April Coleman-Hernandez has been selected as the new principal of Raul C. Martinez Elementary. Coleman-Hernandez began her teaching career in 1997 at Sharpstown High School. She continued serving the children of HISD as dean of students at Revere MS and Fonville Middle School, and dean of instruction at North Forest High School.
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Holland MS announces Ward as new principal
Keri Ward is the new principal for Holland Middle School. Ward served as a teacher, department chair, counselor, assistant principal in elementary and middle school, and for the last 3-years as principal of Raul Martinez Elementary.
Ward has over 13 years of educational experience in HISD. One of the many accolades she is proud of is the academic growth shown by her students during a pandemic year. This great accomplishment is due to a positive campus culture, high expectations for every student, implementation of a schoolwide intervention system, as well as the systems set in place to monitor data and accommodations. Ward promotes teamwork and collaboration amongst all stakeholders. Ward earned her bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Houston – Clear Lake.
Paul Revere MS names new principal
Gerardo Medina has been selected as the new principal of Paul Revere Middle School. He is a proud product of HISD, having graduated from Lamar High School.
School Support Officer announcement: Middle School, High School offices
School Support Officer Announcement: Middle Schools Office
Benjamin Hernandez is a new School Support Officer for the Middle Schools Office. He began his career in HISD in 1997 as a PE teacher at Bonner Elementary School.
Continue readingShearn Elementary names Peta Douglas principal
Peta Douglas is the new principal of Shearn Elementary. Ms. Douglas joined Houston ISD in 2012 as a Teach for America Corps member.
She has served as a bilingual teacher, teacher specialist, and most recently as an assistant principal at Emerson Elementary School. Prior to moving to Houston, she served as an ESL instructor and migrant advocate in Albemarle Public Schools in Virginia. Ms. Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia and has completed coursework at Harvard University in the Principals’ Center for Professional Education.
HISD names chief operating officer
Wanda Paul, a veteran business operations officer and Houston native, has been named chief operating officer of the Houston Independent School District. Paul begins her new role on September 20.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Ms. Paul brings a wealth of experience to HISD, including serving as chief operating officer for schools in Texas and Florida.
Most recently, she spent four years as chief operating officer for The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida. In this role, she oversaw more than 1,700 employees, 187 schools, and a $63 million capital budget. She also implemented a program to better track energy use and reduce utility costs. Before going to Florida, Ms. Paul served four years as chief operating officer for the Dallas Independent School District.
Continue readingAlvenus Franklin named new principal of Henderson Elementary
Alvenus Franklin is the new principal for Nat Q. Henderson Elementary School. Franklin has been an educator for 21 years and has served HISD as a teacher, Teacher Specialist, and Assistant Principal. She was an Assistant Principal at Kashmere Gardens Elementary from 2013 to 2018, Kashmere High School from 2018 to 2019, and previously served Clemente Martinez Elementary School for 2 years. As part of the leadership team, she helped Kashmere Gardens Elementary out of Improvement Requirement (IR) status to receiving a six STAAR Distinction by TEA. She then helped to get Kashmere High School out of Improvement Requirement (IR) status to meeting state standard.
Continue readingDawn Buie named new principal of Petersen Elementary
Dawn Buie has been selected as the new principal of Petersen Elementary School. Buie began her career as an elementary teacher in Galena Park ISD and then began teaching at Blackshear Elementary in Houston ISD. She was then selected as a Principal Intern at Tanglewood Middle School as part of the first cohort for the Houston A+ Regional Principal Leadership Academy. Buie went on to serve for 4 years as Dean of Students at Tanglewood Middle School and mostly recently, Administrator at Codwell Elementary.
Continue readingMagdalena Villa named new principal of Bonham Elementary
Magdalena I. Villa has been selected as the new principal of Bonham Elementary School. Villa has been a student-centered educator and leader for 19 years at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary. She has served as Associate Teacher, Teacher Assistant, Bilingual, ESL, and Dual Language Educator, Instructional Coordinator, Teacher Specialist and Assistant Principal. During her career, she has been recognized with the Teacher of the Year Award and West Area Assistant Principal of the Year.
Continue readingL. Fernando Alarcón named new principal of Benjamin Franklin ES
L. Fernando Alarcón is the new principal of Benjamin Franklin Elementary. Alarcón is originally from Colombia and has been in education for 21 years. He worked for 10 years in Bogotá, Colombia as a bilingual teacher in elementary and secondary school, and 11 years in Houston ISD as a bilingual teacher at Tinsley and Benavidez Elementary. He later was named assistant principal at Gallegos Elementary.
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