Tag Archives: Kashmere HS

Board receives progress update on Achieve 180 initiative

Kashmere, Wheatley, and Woodson PK-8 leaders present challenges and changes on their campuses

HISD Board of Education trustees received an update at the Oct. 12 board meeting on Achieve 180, a research-based action plan to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming schools across HISD.

Achieve 180 School Support Officer Felicia Adams made a presentation on the progress that has been made at the 44 campuses included in the program and outlined the amount of time that has been spent on each of its six guiding pillars: leadership excellence, teacher excellence, instructional excellence, school design, social and emotional learning supports, and family and community empowerment. Best practices from previous successful school turnaround initiatives have been incorporated into the pillars. Continue reading →

Kashmere High School opens renovated campus

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Kashmere High School students buzzed with anticipation Monday morning as teachers, staff, and community members welcomed them for their first day back to school at a newly renovated campus.

“It’s just beautiful,” Principal Nancy Blackwell proclaimed. “We went from dark and dingy to light and open.”

Blackwell said that the aesthetics that surround a child are important, so she is hopeful the new environment will positively impact students — both academically and emotionally.

Kashmere was renovated as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. In conjunction with an upgraded front entrance, the $17 million project included upgrading and enclosing the main central courtyard to create a large, indoor flexible space designed for year-round use. Continue reading →

HISD to open nine schools for 2017-2018 school year

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Nine schools across the Houston Independent School District will formally open their doors to all students for the first time on Monday — the first day of the 2017-2018 school year.

New schools set to open this school year include Furr, Milby and Wisdom high schools, as well as Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men and DeBakey High School for Health Professions. DeBakey technically opened to summer school students in May, but Monday marks the start of its first fall semester in the new building.

Another four schools — Kashmere and Waltrip high schools, Sharpstown International School, and Codwell Elementary — underwent major renovations. Continue reading →

Achieve 180 debuts with parade and community event in Sunnyside

Worthing feeder pattern schools join forces for ‘Southside Takeover’

HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza took to the streets of the Sunnyside community on Saturday, Aug. 19, for the first ever “Southside Takeover,” a back-to-school bash to kick-off the start of the 2017-2018 school year and the start of Achieve180.

“Achieve 180 is more than a plan or initiative,” said Carranza. “It’s a movement to better serve our historically underserved and academically challenged schools.”

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The “Southside Takeover” featured Carranza at the helm of a parade with students, staff, and parents from Worthing High School, along with various other campuses in the south area, and a resource fair for families with free immunizations, school supplies, backpacks, uniforms, food, and entertainment. Continue reading →

Change awaits Kashmere HS as renovation work passes halfway mark

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Construction crews have completed two-thirds of the renovation work slated for Kashmere High School, and the final third is expected to be complete by the end of the summer.

Integral parts are coming together quickly. Both the auditorium entrance and drywall are finished, the roofing is in progress, the new HVAC system is being installed, and the pouring of the driveway is almost complete.

“Our students and staff continue to work and learn as construction moves forward,” Kashmere Principal Nancy Blackwell said excitedly. “The changes are amazing.”

Continue reading →

Construction at Kashmere HS to begin this summer

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Kashmere High School alumna Janice Wright has fond memories of her experience at the Trinity Gardens area school, where she graduated in 1978.

Now, with a $17 million renovation project about to break ground, she is excited about the future for the campus and the opportunities for future generations of students.

Continue reading →

Kashmere High School construction plan approved

The HISD Board of Education unanimously awarded a construction contract that will bring much needed building improvements to Kashmere High School.

Kashmere is joining nearly two dozen schools under construction thanks to the voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. The board awarded Kashmere’s contract to DT Construction for a total cost that will not exceed $14.1 million.

“We are excited to give Kashmere students a campus that reflects the community’s proud history,” said Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who represents the Kashmere area. “Kashmere is gaining strong momentum academically and this major renovation will further establish the campus as a center of community activity.”

Located on Houston’s northeast side, Kashmere was built in 1969 and last renovated in 2000. Design plans call for the four main campus buildings to be merged into one, and the school’s center courtyard to be enclosed, creating a large indoor flexible space with natural light for year-round use. Plans also include an updated front entrance.

Construction at Kashmere could begin by early summer, with work complete within a year.

The Kashmere community is invited to learn more about the project at a community meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at Kashmere High School, 6900 Wileyvale Road.

Rusk School redesign approved

Also Thursday, HISD trustees unanimously approved a plan to gradually transition the Rusk School into a middle school campus with a magnet program with a health and medical focus, similar to the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan. The change is being made in anticipation of the Star of Hope Mission’s impending relocation outside of the current Rusk attendance boundary.

“We are committed to giving Rusk the resources it needs to remain a strong neighborhood school while also providing all HISD students with another great magnet option,” said Trustee Diana Dávila, who represents the Rusk community.

Priority admission will be given to middle school students who live within the current Rusk attendance boundary. Remaining seats will be open to all HISD students using a random lottery.

Under the plan, Rusk will no longer house students in grades Pre-K through 2 after the current school year.  Next school year (2016-2017), Pre-K students living in the current Rusk attendance boundary will be rezoned to the Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center, and students in grades kindergarten through second will be rezoned to Lantrip and Burnet elementary schools. Grades 3 through 5 will be phased out one grade level at a time over three years, starting with third grade in the 2017-18 school year, with those students also being rezoned to Lantrip and Burnet.

HISD Board of Education to consider Kashmere High School construction contract

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday is expected to consider a construction contract for Kashmere High School, which is undergoing significant renovation as part of the 2012 Bond Program.

The bid for the renovation work was submitted by DT Construction in response to a February request for competitive sealed proposals. The proposal — one of three submitted — includes a base bid of $13 million with a construction contingency of $1.1 million, meaning the total costs would not exceed $14.1 million. Continue reading →

Kashmere HS launches new on-campus Success Center

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On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Kashmere High School celebrated the opening of HISD’s second ProUnitas, Inc., center with the unveiling of the Kashmere Success Center. The center, which was created, supported and financed by 40 different non-profit, for-profit, community, and municipal groups, is dedicated to empowering the Kashmere community by providing much-needed services to students and their families.

“This came about because there was a need in the community and the school,” said District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “It does take a village to beat the effects of poverty, which a lot of the kids in this community face. So our village has stepped up and decided to come to the aid of our children.”

Created by former Kashmere teacher Adeeb Barqawi with the help of Skillern-Jones, ProUnitas was designed to provide essential goods and services that were seen to be lacking in the community. The center features a counseling room with trained counselors, a food pantry, a clothing drop, health services, and a workforce and college-readiness development center.

“At the end of the day, what I want you to keep in mind is that this is the product of a community coming together,” said Barqawi. “It’s not that we’re saying change is going to happen in a day. But we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

Many African American artists among HISD’s distinguished alumni give back

Editor’s Note: Black History Month runs from Monday, Feb. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, this year, and HISD is celebrating with a series of weekly stories recognizing distinguished African Americans who graduated from district high schools. This third article focuses on alumni who went on to have successful careers in the fine arts. The first and second articles spotlighted professional athletes, and lawmakers/politicians (respectively). Others will feature educators and those with careers in radio, TV, and film.

HISD has a wealth of African-American alumni with talent in the performing and visual arts — and many of these distinguished graduates have chosen to share their gifts with later generations of students.

Continue reading →