Austin HS construction progressing on schedule

New construction at Austin High School has made significant progress in the past couple of months, reaching close to 30 percent completion.

Construction crews have been installing underground utilities, placing tilt wall panels, and erecting structural steel. The crew is also preparing the building for interior build out and roofing installation. Progress will continue according with the construction schedule.

“As the walls have gone up so has the excitement of the students, parents, and of the East End community,” Austin High School Principal Steve Guerrero said. “We will continue to collaborate with our construction partners to ensure a smooth and safe transition to the new campus.”

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Kinder HSPVA students participate in distance learning master piano class

Kinder HSPVA students participated in a groundbreaking remote piano master class last week with a famous musician —even though the artist was instructing the students from 1,500 miles away.

The students attended the class with world-renowned pianist, composer, and arranger Giorgi Mikadze, who taught the class through a live broadcast from New York City.

This technological feat was made possible with a pair of internet-connected Yamaha Disklavier “reproducing” pianos, part of the state-of-art technology included in the school’s new 2012 Bond school, which was one of the first in the nation to introduce this distance learning opportunity.

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Northside HS construction surpasses 80 percent completion

Northside High School is nearing the end of its fifth and final construction phase, which will bring the project to completion by the third quarter of 2019.

Demolition on a portion of the existing building was recently completed, making way for the new performing arts addition. Foundation work has already begun and walls are going up.

“We are looking forward to having our new building and renovations finished this year,” Northside Principal Cecilia Gonzales said. “Although we’ve been able to move in our new spaces as they were being built, we are excited about having a fully completed school.”

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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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‘Light It Up Blue’ in honor of Autism Awareness Month

Light It Up Blue is the annual kick-off event for Autism Awareness Month, and members of the HISD community are encouraged to wear blue on Tuesday, April 2 (World Autism Awareness Day), to help spread the word. 

World Autism Awareness Day is internationally recognized on April 2 every year and is meant to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to educate the public about autism.  

The entire month of April is World Autism Month, and people around the globe are encouraged to #LightItUpBlue to show support and understanding for those with autism. Learn more about how to Light It Up Blue here. 

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Transportation Services to stop route changes March 29

Transportation Services will stop making changes and updates to existing routes at the end of this month as the department shifts it focus to planning for the 2019-2020 school year.

Students with new transportation requests submitted after the cut-off date will be assigned to existing routes and stops.

“We began this school year with several challenges. Since that time, we’ve worked hard to address the concerns of parents and make changes as necessary,” Transportation Services General Manager John Wilcots IV said.

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HISD holds final Parent University of the school year

HISD held its fifth and final Parent University workshop on Thursday evening, capping off a successful first year for the districtwide initiative.  

“Parent University has been a great opportunity for you, as parents, to get know us as a district,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan told the crowd at Madison High School. “It’s important that you know all of the options that are available to your children in this district.   

The workshop was held at Madison and three locations: Furr, Northside and Westside high schools. The theme for the session was “Getting Your Child Ready for College and Careers.” In honor of the final workshop of the school year, HISD’s Family & Community Engagement Office awarded four $500 college scholarships to students in attendance, including Madison senior Jairo Miranda, who will be attending Universal Technical Institute in the Fall.  

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Bellaire HS gathers to celebrate start of construction on new building

The sun shone brightly upon Bellaire High School students, staff, and community members Tuesday as they gathered for the long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony in honor of their new school.

“While the road has been challenging and the process arduous, I believe that we are now ready to build a school that exceeds our initial expectations and that will propel our students into the future,” Principal Michael McDonough said.

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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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Energy Institute HS named National Magnet School of Excellence


Principal Lori Lambropoulos accepts the Magnet School of America’s Waldrip Magnet School of Merit Award on Saturday, April 13 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Energy Institute High School has been named a National Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and theme-based schools. 

Energy Institute High School is the first school in HISD devoted to preparing students for careers in the energy field. The mission of the school is to deliver cutting-edge education and to expose students to careers in the energy field. Energy Institute’s vision is to focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while breaking the barriers of the traditional classroom. 

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