Category Archives: Middle Schools

All-girls engineering class learning to code, solve hacking challenges

Thirty eighth-graders in an all-girls engineering class at Clifton Middle School are learning how to write computer code and solve a series of web security and computer science challenges as part of HISD’s efforts to prepare students for college and career success in science and technology.

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Eighth-grader Nancy Perez says the class has taught her how to encrypt and decrypt code, the difference between a bit versus a byte and how to group bits into bytes for efficiency, so the computer knows to send packets of information together. Continue reading →

Legendary ballerina, HISD alumna exposes dance students to fine arts careers

Houston Ballet’s first black principal dancer Lauren Anderson talked to dance students about her 20-plus-year career as a ballerina on Nov. 11 at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center.

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“When I first started dancing, I didn’t like it,” said Anderson. “But I never gave up…I’ve been in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty…I’ve been all of the fairies and the birds, and I’ve danced in almost every continent.” Continue reading →

HISD students participate in first-ever UH Special Olympics Basketball Camp

Basketballs were flying around the Hofheinz Pavilion on Nov. 10, as more than 50 HISD students with special needs got to meet and play basketball with coaches and student-athletes from the University of Houston (UH) men’s basketball program.

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For the first UH Special Olympics Basketball Camp, Cougar coaches and players set up six stations on the pavilion’s basketball court, and middle-school students practiced shooting, dribbling, passing, and other fundamentals. Continue reading →

HISD announces district’s holiday greeting card artwork for 2014

Designs are also available for purchase by the general public through Friday, Dec. 5

Each winter, HISD sends out holiday greeting cards to hundreds of people and organizations, including school principals, board members, legislators, local leaders, parent groups, and community partners. Since 2003, these cards have featured the artwork of district students, and this year, three designs were chosen to showcase their creative talents.

Continue reading →

HISD enrollment reaches 215K, highest level in four decades

The first of four official state counts of enrollment in Houston ISD showed Friday that membership now surpasses 215,000 students — the highest figure since 1973.

The district’s membership tally on the 51st day of school was 215,225, up from 211,406 over the same day in 2013, 3,819 students more. It is the figure that will go into state records as HISD’s fall Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) count.

“The steady upswing in student performance, our great neighborhood schools, and HISD’s reputation for a school option for every interest and goal are undoubtedly helping to draw families to our schools,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. Continue reading →

Burbank MS brings popular children’s author to campus for Family Literacy Night

This year, Family Literacy Night at Burbank Middle School was very special. Throughout September and October, students, staff, and community members all read Christopher Healy’s “The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.” Then they got together on Family Literacy Night to discuss the book and had a rare opportunity to take the discussion directly to Healy, who was the night’s special guest.

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“I feel really privileged to be a part of this event,” Healy said. “From the point of view of an author, it’s unbelievable. It’s amazing that all of these kids and teachers read my book. It’s not that they’ve all just read it, but that it’s become a point of discussion in the school. People have been telling me that students are talking about it in the hallways, and teachers are discussing the characters and plotlines outside of class. That’s an amazing feeling for me — the idea of a whole school rallying around one book and the way it supports literacy.” Continue reading →

Fonville MS robotics team wins tournament its first time out

The fledgling robotics team at Fonville Middle School might be relatively new, but that doesn’t mean its members don’t know a thing or two about how to win a competition.

The Fonville team outperformed several high school teams recently to claim top honors at HISD’s VEX West competition. The students shared the title of “tournament champions” with their allies from Lamar High School, and also received the “Cooperate Award” for demonstrating extraordinary teamwork under pressure. Continue reading →

Pin Oak MS wins first UIL middle school tournament of year

More than 500 middle school students spent their Saturday at Hamilton Middle School on Oct. 25, competing in the first University Interscholastic League (UIL) Middle School tournament of the 2014–2015 season.

Students from 15 schools competed: Attucks, Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan, Black, Burbank, Clifton, Cullen, Fondren, Hamilton, Johnston, Pershing, Pin Oak, Revere and Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men.

Pin Oak Middle School was declared the sweepstakes champion, with Mickey Leland College Prep winning second place and Black MS taking home third.

Here are the individual results: Continue reading →

Don’t overlook your neighborhood campuses when shopping for a school

Crockett ES is not a magnet school for fine arts, but its program is top-notch due in part to art teachers like Geetha Thomas, pictured here with some of her students. Parents are encouraged to check out the offerings at their neighborhood schools first, before shopping for alternatives.

It’s fall in Houston, and that means many HISD parents are already thinking about which campuses to send their children to for the 2015–2016 school year.

But while the attraction of the district’s many magnet programs is undeniable, parents are encouraged to take a closer look at the “zoned” schools located in their neighborhoods, as sometimes a hidden gem can be right around the corner.
Continue reading →

Batter up! Key MS breaks ground on new, state-of-the-art baseball field

SELF and Fondren foundations bring baseball, unity to school community

When baseball season begins next spring, the students at Francis Scott Key Middle School will be running the bases of their new baseball field. The Stacey and Bo Porter SELF Foundation, in partnership with the Fondren Foundation, are together donating the construction and support for the field.

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“Part of our mission is facility improvements, and this is a step in that direction,” said Bo Porter, chairman of SELF — which stands for Sports, Education, Lifeskills, and Faith.