Tag Archives: HSPVA

More students headed to college this fall as members of 2014 ‘Posse’

Last year, almost two dozen HISD students became members of the city’s inaugural group of “Posse Scholars,” after a national non-profit called The Posse Foundation expanded its programming to Houston.

That organization will be sending its second group of students off to higher education this fall—and the majority (70 percent)—come from HISD.

The Houston branch of the Posse Foundation announced the 61 members of its Class of 2014 at a special celebration held on Jan. 6, and 43 of those students will be graduating from 18 HISD high schools this spring.

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Design of new school auditoriums takes center stage

A space that’s usually reserved for student assemblies and performances will become more than a venue for special occasions. A year from now when the new Booker T. Washington High School is built with a new auditorium, the space will become a multifunctional theater with collapsible seating, moveable walls, and a walking grid. It will be a place where students can master production skills in stage lighting, sound, and special effects – like showering snow on an audience.

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22 acceptances — including 3 at Yale — for HISD EMERGE seniors

To familiarize them with life on the campus of a select school, HISD’s EMERGE program took a group of rising seniors on a tour of northeast campuses over the summer. Here, they’re at Harvard University.

The acceptance letters for select colleges and universities are rolling in for HISD seniors working with the district’s EMERGE program – 22 letters so far, as of Dec. 18. On Dec. 16 alone, three HISD seniors were notified they had been accepted to Yale University.

All students are either receiving full rides or are having 100 percent of their financial need met by the school accepting them, according to Rick Cruz, assistant superintendent of college readiness and co-founder of EMERGE.

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Middle-School Orchestra Invited to Perform at Carnegie Hall Next Year

Johnston is the first from the Houston area to be so honored

Johnston MS

Johnston Middle School’s Sinfonia orchestra will be heading to Carnegie Hall next April, thanks to a stellar performance at a National Orchestra Honors competition this spring and the encouragement of an internationally acclaimed conductor.

The orchestra was named one of three national winners in the “middle school strings” category of the contest held in May of 2013 after submitting recordings of two of its performances for judging.

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HSPVA ‘Will Add a New Energy’ to City’s Downtown

The new High School for Performing and Visual Arts will be connected to the center of Houston when the school moves downtown near the city’s renowned arts and theater district.

“Other than the Frank Sinatra high school in New York, we don’t know of any other performing arts high school that will be this embedded in downtown,” said architect Lester Yuen of Gensler, the firm designing the new HSPVA.

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Board of Education to Consider 16 More Contracts Under 2012 Bond Program

Administrators are recommending that the HISD Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate contracts with seven firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected 2012 bond projects.

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Workshops Guide Designs for New HSPVA and DeBakey Campuses

Architects go over design ideas for the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions during a design charrette.

Houston ISD will be rebuilding two of its specialty high schools into 21st century campuses that cultivate creativity and collaboration when construction gets underway on the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions and the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

That consensus came as each school held a two-day design charrette with their Project Advisory Teams and architects to discuss specific goals and aspirations for the new campuses.

“Students are more open and receptive to learning if they can access it visually,” said architect Greg Papay, who is part of the architect team designing the new DeBakey. “We’re designing a 21st century school where learning will happen in a variety of spaces.”

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Rice’s Cite Magazine Highlights HISD Bond Program in its Summer Issue

The HISD bond program was featured recently in the Summer 2013 issue of Cite magazine, which is published quarterly by the Rice Design Alliance and covers the latest in urban planning, architecture, arts and preservation in Houston.

Three articles in the issue delve into what will be built with funds from the $1.89 billion bond, which was passed in November. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier explains the district’s campaign to build 21st century schools and implement blended learning curriculum.

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