Blue Bell Ice Cream Rewards East Early College High School for Receiving National Blue Ribbon Honor

Blue Bell Creameries will honor East Early College High School (220 North Milby), one of two HISD schools named 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools, with a school-wide ice cream party on Friday, Sept. 28.   A Blue Bell truck filled with ice cream will arrive at the school at noon to treat all of the students, teachers, and staff members.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools program has honored more than 7,000 of America’s most successful schools for the past 30 years. This year 269 public and private schools across the country, including HISD’s Project Chrysalis Middle School, received the coveted award.  Blue Bell Creameries will honor Project Chrysalis Middle School at a later date.

Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on two primary criteria.  They must be among the highest-performing schools in their state and they are schools with at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds that have improved student performance to high levels.

This year’s winning schools will also be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on Nov. 12-13, 2012.

Kennedy Elementary officially dedicated Wednesday morning

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Most of the 44 presidents in the history of the United States appeared Thursday morning for the official dedication of John F. Kennedy Elementary School, even if they were only student portrayals of the chief executives.

Students performed skits and gave even shorter speeches about the importance of education, public service and the historical biographies of a few of the former presidents, including a longer production involving students portraying the school’s namesake and his family.

Throughout the speeches by various HISD staff and community members, nearly all of them spoke of the dedication of Kennedy’s staff and administrators in educating children.

The stage performances were done with accompaniment by the Waltrip High School band.

Students from Kennedy Elementary’s fledgling band program sat and performed with their elders, a point that wasn’t lost on Sam Sarabia, HISD’s chief elementary schools’ officer.

Sarabia said that as he sat earlier watching the band perform, he could see Kennedy’s students absorbing the moment, watching how they played with passion. He implored the older students to recognize and accept their role as models for those who come after them, as parents and community members had done before for them.

The school, which officially opened after winter break earlier this year, serves about 750 students. And the school serves them well, as evidenced by the multiple years of exemplary and recognized status marked on the first wall to greet visitors driving to the school.

The two-story building is a combination of the former Kennedy and Allen elementaries built with approximately $17.2 million approved by voters in the 2007 bond program.

“Where we came from, the building was 48 years old, we had rain falling on us, we had possums in the building some mornings, and now we walk on terrazzo floors… the (air conditioning) works,” said Kennedy Elementary principal Daryl Sherman. “And everyone has technology to use for instruction. I think every child in HISD deserves that.”

The library and media center serve as the hub of the school, drawing students and visitors to its circular center and serving as a catalyst for children to read early and often.

“I’ve not had one tour where people weren’t wowed,” Sherman said. “When we were planning the building, we wanted to do something special. We have the library as the focus of the school. Reading is in everything we do. We know that when students are successful readers, then they’re successful throughout their life.”

The new Kennedy Elementary was built in such a way that it’s expected to require about 20 percent less energy to operate. Nearly every classroom, including special rooms for art, music and computer instruction, has clear views into the rooms for observation as well as windows for natural light and views to the outside.

HISD Wins $7.7 Million Teacher Incentive Fund Grant

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded HISD $7.7 million to attract, reward, and retain strong math and science teachers.

The Houston Independent School District is among just 35 school systems nationally that received the grants, which were announced Thursday.  HISD’s grant is specifically for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers. More than 120 school districts applied for the grants.

“Nothing we can do has more impact on our goal of providing every child with an academically rigorous education than placing effective teachers in every classroom,” said Superintendent Terry Grier.  “These teachers deserve much more than we are able to pay them, and this grant will help us compete to keep the best talent in Houston ISD classrooms.”

All applicants submitted proposals that provide opportunities for teacher leadership and advancement, put in place district-wide evaluations based on multiple measures that include student growth, and improve decision-making through better evaluations, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“Whether urban or rural, traditional or charter, successful schools are not possible without great teaching and leadership,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Our best teachers and principals are invaluable leaders in changing life outcomes for students. They are desperately needed in our struggling schools, and they deserve to be recognized, rewarded, and given the opportunity to have a greater influence on their colleagues, students, and in their communities.”

In addition to offering teachers financial incentives, HISD will also use the grant to give teachers the instructional materials they need to conduct authentic problem-based learning STEM projects, develop and deliver specialized training for teachers through partners such as Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, and to hire additional math and science coaches to support teachers at participating schools.

The grant will benefit 25 HISD schools, mostly elementary schools, with large populations of students from low-income families.  The schools were also chosen because their students have struggled to meet state minimum academic standards in science and math.

Berry ES Students Get Free Computers

The first grade students at Berry Elementary School recently received a generous donation, free computers for each student. The TechnoCycle 2012 Outreach program with the support of  TECHNIP provided more than a hundred refurbished internet-ready computers to each first grade student. TechnoCycle says it wants to help students bridge the digital divide, and it chose Berry Elementary because the school is dedicated to educating its students about how they can have a tremendous impact in our environment.

Teacher Erin Chavez said they are excited, humbled, and gracious to be a part of providing this opportunity to the students. 

TechnoCycle believes the donation will allow the students to be connected to the school and their teachers in ways that was previously inexistent due to the constraints on the children’s families.   The company is also going to service the computers for an entire year for free.

Watch now: HISD Superintendent Terry Grier Joins In Forum on Education Reform

Dr. Terry Grier will participate in a panel discussion hosted by the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution on the topic of “learning from the successes and failures of public charter schools.” The forum will feature U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Dr. Roland Fryer of Harvard University Education Laboratories, and founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools Seth Andrew.

The discussion begins at 8 a.m. today – go to http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/ to watch live.

“Voting Early Style” – HISD students, teachers, principals go Gangnam Style to get out the vote

Forget what you thought you knew about “Gangnam Style,” the year’s biggest hit song and music video. Some may say it’s a parody of fashion and lifestyles in an upscale Korean neighborhood, but they’re mistaken. We sent the lyrics around the district and our students, faculty and staff have come to the conclusion that rapper PSY was actually encouraging Harris County voters to not only vote this election, but to vote early and finish the entire ballot.

We want anybody who’s eligible to vote in the November 6 election to take control of their future and go to the polls. We encourage you to register to vote (do it soon as the deadline is fast approaching) and to vote early beginning October 22.

We’re also asking for your help in getting out the vote. Make sure your friends see this video by tweeting it (we’re using the #VoteEarly hashtag and you can tag us with @HoustonISD), posting it to Facebook or Tumblr and liking it on YouTube.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7lBB83McY]

Roosevelt Elementary celebrates official dedication

Near the finale of Wednesday’s official dedication ceremony for Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, at least one parent in the crowd let out a grito — a celebratory yell — during the final performance of a visiting mariachi band comprised of students.

It certainly wasn’t the only rave review at the school this morning.

Roosevelt Elementary, a Vanguard school for gifted and talented students, opened the doors to its new campus building in late November 2011, more than 80 years after the school originally opened.

The two-story school serves about 750 students, and most, if not all of them, Roosevelt principal Armando Lujan said, really enjoy learning with the new technology the school now uses.

“The students love this building,” he said. “They love the SMART boards, they love the technology. They love the fact that we are able to broadcast news over the SMART boards.”

During the celebration, attendees were entertained by three different musical groups, including songs by the school’s Pre-K students and its new choir team, as well as bookended performances by the mariachi band from Jefferson Davis High School.

Inside the school, students have access to a central library and large multi-purpose room, one Lujan said was nearly unusable in the old school. The design of the school allows for more natural light inside the hallways and classrooms, results in a nearly 20 percent reduction in energy use from the previous building.

“It’s come a long way,” said Mary Morales, president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization and mother to two students currently at Roosevelt. “It’s like the best thing they could give these kids nowadays that we didn’t have when we were younger.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “It helps (students) out a lot more. It expands their minds a lot more. I remember when I was little, I wasn’t doing projects. Now they are.”

The school was built with approximately $16.5 million from the bond program approved by voters in 2007. Roosevelt is one of 20 new schools built with funds from that bond program.

HISD Students Named Among Semifinalists for National Achievement Scholarship

Thirteen African-American seniors from four HISD high schools are among the semifinalists for the National Achievement Scholarships.  These students will have the opportunity to compete for 800 scholarships worth more than $2.5 million that will be offered next spring.

The National Achievement Scholarship program is a privately financed academic competition that was started in 1964 to recognize and offer scholarships to academically promising African-American students throughout the nation.

To be considered for this scholarship, more than 160,000 high school juniors took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test.  The nationwide pool of semifinalists, about 1,600 students, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To become a finalist, semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

“We are very proud of these students and their academic achievements,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier.  “To be recognized among the nation’s best students by the National Achievement Scholarship program is truly an honor and a testament to their hard work.” 

The selected semifinalist students are from the following HISD schools: Bellaire High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Westside High School.  The 2013 National Achievement Winners will be announced starting in April 2013. 

National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists

 Bellaire High School                                

Alexander Franshaw                                                              Evan S. McClain
Alayah M. Frazier                                                                    Lonnie A. Smith
Salem B. Hadgu

DeBakey High School for Health Professions

Rachel A. Adenekan                                                                   Nathalie C. Meremikwu
Anusha A. DeSilva Bradley                                                      Acara E. Turner                      
Malcolm C. Lizzappi                             

High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Ellisa M. Bray                                                                             Jyron Walls

 Westside High School

 Bianca R. Draud

PBS ‘Frontline’ Episode Tonight Highlights HISD’s Dropout Prevention Efforts

HISD’s efforts to get dropouts back in class — and keep at-risk students from leaving school in the first place — will be the focus of tonight’s (Tuesday, Sept. 25) special report by the award-winning Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television show, Frontline.

The two-hour “Dropout Nation” episode documents the challenges and obstacles four students face in their quest to earn a diploma from HISD’s Sharpstown High School.  The documentary was produced by a PBS crew that spent the spring 2012 semester embedded with the Sharpstown faculty and students.

On Monday night, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and Sharpstown Principal Rob Gasparello were featured on this Houston PBS program to discuss HISD’s innovative approaches to the national dropout crisis.  Today, HISD schools graduate 2,000 more students annually than they did in 2007, even though the overall number of students attending Houston schools is unchanged.  The HISD dropout rate has been in decline and the graduation rate has been climbing in for four consecutive years, and now stand at record levels. Read more about HISD’s latest dropout data here.

“Dropout Nation” is set to air on PBS and on the PBS website Tuesday at 8 p.m. You can watch a trailer here and check local listings for showtimes here.

There will be a live chat at 1 p.m. Wednesday following the airing of the episode with the film’s producer, Frank Koughan, Sharpstown administrator Brandi Brevard, and HISD dropout prevention expert Mark White.

Lewis Elementary School officially dedicated

Judd M. Lewis Elementary was the scene of a small gathering Monday morning to officially cut the ribbon on a new school that has been serving more than 900 students daily for nearly a year.

A handful of teachers, students, Houston ISD staff and dignitaries heard about the history of the school and its namesake, and a few of the more important features of the school built with funds from the 2007 bond program.

See more photos of the Lewis Elementary dedication ceremony by Damon Jasso of Ortiz Middle School.

Those who were in the school’s new library could only see a few of the major additions to the new two-story Lewis Elementary.

Technology and its assistance in classroom instruction were one of the key features of the new school, said principal Tonya Woods.

“This library!” said Woods. “The reading, the opportunities; we have thousands of resources just in the library alone. We have three mobile labs where (the students) can check out the computers in the classroom.

“We’re technology rich,” she said. “Everything is identical, giving the students the understanding that ‘you’re important,’… your learning is important to us and we value you.”

In addition to the upgraded technology, the school features multiple science and computer labs, as well as both a music and art lab. The school also includes a stage with a training room for drama students.

“The previous school looked nothing like this one, and as one of the young students here today said, it was the nicest building he’s ever been in,” said HISD Board of Education member Manuel Rodriguez Jr.

Rodriguez Jr. used the occasion to mention how the new school was built after voters approved a bond program in 2007. He also talked about how others, including nearby Austin and Milby high schools, would benefit should the electorate choose to support a $1.89 billion bond program on the November ballot.

“We need to have the type of schools that bring and attract new people and new firms to our area to be able to have a quality education for those children coming in, and for our own, because we will have leaders coming out of these schools,” he said. “I never expected to be on the school board when I was in high school, and here I am.”

As you approach the new school on Houston’s southeast side, you expect to see the features of a new school, but it’s some of the subtle touches that stand out first.

Pillars of baby blue hold up wavy, red colored walkways in front of a brick facade. There are multiple bike racks across the campus perimeter to encourage its student population — many of whom live less than a mile from campus — to walk or bike to school, and there’s a large covered play area off to the side.

Even still, you expect touches like that in a new school. It’s the inside of the year-old school that stands out. As you walk in, you’re greeted with a giant mural of a lion resting among a floral garden. The mural, produced by Houston artist Dixie Friend Gay, covers a 14’ by 14’ wall above the second set of double-doors to the school.

The new campus replaced one built in 1958 and named for the first poet laureate of Texas.