Gaylon Davenport is the new principal for Roosevelt Elementary School. Dr. Davenport is a proud product of HISD, including having attended Roosevelt as a child. He has served as a teacher, instructional coach, and interventionist. He is currently the Dean of Instruction at Foerster Elementary School. His recognitions include being named “Teacher of the Year” in 2015 as well as being selected to participate in the distinguished Leadership Advisory Committee.
Continue readingRim Mohamed has been selected as the new principal of Dogan Elementary School. As a 15-year educator she has served in many roles and is currently the Assistant Principal at Seguin Elementary. As part of the leadership team at Seguin, she established an extensive community partnership with Brighter Bites to assist with community needs.
Continue readingThe first day of school is a common source of jitters and anxiousness. Students fidget with new backpacks, parents adjust to new schedules, teachers prepare to meet a new crop of students.
But for some members of Team HISD, August 23 this year will be more than just the normal first day of school. It will be their first day as school principals.
The 35 new principals in Houston Independent School District gathered at the HISD Education Learning Center for the New Leaders Institute this week, to brainstorm, network, gather resources, and get inspired for a new year.
Continue readingWhen the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., Joshua Martínez gets a quick bite of breakfast and heads onto the freeway to arrive on time at the Hattie Mae White building for his first office job.
Joshua is one of 20 interns working in HISD’s Central Office this summer for six weeks. He is assigned to the Communications department, reporting on new superintendent Millard House II and his campus visits.
“I have held service jobs before, so I know the importance of making good first impressions,” said the 18-year-old who graduated from Heights High School with acceptance to The University of Texas at El Paso in the fall.
Continue readingThe HISD Gifted and Talented (G/T) Department is proud to announce its inaugural family symposium, “Opening the GATES to Gifted Learning.” The free virtual symposium is scheduled for August 3-6, 2021 via Microsoft Teams.
Register for the G/T Family Symposium by July 30, 2021. Parents will have access to 40 virtual sessions presented by HISD, nationally recognized experts and featured speakers, including:
Session topics include, but are not limited to a focus on G/T and:
Log in for the full schedule of virtual events.
A Robinson Elementary School teacher is the recipient of the prestigious Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award.
Johanna Heegeman, a 4th grade teacher at Robinson, was surprised with the award at the elementary school last week. The award also comes with a $25,000 prize.
Continue readingStanding in the school garden just inside the signature red wall at the front of Sugar Grove Academy Middle School, new HISD Superintendent Millard House II listened as Science Department Chair Charles Huckaby listed off the vegetables and fruits growing in the verdant space.
“Potatoes, garlic, corn, jalapenos, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, even ghost peppers, if you’re brave enough to try them,” Huckaby said.
“Not me! No way,” House joked in reply.
The stop at the garden was a part of House’s visit to Sugar Grove’s summer school, where he took a tour of the building and then held his first press conference as superintendent, outlining his goals for HISD.
Continue readingHISD is looking to fill more than 400 custodial positions before the end of the year as the district transitions from outsourced contract custodian services to fully in-house operations.
More than a quarter of the district’s 280 schools are currently serviced by contracted vendors.
The transition will move the 79 outsourced campuses to in-house service by Dec. 1, 2021, in accordance with Texas Legislative Budget Board recommendations for improving operational efficiency.
Continue readingAs a kid, Jephte Mondesir loved watching “The Magic School Bus,” a popular animated children’s television show featuring an eccentric teacher who took her students on educational adventures via a magic bus.
The ex-New Yorker and 10-year Texan loved watching the teacher, known affectionately as Miss Frizzle, transport her science class to new worlds.
He loved it so much, in fact, he knew he wanted to do the same.
“I wanted to operate that bus in real life,” Mondesir said with a laugh. “I just knew that the school bus was an important part of education. In fact, all the real ones truly are.”
A 22-year veteran bus driver, Mondesir now serves as a response team operator for the Houston Independent School District’s Transportation Services department. He is among a select group of drivers who work with department leaders to solve manpower issues and recruit new drivers.
Continue readingLilly Rincon has been selected as the new principal of Scarborough High School. Rincon began her 22-year career as an educator in the McAllen Independent School District. Returning back home to Houston after two years of teaching in South Texas, she served as a classroom teacher at Burbank Elementary and Travis Elementary within Houston ISD. During this time, she was recognized as Bilingual Teacher of the Year and selected as a candidate for the Houston ISD Turnaround Leadership Cohort. Rincon joined the Jefferson Elementary team in 2013 and has served as a Teacher Specialist, Assistant Principal, and Principal. During her tenure, Jefferson has attained an 89 TEA rating with 3 distinctions and has been awarded Butterfly Effect by the Neuhaus Education Center for the inspiring work in literacy.
Rincon received her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Houston Downtown and master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston.
