Category Archives: High Schools

Students learn valuable life skills through H.E.A.R.T. internships at Houston Food Bank 

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HISD has several programs to help young adults with significant disabilities transition successfully from high school to a productive adult life. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we will be featuring three of these programs. This is the first in the series. Read the second in the series, about students thriving in an office environment, here.

Gracie, 19, is an outgoing Sharpstown International High School student. She gets up early, dresses in a purple or grey HISD polo shirt and khaki pants, and catches the school bus to the Houston Food Bank. She has a job to do.

Gracie is one of 17 HISD students with developmental disabilities working as interns at the Houston Food Bank through a partnership with H.E.A.R.T (Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Readiness Training). The students, ages 18-22, officially will graduate once their internships are complete.

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Number of overcrowded classrooms cut in half

The number of Houston Independent School District elementary classrooms that exceed the state limit of 22 students has been sharply reduced over the past two years.

On Thursday, the HISD Board of Education will consider asking the Texas Education Agency to grant waivers for 755 elementary classrooms that have more than 22 students this school year. During the 2014-2015 school year, 1,499 HISD classrooms were over the limit, which applies to classes in kindergarten through the fourth grade.

Over the past two years, HISD has worked to bring more classrooms in compliance with the law. This fall, HISD opened the new Mark White Elementary School to relieve crowding in schools located on the district’s west side. Mark White Elementary’s construction was funded by the 2012 voter-approved bond program.

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52 schools take on Family Friendly Schools Challenge

The Family and Community Engagement Department (FACE) is welcoming 52 HISD campuses into its Family Friendly Schools Program for the 2016-2017 school year – twice the number of campuses from the previous school year.

Through a series of research-based activities and strategies to expand and build relationships with families, link family events to student learning, build parent capacity and support efforts for parent empowerment, schools have an opportunity to earn a star toward one of three Family Friendly School Certification levels: Continue reading →

South Early College HS hosts ceremony, ribbon-cutting ceremony for new building

More than 100 South Early High School community members gathered Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of their new facility, which was built as part of the 2012 Bond Program and opened to students in August.

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The $13.5 million, 57,000-square-foot facility built adjacent to the Houston Community College-South Campus features modern, flexible learning spaces specifically designed to support the school’s robotics, computer technology and software engineering programs.

“This is an exciting opportunity we have here at 1930 Airport Road,” South Early Principal Steven Gourrier said to the audience. “It took a long time for us to get here, but now we’re here and excited about what’s to happen from this point forward at South Early College High School.”

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October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, which was created 10 years ago by Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Since 2006, the event has grown to an entire month of education and awareness activities, and is being recognized by schools and communities throughout the world.

At Oak Forest Elementary School, author Trudy Ludwig recently spoke to students and parents about empowering themselves to combat bullying, including conversational prompts to halt or deflect bullying behavior. The PTA also invited parents from other surrounding schools to participate in the session.

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High School for Law and Justice celebrates groundbreaking for new campus

High School for Law and  Justice Principal Carol Mosteit expressed her excitement Thursday as she spoke to a crowd of students, alumni, and school supporters gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of their new school.

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“It’s been a long time coming, and it seems like forever since we did the design for the new school with the architects,” said Mosteit. “Now it has come to fruition, and we’re ready to see this new building get going.”

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Eastwood Academy High School breaks ground on new building addition 

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Eastwood Academy High School stakeholders gathered at the campus on Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on a new addition being built as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond program.

    U.S. Congressman Gene Green, HISD Board of Education Trustee Diana Dávila, and HISD Chief School Officer Esther Omogbehin joined Eastwood Academy Principal Brandi Lira and nearly 100 students, parents, staff, and community members who turned out to celebrate the milestone.

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HISD schools win NFL Play 60 grants from Houston Texans, Texas Children’s Hospital

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Four HISD schools earned a big victory from the Houston Texans and the Texas Children’s Hospital by winning an NFL PLAY 60 grant that will fund new equipment for P.E., sports, and after-school programs to help get kids moving.

Mitchell Elementary School, Attucks Middle School, and Westbury High School each won a $10,000 grant while Blackshear Elementary School received a $5,000 grant. Representatives from the schools were recognized during the halftime presentation of the Houston Texans game Oct. 2 at NRG Stadium.

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HISD, Houston Public Library create virtual library card for students

The Learning Link allows students to access library resources at school and home

The Houston Independent School District announced on Monday with the Houston Public Library that every HISD student can now access numerous library resources at school and home through a new virtual library card known as the Learning Link.

Through the Learning Link, students will have free, 24/7 access to the Houston Public Library’s assortment of books and resources at any library location, and at school and home through the district’s HUB, HISD’s online teaching and learning platform. Students can use a laptop, tablet or smart phone to access more than one million books, e-books, magazines and research materials, as well as online resources and complimentary Wi-Fi. All HISD students will be automatically enrolled in the program and can use their student ID as their library account number to access these resources. Continue reading →

EMERGE program now accepting applications from HISD sophomores 

Applications are now available for sophomores who would like to join the highly successful EMERGE program, and motivated members of the Class of 2019 are encouraged to apply.

EMERGE connects high-performing students from underserved backgrounds with the resources needed to apply, attend, and graduate from the nation’s top-tier colleges and universities, usually at no cost to the student’s family.

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