Four Houston Independent School District graduating seniors have received $2,500 each from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which selected them from a pool of more than 15,000 outstanding students nationwide.
One of the HISD students attends Bellaire High School, two attend Carnegie Vanguard High School and one attends Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Continue readingDue to the threat of inclement weather, the Houston Independent School District and Houston Food Bank are rescheduling the mass community food distribution planned for Saturday, May 16 at NRG to ensure the safety of families, staff, and volunteers.
The rescheduled mass community food distribution will be held on Monday, May 18, from 2 – 7 p.m. in the NRG Yellow Lot. It will be operated by the Houston Food Bank.
Families also can continue to visit HISD’s regular, weekday food distribution sites next week. Each site can distribute up to 500 bags — or 15,000 pounds of food — per day.
Continue readingEditor’s Note: The HISD Board of Education is hosting a public hearing at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 28 to gather feedback on beginning the process of becoming a District of Innovation, as designated by the TEA. More information can be found here.
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education at its virtual meeting on Thursday voted 7-2 in favor of a resolution to initiate the process of designating HISD as a District of Innovation.
By adopting District of Innovation status, HISD could exercise greater local control over decisions impacting positive educational outcomes for students. The resolution approved by the Board of Education outlines specific exemptions from state law that the district would seek, including:
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District Board of Education issued a proclamation during its regular meeting declaring the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in HISD.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month honors the enduring legacy of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans, and also celebrates their significant contributions. Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans have played a significant role in our city and state, leading our community in such industries as education, medicine, finance, government, and international trade. The theme of this year’s May-long celebration of “This power of our stories gives power to the future.”
To join the district in celebrating APAHM, click here to download lesson plans, student activities, and guides designed for teachers seeking ways to include Asian Pacific American information in the classroom.
Continue readingStudents from Black, Gregory-Lincoln, Hamilton, Meyerland, Pershing, and Revere middle schools collaborated on the HISD Dance Connected project, inspired by a narrative written by Pershing Middle School student Mariam Galstyan.
Mariam’s narrative, which is read by Gregory-Lincoln student Kendal Burns, was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meyerland PVA teacher Chadwick Peters did the video editing and sound mixing.
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HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan on Wednesday hosted the first in a series of three virtual roundtables with PTA/PTO parent leaders to share feedback, provide insight, and address questions regarding distance learning efforts and information about the coming 2020-2021 school year.
During this first Virtual Parent Connection session, much of the conversation centered around HISD’s pursuit of the District of Innovation designation, resources to engage students and families, as well as ways that parent organizations can support their schools while the district is operating remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lathan said students, parents, and staff have done a remarkable job adjusting to distance learning and asked parents to share some of the needs they are experiencing. She also asked parents to share what would they need from her and HISD team as they prepare for the 2020-21 school year, and what assistance families need to navigate HISD virtual platforms.
Continue readingHISD’s Career Readiness department will be hosting a virtual townhall next week for high school seniors interested in entering the workforce after graduation.
“Seniors to Success 2.0” will be held from 2 – 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20 and will highlight career training programs and other career opportunities for HISD seniors. Nearly 20 local employers, including Goodwill, H-E-B and Allegiance Staffing, will be on hand to discuss interview strategies, tips for success and current job openings with pay ranging from $10-16 an hour.
Continue readingHISD’s Parker Elementary School Chorus has been selected as a finalist in the 2019-2020 American Prize National Competition in the Performing Arts.
Parker’s advanced chorus, under the direction of Marianna Parnas-Simpson, is nominated for The American Prize in Choral Performance—youth division. The advanced chorus is made up of fourth and fifth-grade students.
“It is a huge honor for our Parker students and their families to be recognized like this on a national level,” Parnas-Simpson said. “It is a testimony to their hard work and dedication to the choral art.”
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The Houston Independent School District has named Pedro Lopez Jr., a Houston Police Department assistant chief with 32 years of experience, as the new chief of the HISD Police Department.
Lopez has spent 29 of his 32 years in law enforcement with HPD, moving up the ranks from patrol officer to his current position as the assistant chief for Patrol Region 1. He has also served with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and Texas Department of Corrections.
“We are fortunate to have a law enforcement veteran with the experience, training and expertise of Chief Lopez join our district and lead our police department of more than 200 officers,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “We know he will do a great job protecting our students, staff and campuses as we work to educate, train and support our global scholars.”
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District has been working diligently to celebrate the Class of 2020 graduates while ensuring the health and safety of students, staff, and families. HISD has decided to facilitate all high school graduation ceremonies for our 11,000 seniors virtually.
Considering current challenges surrounding the COVID-19 health crisis, the district believes virtual graduations are the safest option. The virtual ceremonies will begin on June 14.
While the graduations will take place virtually, seniors will have an additional opportunity to celebrate with their fellow graduates, if they so choose, during a citywide celebration on June 5, hosted by Mayor Sylvester Turner. This citywide celebration will take place outdoors at school campuses following strict safety measures.
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