Cindy Tiet named new principal of Daily Elementary School

Cindy Tiet has been selected as the new principal of Daily Elementary School. With 22 years of experience, Tiet has served as a teacher, instructional coordinator, and dean of instruction at Barbara Bush Elementary School. During her tenure at Bush, the campus consistently earned an “A+” rating by Children at Risk and continues to increase academic achievement and progress in all areas. Tiet earned both her bachelor’s and master’s from Trinity University in San Antonio, where she was a recipient of the Murchison Scholarship in Education.

Zaira Gomez named new principal of Cornelius Elementary School

Zaira Gomez has been selected as the new principal of Cornelius Elementary School. Gomez is an alumni of HISD, where she attended Sunnyside Elementary School, Attucks Middle School and Worthing High School. Gomez has served as a clerk, teacher, literacy coach, and assistant principal. During her time at Cornelius, she worked with students, parents, teachers, and leaders to increase the academic performance of the school. She holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from University of Houston-Downtown, a master’s in Counseling from University of St. Thomas, and a principal certification from Lamar University.

Eva Campos named new principal of Browning Elementary School

Eva Campos has been selected as the new principal of Browning Elementary School. She has served as a teacher aide, bilingual teacher, district bilingual instructional supervisor, assistant principal, PEIMS manager, and teacher specialist at Benbrook Elementary School. Campos is a native Houstonian and a graduate from High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Most recently, she was awarded a “Two-Way Systemwide” and an International Baccalaureate grant to help bring resources to students at HISD. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of St. Thomas.

HISD summer fine arts camp inspires future artists

Avani, a rising fifth-grader from MacGregor Elementary School, has dreams of becoming an abstract visual artist, and after two weeks at HISD’s Fine Arts Summer Camp at Tanglewood Middle School, that dream may soon become a reality.  

“One day, I have dreams of making abstract art and putting it all over my walls – just splattering paint all over my walls,” she said. “I think camp will help me do that.” 

The four-week camp, which is offered to students in grades 3-12, is a superb exhibition of creativity by HISD students who are immersed in the district’s first ever summer fine arts camp. The idea was inspired by Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan’s mission to provide fine arts access to more students throughout the district, according to HISD Theatre Curriculum Specialist Jared Berry. 

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HISD Business Operations to Host Job Fair at Delmar Stadium

The Houston Independent School District Office of Business Operations is hosting a job fair on Saturday, June 29, 2019, from 8 a.m. to noon at Delmar Fieldhouse to recruit employees for several of its departments. 

The Business Operations division — responsible for key support services such as police, nutrition, transportation, and maintenance — is seeking individuals for seven different positions in four different departments. Open positions include: 

Facilities Services and Fleet Operations 

  • Custodians 
  • Plumbers 
  • Fire extinguisher technicians 
  • Senior HVAC repairer 

Nutrition Services 

  • Class A CDL warehouse driver 

Police Department 

  • Police officer 

Transportation Services 

  • Bus driver  

“As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to ensure we’re fully staffed and ready to go on the first day of school,” Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said. “We’re looking for employees who are hardworking, reliable, and believe in our mission — supporting the students of this district.”  

Business Operations representatives will be on hand to conduct application reviews and onsite interviews. Applicants are asked to bring their valid driver’s license, social security card or their employment authorization card/visa, if applicable. Some positions will require drug testing.  

For more information, call 713-556-6150. To learn more about Business Operations, visit the Business Operations website. 

HISD students show across-the-board gains in all subjects on STAAR End-of-Course exams

The percentages of Houston Independent School District students who passed the spring 2019 STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) exams increased in all subject areas of the tests. Students took five exams covering Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History.  

Students at some of HISD’s lowest-performing schools made vast improvements on the Algebra I, Biology and U.S. History STAAR tests. 

There are four performance levels on STAAR tests: Did Not Meet grade level – failed, Approaches grade level – passed, Meets grade level – passed at a higher level, and Masters grade level – passed at the highest level. 

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HISD Board of Education rejects proposed budget for 2019-2020 school year

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Tuesday voted 6-3 against the proposed budget for the 2019-2020 school year.  

On June 27, trustees will again consider adoption of the proposed budget, which will include a recommended compensation package for all HISD employees and other HB 3-related items. State law requires the budget to be approved by June 30. 

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HISD Police Department active shooter training prepares officers, schools

At least three times a month, officers with the Houston Independent School District Police Department can be found at the northeast substation, training for emergency events they hope never happen.

The department’s Emergency Response Team trains diligently to prepare for high-pressure situations, such as hostile traffic stops, agitated individuals, barricaded subjects, and active shooters.

HISD Police Chief Paul Cordova said the need for the training is greater than ever before in light of recent school shootings across the country.

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Dual credit class connects students to community

Taking dual credit classes can be a daunting task, but Sonia Noyola at Northside High School has found a way to ease her students into the program by connecting their projects back to the community.  

Since she started teaching dual credit Government classes at Northside, Noyola’s students’ community awareness and empowerment projects have served as an extension of her dual credit classroom. 

Their latest project was S.H.I.N.E. (Spirit, Honor, Innovation, Nuance, Education) Fest, a student-led film competition held at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall that attracted submissions from several HISD schools and postsecondary institutions. The connection between these projects and the dual-credit course content is not lost on her students.   

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HISD athletics camp focuses on improving water safety for students across the city

The whistle blows at Lamar High School’s natatorium, and students attending HISD’s athletics swimming camp return to their breast stroke drills and breathing exercises.

Summer is here for students, and that means tons of fun in the sun and swimming pools with friends. That is why veteran Coach Stephen McDonald wants to ensure HISD students have the proper education to have a safe and fun summer around water.

“Naturally, our students are going to gravitate towards activities such as swimming, and we fail them if they aren’t prepared,” McDonald said. “By offering the swim camp, we are making sure our students understand the importance of how to enjoy water in a safe way.”

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