A 2014 graduate of HISD’s own High School for the Performing and Visual Arts will be performing on National Public Radio’s “From the Top” program starting on Jan. 26.
Category Archives: High Schools
Carnegie Vanguard HS students mastering art, music, fencing
Three students from Carnegie Vanguard High School are making news this week for being at the top of their respective games.
- Cole Bennette, a junior, recently entered and won an art contest titled “Houston in 2025,” in which he had to envision what the Bayou City would look like in another 10 years. Cole’s artwork now adorns a billboard on I-45 at Smith Street, whose space was donated by Clear Channel Communications. The contest was sponsored by the Center for Houston’s Future.
- Ariel Simmons, a senior, won gold medals at two prestigious fencing competitions: He won the U.S. title for 20 and under in Salt Lake City, Utah, earlier this month and the U.S. title for adults last month in Dallas. His sport is epee check.
- Junior Kerrigan Quenemoen and her partner, Kenneth Yu (a senior at Bellaire High School), have once again advanced to the national finals of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior Piano Duet Competition in March. They also shared this honor back in 2013.
Congratulations to these talented students!
Apply to BOA Student Leadership Program by Feb. 2
Bank of America is looking for tomorrow’s community leaders today.
High-school juniors and seniors who are passionate about making a difference in the community may be selected to participate in a paid summer internship with a designated local nonprofit organization, where they can experience first-hand how they can help shape their communities-now and in the future.
To enhance their leadership experience, awardees also participate in a week-long, all-expense-paid Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. provided by Bank of America. The nonprofit internship and Student Leadership Summit expose students to leadership aspects in civic, nonprofit, and business arenas.
Visit the Bank of America website to apply. The deadline for applications is Monday, Feb. 2, 2015.
Futures Academy pharmacy students receive white coats, scrubs
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Nearly 200 HISD students in the Futures Academy of Pharmacy Technology at Jane Long Academy received white coats and scrubs during the program’s third-annual White Coat Ceremony Wednesday. Continue reading
Reagan students excited to receive laptops for school and home use
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All 2,234 students at Reagan High School received laptops on Monday, Jan. 12, as part of the district’s one-to-one plan to give all high school students a digital device to use for learning at school and at home. The one-to-one laptop program is a key component of HISD’s PowerUp initiative, which aims to digitally transform teaching and learning throughout the district.
Reagan is one of 14 HISD high schools distributing laptops to students during the month of January and early February. Others high schools include Davis, Lamar, Milby, Scarborough, South Early College, Waltrip, Westbury, Westside, Wheatley and Yates, as well as the Futures Academies at Jones, Jane Long Academy, and the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Continue reading
Class of 2014 IB diploma candidates receive their degrees
More 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
Students 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
More 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.
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