Category Archives: High Schools

Wisdom HS to host immigration town hall meeting on Dec. 3

Wisdom High School will host a free town hall meeting on Sunday, which will be moderated by City Council Member Amanda Edwards regarding the passage of Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4) and the discontinuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The “Be The Solution: Youth & Family Immigration Town Hall” will be held at the campus (6529 Beverly Hill, 77057) from noon to 3:30 p.m. and will include a lunch and resource fair, and a panel discussion with Charles C. Foster, Immigration Attorney & Chairman of Foster LLP; Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo; Norma Torres Mendoza, DREAMer; Jill Campbell, Immigration Attorney with BakerRipley; Juliet Stipeche, Director of Education for the City of Houston; and Joy Alessi, Co-Director of Adoptee Rights Campaign.

The event will be translated in Spanish.

To register, please click here.

Carnegie Vanguard HS senior selected as Houston’s next Youth Poet Laureate 

Houston’s 2017-2018 Youth Poet Laureate, Rukmini Kalamangalam, is a senior at Carnegie Vanguard High School.

For the third year in a row, Houston’s Youth Poet Laureate is an HISD student, and this year, the honor goes to Carnegie Vanguard High School senior Rukmini Kalamangalam.

Kalamangalam has big plans for the coming year. As part of the job, she is a cultural arts advisor on Mayor Turner’s Youth Council.

“I would like to establish a space where young poets and other artists can collaborate and share their experiences,” she said. “I would also like to start a column in a local publication where students can publish their favorite poems, and I would like to implement poetry readings in public places where people gather.”

Carnegie Principal Ramon Moss is especially proud of Kalamangalam. Continue reading →

Austin HS moving to temporary campus in January

Austin High School students and staff will relocate in January to a temporary campus in preparation for the start of construction on their new building.

Construction of the Temporary Learning Center — dubbed by school officials as the “TLC” and made up of temporary buildings — is nearing completion, with plans for students and staff to report to that location on Jan. 8, which is the first day of the spring semester.

The temporary campus was built to ensure student and staff safety during construction. It is located along South Lockwood Drive, directly behind the existing school building.

“It’s becoming a reality. The move is starting to set in,” Austin High School Principal Steve Guerrero said during a recent Project Advisory Team meeting. “It’s still a move, but we’re working to make sure the transition will be as smooth as possible.”

Continue reading →

New Westbury HS addition set to open spring 2018

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Construction on the new addition for Westbury High School is approaching 75 percent completion and on track to open in the second quarter of 2018.

The building is now fully enclosed with permanent power and HVAC systems up and running. Work will continue on exterior masonry and interior finishes into the first quarter.

“I love the new building,” Westbury Principal Susan Monaghan said. “Having the opportunity to walk through and see it room by room has us even more excited. We can’t wait to move in.”

As part of the Houston Independent School District’s 2012 Bond Program, Westbury is receiving a new two-story addition with 26 classrooms, flexible learning centers, two new gyms, and a multi-purpose dining commons area. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves revised turnaround plan for Kashmere High School

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education approved a revised turnaround plan for Kashmere High School during a special meeting on Thursday.

This is the eighth consecutive year for Kashmere High School to be deemed as “improvement required” — one of the designations used by the TEA to determine whether schools are meeting state standards. As a result, the district is required to submit to the state a plan detailing how it will improve student achievement at the school.

HISD submitted an initial turnaround plan on Oct. 19, but it was rejected last week by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who asked the district to resubmit the plan with a more detailed description of the budget, staffing, and financial resources required to implement the turnaround. Continue reading →

Special Olympics Field Days kick off; volunteers still needed 

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HISD kicked off its fifth annual Special Olympics Field Days on Tuesday at Joe Kelly Butler Fieldhouse, held in partnership with Special Olympics Texas.

The three-day event gives students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to showcase their athletic skills by taking part in fun athletic contests. The friendly competition includes basketball, tennis, soccer, and track and field for all ages, as well as flag football for high-schoolers.

Elementary students got their Special Olympics Field Day on Tuesday. Middle-school students will have their events on Wednesday, while high school students will participate on Thursday. Opening ceremonies begin daily at 9 a.m. with the Parade of Athletes, Torch Pass, and the Declaration of Games Open.

Volunteers are still needed over the next two days to help with setup and breakdown, athletic events, escorting students around the facility, serving lunches, and other tasks. Volunteers will be provided with on-site instruction and modeling for their specific assignment so they are prepared to work with the students, who range from elementary to high school age.

To register to volunteer for the one or more of the events, click here.

15 Days of Code offers opportunity for daily interactive coding experiences 

HISD Advanced Academics is providing a fun way to participate in Computer Science Education Week in December with the 15 Days of Code, made up of interactive calendars that allow students to engage in a new coding experience every day.

The activities on these three calendars  for elementary, middle, and high school include lessons such as designing a web pages with HTML, creating a virtual pet, developing interactive art, and even teaching a robot to make crepes.

HISD’s 15 Days of Code coincides with Computer Science Education Week, which is Dec. 4-10. During this week, students and the greater HISD community are encouraged to join the worldwide movement and try one hour of coding as an introduction to computer science. Through this “Hour of Code,” students are challenged to think critically and solve problems as they learn the basics of computer programming.  Continue reading →

Parent Guides offer detailed look at what children are learning in each grade level

Parents can now get a detailed look at what their child is learning in each grade level throughout the school year through the district’s new Parent Guides, which are aimed at empowering parents to become more involved in their child’s education.

The guides give parents important information about what their child should know and be able to do at each grade level and include activities that parents can do at home to further their child’s learning. They cover academics, social and emotional learning, parent empowerment, college and career readiness, important dates, and tools for success.

For elementary, there will be four guides total for the year – one for each nine-week period: first nine weeks, second nine weeks, third nine weeks, and fourth nine weeks. For middle and high school, there will be 2 guides total for the year – one for each semester: fall and spring. The guides are available for download at HoustonISD.org/ParentGuides.

Foundation at new Madison HS more than halfway complete

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Construction on the new Madison High School is now fully underway, with the foundation two-thirds of the way complete and tilt walls being erected.

Demolition of both the temporary buildings and dugouts have been completed. In addition, the school’s parking lot on White Heather Drive is nearly complete, and site utilities are also being installed.

“I am very excited about the progress and can’t wait to see the finished product,” Madison Principal Orlando Reyna said, mentioning his recent walk-through of the construction site.

Continue reading →

Learn about Advanced Placement courses during AP Parent Night on Nov. 14 

Over the next few months, HISD’s Advanced Academics Department will be hosting multiple parent information sessions on Advanced Placement courses.

The fall parent information session will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).

HISD offers students the chance to earn college credit while still in middle and high school by taking advantage of AP courses. Last year, HISD students took 28,236 AP exams, which resulted in more than $9 million in college savings for students and their families.   Continue reading →