Category Archives: High Schools

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 →

High school students research Houston environmental issues

City Hall Meeting

Furr HS environmental communications students present at a Houston City Council hearing with program business partners, Jackie Young of Texans Together and Juan Parras of T.E.J.A.S.

Furr High School students testified before Houston City Council on Dec. 16, asking authorities to reject a new trash proposal currently under consideration by the city. According to reports, the council members were impressed with the students’ speeches.

The students are enrolled in Furr’s Environmental Communications pathway, part of HISD’s Linked Learning program that combines rigorous academics with hands-on learning and real-world experiences, thanks in part to a $30 million federal Race to the Top grant.

Continue reading →

Boys’ basketball teams ready to hoop it up at annual tournament

 

Yates' Milton Jackson (0) and Madison's Le'Braun Armstrong (11) during the UIL Class 3A boys basketball state final between Yates and Dallas Madison high schools on Sat., March 8, 2014 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. (Ashley Landis ©1st Photo Texas)

More than 20 boys’ basketball teams are set to hoop it up at HISD’s 75th annual boys’ basketball tournament Dec. 18–20.

The match-ups will take place at North Forest, Sharpstown, and Waltrip high schools, as well as Barnett Stadium, Butler Fieldhouse, and the Wilkins Pavilion located on the Forest Brook Middle School campus. Individual game tickets cost $4 each, and tournament passes are available for $10 to attend all games.

Participating HISD high schools are: Austin, Chávez, Davis, Furr, Sam Houston, Kashmere, Lamar, Lee, Madison, Milby, North Forest, Reagan, Sharpstown, Sterling, Waltrip, Washington, Westbury, Westside, Wheatley, and Worthing. Continue reading →

High school students explore STEM fields

Middle College High School students at the Houston Community College Gulfton campus explored the possibilities of a future career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by participating in a day of interactive projects in engineering, coding, and financial literacy as part of Camp STEMovation on Friday, Dec. 12. Continue reading →

DeBakey HS breaks ground for new school in Texas Medical Center

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DeBakey High School stakeholders and area dignitaries gathered Monday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the construction phase of the school’s new 21st century campus located in the Texas Medical Center.

Continue reading →

Students give up texting, social media for technology timeout

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Most students can’t put down their phone long enough to go days without texting or accessing their social media account. But several students at Eastwood Academy were up for the challenge.  Continue reading →