Category Archives: High Schools

Graduating Seniors Receive Record-Breaking Scholarship Offers

More than 9,000 seniors will graduate from HISD high schools in the coming days. So far, HISD seniors have been offered more than $172 million in college scholarships, a record-breaking amount that surpasses last year’s total by more than $40 million and the total for the Class of 2012 is still growing.

Almost 90 percent of HISD’s graduates have been accepted into college and half of these students were accepted into a 4-year university. In fact at Davis High School, for the first time in the school’s history, the entire graduating class applied and got accepted into a two or four year college or university. Plus, the district currently boasts the highest graduation rate and the lowest dropout rate ever.

These are all results of the district’s efforts to ensure every student is prepared for college and one of the reasons HISD’s high schools continue to be among the nation’s best.

Twenty-one HISD high schools recently earned recognition in the Washington Post High School Challenge, a list of 1,800 schools representing the top 9 percent in the nation when it comes to preparing graduates for college. Only 125 Texas high schools made the list, and HISD campuses – Carnegie Vanguard, Eastwood Academy, and DeBakey High School for Health Professions – represent three of the national top 100.

In addition, HISD high schools also occupy 9 out of 1,000 positions on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools. Only 86 Texas high schools made the Newsweek list.

These national rankings are a result of the district’s Advanced Placement initiative that began in 2009 to ensure all HISD students have access to at least 15 college-level AP courses in every high school.

Last year students earned a score of 3 or higher, which is the score most colleges require for course credit, on 6,657 AP exams, which is a 35 percent increase from 2009.

Such strong AP initiative is also one of the reasons HISD is among the four finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, the nation’s most prestigious education award which recognizes the top urban school district in America for its strong academic achievement and narrowing the achievement gap.

In keeping with the district’s mission of creating a college-bound culture in every school, HISD opened the Energized for STEM Academy in 2008 in an effort to help students earn college credits that will prepare them for postsecondary academics as well as technical careers in a variety of fields. On June 2, the inaugural Energized for STEM Academy Class of 2012 will be graduating with college credits and have all been accepted into college or the United States Military and were awarded scholarships totaling nearly $2 million.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier will attend the following graduation ceremonies.

Saturday, June 2 10:00am Chavez High School Hofheinz Pavilion, University of Houston
Saturday, June 2 4:00 pm Scarborough High School George R. Brown Convention Center
Sunday, June 3 4:00 pm Sharpstown High School Delmar Sports Complex

Click here for the entire list of graduation ceremonies.

Furr High School hosts ‘Civility in the Park’

Students from Furr High School recently held Civility in the Park, an event to celebrate the new spirit of community that exists in their corner of the east side. The area that was once plagued with gang violence and crime has been transformed in recent yaers thanks to dedicated citizens.

Civility in the Park featured musical performances, face painting, dancing and food. See photos from the free event below.

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HISD High Schools Win More National Accolades

Houston ISD high schools are well represented on two national lists issued today that seek to identify the top high schools in America.

The strong showing on the Washington Post High School Challenge rankings and Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools of 2012 are the result of HISD’s Advanced Placement initiative that began with the 2009-2010 school year.  That was the year Superintendent Terry Grier called on all high schools to expand student access to college-level AP courses and the district agreed to pay the exam fees for all students in those classes.

“This is great recognition of the hard work being done by teachers and students at high schools across the Houston Independent School District,” said Superintendent Terry Grier.

Today, all HISD high schools offer a minimum of 10-15 AP classes, and the number of exams earning a score of 3 or higher, which is the score most colleges require for course credit, is up 35 percent.

HISD’s strong AP progress is one reason the district is among four finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes the top urban school district in America. This week, a Broad Prize panel of experts is touring HISD schools as part of the evaluation process.

Washington Post High School Challenge

Twenty-one HISD high schools earned recognition in the Washington Post High School Challenge, a list of 1,800 schools representing the top 9 percent in the nation when it comes to preparing graduates for college. Only 125 Texas high schools made the list, and HISD campuses – Carnegie Vanguard, Eastwood Academy, and DeBakey High School for Health Professions – represent three of the national top 100.

HISD high schools that made the Washington Post list include:

2012 Rank      School Name

10                         Carnegie Vanguard

23                         Eastwood Academy

96                         Challenge Early HS

114                       DeBakey HS for Health Professions

153                       Bellaire

161                       High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

168                       East Early College

194                       Furr

228                      High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

267                      Lamar

275                      Westside

548                      Westbury

553                      Lee

833                      Chavez

1,001                  Milby

1,062                  Reagan

1,121                   Scarborough

1,158                  Washington

1,205                  Davis

1,377                  Waltrip

1,571                   Austin

Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools 

HISD high schools also occupy 9 out of 1,000 positions on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools.  Only 86 Texas high schools made the Newsweek list. HISD schools on the list are:

2012 Rank       School Name

13                           Carnegie Vanguard

72                          Eastwood Academy

75                          DeBakey HS for Health Professions

162                        High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

439                        Bellaire

446                        Challenge Early College

685                        High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

883                        Lamar

957                        Mount Carmel Academy

Seven HISD Schools Receive Generous Donation of 10,000 Books

Seven schools in the Houston Independent School District will receive 10,000 books because of a generous donation from Neuhaus Education Center.  The announcement was made today at the 3 Men Movers Warehouse on the Southwest Freeway.  Neuhaus Education Center received the books as part of the H-E-B Read 3 campaign. 

This afternoon, 3 Men Movers will deliver the books to Bonham Elementary, Garcia Elementary, Whidby Elementary, Gregory-Lincoln Elementary, Kashmere Gardens Elementary, High School Ahead Academy, and Worthing High School.

Several campuses plan to use the books to enhance their library collections, while others will use the books to supplement classroom libraries.  One school will also give some of the books to students to encourage summer reading.

“This generous donation of books will enhance the literacy of hundreds of HISD students”, said Dr. Alicia Thomas, HISD Deputy Chief Academic Officer. “One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is to teach them at an early age the importance of reading every day.”

Since 1980, Neuhaus Education Center (NEC) has been dedicated to the prevention of reading failure and provides teachers professional development in research-based methods of literacy instruction. Nearly 7,000 HISD teachers have received training at NEC on literacy intervention strategies.  Principals and teacher development specialists have also attended the professional development sessions.

The H-E-B Read 3 campaign was the brainchild of H-E-B CEO and Chairman, Charles Butt, a strong advocate for public education.  H-E-B launched the Read 3 program as part of its continued efforts to strengthen education in Houston and throughout the state.

H-E-B Read 3 is committed to helping parents shape a child’s mind by encouraging them to read to their children three times a week.  H-E-B’s goal is to collect 1 million books for children in need.

Volunteers from North Highland Company to Spend Day Beautifying Milby High School

What: North Highland Company, a global consultant oil and natural gas service organization, is donating 65 volunteers for a Milby Beautification Day in support of the IPAA Milby Academy of Petroleum Exploration & Production Technology.  The volunteers have committed to 350 man hours to improve and refurbish the school grounds, courtyards, walkways and park benches. 

Who: HISD Board Member Manuel Rodriguez, Milby High School Principal Roy de la Garza, IPAA Academy Coordinator Sarah Hewitt, North Highland Company Vice President Clark Varner, volunteers, students and teachers

When: Saturday, April 28, starting at 8:00a.m.

Where: Milby High School, 1601 Broadway

National College Fair coming to Reliant Center

HISD students will have the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from nearly 260 colleges and universities at the Houston National College Fair on Thursday, April 12.

The event, which is organized by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Reliant Center (One Reliant Park, Houston, TX 77054). It will provide information about national and international schools, public and private universities, two-year and four-year programs, admissions requirements, and financial aid.

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HISD Students Selected as National Achievement Scholarship Winners

Five Houston Independent School District students have been named National Achievement Scholarship winners. Each student will receive a $2,500 dollar award. Each year the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards scholarships to African-American students who have excelled in academics and who have demonstrated the potential for academic success in college.

800 students were awarded scholarships this year totaling more than $2 million dollars. Sixty of those students are from Texas including five students who attend HISD schools.
• Camryn K. Burkins – Carnegie Vanguard High School
• Somtochi I. Okafor – Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions
• Frankie C. Mojekwu- Booker T. Washington High School
• Christopher B. Reed – Booker T. Washington High School
• Nicole C. Syder – Westside High School
Nationally, more than 160,000 students applied for the 2012 National Achievement Scholarships, which were awarded based on several criteria. Students had to demonstrate a consistent record of academic excellence. They had to be recommended by an official from their high school. Candidates had to earn SAT scores that confirmed their Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, and they also had to write an essay.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program is a privately financed academic competition established in 1964 to recognize African-American students who have achieved exceptional scholastic success. This is the 48th year for the National Achievement Scholarships have been awarded. As a result of the program, 32,000 students have received scholarships for undergraduate study worth more than $100 million dollars.

Sharpstown High School Band Performs with the Houston Symphony

The Sharpstown High School Band will receive the rare honor today of performing with members of the Houston Symphony.
The performance takes place at 2p.m. at Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet). The Sharpstown students will perform one of the musical arrangements from the Symphony’s rendition of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets – An HD Odyssey”.

“The Planets” is one of the Symphony’s most celebrated pieces. It tells the story of NASA’s exploration of the solar-system while high-definition images of the planets are shown on a screen behind the orchestra.

Today’s performance is part of an ongoing partnership between the Houston Symphony and HISD. The Symphony is donating a DVD copy of its performance to each of the district’s 279 schools. Teachers will also receive the educational companion disc, which will provide interactive-cross curriculum lesson plans for all grade levels.
“We’re very excited that our band has been chosen to perform with the Houston Symphony. This is a tremendous honor for Sharpstown High which speaks volumes about the hard work of our teachers and students,” said Principal, Rob Gasparello.

HISD Board of Education Trustee Greg Meyers and Houston Symphony General Manager Steven Brosvik are scheduled to speak at today’s event.
“The Houston Symphony and the Houston Independent School District have had a rich and deep partnership and we are pleased to continue to grow these opportunities,” Brosvik said. “As music is needed to provide a complete education for our children, we hope this resource will provide a synergy for learning across the curriculum.”

The Symphony’s generous donation is being made possible because of a gift from Marathon Oil.