An accomplished master chef who once worked at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel led about 80 culinary arts students in a series of “sweet” exercises on Sept. 27, when he came to Westside High School as part of the Culinary Institute of America’s Ambassadors program.
HISD Supplier Diversity Team Networks with M/WBEs at Expo
The district’s supplier diversity team got the chance to tout business opportunities with HISD on Wednesday at the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council Business Expo.
The event, which attracted more than 1,500 corporate buyers, government agencies and educational institutions, provided a way for participants to network and build relationships. HISD took part in hopes of identifying more minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) that might be interested in future procurement opportunities in the district.
Teachers Collaborating and Connecting in Record Numbers
HISD teachers across the district are collaborating and connecting in record numbers thanks to the innovative use of technology. This school year, teachers began using Edmodo, which is a free social-learning platform that allows educators to share resources, ideas, and best practices with colleagues on their campus, at other HISD schools, and with educators around the world. In just a few short months, thousands of teachers have signed up and embraced the online platform, which has resulted in HISD being named as one of the most collaborative Edmodo school districts across the nation.
Four HISD Teachers Experience ‘A Day Made Better’ Thanks to OfficeMax
Four HISD teachers experienced “A Day Made Better” recently, when they were chosen along with hundreds of educators across the nation to be honored by OfficeMax for their contributions to the profession.
Applications Now Available for Program that Prepares Students for Ivy League Schools
High school students in grades 9-11 are encouraged to apply for the HISD EMERGE program, which prepares talented HISD students from underserved communities to successfully attend and graduate from Ivy League and other top-tier colleges. The program, which was founded in 2011 at Chavez High School by Yale graduate and then-HISD teacher Richard Cruz, is expanding this year to include 13 additional school sites.
Five Things to Do This Month to Get College-Ready
October is College Awareness Month in HISD and over the next four weeks, the district will be hosting a variety of activities and events for parents and students to learn more about colleges, scholarships, testing, and more. Here are five things parents and students can do in October to get college-ready.
Team HISD Comes Together to Celebrate Broad Prize Win
[photoshelter-gallery g_id=’G0000qV7INYODWp8′ g_name=’Broad-Prize-Celebration’ width=’600′ f_fullscreen=’t’ bgtrans=’t’ pho_credit=’iptc’ twoup=’f’ f_bbar=’t’ f_bbarbig=’f’ fsvis=’f’ f_show_caption=’t’ crop=’f’ f_enable_embed_btn=’t’ f_htmllinks=’t’ f_l=’t’ f_send_to_friend_btn=’f’ f_show_slidenum=’t’ f_topbar=’f’ f_show_watermark=’t’ img_title=’casc’ linkdest=’c’ trans=’xfade’ target=’_self’ tbs=’5000′ f_link=’t’ f_smooth=’f’ f_mtrx=’t’ f_ap=’t’ f_up=’f’ height=’400′ btype=’old’ bcolor=’#CCCCCC’ ]
Hundreds of students, teachers, principals and support staff cheered the district’s recognition as the first two-time winner of the Broad Prize in Urban Education – a national distinction that comes with $550,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors.
HISD Nominated for Five EMMY Awards
Five members of the HISD Communications Department are nominated for a Lone Star EMMY for district videos and programming produced during the 2012-2013 school year. Lone Star EMMY represents the most experienced and talented television professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all 19 television markets in Texas.
Bloomberg Radio Interviews HISD Superintendent on Winning Broad Prize
Last week, Jane Williams, host and producer of Bloomberg EDU, Bloomberg Radio’s weekly look at education, interviewed HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. Find out what winning the 2013 Broad Prize will mean for HISD students, how the district is working to increase high school graduation rates, the value of partnerships beyond the district, and how vitally important it is that education be about students, not adults. Read more in the Huffington Post.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/113229150″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”80″ iframe=”true” /]
Furr HS Stages Mock Crime Scene to Draw Attention to Banned Book Week
Senior Kevin Berrios, an Advanced Placement Literature student, stands by his project on a banned book by author Clive Barker.
Students at HISD’s Furr High School got a surprise when they got to class on Sept. 26. As they settled into their seats, they heard the stern voice of HISD Police Officer Craig Davis on the intercom, announcing that the library was closed and forbidding students from entering it.
The teens’ curiosity grew all morning, as they passed by a library whose windows were obscured by black paper and covered in crime-scene tape, with a few holes strategically placed to reveal a cart labeled “banned books” filled with titles pulled from their own library’s shelves. The hallway leading to the school library was also decorated with mock crime posters featuring Furr teachers “wanted for reading banned books” and a display case filled with book covers of banned books found in Furr’s collection.