Category Archives: STEM

HISD summer STEM camp promotes 21st-century skills

Bailey, a rising third-grader from Travis Elementary School, wanted to grow up to be a cheerleading coach, but after just two days at HISD’s STEM Summer Camp at Heights High School, those dreams have changed. 

“I used to want to be a professional cheerleading coach, but now I want to be somebody who helps NASA,” she said. “Now, I want to work in Mission Control.” 

Bailey, along with hundreds of other students from around the district, is spending her summer break learning about robotics and coding. This is the first year for the summer program, which provides STEM-based curriculum activities for students in grades 3-12.  

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HISD students hold Earth-to-space call with NASA astronaut currently aboard ISS

HISD students from Milby High School, Deady Middle School, and Davila Elementary School had an exclusive opportunity on Wednesday to speak with and interview NASA astronaut Col. Tyler “Nick” Hague, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station.  

“Our students are getting a once-in-a lifetime chance today,” said Milby Principal Ruth Ruiz. “This is a great opportunity for our feeder pattern because this is our first year as an aerospace STEM academy.” 

During the 20-minute Earth-to-space call, students asked Hague several different questions about his time in space, future missions and experiments conducted aboard the ISS. The first question of the day went to Davila second-grader Leslie Garcia, who asked Col. Hague about his work schedule aboard the ISS.  

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Students from 10 HISD schools to participate in ‘Dream On STEAM On Showcase’

Students from across the Houston Independent School District will gather on Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for the 2019 Dream on STEAM ON Student Showcase.  

The Dream On STEAM On (DOSO) program, sponsored by Capital One, has given HISD an annual $25,000 grant to support 10 schools, so students can enhance their knowledge and experiences in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). 

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Students discover the sky’s the limit on DiscoverU field trip

High school students from across HISD attended a day-long field trip to Space Center Houston recently.

The trip, sponsored by Houston-based nonprofit organization DiscoverU, was the culmination of an outreach effort led by HISD’s College and Career Readiness Department that resulted in 57 eleventh-graders being admitted into NASA’s High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. All students who were accepted were invited to register for the free field trip, and 51 attended.

Activities included a tour of Building 9 and Rocket Park, an astronaut talk in Space Center Theater, and a chance to explore Space Center Houston.

“Being able to a meet an astronaut was inspiring,” said Energy junior Cynthia Gomez. “They set a high goal and accomplished it.”

Students from the following high schools went on the trip: Bellaire, Carnegie, Eastwood Academy, Energy Institute, Heights, HSPVA, Madison, Mickey Leland College Prep, North Houston Early College, Northside, Sharpstown, Texas Connections Academy, Washington, and Westside. A few tenth-graders from Madison and Washington also attended.

DiscoverU’s aim was to expose students to Space Center Houston and provide an in-person introduction to the program, with the goal of encouraging and empowering HISD students to complete the five-month online course and get a chance to spend a week at Johnson Space Center next summer.

It was also an opportunity for students to meet others in the program who share their interest in aerospace engineering.

“The trip was amazing,” said Washington sophomore Jesus Reynaga. “It really gave me insight into what I want to do when I grow up.”

Celebrate Computer Science Education Week with the 12 Days of Code  

Design an iPhone game. Track Santa’s movements. Animate text. Those are just a few of the ways students can participate in  Computer Science Education Week , which is Dec.  3-9.

The HISD Instructional Technology team has shared the 12 Days of Code with an activity board  that allows students to engage in a new coding experience every day.

The activities in these three calendars for elementary, middle, and  high school  include lessons such as designing web pages with HTML, creating a virtual pet, developing interactive art, and even teaching a robot to make crepes. Continue reading →

Chavez HS to hold magnet program showcase

Campus is accepting magnet student transfers for 2019-2020 school year

Chavez High School on Thursday will hold its annual Lobopallooza magnet program showcase event for prospective students and their parents.

The event, which will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the campus (8501 Howard Dr., 77017), coincides with the Houston Independent School District’s approaching deadline on Dec. 7 for the first round of 2019-2020 magnet school applications. Lobopalooza is an open-house event for prospective students that highlights the programs and activities that will be offered at Chavez during the 2019-2020 school year. Continue reading →

Inaugural STAAR award recipient announced

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Sam Houston SMTC junior Vanessa Luna Tinoco received the Sofia John STAAR Achievement Award recently for having the most improved score on the second round of STAAR science testing. Tinoco received $600 and a story about her posted on the  school’s website.

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Energy Institute HS celebrates grand opening of new facility

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Known for its innovation, Energy Institute — which once programmed robots to shovel dirt at its groundbreaking ceremony — decided to forego a traditional ribbon-cutting, and instead have students use a circular saw to cut a wooden board laser printed with the school’s logo. The cut pieces were then presented to special guests at the event.

“What a journey,” Energy Principal Lori Lambropoulos said as she looked out to the crowd. “This school is the first one of its kind in the nation, and we could not have done any of this without all of you in this room.” Continue reading →

New Washington HS set to open for the 2018-2019 school year

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When students enter the new Washington High School this fall, they will be greeted by a prominent image of civil rights activist and educator Booker T. Washington.

This year marks the 125th anniversary for the school, which was built in 1893 as the city’s first African-American high school.

Washington Principal Carlos Phillips said he is excited to move into the new school and looking forward to presenting the facility to the community.

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HISD Foundation awards nearly $150,000 to 18 schools across the district

HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza’s call to rebuild and reimagine the future of HISD’s classrooms arrived just in time at this year’s State of the Schools, where Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones and Carranza announced the recipients of the HISD Foundation’s Innovation Grant.

Using funds raised from last year’s State of the School’s ceremony, the Foundation awarded 18 campuses nearly $150,000 as part of the district’s new Innovation Grant program that was created to provide funds for teachers and schools to purchase equipment, supplies, and other items to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Continue reading →