Young Women’s College Prep community hears update on plans for historic campus

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Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, among HISD’s oldest school buildings, will undergo a $27.1 million renovation/addition that will expand learning spaces throughout the current building and add modern science and technology labs to enhance STEM curriculum.

Plans are in place to preserve much of the historic building, as well as the facade, and transform what now are three separate buildings into one cohesive structure.

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City of Houston honors NHECHS Principal Lundy-Jackson

NHECH Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson (striped skirt) is recognized by Houston City Councilwoman Karla Cisneros (left center) and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (right center) on Feb. 23.

NHECH Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson (striped skirt) is recognized by Houston City Councilwoman Karla Cisneros (left center) and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (right center) on Feb. 23.

Before Tuesday’s Houston City Council meeting got underway, current councilwoman and former HISD Board President Karla Cisneros had a special announcement.

She motioned for North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson to come before the council to receive a special proclamation.

Cisneros introduced her to the council members as “one of the most amazing educators in our city,” and then, along with Mayor Sylvester Turner, proclaimed Feb. 23, 2016, Angela Lundy-Jackson Day in Houston.

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HISD recognized at Houston Hispanic Forum’s 30th annual Career and Education Day

Thousands of students from across the Houston area, including hundreds from HISD, attended the Houston Hispanic Forum’s massive College and Education Day on Feb. 13, 2016, at the Brown Convention Center.

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Two HISD educators surprised with 2016 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards

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Two HISD educators were surprised by H-E-B on Wednesday with news that they are finalists for the 2016 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, one of the largest monetary programs for educators in Texas and the nation.

Bellaire High School teacher and international baccalaureate coordinator Ann Linsley was recognized as a teacher finalist, while North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson was named a principal finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.

The two are among eight educators from across Houston and 40 across the state who were selected as award finalists. They now will go on to compete at the state level, where they will have the chance to win additional cash prizes.

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HISD Board of Education hosting meetings to gather input on superintendent search

REMAINING FEBRUARY DATES

Thursday, Feb. 25

  • 4 p.m. Ortiz MS (6767 Telephone Rd. 77061)
  • 6 p.m. Hartman MS (7111 Westover, 77087)

Saturday, Feb. 27

  • 10 a.m. HMWESC (4400 W. 18th St, 77092)

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education is searching for a new superintendent and trustees want input from community members about the qualities and traits they would like to see in their next district leader.

HISD Board of Education President Manuel Rodríguez Jr. and Trustee Diana Dávila have scheduled seven meetings this week to gather feedback from the community that will be used to develop a superintendent candidate profile. The dates and times for additional meetings hosted by other trustees will be announced soon.

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Celebrate the Year of the Monkey with HISD at Westside HS on Feb. 27

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Members of Team HISD will be formally observing the start of a new lunar year on Saturday, Feb. 27, during a celebration held at Westside High School (14201 Briar Forest Dr., 77077) in partnership with the Confucius Institute.

The free event will take place from 6 – 8 p.m. and the public is invited.

Entertainment will be provided by students from more than half a dozen HISD schools, including Kolter Elementary; Lanier and Revere Middle; Furr and Westside High; the Houston Academy for International Studies; the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; Sharpstown International School; and the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School (MCLIMS).

The Year of the Monkey began on Monday, Feb. 8. MCLIMS hosted its own campus celebration (photos above) on Feb. 20.

HSPVA gets go-ahead to proceed on new building

Bond community meeting at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, October 14, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

The new HSPVA will be located downtown near Houston’s renowned Theater District.

The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ new building project received a long-awaited Notice to Proceed from HISD last week, which gives the construction manager at risk (CMAR) the needed go-ahead to mobilize on the site and starts the clock ticking on the 31-month construction timeline.

This is music to the ears of HSPVA stakeholders, as the project has been delayed for about a year while the project team worked through a variety of issues to bring the project within its allotted budget.

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Trustee to host Family Learning Academy on emerging career opportunities Feb. 27

HISD Board of Education Member Rhonda Skillern-Jones has partnered with the Family and Community Engagement and Linked Learning Departments to host the District II Family Learning Academy on emerging career opportunities.

The free event will take place from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, at Washington High School (119 East 39th Street, 77018), and will connect families with resources to help parents engage in their children’s education.

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Notable African-American communications professionals got their start in HISD

Editor’s Note: Black History Month runs from Monday, Feb. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, this year, and HISD is celebrating with a series of weekly stories recognizing distinguished African Americans who graduated from HISD high schools. This article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful careers in radio, television, and film. Previous articles highlight athletes, artists, and politicians.

HISD has produced a number of notable African-American graduates who have established successful careers in radio, television, and film. Before making their names in the industry, though, they got their start in district communications programs.

Kim Gagné

Kim Gagné

Television producer and Yates High School graduate Kim Gagné (1982) is a two-time Daytime Emmy award winner who won for her work as a supervising producer for the Steve Harvey show. She also won a regional Emmy for her time with Houston’s KHOU-TV. Gagné got her start as a student in the Yates School of Communications. In her “I Am HISD” profile, she discusses the skills she learned while at Yates.

“While I was in the Yates magnet program, I realized that what I wanted to do with my life was possible,” said Gagné. “I thought, ‘This is not crazy. I can achieve this.’ The magnet school was in its infancy, and the teachers were so dedicated. We learned about TV, radio, film, and photography. It was pretty amazing. I had the best experience and made lifelong friends.”

Roland Martin, who also graduated from Yates (1987), is best known as a nationally syndicated columnist, a TV One cable-network commentator, and host of “News One Now,” a one-hour weekday news show. He is also a former CNN analyst and was named by Ebony magazine as one of the 150 most influential African Americans in the U.S. in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

During a visit with Yates students, Martin remembers that it all began in high school. “The foundation of what I do, everything related to communications, actually began at HISD and Yates,” he said. “That has been my passion since I was 14 years old, and I certainly want the school to continue with its strong and vibrant communications program.”

Other distinguished African Americans in radio, television, and film who graduated from HISD schools include Ralph Cooper (Worthing HS, 1966, radio), Rosalind Jordan (Jones HS, 1984, journalist), and Sherri Williams (Lamar HS, 1990, journalist).

Join the conversation! Do you know other distinguished alumni who graduated from HISD schools? If so, tell us about them on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #HISDBlackHistory.

Kashmere HS launches new on-campus Success Center

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On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Kashmere High School celebrated the opening of HISD’s second ProUnitas, Inc., center with the unveiling of the Kashmere Success Center. The center, which was created, supported and financed by 40 different non-profit, for-profit, community, and municipal groups, is dedicated to empowering the Kashmere community by providing much-needed services to students and their families.

“This came about because there was a need in the community and the school,” said District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “It does take a village to beat the effects of poverty, which a lot of the kids in this community face. So our village has stepped up and decided to come to the aid of our children.”

Created by former Kashmere teacher Adeeb Barqawi with the help of Skillern-Jones, ProUnitas was designed to provide essential goods and services that were seen to be lacking in the community. The center features a counseling room with trained counselors, a food pantry, a clothing drop, health services, and a workforce and college-readiness development center.

“At the end of the day, what I want you to keep in mind is that this is the product of a community coming together,” said Barqawi. “It’s not that we’re saying change is going to happen in a day. But we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”