The Houston Independent School District is operating as scheduled on Thursday after receiving a threat of violence late Wednesday similar to those received this week by school districts across the nation.
Category Archives: High Schools
Scarborough’s new band impresses audience at holiday concert
The new Scarborough High School band held its holiday concert on Dec. 9 in the school auditorium to the applause of students, staff, friends, and families.
64 HISD students named National Hispanic Recognition Program finalists
Sixty-four seniors from 15 Houston Independent School District high schools were recognized for their academic excellence as part of the College Board’s 32nd annual National Hispanic Recognition Program.
The HISD seniors are among about 5,000 students from across the country and abroad to be named finalists in the program, which colleges use to identify academically exceptional students of Hispanic or Latin descent to receive scholarships. The district more than doubled the number of honorees this year, up from 26 finalists last year. Continue reading
HISD principal named finalist for Texas High School Principal of the Year
Angela Lundy Jackson poses for a photograph, September 2, 2015.
North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson is among three finalists for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) High School Principal of the Year award.
Committed to excellence in school administration, the TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from across the state each year. Nominations, bestowed by fellow school administrators, are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership in secondary education.
Students win prizes in video contest for demonstrating web savvy
Harvard ES fifth-grader Callie Bream took home a gift card for $150 as the inaugural first-place prize winner of a new monthly video contest.
Keeping email accounts secure with strong passwords is an important aspect of responsible digital citizenship, and students from two HISD schools have demonstrated their mastery of this concept by winning the top prizes in a video production contest co-sponsored by the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and HISD’s Educational Technology team.
Harvard Elementary School students won four of the five prizes available (first and second, as well as two honorable mentions), while a student from Eastwood Academy took home the third-place prize.
The competition was created as a part of Digital Awareness Month in October to increase students’ web savvy while also giving them an opportunity for creative expression. Continue reading
Westbury HS faculty and staff demonstrating how much ‘relationships matter’
Westbury High School has rebranded its truancy office to better reflect its mission, and already the “Student Success Center” is living up to its new name.
Designed to help students graduate by accentuating the positive aspects of the team’s efforts, the rebranding was launched this fall in conjunction with other campus initiatives, including “Relationships Matter: Every Student Needs a Champion.” That schoolwide awareness campaign spotlights teachers who have made powerful connections with students and who have created classroom environments in which those young people thrive.
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“A lot of times, students don’t want to tell you their problems,” explained teacher Robert Lyle, who prevented student Adrian Hernandez from dropping out by helping him land a job in his chosen career field. “It’s digging deeper with each student that you have that relationship built with to find out what really matters to them.” Continue reading
HISD construction projects moving forward
All but one project expected to be under construction contract by the end of 2016.
Houston Independent School District construction projects are continuing to move forward with Sharpstown High School slated to soon become the 16th bond project with active construction underway.
The HISD Board of Education voted Thursday to hire a new contractor for Sharpstown, unanimously agreeing to let district administrators negotiate and finalize a construction contract worth up to $46 million with ICI Construction.
Chemistry teacher has a secret alter-ego: professional bowler
In this week’s “I Am HISD,” which features district students, graduates, employees, volunteers, and other team members, Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center chemistry teacher Nichole DePaul-Miller talks about how she got involved in the world of professional bowling, what led her to a career in education, and why she still acts as a consultant for various bowling centers.
Nichole DePaul-Miller; Photo credit: Jaime Foster
I hear that you’re a professional bowler, but you’re also teaching pre-Advanced Placement (AP) and AP chemistry at Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center. Which came first, the bowling or the chemistry?
Actually, they both kind of happened at the same time. I started bowling when I was three. My mom and dad bowled while they were dating, and I was practically born in a bowling center, so you might say I come from a bowling family. I bowled collegiately at Illinois State, too, while getting my degree in chemistry. Originally, I was going to try to stay in that field and work as an engineer, but the women’s tour disbanded in 2003 due to lack of funding, and I switched from being a chemist working in the bowling industry to an educator who just loves bowling. Continue reading
HISD student named Houston’s inaugural Youth Poet Laureate
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts creative writing student Andrew White was selected this week by Mayor Annise Parker as Houston’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
The HSPVA senior was among 45 Houston-area student writers who applied for the Youth Poet Laureate Program, a new initiative offered by Writers in the Schools, in partnership with the Houston Public Library, City of Houston and Mayor Parker. Continue reading
‘Caught in the Act’ spotlights HAIS
World history teacher featured in November 2015 C.I.A. video
Emily Neale, a second-year teacher at the Houston Academy for International Studies, was “Caught in the Act” of delivering great instruction during a recent visit to her world history class. An HISD video crew, along with Secondary Curriculum and Development Officer Annie Wolfe, surprised Neale and her students in the middle of a lesson on the rise and fall of different world empires.
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“When planning lessons for my students, I want to make sure the instruction allows them to develop the skills they are going to need to compete globally with their peers,” said Neale. They need to be able to work in groups and collaborate with each other, and they need to be able to think critically and communicate effectively.”
The “Caught in the Act” video campaign recognizes highly effective HISD teachers who are delivering instruction that will lead to students becoming Global Graduates — young men and women who possess the skills necessary to succeed in college and compete in today’s global workforce.
Throughout the 2015–2016 school year, the HISD video team, along with Wolfe or Chief Elementary Curriculum and Development Officer Lance Menster, will be dropping in on classrooms to observe and point out examples of effective instruction based on the six qualities of the Global Graduate profile: adaptable and productive, a leader, a responsible decision-maker, a skilled communicator, a critical thinker, and a college-ready learner.
Teachers can be nominated for the video series by school offices, chiefs, principals, and teacher development specialists. To nominate someone, please send an email to HISDcia@HoustonISD.org.