Category Archives: Middle Schools

Texans Player Gets Billy Reagan Students Excited about Learning


Click the photo above to see photos from the event

Houston Texans football player Kareem Jackson visited students this week at Billy Reagan K-8 Educational Center to motivate them to stay in school and to work hard to get good grades. Jackson spoke to the sixth- through eighth-grade students at a pep rally.                 

During his talk, he stressed the importance of being good students and encouraged them to always listen to their parents and teachers. He reminded them that the choices they make now will affect them later in life.

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HISD Police Department Partners with ARAMARK Education to Promote “Kids with Character” Mentoring Program

The HISD Police Department introduced a new partnership today with ARAMARK Education to promote positive character building in HISD schools.  The Kids with Character mentoring program will recognize elementary students who have displayed outstanding citizenship in their classes.

Twice a month, HISD officers will eat lunch with students who have shown strong character.  During the lunch the officers will also serve as role models by showing students how to be good leaders. Continue reading →

Blue Bell Ice Cream Rewards Project Chrysalis Middle School for Earning National Blue Ribbon Honor

Blue Bell Creameries will honor Project Chrysalis Middle School (4528 Leeland), one of two HISD schools named 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools, with a school-wide ice cream party on Thursday, Oct. 11.  A Blue Bell truck filled with ice cream will arrive at the school at noon to treat all of the students, teachers, and staff members. 

 The U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools program has honored more than 7,000 of America’s most successful schools for the past 30 years. This year 269 public and private schools across the country, including HISD’s East Early College High School, received the coveted award.  Blue Bell Creameries rewarded East Early College High School at a previous party.

Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on two primary criteria.  They must be among the highest-performing schools in their state, or they are schools with at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds that have improved student performance to high levels.

This year’s winning schools will also be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on Nov. 12-13, 2012.

Grady Middle School dedicates new addition

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The collaborative efforts of the Grady Middle School community, along with those who designed and built the new facility, were all praised Monday morning at an official dedication ceremony for the school’s newest addition.

Light from the mid-morning sun served as the backdrop for the ceremony that included performances from the Grady band and theater groups.  Working together as the students did was also how community members worked with HISD and school staff, as well as the building’s architects and designers, said HISD Board of Education member Harvin Moore.

“It’s really very, very important that decisions be made that involve the people that are really going to live with it,” Moore said. “The parents, the neighbors and the faculty and teachers. They know about educational needs and the academic design of a great school.”

Grady’s new building includes a library, cafetorium, gymnasium, music room and new administration offices. In total, the building cost about $13.7 million, paid for with funds from the 2007 bond program.

Students aren’t the only ones who get to enjoy the new school, though, said Grady principal Gretchen Kasper-Hoffman.

“People love it. They’re so excited to see this on the corner. They enjoy driving by and seeing such a lovely building and knowing that the kids are learning,” she said. “It wasn’t horrible before, but now, it’s just something that sticks out and the community can be proud that this is our middle school.”

The school, located at 5215 San Felipe Street on the city’s near West side, now has some facilities that are either on par or best those of nearby private schools, said Moore, who specifically cited the quality of Grady’s new music room.

Moore also reminded those in attendance that the new addition was only the first phase of construction planned for Grady, noting the second phase of the plan was among those projects listed in the 2012 bond program.

In the proposed plan, Grady would receive $14.8 million to complete renovations around the school and replace 23 temporary buildings currently being used for classroom instruction. The project is among 38 total projects in the $1.89 billion proposed bond program, scheduled to go before the voters in November.

Johnston MS Orchestra Recognized at State and National Levels

Johnston Middle School’s Sinfonia Orchestra recently earned recognition at both the state and national levels.

The group was ranked as one of the top five most-outstanding middle school orchestras for the third consecutive year by the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), through the TMEA’s Honor Orchestra program. This annual competition seeks “to recognize and honor quality musicianship in the performance of advanced literature at the highest level” since 1960.

On the national front, Johnston was also named one of the Foundation for Music Education’s commended Mark of Excellence winners in the “string orchestra” category of the National Orchestra Honors project (Lanier MS is the other honoree from HISD; it won in the “full orchestra” category).

The Johnston Sinfonia Orchestra is directed by José Rocha.

HISD to Dedicate Four New Campuses

In the coming days, four Houston neighborhoods will dedicate new campuses that were built using voter-approved funds from the 2007 HISD bond program.

            “These students now have a new campus to call home, and it’s all thanks to the bond program approved by voters in 2007,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “These schools represent the promises we made to the public then, and HISD continues to follow through with each one.”

            So far, HISD has opened 20 new schools and renovated 135 others using funds provided through the 2007 bond program.  The final three new school buildings included in that program are under construction.  The entire program is on track to be completed under budget.

            More information about the 2007 bond program is available here.  As the 2007 bond program comes to an end, HISD is asking voters this November to consider a proposal to rebuild and renovate 38 campuses, primarily high schools.  More information about the 2012 bond proposal is available here.

Dedication ceremonies will be held soon for the following four campuses, which opened during the 2011-2012 school year: Lewis, Roosevelt and Kennedy elementary schools. A dedication ceremony will also be held for the new addition at Grady Middle School.  A full Grady rebuild would be completed under the 2012 bond proposal.  Each school will be hosting their own dedication ceremony during the upcoming weeks.

These new elementary campuses are “green” schools, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.  Key features in LEED schools include the installation of water-conserving plumbing, energy efficient systems and controls, improved air quality, and use of natural light.

These new campuses also include features such as new libraries, computer labs and Smart Board technology in the classrooms.

            Upcoming dedication ceremonies:

  • Sept. 24 at 9 a.m., Lewis Elementary School, 7649 Rockhill
  • Sept. 26 at 10 a.m., Roosevelt Elementary School, 6700 Fulton
  • Sept. 27 at 9 a.m., Kennedy Elementary School, 400 Victoria
  • Oct. 1 at 10a.m., Grady Middle School, 5215 San Felipe

Gregory-Lincoln Education Center Summer Teaching Institute

For two weeks in June at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, teachers and administrators gathered for a team building and planning event, “The 48 Hour Summer Teaching Institute.”  For 6 hours a day over an 8 day period, the group participated in team building, planning, literature review, and shared vision exercises.  One of the highlights of the institute was when former 8th grade students discussed their experiences with the teachers.  During the student panels, administrators were able to ask the students specific questions to help gain insight about their teaching methods from a student’s point of view.

The goal of the institute was for teachers and administrators to come together to develop a better education plan for the upcoming school year.  Principal Pamela Farinas hopes events like this will help teachers and faculty recognize common goals and bonds as educators.  She also hopes the teaching institute will become an annual event.

Attucks Middle School Wins T-STEM Designation

Teachers and students at HISD’s Attucks Middle School will soon be reaping the benefit of a new STEM-based partnership, thanks to the campus’ newly acquired status as a Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (T-STEM) Academy.

The school was designated a T-STEM Academy for the 2012–2013 school year by the Texas Education Agency, which means educators there can now access professional development opportunities, receive technical assistance, and network with other STEM academies to share best practices.

The school has already forged such a partnership with nearby Jones High School, which became a magnet school for STEM studies in the 2011–2012 school year (see related story here). Called the Jones-Attucks Collaborative (JAC-STEM), this arrangement will enable teachers and leaders from Jones to work directly with their peers at Attucks.

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HISD Board of Education to Discuss Possible Bond Election

The HISD Board of Education will meet on Tuesday to discuss details of a possible bond referendum that aims to address facility needs at schools in neighborhoods across the district.
Forty-two schools across Houston, including 28 high schools, would be rebuilt, renovated, or renewed under a recommended bond package presented for the HISD Board of Education’s consideration last month.
The board must decide by August whether to seek approval of the $1.89 billion proposal from Houston Independent School District voters during the Nov. 6 general election.
The board will meet to discuss the plan at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10, and at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. Both public workshop meetings will take place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street.
While including nearly $224 million in recommended projects that would benefit students at all 279 schools in the district, the proposed bond package focuses heavily on the city’s high schools. HISD’s most recent bond programs approved by voters in 1998, 2002 and 2007 have primarily addressed needs at the elementary school level. The average age of HISD secondary schools now stands at 50 years, compared to 39 years for the district’s primary schools.
The proposed bond package would completely rebuild some of Houston’s most historic neighborhood high schools across the city, while others would undergo renovations and renewals. The proposal also includes new campuses for some of HISD’s prestigious specialty magnet schools, including the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The new HSPVA would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol.

The proposal calls for $1.66 billion to be spent on improvements at 42 schools. This would cover:

• $577 million to completely replace 8 high schools

o Furr
o High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
o Lee
o Madison
o Sharpstown
o Sterling
o Booker T. Washington
o Yates

• $354 million to replace the inadequate facilities at 4 high schools

o Bellaire
o Lamar

o Sam Houston
o Westbury

• $259 million to replace inadequate facilities and renovate 5 high schools

o Austin
o Eastwood Academy
o Milby
o Waltrip
o Worthing

• $27 million to build 2 new early college high schools

o North Early College
o South Early College

• $61 million to renovate or renew 9 high schools

o Davis
o DeBakey
o Jones
o Jordan
o Kashmere
o Scarborough
o Sharpstown International High School
o Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy
o Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy

• $121 million to convert 4 elementary schools into K-8 campuses

o Garden Oaks
o Pilgrim Academy
o Wharton Dual Language
o Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School at Gordon

• $73 million to replace Dowling Middle School and expand Grady Middle School

• $126 million to replace 5 elementary schools

o Askew
o Condit
o Kelso
o MacGregor
o Parker

• $67 million to renovate and make building additions at K. Smith Elementary, replace inadequate facilities and renovate Tijerina Elementary, and build a new elementary school on the district’s west end to reduce overcrowding

The proposed $224 million in district wide projects would cover:

• Technology upgrades at all HISD schools ($100 million)
• District athletic facility improvements ($42 million)
• Middle school restroom renovations ($35 million)
• Safety and security improvements ($27 million)
• Land acquisition ($20 million)

The proposal was developed after a review of HISD’s facilities by Parsons, an independent firm that specializes in the assessment, design, and project management of education facilities. Click here to review documents that were used to develop the proposal.
Because of the district’s strong fiscal management practices, HISD has been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate of the 20-plus school districts in Harris County.
If an election is called, and voters approve the bond package, HISD would likely adopt a property tax rate increase in the future. This tax rate increase would have no impact on the homesteads of HISD residents age 65 and older, because their tax rates are frozen.
HISD estimates that the tax rate increase would be phased in over a 4-year period, beginning with an estimated 2-cent increase in 2014. This would result in an additional $29 in yearly taxes for the owner of a home valued at $200,000. By 2017, the total tax rate increase resulting from the bond’s passage would reach 6.85 cents, raising the average tax bill by $99 a year, or $8.25 per month.
School construction and renovation work approved by HISD voters in 2007 is nearing completion under budget. So far, HISD has opened 16 new or replacement schools under that bond program, 7 more new schools are under construction, and 2 more are in the planning stage. More than 100 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far. Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.

Camp for eighth-graders instills love of algebra (w/video)

What do you get when you take 26 eighth-graders, one middle school math teacher, and four hours of Algebra a day? MC Williams Middle School is hoping the equation equals success on the STAAR Algebra I End of Course exam.

“All of our eighth-graders passed this year’s Algebra EOC, and we want the same success next May,” said Principal Corey Seymour. “Ultimately, we want all of our students to take Algebra in the eighth grade and earn high school credit.”

For the second year in a row, MC Williams is holding its summer Algebra camp for incoming eighth-graders who will be taking the subject in the fall. The camp is designed familiarize students with the basics of Algebra while developing confidence in their existing math abilities. Unlike other HISD middle and high schools who hold similar summer workshops, the camp at MC Williams lasts for five weeks and features four hours of Algebra a day.

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