Tag Archives: Cornelius ES

National School Counseling Week celebrates HISD counselors who empower students every day

National School Counseling Week, Feb. 6-10, is a week to celebrate the invaluable contributions school counselors make within their schools and in the lives of their students and communities.

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Zaira Gomez named new principal of Cornelius Elementary School

Zaira Gomez has been selected as the new principal of Cornelius Elementary School. Gomez is an alumni of HISD, where she attended Sunnyside Elementary School, Attucks Middle School and Worthing High School. Gomez has served as a clerk, teacher, literacy coach, and assistant principal. During her time at Cornelius, she worked with students, parents, teachers, and leaders to increase the academic performance of the school. She holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from University of Houston-Downtown, a master’s in Counseling from University of St. Thomas, and a principal certification from Lamar University.

High school dropout and law school grad urges Cornelius ES students to stay in school 

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The fifth-graders at Cornelius Elementary School listened intently as their classmate’s mother spoke to them on Career Day recently. Khassidy’s mom, Ieshia Champs, was telling students to stay in school if they want to become all the things they had just told her they want to be—a brain surgeon, veterinarian, basketball player, teacher.

“You can’t do anything without school, nothing at all,” Champs said. “What you are learning here in school every day is going to shape your entire future.”

Despite dropping out of school and raising five children as a single mother, Champs recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall Law School. It took her 14 years, but she did it, and she is inspiring others to pursue their dreams.  Continue reading

HISD parent in viral law school graduation photo to speak at inaugural Cornelius ES Career Day

Ieshia Champs, a single mother of five whose law school graduation picture went viral on social media, will be a featured speaker at Cornelius Elementary School’s inaugural Career Day.  Three of Champs’ children attend Cornelius Elementary.

The event will take place Friday, May 18, 2018 on the Cornelius campus (7475 Westover, Houston, 77087) from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

The recent Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduate gained notoriety after a photo of her dressed in her cap and gown surrounded by all five of her children was shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.

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Angel Wilson named new principal of Cornelius Elementary

Angel Wilson poses for a photograph, April 4, 2016. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)Angel Wilson has been selected as the new principal of Cornelius Elementary School. Wilson has served as a teacher and Teacher Development Specialist, and she has a wide range of campus leadership experience in diverse communities such as Durkee Elementary, where she was dean of instruction; Thompson Elementary, where she was assistant principal; and Lanier Middle School, where she was also assistant principal. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Educational Administration. Both degrees are from Prairie View A&M University.

Martin Luther King Jr. oratory competition earns national, local attention


The performances of several HISD elementary school students who delivered original Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired speeches last week garnered praise from both local and national media outlets. ABC’s Good Morning America described the students’ speeches as “profound” and “impressive.”

The students’ speeches focused on the question, “What would Dr. King say in his campaign speech if he were running for president this year?” as part of the 20thannual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.

Students from Cornelius, Pleasantville, Wainwright, and Whidby elementary schools were featured in news stories on the competition, thanking Dr. King for his service and legacy. Parts of their speeches also were highlighted on TV.

Cornelius fifth-grader Richard Espinoza-Garza, who won the competition, told ABC that Dr. King “meant we should all come together – all races, all cultures.”

Click the links below to view stories on HISD students participating in the oratory competition.

For third time, a Cornelius ES student wins Martin Luther King Jr. oratory competition

MLK winner 1_940

For the third time in a row, a student from Cornelius Elementary School has taken home the top prize at the Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition. Fifth-grader Richard Espinoza-Garza was all smiles as he took center stage to claim his prize. Now in its 20th year in Houston, the annual competition is sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.

Principal Karen Jackson attributed her school’s three-year winning streak to a combination of strong support and a positive campus culture. “We are highly competitive and demand excellence from our kids in everything we do,” said Jackson. “We have a speech coach, and every winner from our campus has had over-the-top parental support.”

This year, 12 finalists answered the question, “What would Dr. King say in his campaign speech if he were running for president this year?Continue reading

Students prepare for annual Martin Luther King Oratory Competition

Each year, students across the district show off their oratory skills in the annual Martin Luther King Oratory Competition at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ (500 Clay Street, 77002). This year’s theme, “What would Dr. King say in his campaign speech if he were running for president this year?” will be tackled by fourth- and fifth-graders from several HISD schools on Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Now in its 20th year in Houston, the MLK Oratory competition, sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, encourages elementary school students to spread the work and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through self-written speeches that envision King’s message in today’s world. Students are judged based on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation, and memorization.

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444 students compete in season’s first UIL Academics tournament

Four hundred forty-four elementary students spent their Saturday at Welch Middle School for the first competition of the 2014-2015 UIL Academics season.

Students from Condit, Cornelius, DeChaumes, Highland Heights, Horn, Law, Twain, Piney Point, and Windsor Village elementary schools, along with Energized for Excellence Academy, competed.

Horn Elementary claimed first place in sweepstakes. DeChaumes Elementary won second place in sweepstakes, and Twain Elementary took home third place.

Here are the individual results: Continue reading