Category Archives: High Schools

HISD unveils plans for new certification program at Washington High School

Dr. Grier at the Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development luncheon .

Dr. Grier announced plans for the HILZ program at Washington High School.

The new program will offer students manufactory, engineering, and technology training and certifications

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced plans to create a new manufacturing, engineering, and technology program at Booker T. Washington High School during an Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development luncheon Thursday, Feb. 2.

The new program is part of a proposal to establish the Houston Innovative Learning Zone (HILZ) schools, which would offer students at six Houston ISD campuses the chance to earn associate’s degrees and receive career training in high-demand technical fields.

The proposed schools would be:

  • The School of Manufacturing Engineering Technology at Washington
  • The School of Electronic Engineering at Furr
  • The School for Process Technology at Kashmere
  • The School for Pharmacy Technology at Long
  • The School for Network and Computer Administration at Scarborough
  • The School of Logistics and Global Supply at Sterling

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It’s National Signing Day for HISD seniors – find out who’s going where

 

More than 100 student athletes from football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, and wrestling, are at HISD’s Delmar Field House today to make their college and university choices official. Click here to see who’s going where.

UPDATE:

 Click here to view photos from event.

Students, parents and school administrators said they were incredibly proud of the athletes who attended HISD’s National Signing Day Ceremony. Former NFL Player Antonio Armstrong reminded students that they are part of the small fraction of students who get to play college sports.

 “You don’t know how special you are,” he said. “Someone looked at you on that floor and said ‘I want that kid on my team.’”

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100 HISD high school athletes to make it official on National Signing Day

Decision time arrives for more than 100 HISD Prep-School Athletes who have braved the courtship of college recruiters seeking their talents in sports including football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, and wrestling. The students will seal their commitments to colleges and universities of their choice on National Signing Day, Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

HISD will hold its National Signing Day Ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Delmar Field House located at 2020 Mangum. (Watch video of Bellaire standout Bianca Winslow.)

National Signing Day is the first day students can sign a letter of intent to play sports for colleges and universities of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The day is widely anticipated by the athletes and fans of college sports.

“We are very excited for our students who have the opportunity to further their education in this way,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We want our scholar-athletes to be prepared for the academic rigor and to make the responsible decisions that come along with this opportunity.”

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HISD names new chief high school officer

Orlando Riddick brings experience as teacher, principal, and district administrator to new post

January 30, 2012 – Orlando Riddick, the Austin Independent School District’s director of high school operations, has been named Houston ISD’s chief high school officer.

In Austin, Riddick oversaw 16 high schools serving 15,000 students. Riddick will now guide 67 Houston Independent School District campuses with a combined enrollment of 55,000 students.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Riddick has a history of raising academic achievement levels for students from all backgrounds.

“Mr. Riddick has high expectations for all children and a genuine belief that any student can succeed under the guidance of a quality teacher working in a school led by a great principal,” Dr. Grier said. “He is the ideal person to lead our efforts to raise the achievement bar at every HISD high school.”

Riddick began his education career in 1997 as an English literature teacher in Dallas. He later served as an assistant principal on the middle school and high school levels in Fort Worth ISD. At Thomas A. Edison High School in San Antonio, Orlando served as the lead instructional coordinator with duties that included budgeting, data analysis, and staff development.

Riddick was appointed principal of Warren Travis White High School in Dallas ISD in 2007. He led that predominantly Hispanic campus of 2,500 students to produce the district’s largest measurable academic gain in all areas, creating an environment in which 82 percent of students were college bound. Sixty percent of the students enrolled in Warren Travis White High School were taking advanced-level courses when Riddick was hired to oversee high schools in Austin.

“I am excited to join HISD and continue the transformative work that is already under way in Houston’s high schools,” Riddick said. “HISD’s efforts to boost the level of rigor at all campuses through the Advanced Placement program, the Houston Innovative Learning Zone, and other innovative initiatives are setting a high standard for the rest of the nation.”

A U.S. Army veteran, Riddick grew up in El Paso and is proficient in Spanish. He and his wife Yvette have three children, ages 14, 12, and 10. Riddick will report for duty in HISD after Spring Break in March.

University of Houston partnership gives high school students glimpse of college life

Austin High School student Gwen Martinez has always dreamed of becoming a teacher—and thanks to the school’s magnet program, she is well on her way. Once a week, Martinez and dozens of her classmates visit Cage Elementary School to tutor students and get a feel for what it’s like in the classroom.

 (WATCH VIDEO)

“I believe kids are our future and they deserve the best,” said the high school senior. Martinez plans to attend the University of Houston (UH) in the fall to pursue her career goal. She chose UH in part because of a new collaboration between Austin and the emerging Tier One school.

Through a partnership started this academic year, students at Austin are being paired with students at the local university to get a feel for college life. They’re also getting a chance to interact with professors from the school’s College of Education.

“Not only are the professors collaborating with our students at mini-workshops, but our teachers are being exposed to the university’s research-based strategies,” said Austin Principal Jorge Arredondo. “Our teachers are then putting theory into action, with the goal of raising our standards of instructional delivery and ultimately increasing student achievement.”

Leaders at the University of Houston say they are excited about the opportunities it creates for those pursuing a career in education.

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