Category Archives: Teachers

Revere MS athletic director named April Teacher of the Month

HISD Chief of Human Resources Julia Dimmitt and Area Superintendent James McSwain on Tuesday surprised Revere Middle School Athletic Director Celina Robinson as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for April. 

“As a first-year principal, it has truly been rewarding to work alongside Celina and have complete trust in her capabilities on campus,” Principal Monijit Katial said. “She has made my transition into the role nearly seamless as I have a point person on campus that I can trust and depend on.” 

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Free ‘Camp Adventure’ summer camp registration now open

Registration is now open for “Camp Adventure,” a FREE summer camp that combines exciting STEAM activities with art, crafts, and games with the joys of summer camp!  

Sponsored by The Children’s Museum of Houston and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, “Camp Adventure” offers an exciting and unique STEAM experience. Students will participate in a variety of interactive activities including engineering projects, hands-on science experiments, games, songs, music, and storytelling.  

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Achieve 180’s data-driven teacher is Teacher of the Month

There was much to be celebrated at Pugh Elementary on Tuesday when fourth-grade ELA teacher Julianne DeLay was surprised by Achieve 180 Area Superintendent Felicia Adams as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for March.  

Only in her third year as a teacher, DeLay is hitting it out of the park with her students, who are producing literacy scores above the district’s average, further driving her as a top performer and role model for those in the Achieve 180 program.  

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At midpoint of the legislative session, teacher pay raise and school finance bills advance

Texas lawmakers have entered the halfway point of the 86th Legislative Session, and the pace of activity at the State Capitol has significantly increased since January.

On March 4, the Texas Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 3, which provides an across-the-board $5,000 pay raise to every full-time classroom teachers and all school librarians. As filed, the bill would have provided raises to full-time classroom teachers only. However, the bill’s author, Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound), amended the legislation on the Senate floor to include school librarians because of their requirement to teach in the classroom for two years. SB 3 will now go to the House for consideration. House Public Education Committee Chair Dan Huberty (R-Humble) indicated SB 3 would likely receive a hearing in his committee.

Increasing teacher compensation and reforming school finance are two of the governor’s emergency items, declared in his Feb. 15 State of the State address. SB 3 is also a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and all 31 members of the Texas Senate.

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Inaugural HISD Visual Art Teachers’ Exhibition opens this week

Throughout the month of March, Houston Independent School District Visual Art teachers will showcase their artistic talents in the inaugural HISD Visual Art Teachers’ Exhibition.  

Visual art teachers from all over the district applied to participate in the exhibition. Twenty-two artists were selected to exhibit new works for the show. They were selected by a jury of peers based upon artistic quality and instructional testimonial submissions.  

HISD artists will be exhibiting new, never-seen-before works for this art show.  The faculty showcase is an opportunity for people to view new directions in work by some of the district’s most talented artists and educators.  

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Math teacher at Navarro MS named Teacher of the Month for February  

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What started off as an ordinary day for Navarro Middle School teacher Ana Maria Steen on Tuesday morning turned into a surprise of a lifetime when Area Superintendent Geovanny Ponce interrupted class to announce Steen as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for February.

“Why Mrs. Steen? Because she is the best,” Ponce said. “She not only puts her students’ educational needs first, but those of the entire campus, which shows in their academic achievements.” Continue reading →

Nearly 70 HISD teachers to be recognized at HAABSE banquet 

The Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) will recognize nearly 70 HISD teachers at their annual HAABSE Outstanding Teacher Awards and Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 6 at Bayou City Event Center.

The banquet was created to recognize the incredible work of educators that impact the lives of minority students in the greater Houston area.

Teachers were nominated by their campus principal and/or counselor.

View below for a full list of the teachers that will be recognized:  Continue reading →

Top-performing fourth-grade teacher is January’s Teacher of the Month  

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Fourth-grade teacher Alvaro Camaripano couldn’t help but have tears flowing down his face when he was surprised by Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan on Tuesday as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for January.

A 17-year veteran teacher at Barrick Elementary School, Camaripano was recognized for his track record of high math performance scores that have also gotten him distinguished as one of the top 5 percent math teachers in the district.

“Mr. Camaripano is well-deserving in receiving this honor,” said Principal Yolanda Garrido. “He is a humble, loving, and dedicated teacher that works hard daily to ensure all students achieve academic success.” Continue reading →

CYCLE Houston rewards students’ literacy achievements with bikes

Thousands of HISD second-graders from across the district will be awarded bicycles for achieving their reading goals for the semester.

Through the CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education) bike program, students worked with teachers to create personalized literacy goals to help boost their reading skills. Each student signed a contract that once those goals were achieved, they would be awarded a brand-new bicycle and helmet.

According to CYCLE, the program not only helps students achieve grade-level reading, it teaches them that hard work equals reward. Students at Eliot Elementary School were so excited about the prospect of earning a bicycle, they came to school early, stayed late, and tracked their own reading progress for months. Continue reading →

Science teacher at Longfellow ES named Teacher of the Month for November 

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It was a science experiment brought to life when science lab teacher Jennifer Howell was surprised by Chief Academic Officer Noelia Longoria as the Sterling McCall VIP Services Teacher of the Month for November on Wednesday.

Howell’s fourth-grade students were getting a lesson on the types of batteries used in keyless remotes, specifically for push-start cars, when they learned their teacher’s recognition came with a special gift—a 2019 Acura TLX, courtesy of Sterling McCall Acura.

“This has been an overwhelming experience, and I’m indebted to the district for the recognition,” Howell said. “Every day, I’m driven to create enriching lessons that will push all 800 of my students.”  Continue reading →