Five campuses celebrate neighborhood parks during SPARK Park Week

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A tennis court, a pond, landscaping, vertical gardens and a volleyball court are just a few of the new features at a brand-new SPARK park at Clifton Middle School.

Clifton is one of five HISD campus that took part in observing SPARK (School Park) Week from Nov. 14-21, which celebrates the transformation of public school grounds into neighborhood parks — a collaborative effort involving the City of Houston, Harris County, HISD, parent-teacher groups, and the community.

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Nutrition Services takes nutrition lessons to church

Chef Trainer Brittany Jones (left) and Education Dietitian Jennifer Lengyel present healthy cooking and nutrition education to members of Heaven Bound Christian Worship Center.

Chef Trainer Brittany Jones (left) and Education Dietitian Jennifer Lengyel present healthy cooking and nutrition education to members of Heaven Bound Christian Worship Center.

HISD Nutrition Services Education Dietitian Brittany Jones and Chef Trainer Jennifer Lengyel presented healthy cooking options to members of the Heaven Bound Christian Worship Center, where church members sampled dishes created through advances in the culinary arts.

Ministry Leader KeAndre Lewis was seeking a healthy eating class for her congregation. Nutrition Services Operations Manager Keith Lewis, who also happens to be Lewis’s husband, recommended Lengyel and Jones, both of whom have vast experience in community education.

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Schools advance to ‘Sweet 16’ round of Read to the Final Four

Sixteen HISD elementary schools advanced to the third round – the Sweet 16 – of the NCAA Read to the Final Four Literacy Program, thanks to some very determined third-grader readers.

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The students logged an additional 763,804 minutes of reading time for a total of 1,905,097 minutes since the launch of the literacy competition. Nearly 4,000 students logged reading time during this round.
Here is the ranking of elementary schools that made it to this round: Continue reading →

HISD students performing in the Nutcracker

HISD is well represented in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” this holiday season. Many students are performing in the Houston Ballet’s popular production. The children have been rehearsing since October 10 to be party children and clowns. There are eight casts of children, so they don’t have to appear in every performance. Two middle school students are performing with the Houston Repertoire Ballet (HRB) as well.

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64 HISD students named National Hispanic Recognition Program finalists

Sixty-four seniors from 15 Houston Independent School District high schools were recognized for their academic excellence as part of the College Board’s 32nd annual National Hispanic Recognition Program.

The HISD seniors are among about 5,000 students from across the country and abroad to be named finalists in the program, which colleges use to identify academically exceptional students of Hispanic or Latin descent to receive scholarships. The district more than doubled the number of honorees this year, up from 26 finalists last year. Continue reading →

HISD student among nation’s top 10 summer readers through myON

Apurba Roy

Apurba Roy

Apurba Roy, an eighth-grade student at Grady Middle School, has been named one of the top 10 readers in the nation by myON, for logging more than 140 hours on that reading website over the summer break.

As a part of her prize, Apurba received a $50 gift card from Muses3, LLC, the representative of myON in Southeast Texas. She was formally recognized during a special ceremony held on Nov. 18 at her campus.

“There were tens of thousands of students competing in the secondary category, and Apurba placed in the top 10, but that isn’t the whole picture,” said Dr. Carl Franklin, myON account manager. “Her reading was part of a very busy summer schedule. She volunteered at her school for a month, worked with us on activities related to her ambassadorship, and then visited relatives in India for several weeks. She is truly an exceptional student.” Continue reading →

Students learn to think ‘Beyond the Bachelor’s Degree’

A group of Madison HS seniors learned that HISD’s commitment to ensuring that students graduate ready for the world extends even after they have received their high school diploma. By participating in “Beyond the Bachelor’s Degree,” 35 students had the opportunity to talk about what happens after that first hurdle.

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Eleven business professionals and members of the Houston chapters of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) served as mentors for college and career planning, giving students advice and tips on time management, selecting degree plans that fit their interests, and understanding how to leverage their unique talents in fields they may never have considered. Continue reading →

Students exploring Linked Learning through Junior Achievement

Thanks to a $30 million federal Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) grant HISD won in 2013, students at 119 campuses are connecting the concepts they learn in the classroom to the real world that awaits them after graduation. 

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Petroleum academy students develop skills, sportsmanship at STEM Showdown

Students from three HISD high schools took home prizes, as well as lessons on teamwork and sportsmanship from the recent Viva Technology STEM Showdown.

The event, which took place on Nov. 6 at University of Houston, is a partnership between Great Minds in STEM and Shell Oil Company. It provides traditionally underserved high-school students in IPAA/PESA Petroleum Academies with a chance to compete in an intensive series of STEM challenges alongside undergraduate partners attending local universities.

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HISD principal named finalist for Texas High School Principal of the Year

Angela Lundy Jackson poses for a photograph, September 2, 2015.

Angela Lundy Jackson poses for a photograph, September 2, 2015.

North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson is among three finalists for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) High School Principal of the Year award.

Committed to excellence in school administration, the TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from across the state each year. Nominations, bestowed by fellow school administrators, are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership in secondary education.

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