Category Archives: High Schools

Class of 2014 IB diploma candidates receive their degrees

LamarHS_CO2014_IBDipsMore than 100 members of HISD’s Class of 2014 took home their International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas recently. Ninety-six graduates from Lamar High School (some of whom are pictured here) and 10 from Bellaire High School accepted their degrees during special ceremonies held on Jan. 5 and Dec. 17, respectively.

Since IB diplomas are not conferred until late summer, students are generally presented with them while at home, on break from university.

Lamar and Bellaire were the first two HISD high schools to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, which is composed of academically challenging and advanced curriculum. Lamar’s IB Diploma program is the largest in Texas and one of the top 10 IB Diploma programs in the United States. Reagan High School received its IB authorization for the Middle Years Programme in the fall of 2013. It is currently in the process of obtaining authorization to offer the IB Degree Program. The first students eligible to graduate from that campus with IB diplomas will be the Class of 2018.

Bellaire HS students visit set of local show to learn more about broadcasting

BellaireHS_GDH_440x230Students in Bellaire High School teacher Charles Sanders’ structured learning class (for children with autism spectrum disorders) got a peek behind the scenes of a real television show recently, when they served as audience members on Great Day Houston, hosted by Deborah Duncan.

The students visited the set to learn more about the different types of work that go into producing and taping a live performance.

“A few of our students have technical theatre or theatre arts for an elective,” explained Sanders. “They have helped with the preparation of a few performances of the Bellaire Belles (the school’s dance team) and various plays this school year. So we wanted to see an actual live performance put on and we had an awesome time.”

High school students receive diplomas at fall semester graduation ceremony

fallgraduation2More than 80 students received their high school diplomas at the HISD fall 2014 graduation ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Organized by the district’s Office of School Support, the ceremony recognized students from various high schools for completing the required courses and passing the state assessments during the fall semester. Among those were the first four graduates from the district’s Middle College High School at HCC Felix Fraga, which opened in August 2014: Jennifer Baltazar (below, right), Selena Hernandez (center), Verner Potts, and Nataly Ramon (not pictured). Continue reading →

HISD to link virtual learning to classroom with on the job video conferences

Career professionals will soon be able to join an HISD class virtually to speak to students live on camera about their industry, giving students an up-close and personal look at numerous professions.

As part of a new HISD Linked Learning initiative to combine core academics with career-based knowledge, hundreds of career and technical education teachers participated in a two-hour training this week to learn how to use Nepris.com, a web-based platform that easily connects teachers and students with industry experts for video conferences. Although teachers often organize face-to-face student visits with professionals, this tool will allow teachers and students to participate in these sessions without having to leave the classroom.  Continue reading →

First-year school nurse revives campus club to encourage STEM careers

HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School is usually known for its magnet engineering program, but some students there have an interest in healthcare—and one first-year school nurse is helping them to explore it.

Members of the Booker T. Washington High School health club examine a sheep’s heart during a field trip to the Houston Health Museum.

Members of the Booker T. Washington High School health club examine a sheep’s heart during a field trip to the Houston Health Museum.

Worthing High School alumna Shara Fontaine, who joined Team HISD in 2014 after nine years as a labor and delivery nurse and a stint in the U.S. Air Force, resurrected the student health club at Washington last fall to better serve students with career aspirations in healthcare. The club now has about 15 members, and Fontaine has been coordinating special activities to further stoke their interest in that field. Continue reading →

DeBakey wins $7,500 grant in national H&R Block budget challenge

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The DeBakey High School for Health Professions recently received a $7,500 grant from the H&R Block Budget Challenge, a teen financial literacy program that rewards high school classes for mastering real-world budgeting and personal finance decision-making. H&R Block representatives presented campus leaders with a check at a special gathering held in December.

High school students and educators nationwide are competing this year to win a portion of $3 million in classroom grants, college scholarships, and cash prizes through the Challenge, which was created to help students learn to manage their money and become financially responsible adults. Continue reading →

Student Congress giving high school kids a voice in their own education

Speaker of the Congress Zaakir Tameez (lower left) poses with members of the Student Congress at the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

Speaker of the Congress Zaakir Tameez (lower left) poses with members of the Student Congress at the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting.

A group of juniors and seniors from four HISD campuses is on a mission to give their peers a voice in public education—and they have created a new Student Congress to do it.

More than a dozen students from Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, Lamar, and Yates high schools founded the congress last spring, after participating in senior Zaakir Tameez’s Texas Performance Standards Project at Carnegie Vanguard.

“We were originally called ‘Our Shared Future’ and talked about current events,” explains Outreach Chair Amy Fan, now a junior at Bellaire High School. “But as we met with city leaders from all over Houston, our conversations would constantly lead back to education. Yet the only people with whom we could share our critiques was each other.” Continue reading →

Carnegie Vanguard HS Interact Club, HISD PD partner for holiday toy drive

A group of students from Carnegie Vanguard High School’s Interact Club teamed up with the Houston Independent School District Police Department for its annual holiday Toy Drive on Thursday.

Members of HISD PD and Carnegie Vanguard High School's Interact Club

Members of HISD PD and Carnegie Vanguard High School’s Interact Club.

For the second year in a row, the club collected boxes and gave from their own personal pockets to create about 30 gift boxes filled with items such as T-shirts, shorts, soap, pencils and other items for boys and girls.

In a written memo to the Interact Club, HISD Chief of Police Robert Mock thanked the student organization for their kindness.

“You have certainly set a fine example of defining your mission through your thoughts and actions,” Mock said. “Not only did your organization donate gifts for less fortunate children, but you went the extra mile of wrapping the presents and labeling the boxes for easy distribution.”

The mission of the Interact Club aims to show students how to overcome obstacles, such as distance and cultural barriers, while learning to embrace other kids like themselves around the world.

Two Bellaire HS students named Russian Scholar Laureates for 2014

RussianScholLaur2014_250Every year, the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) recognizes high school students from across the country for their mastery of the Russian language.

This year, 30 students were honored, and two of them are from HISD: junior Krista Barentine (right) and senior Quinn Otte, both from Bellaire High School.

“Bellaire is the only school with two Scholar Laureates,” noted Bellaire HS Russian teacher Elizabeth McLendon. “The rest only have one. We get two nominees due to the size of our program. There are only three Russian programs in the U.S.A. serving more than 100 students, and we are one of them.”

The Scholar Laureate program was established in 2004 by the Board of Directors of the ACTR to give teachers of Russian an opportunity to recognize one sophomore or junior each year as the school’s most outstanding Russian scholar. Students can only be nominated by teachers who are current members of ACTR.

Teacher wins Texas A&M education award thanks to former student

Carnegie Vanguard High School history teacher Andrew Dewey has been selected to receive the Texas A&M University Inspiration Award for Exceptional Education.

Dewey was nominated for the award by his former CVHS student, Brookelynn Russey, who will graduate from Texas A&M on Friday, Dec. 19. He will be presented the award during the commencement ceremony. Continue reading →