Board of Education to Consider Two New Magnet Schools

Proposed campuses would expand options for students seeking specialty schools with academically challenging courses

The HISD Board of Education will consider a proposal Thursday to create two new magnet schools that will offer a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

If approved, the proposed Energy Institute High School and the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan would immediately begin enrolling students for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. The Energy Institute High School would begin with a class of ninth-grade students and add a grade level each year to eventually serve students in grades 9-12.  The Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan would open with a sixth-grade class and eventually serve students in grades 6-8.  Continue reading →

Seven HISD Seniors Awarded National Achievement Scholarships

Ten percent of Texas winners are from HISD

April 10, 2013 – Seven Houston Independent School District students have been named National Achievement Scholarship winners and will each receive a $2,500 scholarship for their undergraduate studies.

Each year the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards scholarships to African-American students who have excelled in academics and have demonstrated the potential for academic success in college.
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Farias ECC Recognized as a Model for Behavior Management

Farias ECC students model the emotions represented by the “Feeling Buddies” they are holding. “Feeling Buddies” help children recognize and name the feelings they are experiencing, so that they can better deal with emotional upsets.

Farias ECC students model the emotions represented by the “Feeling Buddies” they are holding. “Feeling Buddies” help children recognize and name the feelings they are experiencing, so that they can better deal with emotional upsets.

For the second time in three years, HISD’s Farias Early Childhood Center has been singled out by a nationally known child-development expert for its success in implementing a particular behavior management program.

Dr. Becky Bailey, author of Conscious Discipline, came to the campus on March 22 to recognize Farias for being a model of the behavior modification program of the same name she developed. More than 150 educators from across North America (including a few from as far away as Mexico) also came to visit, to see the strategies described in the book in action.
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Board of Education to Consider 12 More Contracts for Work Related to 2012 Bond

Selected projects include 10 of the largest high schools slated for construction

Administrators are recommending that the HISD Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate design contracts with 12 firms on a dozen more 2012 bond projects, including 10 of the largest high schools. The projects represent about $750 million in bond dollars.

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HISD Officials Share Insight on Passing 2012 Bond

Leo Bobadilla, HISD's chief operating officer, presents at the 2013 Council of Educational Facility Planners International Southern Region Conference in Austin on Friday about planning and passing a $1.89 billion bond referendum. Photo by Christina Burke

If any school districts are looking for some tips on how to plan and pass a bond referendum, HISD Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla has some advice: Make the information engaging.

“We can’t tell people how to vote,” Bobadilla said.  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun communicating the information to voters so they can make informed choices.”

See more photos from the CEFPI Conference

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Westside Students Win Big at Shell Eco-marathon Americas

Allison Falender, Technology Manager Shell Global Solutions, and Niel Golightly, Vice President of Communications, Upstream Americas present Westside student Timothy Huang with the Eco-design Award at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2013 on Sunday, April 7, in downtown Houston.

The WEGA Gents take eco-design seriously. So seriously that the student team from the Westside Engineering and Geosciences Academy (WEGA) at Westside High School won the Best Eco-design Award for the second year in a row at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas this past weekend.

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Booker T. Washington High School Celebrates School Namesake and Oldest Living Graduate

Ruby Lea Pope is recognized during a April 5 celebration at Booker T. Washington High School honoring the birthday of its namesake. Pope, one of HISD's oldest living alumna, will turn 104 years old on April 9.

Students and staff at Booker T. Washington High School gathered for a special school assembly on April 5 to celebrate the life and legacy of the school’s namesake, along with a living legend—Ms. Ruby Lea Pope. Pope is 103 years old and is the school’s oldest living graduate. In her lifetime, Pope has traveled to Europe and the Middle East, earned two college degrees, founded an area chapter of a sorority, worked with the city to get safety measures installed near schools and still found a way to teach in Houston ISD for 24 years.
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HISD Forms Bond Oversight Committee

The Houston Independent School District is pleased to announce the selection of seven volunteers to serve on its newly reorganized Bond Oversight Committee as the district embarks on its $1.89 billion bond program approved by voters in November.

Administrators decided in December to revise the existing committee charter to give the group a more active role in monitoring the district’s bond program and keeping the public informed on new construction and renovation projects.

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Westside HS to Compete in Shell Eco-marathon Americas

A group of Westside HS students work on a piece of their vehicle for the Shell Eco-marathon Challenge

A group of Westside HS students work on a piece of their vehicle for the Shell Eco-marathon Challenge

For students at Westside High School, it’s not slow and steady, but slow and energy-efficient that wins the race. Three Westside Engineering and Geosciences Academy (WEGA) teams will compete in the seventh annual Shell Eco-marathon Americas (SEMA) April 5-7, 2013 in downtown Houston.

The Shell competition recognizes students who design the highest miles-per-gallon performing vehicles. Student teams from around the world were tasked with designing, building, and testing ultra energy-efficient vehicles. The goals for the 2013 competition: surpass last year’s record of 2,188 MPG (awarded to a team from Indiana) and to take home the coveted win for “Best Electric Car”.
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Construction Networking Event Draws Hundreds Ahead of 2012 Bond Project Bidding

Construction industry professionals network at HISD's Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse on Wednesday as the district prepares to begin the bidding process on select 2012 bond projects.

More than 270 people turned out Wednesday night at Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse to network with construction industry professionals as the Houston Independent School District prepares to start the bidding process on some 2012 bond projects.

“We were really pleased to see so many faces,” said Alexis Licata, general manager of HISD’s Office of Business Assistance. “This $1.89 billion bond program will create new jobs and opportunities for our diverse business community, and we want everyone to know how they can be a part of it.

Click here for more photos of the networking event

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