Category Archives: High Schools

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.

Continue reading →

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.

‘Three Doctors’ inspire HISD students to support one another though hardships

Wheatley HS students at the “Three Doctors” event

Students from HISD’s Kashmere, Scarborough, and Wheatley high schools received a full dose of motivation on Nov. 6 from “Three Doctors” who made a pact to support each other while growing up in the rough neighborhoods of Newark, New Jersey, and achieved professional success as a result.

The students attended a presentation given by Drs. Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins at the Brown Convention Center as part of the White House initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper,” which aims to close the achievement and opportunity gaps for young men of color.

Continue reading →

HISD Student Congress leader advises peers to ‘embrace the uncertain’

Amy Fan

In this week’s “I Am HISD,” which features district students, graduates, employees, volunteers, and other team members, Bellaire High School senior Amy Fan talks about why she got involved in the HISD Student Congress, what her goals are for this school year, and the biggest hurdle she had to get over in embracing her role as speaker of the congress.

You served as the outreach chair of the Student Congress during its inaugural year of operation. What made you decide to throw your hat in the ring for the top leadership position?

You make me sound like a politician. Actually, I’ve been really interested in education reform for a while, even before the Student Congress was founded (mostly just through reading and watching videos), and I’ve come to embrace its mission. And after being part of the Student Congress Cabinet in its founding year, I learned a lot more about the district, both from a student perspective and an adult perspective, and it seemed logical to run for speaker my senior year. Continue reading →

2015 holiday greeting card artwork winners announced

The winners of HISD’s annual 2015 Holiday Greeting Card competition were announced on Nov. 3, and one was a repeat from last year.

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Gloria Xie, who won in the middle school category in 2014, also claimed that honor this year as a seventh-grader at Pershing Middle School. “I would just like to say thank you to my principal, Ms. (Kim) Heckman, and my teacher, Ms. Perugini, and my parents,” she said.

Each year, the district sends out hundreds of holiday greeting cards to principals, board members, legislators, local leaders, parents groups, and community partners. Since 2003, these cards have featured the artwork of HISD students.

The other students whose artwork was selected for 2015 were: Continue reading →

Washington HS students deliver on prosthetic hand project

A 6-year-old girl from Waller ISD is very close to making a dream of hers come true, thanks to five students at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School and a 3D printer.

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The high-schoolers used the printer to build a prosthetic arm for Gracie Henderson over the past year, and they presented the completed device to the youngster on Nov. 2.

“We wanted to help her fulfill her dream of picking up an apple,” explained senior Leslie Cosme, who worked on the project. “I was very nervous before she first received the hand, but when I saw her face lite up, it made me really happy.” Continue reading →

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