Workshops Guide Designs for New HSPVA and DeBakey Campuses

Architects go over design ideas for the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions during a design charrette.

Houston ISD will be rebuilding two of its specialty high schools into 21st century campuses that cultivate creativity and collaboration when construction gets underway on the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions and the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

That consensus came as each school held a two-day design charrette with their Project Advisory Teams and architects to discuss specific goals and aspirations for the new campuses.

“Students are more open and receptive to learning if they can access it visually,” said architect Greg Papay, who is part of the architect team designing the new DeBakey. “We’re designing a 21st century school where learning will happen in a variety of spaces.”

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PowerUp Parent Meetings Begin at Three Schools

Hundreds of HISD parents came out to the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy on October 3 to learn more about digital citizenship and the district’s one-to-one laptop initiative. YWCPA is one of 11 HISD schools where students will be given laptops to use at home and at school as part of the PowerUp initiative.

“I really think is a great idea,” said YWCPA parent Charlotte Goins, who attended the meeting with her teenage daughter. “Students today need certain skills to succeed in the work force, and by using computers they can develop and sharpen these skills.”

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School Choice Fairs Scheduled Across Houston

The Houston Independent School District is hosting several school choice fairs across the district to inform parents of the different educational choices available to their children as they transition into middle and high school.

“HISD offers excellent opportunities to meet your child’s needs, challenge their thinking, and develop their skills,” said Dave Wheat, HISD assistant superintendent for school choice.  “But most importantly, we prepare them for success in college and their careers.”

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Students Learn About Giving Back on Green Apple Day of Service

Students at HISD’s Mistral Early Childhood Center participated in the second annual Green Apple Day of Service on Sept. 28 by planting 10 trees on campus, weeding the vegetable and butterfly gardens, and placing several logs and stumps throughout the area to provide seating for an outdoor classroom.

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Cultural Pride Shines at HISD’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration

HISD hosted its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Moreno Elementary School on Oct. 4 with featured performances by students from Moreno, Burbank MS, and Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center. Visitors learned about and sample traditional dishes from more than a dozen countries, including paella from Spain, arroz con leche from Chile, empanadas from Colombia, and posole from Mexico.

Special guests included members of the district’s Hispanic Advisory Committee and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.

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Twain ES Teacher Doesn’t Let Heart Attack Slow Him Down

Robert Bonn with student

Fourth-grade teacher Robert “Bobby” Bonn suffered a major heart attack just three short months ago — but you’d never know it just by looking at him.

The Twain ES educator still hasn’t missed a single day of class due to his health challenges, despite a fairly grim diagnosis initially.

“The outlook was pretty bleak three months ago,” said Twain Principal Melissa Patin. “The damage was so significant that he had to wear one of those LifeVests [a portable defibrillator for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest]. And he was told that there wasn’t much they could do.”

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Ivy League Universities Actively Courting HISD Students

HISD is producing some of the brightest students in the nation—and now those students are attracting attention from some of the most prestigious universities in the country.

Two deans and a professor from Yale visited two HISD campuses recently to spread the news that an Ivy League education is well within even the most financially challenged student’s reach—and that they want HISD students in particular.

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Community Meetings to Share Preliminary Design Concepts for 2012 Bond Schools

Attendees will have the chance to weigh in on proposed drawings and concepts  

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect new meetings dates.
The Houston Independent School District is hosting a series of community meetings for the first 17 schools slated for construction in the 2012 bond program to give participants a chance to review draft designs and concepts.

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Group Helps District Stay Connected to Hispanic Community

Almost 63 percent of HISD students are Hispanic, and that number is likely to increase as the Houston community continues to diversify. As part of the district’s continuing efforts to engage and empower the local Hispanic community, HISD has created a special advisory committee. The HISD Hispanic Advisory Committee is made up of community leaders from local educational institutions, businesses, government, and faith-based organizations.

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Science Teachers Have Opportunity to Make Schools Greener

The National Wildlife Federation is hosting a workshop on Saturday, Nov. 2, for middle school science teachers to provide them with the framework to implement a student-based energy efficiency program at their school that applies STEM teaching methods.

Teachers who attend will receive a $100 stipend, 6 CPE credits and TEKS aligned curriculum. Schools that send a team of two to three science teachers will be eligible for a $500 grant from the NWF to help their school become more sustainable.

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