Students share their vision of the Bayou City in ‘Eye on Houston’ exhibit

This photo, taken by Bellaire High School student Maggie Dib and entitled “Limitless,” is one of dozens captured by students from three HISD campuses that will be in the Eye on Houston display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, through April 20. (Image courtesy MFAH)

For almost two decades, students at HISD’s Jack Yates High School have been chronicling the rhythm of life in Houston’s historic Third Ward.

Under the leadership of photography teacher Ray Carrington III, teens learned the basics of photography, film development, and print-making, then used their developing artistic eye to record interesting images of their neighborhood.

The photographs were displayed each year in an exhibit called “Eye on Third Ward” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston—and now, that program has expanded to include the work of students from two other campuses: Bellaire and Chávez high schools.

Now known as “Eye on Houston,” the exhibit opened on Jan. 11 in the museum’s Audrey Jones Beck Building (5601 Main St.). It will stay there through April 20.

Decisions, decisions: School Choice Week celebrates variety

Kolter ES students are excited about School Choice Week!

The fourth annual National School Choice Week (NSCW) kicks off its Whistle-Stop Tour across the nation in Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Union Station at Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St. The event provides an opportunity to learn more about HISD’s School Choice program and the portfolio of educational programs offered by the district’s many magnet and vanguard, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college high schools, Futures academies, and charter schools. Despite the December deadline for first-round consideration for magnet applications, there are still many openings in great schools across the district.

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Follow HISD weather plans here and @HoustonISD on Twitter

UPDATE 1/24 @ 4:38 a.m.: All HISD schools and district administrative offices are closed Friday, January 24, due to inclement weather. Read more.

HISD families and employees are urged to stay connected through social media – such as @HoustonISD on Twitter – through Friday afternoon to check whether wintry weather will impact schools, district facilities, and afterschool activities Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 9 p.m. Thursday through 12 p.m. Friday and warns travelers to be prepared for freezing rain that could lead to up to a quarter-inch of ice on roadways. Crews from the Texas Department of Transportation began spraying de-icing chemicals on elevated roadways – bridges, overpasses, and ramps – early Thursday morning.

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Student laptop distribution underway as part of PowerUp initiative

More than 18,000 students to receive computers this month to use at school and at home

More than 18,000 students are receiving laptops this month as part of HISD’s one-to-one initiative that will eventually give every high school student a computer. The initiative, called PowerUp, not only will offer students 24-hour access to a laptop and a variety of software, but to digital-age instruction that will transform teaching and learning both inside and outside the classroom.

“PowerUp is not about the device,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “This is about creating anytime-anywhere learning for our students so they can have the world at their fingertips. We want to make sure they learn the skills that complement technology so they aren’t replaced by technology.”

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CANCELED: ‘Houston FAFSA Day’ training scheduled for Jan. 24

Did you know that high-school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are 90 percent more likely to attend college than those who don’t?

FAFSA gives students access to $150 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funds made available by the federal government—and to get the word out, HISD is taking part in Houston FAFSA Day, a communitywide effort to help high school seniors and their families complete the application with confidence and ease.

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Cornelius ES student wins Martin Luther King Jr. oratory competition

Amari Venzor of Cornelius Elementary School took home top honors in the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Houston.

Every year since 1996, fourth- and fifth-graders from two dozen HISD schools have competed in this annual contest, which challenges students to write and present a short original speech on a subject related to the slain civil rights leader. The topic this year was, “If Dr. King were speaking at a March on Washington today, what would he say?”

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“If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking at a March on Washington today, he would say: As I consider the past 50 years of progress, I can’t help but wonder if for every two steps we have taken forward, we have taken three steps back,” Amari said. “Have we fought so hard to instill that pride that we fail to include words like integrity, self-respect, and even a simple hi? Have we allowed economic and social status to lull us into a crippling complacency and a sense of entitlement? Simply meaning, are we putting $200 sneakers on our children who can barely read or solve basic mathematical equations rather than teaching them how to invest the same $200 into the actual shoe company? Have we been so busy trying to give our children what we didn’t have that we forgot to give them what we did have?”

Byron Roberson of Dodson ES won second place and Bruce ES student Chrystyna Haywood won third place.

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The other 2014 finalists, in alphabetical order, were:
• Shahnoor Ahtesham, Sutton ES
• Reginald Brown, Pleasantville ES
• Chrislyn Brownlow, Anderson ES
• Kierra Hunter, MacGregor ES
• Robert Lane III, Valley West ES
• Amaria Maldonado, Wainwright ES
• Kennady Roberson, Lockhart ES
• Jayla Wright, Burrus ES
• Jacovia Young, Windsor Village ES

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Other participating HISD campuses include: Atherton, Crespo, Garden Villas, Golfcrest, Gregg, Gross, Park Place, Port Houston, Rodriguez, Thompson, Whidby, and Woodson.

HISD team tours green school designed to be a learning tool for students

A group of HISD parents, architects, teachers and administrators toured a Houston-area green school on Tuesday – complete with an eco-pond, windmill and daylight in every classroom.

A common area on the second floor of Gloria Marshall Elementary School utilizes reclaimed wood. (Photo courtesy of SHW Group)

Members of the Project Advisory Team (PAT) for Parker and Relief elementaries toured Gloria Marshall Elementary School in Spring to get ideas for the redesign of Parker and the design of Relief, which will be a brand-new school built under the district’s 2012 bond program. Such tours are being held for all the Project Advisory Teams to help bond campuses visualize the possibilities for their schools.

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Webinars show teachers how to lead eco-friendly campus projects

The National Wildlife Federation is hosting two upcoming webinars for high school science teachers and club sponsors who want to help their schools “go green.”

The first webinar, titled “An Introduction to Eco-Schools USA,” is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, and will offer resources to motivate students to lead environmental service projects on their campus or in their community. On Feb. 5, the second webinar, “An Innovative Approach to STEM Education,” will engage science classes and clubs in service learning to launch a program that will help students make the school more energy efficient. Continue reading →

Board of Education approves mascot policy update

Mascots at affected schools will be respectfully retired, replaced during the 2014-2015 school year

On Thursday, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted 7-0 with one abstention and one member absent to approve the second reading of a policy update to prohibit the use of any race or ethnic group as a mascot or nickname.

This policy update affects four schools — Lamar High School Redskins, Westbury High School Rebels, Hamilton Middle School Indians and Welch Middle School Warriors.

During the 2014-2015 school year, each school will be required to select a new mascot and respectfully retire its existing mascot. HISD administration will work closely with the affected schools to help them retire their mascots with respect and dignity, taking into consideration the history and tradition surrounding them.

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District reviewing literacy plan in the new year

HISD will be reviewing and modifying the district’s literacy plan known as CLASS over the next several months and evaluating individual school programs for effectiveness.

“It really comes down to coherence at the district level,” said Chief Academic Officer Dan Gohl. “In math, there are very few programs and there is a great deal of coherence, so when a child moves from one school to another, they can quickly adapt. This is not true of our literacy programs.”

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