Two HISD educators have been nominated for National Life Group Foundation’s 2022-2023 LifeChanger of the Year Award.
Washington High School Assistant Principal Dr. Valencia Hall and Eastwood Academy High School AP government teacher Ronald Castro were nominated by family members and are now eligible to receive one of 17 cash prizes up to $10,000.
Continue readingEach year, HISD showcases the talent and skills of students across its many athletic programs and honors them for their hard work and success.
Continue readingAfter serving 23 illustrious years in HISD, General Counsel Elneita Hutchins-Taylor has announced her retirement.
Continue readingThe Office of School Choice hosted its second districtwide School Choice Fair on Saturday, Dec. 10, where seven new HISD magnet programs were revealed.
Continue readingHISD students will tackle final exams for the fall semester in the days leading up to Winter Break, which begins Thursday, Dec. 22.
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In August 2018, 29-year-old Joe Anderson opened a Chick-fil-A restaurant at I-45 and Almeda, becoming the youngest African-American owner-operator among Texas franchises. A Third Ward native and Jack Yates High School graduate, Anderson was determined to succeed in the restaurant industry and has put in long hours and hard work to achieve his dream.
You grew up in HISD and had some great success as a student athlete at Yates High School. What was your experience like as a student at Yates High School and growing up in the Third Ward?
I was so involved in track, and I was so passionate about competing at the next level and going to the state meet. I had transferred to Yates for my senior year and was there to get my diploma and run track. So, something I didn’t do well in high school was socialize a lot. There are times I wish I would have socialized more, but I’m also appreciative of the sacrifices I made then and the hard work that came with being a student athlete. Continue reading
Geovanny J. Ponce, principal of Jones Futures Academy, has been named the 2018 Region 4 Principal of the Year by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).
Ponce joins winners from the state’s 19 other Education Service Center regions in a pool of candidates for the honor of Texas Principal of the Year title. TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from each of the 20 regions every year.
“I believe in quality education for all children,” Ponce said. “We need to make sure our children will be successful in a global society by teaching them to be leaders.”
Ponce was selected to represent HISD in the Region 4 segment of the competition based on his outstanding performance with traditionally underserved children. Ponce instills collaborative leadership to ensure students from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds have equal access high-quality learning opportunities. Continue reading
To the naked eye, a chair may seem ordinary. But for Michelle Black, it’s more than just a piece of furniture — it’s a tool that can foster student learning.
As the HISD Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment Manager for the 2012 Bond Program, Black is responsible for furnishing all 40 bond schools — including 29 high schools — with comfortable, modern, and flexible furniture.
Black oversees each project — often managing more than five at a time – as they near completion. Continue reading
Each school day at the heart of Sharpstown High School is a bubbly campus officer whose contagious smile and positive attitude reflects on the students she waves to.
“Hey Michelle. How did you do on your test?” Community Outreach Officer Vanessa Losey says as she greets students walking between classes. “Hi ’mijo,’” — Spanish for son — “How are you doing?”
Though small in stature, Losey is known for her rapid walking pace, which, according to Sharpstown students, no one can keep up with. Every day, Losey can be found rushing between corridors and classrooms with four noisy radios in tow as she heads to her next post or assignment. Continue reading
Ted Wills from Brookline ES (left) with Philip Ugalde, Regents Bank; Andrew Arizpe, Mutual of Omaha; and Doug Reinarz, Regents Bank, at an East End Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Brookline Elementary School teacher Theodore Wills wears many hats. Just four years ago, he was working as a fourth-grade transitional reading teacher when Principal Marco Morales asked him to take charge of the library and become the school’s community-engagement and corporate-outreach point person. Wills has a background in fundraising, public relations, and volunteer management, and he went to work raising $100,000 for the school’s library. It took a while, but he reached his goal recently.
What did you do first after you got the new job?
Immediately, I began inviting speakers and organizations for school and after-school programming, including Literacy Advance of Houston, Volunteer Houston, Houston Ballet, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, University of Houston’s Graduate School of Education, FotoFest, iWrite, Houston Skyline Rotary Club, and Hahn Gallery. I wrote to groups and foundations like Houston CPAs Helping Schools for grants to enhance our ebook collection. I started networking at local professional events and cultivating new contacts on LinkedIn. Continue reading