Nutrition Services hosts student workshops during Food & Agriculture Day Mykawa Farm

Nearly two dozen students craned their necks to see the green plants and bright, booming flowers as their buses arrived Wednesday at the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm.

As they got off the bus, they bounded toward a hollowed-out tree trunk, eager to visit the workstations designed to help them connect classroom science to real-life agriculture, nutrition, and the natural world.

“We’re here today to share with you how food comes from the soil and ends up on your plate,” said Marcus Glenn, Area Manager for Nutrition Services Food and Agriculture Literacy.

The Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm is a working educational farm that integrates nutrition and food science with core curriculum to provide students with hands-on learning experiences.

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Community food distributions end after challenging year

Nearly 1,200 cars and trucks looped around Barnett Stadium under a blazing sun, waiting for their final distribution of family food and household supplies from the Neighborhood Supersite at Barnett Stadium.

First in line was father of seven Enrique Alvarado, who said he was thankful for the support because the pandemic had negatively impacted his job.

“I am grateful that my children were able to get food, especially milk,” he said.

HISD Nutrition Services launched its community food distribution program last March, just days after the district had to close its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Summer Student Leadership Program accepting applications from high school students, district alumni

HISD is now accepting applications for its 2021 Summer Student Leadership Program, a six-week paid summer internship and leadership development program for HISD high school students and alumni currently enrolled in college. 

In line with HISD’s mission to provide students with the tools to reach their full potential, the program addresses the need to expose students to fulfilling careers and skills employers demand in a rapidly changing world. Participants will gain valuable employment experience and can test-drive career pathways before choosing a college major or entering the workforce.

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HISD students can apply for the second round of the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer

HISD families can now apply for a Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a one-time benefit for families who temporarily lost access to student meals during the 2020–2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The application is available online at yourtexasbenefits.com/Learn/PEBT from June 2 through Aug. 13, 2021.

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District mentorship programs celebrate over 1,300 student leaders during youth summit

Students from HISD mentoring programs Ascending to Men (ATM) and Resilient Outstanding Sisters Exemplifying Success (ROSES) were celebrated during the May 20 virtual Youth Summit RISE: Realizing I’m Someone Exceptional.

Over 1,300 students from 56 HISD campuses joined the empowering event, celebrating students in persevering through a tumultuous year of challenges and adaptations. Two sessions, one for elementary students and one for secondary students were hosted, focusing on youth empowerment, leadership, and positive self-talk. 

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Baker Montessori School chicken project something to crow about

As students and staff arrive each morning at Baker Montessori School, they’re cheerfully greeted with a flock of clucking chickens.

The laying hens bob their heads up and down, trilling softly as they make their way around the large, enclosed chicken run safely housed near the gym. Some begin squawking, having laid their daily egg in the nesting area.

They waddle toward the entry and peck at the ground as a small group of students from Baker — formerly known as Wilson Montessori School — comes in to visit.

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Baker Montessori School students use garden to learn real-world science lessons

On sunny weekends, parents and students gather in the Baker Montessori School garden where they pull on gloves and grab rakes and trowels to remove weeds and leaves from the musky soil.

The students at Baker — formerly called Wilson Montessori School — are learning to grow fragrant flowering herbs and study their uses. Once the flowers bloom, students will cut some of the plants and infuse them in oil or dry them to make spices or teas.

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Brishaun Sutton named new principal of Briarmeadow Charter

Brishaun Sutton

Brishaun Sutton has been selected as the new principal for Briarmeadow K-8. Sutton has 28 years of experience in education with 24 of those years in HISD. She has served as a teacher, instructional coordinator, teacher development specialist, assistant principal, and for the last four years as the Principal of Kate Bell Elementary. During her tenure at Bell, she not only focused on building systematic instructional delivery programs which improved the TEA Accountability Rating from C to B with distinctions, but also developed and achieved Platinum Certification as a Family Friendly School. 

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Kendal Bailey named new principal of Piney Point Elementary School

Kendal Bailey

Kendal Bailey has been selected as the new principal for Piney Point Elementary School. Bailey is currently the Assistant Principal at Piney Point Elementary School. During her 25 years in education, Bailey has taught middle school Language Arts and Choir. She has also served as an elementary school Library Media Specialist.   Before joining Piney Point Elementary School, Bailey was Assistant Principal at Long Academy. She was named West Area Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.

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Elisa Reyes named new principal of Mistral Early Childhood Center

Elisa Reyes

Elisa Reyes has been selected as the new principal for Mistral Early Childhood Center.  She has been with HISD for 23 years.  She started as a First-Grade Bilingual Teacher at Barrick Elementary and then she transferred to Sutton Elementary, where she has been for the last 21 years.  At Sutton, she has served in different capacities: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First-Grade Bilingual Teacher, Technology Applications Teacher, Instructional Specialist, and currently Dean of Instruction.

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