The holiday season kicked off in earnest as student artists and district leaders gathered at HISD’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Monday, Nov. 14, to celebrate the 2022 HISD holiday greeting card competition winners.
Continue readingTag Archives: Kolter ES
Kolter ES celebrates virtual grand opening, 60th anniversary
Lined up on the hardcourt, Kolter Elementary School students eagerly awaited their turn to grab fun signs and silly glasses and squeeze between columns of red, white, and blue balloons for the perfect photo op.
On the far end of the court, the students — all clad in blue t-shirts emblazoned with a large “60” — chased each other around and danced to music booming through nearby speakers.
The spirited atmosphere was part of celebration day, which included a watch party for the virtual grand opening and 60thanniversary of the newly built school.
Continue readingPrincipals of schools damaged by Hurricane Harvey excited to return ‘home’
A new school year typically brings a mix of emotions for Kolter Elementary School Principal Julie Dickinson. Feelings of excitement mingled with the hope that everything will run smoothly.
As Dickinson readies for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, she is once again experiencing those same feelings, but this time they’re tinged with the promise of new beginnings.
“There was a huge loss to get where we are today,” Dickinson said. “But I can’t think of a more deserving community.”
Continue readingKolter ES construction more than 70 percent complete
The new Kolter Elementary School will soon be ready for students, teachers, and staff to move in and the Cougars can hardly wait to be back home.
The $23 million project is tracking at 72 percent completion and slated to be occupied by this summer. Structural steel, roofing, and fireproofing will wrap up this quarter. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation is 81 percent complete.
“We’re only five months away from being able to move into our new school home and we’re thrilled,” Kolter Principal Julie Dickinson said.
Continue readingKolter ES community celebrates construction progress
Hundreds of Kolter Elementary School families gathered Saturday at the site where their old school once stood, eager to get a peek at concrete and steel rising up from the ground before them.
Many were clad in red and blue shirts adorned with a proud and determined message: “Hurricanes are strong. Kolter is stronger.” Others held white paper fans emblazoned with, “Consider me a big fan of the new Kolter Elementary.”
All were there to celebrate the construction progress on the foreign language magnet school, set to re-open next summer after being destroyed two years prior by Hurricane Harvey.
Continue readingTwo years later: Schools damaged by Hurricane Harvey moving forward
Nearly three feet of water rippled through freshly painted hallways, carrying brightly colored classroom decorations that fell from wet walls. Bookshelves collapsed and spilled its contents, and desks were scattered about by the force of the water.
It’s been two years since that scenario played out at four HISD elementary schools — Braeburn, Mitchell, Scarborough, and Kolter.
Just as faculty and staff at each school had prepared for their newest group of students, Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast. The storm inflicted damage so significant that students and staff had to be relocated to temporary campuses.
Continue readingSteel structure placed in Kolter ES
Construction continues at Kolter Elementary School with structural steel of the new building nearly complete.
Crews will now begin the installation of both the first- and second-floor slabs. Exterior wall framing will begin next month.
“Watching the beams and framing come to life has made all the difference,” Kolter Principal Julie Dickinson said. “It’s so exciting to see a second floor and to begin to visualize learning spaces and common areas. I can’t believe we’re less than a year away from moving into our new school home.”
Continue readingFour elementary schools look to future after sustaining damage during Harvey
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When Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston last August, it left a devastating mark on nearly everything it touched — including schools.
Nearly every campus in HISD received some damage, but there were four elementary schools — Scarborough, Mitchell, Kolter, and Braeburn — that received damage so significant that they had to be rebuilt.
That process is now underway. Design plans have been approved, and construction on the new schools is soon to begin. The students and staff from each of the four schools will remain in temporary spaces until their home schools are rebuilt and opened, which is expected in January 2020.
Demolition in progress at Kolter ES
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The demolition of flood-ravaged Kolter Elementary School is underway, with site work and building construction expected to start soon after.
Construction is expected to continue through 2019, with the new school opening in early 2020. Students and staff will remain at their current temporary location — the former Gordon Elementary School campus on Avenue B in Bellaire — for the duration of the construction process.
The foreign language magnet is one of four elementary schools — Braeburn, Mitchell, Scarborough, and Kolter — being rebuilt as a result of damages sustained last year during Hurricane Harvey.
Kolter school community bids farewell to Harvey-damaged campus
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Sugary donuts and hot coffee lined blue tables at the front entrance of Kolter Elementary School as students, faculty, and parents covered their hands with bright-colored paint and marked the building’s exterior with vibrant handprints.
The festivities were part of a “Donuts before Demo” event designed to allow hundreds of community members the chance to say goodbye to their beloved building, which is being demolished and rebuilt due to damages sustained from Hurricane Harvey.
“It’s exciting,” Kolter Principal Julie Dickinson said, smiling. “Although initial circumstances weren’t ideal, we’re getting a new building. It’s worth the wait.”