HISD’s Student Congress, in partnership with Rice University, will be conducting a TEDxHISD conference on April 9, 2016, and leaders of that organization are still seeking both volunteers and speakers.
TEDx are independently organized events designed to bring people together to share great ideas. The TEDxHISD event will take place from noon until 6 p.m. in the Anderson Bio Lab Lecture Hall 131 at Rice University (6100 Main Street, 77005). It is open to all HISD high-school students.
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Two HISD educators were surprised by H-E-B on Wednesday with news that they are finalists for the 2016 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, one of the largest monetary programs for educators in Texas and the nation.
Bellaire High School teacher and international baccalaureate coordinator Ann Linsley was recognized as a teacher finalist, while North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson was named a principal finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.
The two are among eight educators from across Houston and 40 across the state who were selected as award finalists. They now will go on to compete at the state level, where they will have the chance to win additional cash prizes.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Kashmere High School celebrated the opening of HISD’s second ProUnitas, Inc., center with the unveiling of the Kashmere Success Center. The center, which was created, supported and financed by 40 different non-profit, for-profit, community, and municipal groups, is dedicated to empowering the Kashmere community by providing much-needed services to students and their families.
“This came about because there was a need in the community and the school,” said District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “It does take a village to beat the effects of poverty, which a lot of the kids in this community face. So our village has stepped up and decided to come to the aid of our children.”
Created by former Kashmere teacher Adeeb Barqawi with the help of Skillern-Jones, ProUnitas was designed to provide essential goods and services that were seen to be lacking in the community. The center features a counseling room with trained counselors, a food pantry, a clothing drop, health services, and a workforce and college-readiness development center.
“At the end of the day, what I want you to keep in mind is that this is the product of a community coming together,” said Barqawi. “It’s not that we’re saying change is going to happen in a day. But we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
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Westbury High School held its second bond community meeting on Thursday evening to give an update on plans for a new addition and renovations to the campus under the district’s 2012 bond program.
The library at Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center was overflowing with college financial aid information on Tuesday, Feb. 16, during HISD’s first-ever FAFSA Roadshow. Created jointly by three district departments — College Readiness, EMERGE, and College Access — the roadshow will travel to all HISD high schools to promote education and provide assistance in applying for scholarships, grants, and other types of financial aid.
“The purpose of today is to assist students in completing their TASFA or FAFSA, which is required in order for them to have some type of funding to pay for college,” said College Access Coordinator Kimberly Williams-Dooley. “Our students are doing a great job. We were very intentional about making sure our students had their documents in order.”
More than 1,000 HISD middle and high school students, as well as educators and parents, are expected to attend a free STEM-education conference presented by Microsoft at Chávez High School (8501 Howard, 77017) on Saturday, Feb. 27.
Microsoft YouthSpark is a global initiative designed to impact more than 300 million young people across the country through increased access to technology education and job-skills training.
Kashmere High School will celebrate the opening of a campus-based multiservice center that provides health, education, counseling, and workforce development services to students and their families.
The Kashmere Success Center was launched in January by ProUnitas, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities by connecting social service organizations and resources to students and families with unmet needs. Continue reading
A local credit union is offering students a chance to win one of six $2,500 scholarships for college.
The Ruby Sue Clifton Scholarship was created to honor an HISD administrator who retired after more than 30 years of service to the district. The middle school named after her opened in 1979.
To be eligible, students must be graduating seniors during the 2015–2016 school year and have at least one parent who has been a member of SMART Financial Credit Union (formerly First Educators) for more than six months.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Sunday, March 27, 2016. For details, including an online application, visit the SMART Financial Credit Union website.
HISD’s College Readiness department wants every 11th-grade student to know that practicing and doing well on the School Day SAT could pay off in extra incentives, including scholarships and materials for college.
The department launched the School Day Incentive program for the Class of 2017 on Wednesday, kicking off the countdown to the School Day SAT on April 12. The purpose of the program is to increase student participation and scores for the School Day SAT, thereby increasing student access to higher education and money for college.
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved three resolutions that would begin the process of renaming three additional schools so they better represent the district’s values and diversity.
The renaming resolutions affect Albert Sidney Johnston and Sidney Lanier middle schools, and Jefferson Davis High School. Continue reading
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