Endurance sport training builds fortitude and fraternity at Sharpstown HS

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon is still about ten weeks away, but excitement is building at one HISD school, courtesy of a science teacher with a penchant for endurance sports. Sarah Kingston and a group of like-minded students and staff members at Sharpstown High School have been training together now for about five weeks in preparation for that annual event.

“Our students and staff ran a 5k race on Nov. 2,” said Kingston, “and it was an amazing experience. Last week, students ran the same two-mile loop that they did during the first week of training, and they were really able to see changes in their running.” Continue reading →

HISD schools awarded STEM grants from ExxonMobil

Samuel Saenz

A proposal submitted by East Early College High School recently won the school a grant from ExxonMobil that will help fund science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs for girls.

Science teacher Samuel Saenz applied for the company’s Southeastern Consortium Minorities in Engineering (SECME) mini-grant by submitting a proposal entitled “G-3 (Girls, Gears & Gadgets): A Program to Encourage Girls from Economically Disadvantaged Families to Consider STEM Related Career Choice.” The proposal outlines a plan to form a girls’ robotics and engineering team that will not only program robots for competition, but encourage younger students from feeder schools to explore STEM career possibilities. Continue reading →

Special Education expert shares lessons learned during PowerUp

Representatives from school districts as far away as Seattle and Boston sat in on Beth Goodrich’s presentation on the importance of considering the needs of special student populations when giving students access to laptops or tablets.

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The HISD senior manager’s talk was one of many sessions at the fall 2014 meeting of the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative, a national network of approximately 100 school districts committed to improving outcomes for students with disabilities. The topic of the gathering hosted by HISD last week was “Designing Learning Environments for all Students: Increasing Access Through Technology.” Continue reading →

District’s Petroleum Academies show off their talents at the Shell STEM Showdown

Do you think you can build a geodesic dome from plastic straws and masking tape that will not only stand up, but also hold weight? Students from Milby HS, Westside HS, Energy Institute HS and the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, along with Fort Worth ISD’s Southwest High School, did just that in the spirit of competition at the Viva Technology™ Shell STEM Showdown at the University of Houston.

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Three teams from each school teamed up with university students from UH, UH Downtown, Rice University, Texas A&M, and Texas Christian University. Guided by their college counterparts, the high schoolers competed throughout the day in a series of hands-on exercises designed to stimulate interest in the applications of technology. Continue reading →

An ‘Up Close’ look at HISD’s magnet programs

The November edition of HISD Up Close with Board President Juliet Stipeche features a closer look at the robust portfolio of HISD schools that allows families to choose the campus that best meets their child’s academic needs and interests. In the video segment below, Manager of HISD Grant Development Jennifer Todd walks parents through the magnet application process and explains the variety of school choice options available at HISD, including Montessori, Vanguard, International Baccalaureate, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and fine arts programs.

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HISD schools honor veterans

(Houston Independent School District)

Mrs. Petry’s first-grade class at Lyons ES hold letters they’re sending to veterans

Students at Lyons Elementary are thanking the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, and they’re hoping to develop a continuing relationship with members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Students in Nekia Petry’s first-grade class wrote thank-you notes to members of the U.S. Coast Guard National Command Center in Washington, D.C. Their goal is to become pen pals with service members so they can learn about service, honor, country, and dedication while also work on improving their writing skills. Continue reading →

HISD proposes new Arabic Language Immersion Magnet to meet needs of culturally diverse city

Poised to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive global economy and growing Arab-American population, the Houston Independent School District is proposing the creation of its first-ever Arabic Language Immersion Magnet School.

If approved by the HISD Board of Education, the proposed dual language immersion school would open its doors in the fall of 2015, with two pre-kindergarten and two kindergarten classes. A new grade level would be added each year as the students progress through the fifth grade.

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HISD announces district’s holiday greeting card artwork for 2014

Designs are also available for purchase by the general public through Friday, Dec. 5

Each winter, HISD sends out holiday greeting cards to hundreds of people and organizations, including school principals, board members, legislators, local leaders, parent groups, and community partners. Since 2003, these cards have featured the artwork of district students, and this year, three designs were chosen to showcase their creative talents.

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Video highlights design for new Davis HS with ‘eye toward the future’

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A new video released by HISD highlights the planning and final design images for the new 21st century Davis High School. The campus is one of 40 facilities being rebuilt or renovated under the $1.89 billion bond program approved by voters in 2012.

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