A unique, globally focused Houston ISD early college high school has been nominated for the 2014 Blue Ribbon Schools honor from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Houston Academy for International Studies was on a list of 25 exemplary, high performing Texas schools announced Friday by the Texas Education Agency. HAIS will now go through a rigorous application and review process to be considered for final Blue Ribbon recognition, which will be announced in September. Chosen schools are honored at a conference in Washington, D.C.

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From Rosa Parks’ niece to Kashmere High School’s ThunderSOUL Orchestra, students across the district are getting a double dose of history, as schools present a wide variety of programs in honor of Black History Month. February was chosen because it includes the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

“The entire school gets involved in the black history wax museum,” said Lockhart Elementary School teacher Kim Mayo. “Every grade has scenes to recreate, and the students dress up as figures from black history.” A wax museum usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures of famous people wearing real clothes, but schools have picked up on the idea, substituting students for the sculptures. At Lockhart, for example, the students dress up as figures from black history and “freeze” when visitors enter the room.

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Volunteers will be at all HISD high schools from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Houston FAFSA Day, to help students and their parents apply for a piece of the $150 billion available in federal financial aid for college.

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Girls from Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center and Woodson Middle School got a first-hand look at potential careers when they attended ExxonMobil’s 10th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day in downtown Houston. It was one of several activities hosted by local energy companies to help students understand the connection between future jobs and their current academics.

The students experienced a day of hands-on activities at ExxonMobil showcasing the fun and unique applications of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions that help solve real-world problems.

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While many were planning to deliver flowers and boxes of chocolate on Feb. 14, the faculty, staff, and students of South Early College High School (SECHS) celebrated its first “I Love STEM” day.

Representatives from various organizations, including NASA, San Jacinto College, iRobot, and C-STEM came to share information about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as donate materials for hands-on activities.

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At Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy, math teacher Saul Cantu has one message for students wondering if they should take Algebra II: Take the class.

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Student can’t learn if they’re not in class. And in HISD, attendance is getting even more attention as district administrators roll out plans to implement HB 5, the new law passed by the Texas Legislature that revamps graduation, testing and accountability requirements.

“We’ve always focused on attendance,” said Mark White, HISD’s director of School Support Services. “But HB 5 means students who don’t come to class will be at greater risk of falling behind or not graduating.”

Specifically, under expanded state requirements for school attendance, students who miss too many class sessions receive a grade of “NG,” which means that their grade is blocked due to poor attendance.

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Houston ISD principals traditionally collaborate via email and at meetings, but on Feb. 19 they’re chatting on Twitter and hope you will join the conversation.

The district’s second Twitter chat, which will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., will focus on literacy.

“The HISD District Literacy Plan is in the process of being revised,” said Carol Bedard, HISD’s director of literacy. “The purpose of the Twitter chat is to provide a forum for teachers, campus leaders, and district personnel to have their voices heard!”

You can be part of the conversation by following #HISDliteracy. If you have a comment or question, chime in by logging into your Twitter account on your computer or mobile device, and send your Tweet with that same hashtag.

Boys high school basketball teams have wrapped up the regular season and the playoffs have begun. Here’s where you can see your favorite team in first-round action on Tuesday.

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