Category Archives: HISD: Our Story

GT Expo on April 25 to showcase student research projects

The first Gifted and Talented Exposition in 15 years will take place on April 25 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Delmar Fieldhouse (2020 Mangum, Houston 77092). Pre-K through 12th-grade gifted and talented students from across the district will present more than 450 research projects from 167 schools.

“We are excited to allow our GT students the chance to showcase their work to the entire HISD community,” said Advanced Academics Officer Adam Stephens. “This event is the culmination of a year of hard work for our students, and the products that they have produced will reflect that.” Continue reading →

HISD Director of Athletics named 2018 National Sport and Security Professional of the Year

HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino

HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino has been selected to receive the 2018 National Sport and Security Professional of the Year Award, presented by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The award recognizes a member of management in the field who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in addressing safety and security issues over the past year.

The honor is selected by each respective sport league, association, or advisory committee, and will be presented on Wednesday, July 11, during the 2018 National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition in Louisville, Kentucky.

HISD Board of Education passes resolution calling for action on school safety

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education during its regular April meeting voted to approve a resolution calling for federal action related to school shootings.

Trustees voted 8 to 0 to approve the resolution that acknowledges the Board of Education stands with the students of Broward County Public Schools, and students across the country including HISD in demanding effective and comprehensive action from the federal government to protect schoolchildren. The resolution includes a call for Congress to appropriate adequate new funds to allow the nation’s school districts to plan and coordinate school security efforts with law enforcement officials and make changes to buildings that may be necessary to protect students, teachers, and staff. Continue reading →

HISD PD dispatcher stays calm under pressure to help ensure safety

HISD PD dispatcher Raycinda Buxton

Sitting behind four large computer screens with a headset attached to her left ear, Raycinda Buxton spends her days responding to other people’s emergencies.

On any given day, the HISD Police Department dispatcher is answering 911 calls, dispatching officers, monitoring alarms and video surveillance — often all at the same time. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education to consider resolution calling for action on school safety

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider a resolution calling for federal action related to school shootings.

The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2018, in the Manuel Rodríguez Jr. Board Auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th St. Click here to view the full agenda.

Trustees are expected to consider a resolution acknowledging the Board stands with the students of Broward County Public Schools and students across the country, including HISD, in demanding effective and comprehensive action from the federal government to protect schoolchildren. Continue reading →

HISD elementary school students to perform at Shakespeare Festival

Wearing theatrical costumes and practicing their best Old English accents, approximately 100 elementary theater students from five HISD schools on Saturday will perform kid-friendly adaptations of select plays by William Shakespeare during HISD’s first-ever Shakespeare Festival for Elementary Schools.

This free event, which will be held at Tanglewood Middle School (5215 San Felipe St., Houston, 77056) from 2 to 4:30 p.m., coincides with Shakespeare’s birth and death month. It is a culmination of theater coursework for Crespo, Patterson, Poe, Herod and Sinclair elementary school students during the 2017-18 spring semester. Continue reading →

HISD COO Brian Busby named one of Houston’s top 40 under 40

HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby

Houston Independent School District Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby has been named as one of the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for 2018.

The list honors young professionals in Houston who have become key leaders in their respective industries and in the community. Judges selected the honorees based on leadership, community involvement, and the ability to overcome challenges.

“I am truly honored to be selected by the Houston Business Journal as one of their 40 Under 40,” Busby said. “The work I do each day in my career and my community is my passion. To be honored for it is indescribable.”

Continue reading →

Assistant principal’s challenging youth helps him mentor students in disciplinary program

When you meet Tristan Love, assistant principal at HISD’s Secondary DAEP campus, you first notice how polite and smartly dressed he is – wearing a light gray suit, pink bowtie, and polished shoes. He has a sparkle in his eye and a smile for everyone. It’s a far cry from his former life as a gang member.

Love’s politeness and respect extend to his students at the school, who are among the most behaviorally challenged students in HISD. They all have been sent to Secondary DAEP from their home campuses, many of them gang members. But this doesn’t faze Love. He’s living proof that coming from poverty, a broken home, being a gang member, and living a life of violence doesn’t mean you can’t have a bright future.

“I tell my students, my job is to serve you,” Love said. “If I hadn’t run into the caring adults I did when I was younger, I don’t really know where I’d be.” Continue reading →

Gregory-Lincoln Education Center students benefit from Houston Ballet lessons

Gregory-Lincoln Education Center dance instructor Thomas Porter teaches all types of dance in his classes, but he has found that ballet helps his students improve in all areas.

“When I began taking dance lessons, I focused on jazz and tap,” Porter said. “But when I took ballet, I saw a major improvement in my jazz techniques. Ballet quickly became my favorite form of dance.”

That’s why he jumped at the chance to have Melanie Hovis from the Houston Ballet teach a series of six master classes at Gregory-Lincoln this spring. Hovis has been teaching with the Houston Ballet for two years, having danced previously with the Austin Ballet. Continue reading →

HISD to honor top volunteers at annual VIPS recognition ceremony

District designating April 16-20 as Volunteers in Public Schools Recognition Week

The Houston Independent School District on Thursday, April 19 will recognize the efforts of thousands of volunteers and will honor the top volunteers of the year at the Volunteers in Public Schools Recognition and Awards Ceremony.

During the ceremony at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., Houston, 77092), HISD will acknowledge the contributions of the volunteers in four award categories:

Jean Davis Myers Volunteer Service Award (the most prestigious award) – Presented to an individual or group whose program or volunteer efforts have had an impact on several schools (at the same time) in HISD and have enhanced the quality of education through volunteering for HISD students for two or more years.
Parent Partner of the Year – Recognizes a parent or parent group/program that promotes the active involvement of parents for the improvement of the school or region in a manner that positively impacts student achievement.
Youth Volunteer of the Year (K-12) – Recognizes a young person or youth group for outstanding volunteer service in the school(s).
Charles Harding VIPS Senior of the Year – Recognizes a senior citizen (55 years or older) who assists schools, teachers and/or students in a manner that positively impacts student success.