As East Early College High School seniors clad in black caps and gowns paraded into Dyer Stadium, they were met with applause and shouts of praise from families and friends.
The seniors were gathered for their commencement ceremony and proud mom Josefina Zuniga wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“A parent wants the best for their child,” she said, cheering as her daughter, Ashley Quintero, stepped onto the field and made her way to her seat.
Continue readingThe engine is the heart of the plane, but the pilot is its soul.
This rings true for Sterling Aviation Early College High School graduate Tryniti Ernest, the first Black female to graduate from the school with a pilot’s license in 16 years.
Ranked fifth in her class and serving as student body vice president, Ernest soars high above the rest walking away with not only her diploma and pilot’s license, but also the $2,500 Superintendent’s Scholars Award.
Continue readingHouston ISD Police Department’s K-9 Bjorn has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K-9 Bjorn’s vest was embroidered with “In honor of Haley’s 21st Birthday.”
Continue readingProducing a yearbook is never an easy task.
But for Leslee Cruz—a senior at Wisdom High School and editor of that school’s yearbook—the 2020-2021 school yearbook was harder than ever. Chronicling a school year with masked smiles, six feet of distance, virtual learning, and all the other interruptions the school year had was a unique—and difficult—task to undertake.
“With the yearbook, it was a lot of taking control because I was the leader and having to tell everyone how to move forward. It was definitely a bit suffocating at times when all I had was my computer and my room,” she said. “But it was good to have that because it kept me focused on school.”
Continue readingSeniors from North Forest High School waited anxiously as they held their tassels in their hands for the moment they could switch them to the left side of their graduation caps. Overhead, the sun was bright above Delmar Field on Saturday afternoon.
It was a similar scene at a trio of sites across the district—Delmar Field, Butler Field, and Barnett Stadium—as Houston Independent School District held its graduation ceremonies for seniors throughout the weekend, 45 of them in all.
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Yamel Melchor has been selected as the new principal for Whittier ES, where she was previously served as assistant principal. She began her educational journey in 2006 as a bilingual early childhood and fourth grade teacher at Cage Elementary. After 7 years as a teacher, she stepped into the role of teacher specialist at Whittier ES. Melchor has been recognized with several awards, including First Year Assistant Principal of the Year and Tier II Excellence in Leadership Award.
Melchor earned her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston and her master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Texas-Austin.
Marcie Colemon has been selected as the new principal of Wainwright Elementary School. Colemon began her career in 2009 as an Early Childhood educator in North Forest ISD and then joined Houston ISD. Colemon most recently served as the assistant principal at MacGregor Elementary School. She was awarded the Northwest Area Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year this school year. Colemon is a native Houstonian and a proud product of Houston ISD schools.
She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a bachelor’s in Political Science Pre-Law and the University of St. Thomas with a master’s in Educational Leadership.
David Church has been selected as the new principal of Travis Elementary School. He has served as the teacher specialist at Oak Forest Elementary School for the past three years. Church began his career with HISD in 2002 as a 4th-grade teacher at Travis Elementary School and then at Oak Forest Elementary School.
Church has a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and master’s degrees from Marquette University and Prairie View A&M University.
Sanjuanita Mottu has been selected as the new principal of Tijerina Elementary School. Mottu is a product of HISD schools and has served as a teacher at Lyons Elementary, magnet coordinator at Burbank Middle School, and for the past 3 years as the Assistant Principal at Tijerina Elementary, her childhood school. In 2019, she was awarded the East Area Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year.
Mottu earned her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University, and her master’s degree from the Concordia University-Austin.
Lindsey Vela has been selected as the new principal of Pin Oak Middle School. Vela has 18 years of experience serving diverse student populations in rural, suburban and urban districts. Vela has served HISD as a Dean of Students at West Briar Middle School for the last 3 years. Most recently, Vela was named West Area Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year.
She graduated from the University of Texas—Pan American with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English and Concordia University—Austin with a Master’s in Educational Leadership.