Tag Archives: Lamar HS

Lamar HS grad makes a lasting impression on the visual art world

Lamar High School graduate and artist Marsha Dorsey Outlaw poses for a photograph at her installation "Vigango's Stoop", January 29, 2015. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Lamar High School graduate and artist Marsha Dorsey Outlaw poses for a photograph at her installation “Vigango’s Stoop”, January 29, 2015. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

In this week’s edition of I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, we speak with Lamar High School graduate Marsha Dorsey-Outlaw about how she became a professional artist, what compels her to work with children, and where you can find her next district-related project.

You graduated from Lamar High School back in 1981. How old were you when you first realized you wanted to be an artist?

Art was always a good escape vehicle for me, but it wasn’t until after high school that I knew I could make a living at it. I spent one entire summer touring Western Europe through AIFS and bought art supplies all along the way. I did a lot of sketching and watercolors. At one point, I was in Salzburg and I was out of money, so I wrapped a shirt around my head and told some tourists I was from Tobago, and sold them two artworks. It was a major rush. Later, I was at the University of Houston working part-time as a travel agent, and on the side, I was hand-painting clothing and had a lot of commissions and consignments. I think that was the first time I remember knowing that the commerce side of art was possible.

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HISD student athletes commit to play college sports on National Signing Day

More than 90 of HISD’s top student athletes committed to taking their academic and athletic talent to the college level as part of National Signing Day on Wednesday, February 4.

The HISD ceremony at the Region IV Education Service Center, aimed to recognize the students’ formal commitment to continue their education and sports careers at colleges and universities around the country. During the event, students signed symbolic certificates of intent to continue their careers in baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.

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Among the highlights:

  • More than 50 HISD senior boys will continue their football careers in college, including 11 from Lamar High School, seven each from Reagan and Wheatley high schools, six from Kashmere High School, five from Furr High School, and four each from Madison, Sterling, and Westside high schools.
  • Five HISD senior girls will run track and field in college.
  • Eleven senior boys and four senior girls will play college basketball.

Traditionally, National Signing Day has been reserved for senior high school football players completing their letters of intent with colleges and universities. But, for the past six years, HISD has included both female and male athletes from all sports to showcase the district’s athletic talent. Additional athletic commitments also are expected after Signing Day.

During the event, students heard from featured speaker Antonio Armstrong, a Kashmere High School graduate, former NFL player, and owner of Houston-based 1st Class Training, as well as HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino, HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones, HISD Board of Education Trustee Wanda Adams, and representatives from the Houston Positive Coaches Alliance.

Click here to view a list of the 2014-2015 HISD student athlete signees.

HISD to host inaugural districtwide dance montage festival on Jan. 31

Event to serve dual-purpose: performance experience for students and constructive criticism for all

HISD’s Dance Educators Organization (DEO) will be hosting its very first dance montage festival on Saturday, Jan. 31, and the public is invited to watch.

Students pose for photographs at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts, August 12, 2014. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the Holmes Performance Hall at Lamar High School (3325 Westheimer, 77098), and students from more than 25 different dance programs will be performing.

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Educators from China’s Haidian District schools continue their tour of HISD

Twenty-five Haidian District educators from Beijing continued their visit to Houston and HISD as Lanier Middle School administrators introduced the delegation to the “Friendship State” of Texas on Jan. 26. Principal Felicia Adams opened the campus tour and program with an entertaining game in which the guests learned fun facts about Texas. Student artwork featuring pandas and Chinese messages and a chamber orchestra greeted the visitors.

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College acceptance letters start arriving for members of Class of 2015

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Lamar senior Tyra Jenkins poses with the acceptance letter she received from Cornell University. Cornell is her dream school, and she plans to attend it in the fall.

Graduating seniors are starting to discover where their quest for higher education will take them this fall, as colleges and universities across the country are sending out letters of acceptance to those who applied for admission early.

More than two dozen students in the district’s EMERGE program have already received either early decision or early action notices from top tier schools, including Stanford, Notre Dame, Rice, Cornell, and Harvard.   Continue reading →

Pre-K students get a holiday surprise

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Preschool students at Farias Early Childhood Center enjoyed an early holiday treat Tuesday, Dec. 16. Santa and his helpers along with HISD high school students and members of Leading Ladies, a nonprofit female youth service organization, distributed toys to 380 excited four-year-olds. Continue reading →

Student teams to compete at VEX Robotics tournament at Space Center Houston

The robotics club at the newly-renamed Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men is hosting a VEX robotics tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Space Center Houston (1601 NASA Parkway, 77058). Now in its third year, the Knights of Engineering Robotics Club at the all-boys academy is inviting families from throughout HISD to attend the tournament, which is expected to last most of the day.

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Carnegie Vanguard HS wins top prize at UIL academics meet

More than 400 students from 14 Houston ISD schools participated in a UIL academics meet, the first of the 2014-2015 season, at Lee High School on Oct. 18.

Academics meets are held throughout the school year. They include character-building educational activities and emphasize good sportsmanship and fair play.

Here are the winners: Continue reading →

Johnston MS dancers to perform at Jones Hall Oct. 10 with MOMIX

Two dozen Johnston Middle School students will be appearing at Jones Hall on Oct. 10 as a part of the MOMIX show scheduled for 7 p.m. that evening.

Over the summer, students Laura Anawaty, Isabella Clasen, and Kira Daniel (all from Johnston Middle School), Destinee Gonzalez (a Johnston alumna now attending Lamar High School), and a group from High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, participated in a choreography residency at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, through an arrangement with the prestigious New York-based dance company, Jessica Lang Dance, and the Society for the Performing Arts, Houston.

The students worked directly with Jessica Lang and members of the dance company on choreography and methods of producing interesting movement. The residency culminated in a performance on the Kaplan Theatre stage.

Statement regarding threats toward Lamar HS posted on Twitter

Update (6:05 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2014): HISD police announced Thursday afternoon that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has accepted charges against a 16-year-old Lamar student accused of making terroristic threats related to social media posts on Twitter late Wednesday. The student is fully cooperating with authorities.

Update (3:45 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2014): Lamar HS administrators are continuing to work closely with HISD Police, HPD and the FBI as they investigate threats made against Lamar via social media late Wednesday.

Please know that all students were safe today. Classes were in session and the school day proceeded as normal. Classes will be in session tomorrow, as well. Additional officers will remain on campus to ensure students feel safe.

We appreciate your concern, as well as your continued patience and support. We will provide you with more information, as it becomes available.

Update (2 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2014): Thanks to everyone for their patience and concern about this issue. HISD Police continue to work with authorities – including the FBI – to assess the social media threats made against Lamar H.S. yesterday evening. School was definitely in session today and will be tomorrow. Additional patrols will remain on campus to ensure students and staff feel safe.

Statement (released 6:15 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2014): Lamar’s administration, HISD police, and HPD are aware that threats were made via social media late yesterday.

We take these threats very seriously and have been working closely with the authorities to identify where these threats are coming from.

Both HISD police and HPD will have a strong presence on the Lamar HS campus today to ensure students feel safe. As we know more, we will provide updates.