Category Archives: HISD: Our Story

VH1 Save the Music and Hard Rock Heals foundations donate $25,000 to Scarborough ES 

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It’s been a rough six months for Scarborough Elementary School students, staff, and parents since Hurricane Harvey flooded their school, making it uninhabitable.

“We suffered a bit of a bump back in August,” said Principal Miriam Medina. “When I saw waves of water inside our beautiful school, I knew we wouldn’t be opening on time.”

It took a month, but they finally reopened in the former Terrell Middle School, which was large enough that they could all be together. Now the students are gathered in the auditorium to celebrate the donation of $25,000 to their music program, thanks to VH1 Save the Music Foundation in partnership with Hard Rock Heals Foundation.   Continue reading →

Must-see TV: HISD principal featured in ad to air during Olympics

Former Olympian and Woodson K-8 Principal Stephen Gittens is featured in a new ad that will air on KPRC (Channel 2) Thursday through Feb. 25.

The spot pays homage to Gittens’ role as a Track and Field Olympian and honors the dedication and drive of all members of Team HISD to serve every student in HISD.

The ad also features HISD’s new logo and tagline: Building Houston’s Future, Right Now. The tagline emphasizes HISD’s role in preparing a future Houston workforce that is college and career ready through initiatives including literacy, college access, wraparound services, innovation, and fine arts.

Be sure to tune in to KPRC to see the ad, or get a sneak preview below.

 

HISD Foundation awards nearly $150,000 to 18 schools across the district

HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza’s call to rebuild and reimagine the future of HISD’s classrooms arrived just in time at this year’s State of the Schools, where Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones and Carranza announced the recipients of the HISD Foundation’s Innovation Grant.

Using funds raised from last year’s State of the School’s ceremony, the Foundation awarded 18 campuses nearly $150,000 as part of the district’s new Innovation Grant program that was created to provide funds for teachers and schools to purchase equipment, supplies, and other items to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Continue reading →

Personal stories exemplify how HISD is rebuilding, reimagining education

‘We could be anywhere, and we would still be Robinson’

If anyone could find a silver lining amid the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, it’s Robinson Elementary School Principal Paige Fernandez-Hohos. After being flooded with more than a foot of water, Robinson was relocated and students split between two adjacent campuses. Though not ideal, the situation made Fernandez-Hohos determined to give students a sense of normalcy. Vacant rooms and hallways sprung to life with decorations. Auditorium and gym spaces were transformed into cozy classrooms to accommodate more students. Fernandez-Hohos trekked back and forth between the two campuses. If she started the day welcoming students at one school, she ended it saying goodbye to students at the other. It was important, she said, that every class see her every day. Robinson students returned to their home campus in January, but Fernandez-Hohos said the storm taught her a valuable lesson about the spirit of her school: “When everything else is stripped away, all you’re left with is the bond between teachers and students. We could be anywhere, and we would still be Robinson.”

Continue reading →

Arts Access Initiative team meets to outline path for the future 

The Arts Access Initiative was launched in August of 2015 as a way to provide all students in HISD with equal access to a high quality arts education. At that time, HISD was selected by the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts to serve as the 19th site for their national arts education program.

For the past three school years, the pilot program has utilized resources from the district, Houston arts organizations, the City of Houston, and the Kennedy Center to increase arts opportunities for thousands of HISD students in dozens of schools. Young Audiences also provided invaluable support by acting as the backbone of the organization’s pilot phase. These first three years were funded through the generosity of the Houston Endowment, Inc., and the Powell Foundation.

What began with 11 schools in the first year has grown to 28,000 students in 44 schools for the current year, as well as some 40 partner arts organizations.  Continue reading →

Best Buy donates $160,000 in technology, support to Fleming MS 

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Donation is part of $580,000 gift to HISD and the surrounding community in wake of Harvey

Best Buy representatives stopped by Fleming Middle School on Friday for a special reveal, handing over a donation of $160,000 in technology and support – part of the company’s larger investment in HISD and the surrounding community following Hurricane Harvey.

The donation will provide more than 5,000 of the district’s students with the opportunity to learn the skills to be prepared for tech-reliant jobs of the future. Best Buy is donating a total of $580,000 to greater Houston’s storm recovery effort.   Continue reading →

Milby HS awarded LEED Silver certification

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Milby High School has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for its new building, which was constructed as part of HISD’s 2012 Bond Program.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features and is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

Green schools offer improved air quality, lighting, temperature control, and acoustics, as well as reduced operating costs — all of which enhance the overall learning environment and have been shown to boost student health, test scores, and faculty retention. Continue reading →

Condit ES receives highest honor in school architecture competition

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Condit Elementary School was named Thursday as one of four state recipients of the prestigious 2017-2018 Caudill Award, the highest honor given in the annual Exhibit of School Architecture competition.

Contest judges described the newly built school as a “transformational learning environment” that makes excellent use of its space, reflects the school’s 100-year history, and serves as a showcase campus for the district. Continue reading →

Three HISD schools nominated for national Blue Ribbon Schools award

Challenge Early College HS, DeBakey HS for Health Professions, and East Early College HS nominated among exemplary and high-performing schools

Three Houston Independent School District schools have been nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious national 2018 Blue Ribbon Schools designation.

The National Blue Ribbon award is given annually to high-performing schools to showcase the hard work of students and educators. Challenge Early College High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, and East Early College High School are among 26 public schools in Texas to be nominated by the Texas Education Agency. Each of these three schools is a previous National Blue Ribbon Award recipient. Continue reading →

HISD Police Department adds emergency equipment to its fleet 

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Just in time for the new year, the HISD Police Department received a donation of kayaks, rescue gear and other emergency equipment secured by District II Board Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

“During Hurricane Harvey, I witnessed our police department’s efforts assisting people get to higher ground using every resource we had – buses, SUVs and cars,” Trustee Skillern-Jones said.  “If we are going to be a part of rescue efforts, we need to ensure our officers are equipped with safe equipment that allows them do so.”   Continue reading →