading →