Tag Archives: YWCPA

YWCPA teacher hopes ‘a flip on the flip’ will lead to a $25,000 award

Students in Sarah Campbell's 7th-grade writing class use Edmodo as a portal to conducting their lessons at Young Women's College Preparatory Academy, October 15, 2013. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)

Sarah Campbell

Sarah Campbell has been incorporating technology in her classroom since HISD’s PowerUp initiative came to her campus last fall. Now, the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy teacher and member of the PowerUp Teacher Leader Corps is hoping to parlay her cutting-edge instructional methods into national recognition and a big cash prize.

Campbell was one of three HISD educators nominated by Elementary Curriculum and Instruction Officer Lance Menster for the TNTP’s Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, which recognizes exceptional teachers working in high-poverty public schools and comes with a top award of $25,000. Continue reading →

Board of Education to consider design contracts for remaining projects under 2012 bond program

Administrators are recommending that the HISD Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate design contracts with 13 firms on the remaining 14 projects within the 2012 bond program.

The latest round of contract recommendations comes ahead of schedule in response to the booming construction market in Houston. Although architect selections for schools in Groups 3 and 4 of the program weren’t slated to take place until next year, the district wanted to move forward as quickly as possible to minimize the impact of escalating construction inflation.

Continue reading →

eNews Highlight: PowerUp Already Empowering HISD Teachers

Read how the district’s laptop initiative is changing the way teachers teach in this week’s edition

PowerUp is still in its early stages, but some teachers are already using the district’s new laptop initiative to drive creative instruction in the classroom. Read more about how Sarah Campbell from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy is using these new tools in the Breakthroughs section of the Oct. 18, 2013, edition of eNews.

Continue reading →

Miss America brings message of encouragement to students at YWCPA

Miss America 2012 at YWCPA.

Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012, brought a message of encouragement, determination, and persistence to the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy during a recent visit to the school. 

Continue reading →

YWCPA Campus Becomes No Place for Hate

HISD’s Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy became the latest HISD campus to cement its pledge to end bullying when it was designated a “No Place for Hate” school earlier this month by the Anti-Defamation League.

To earn the title, students had to complete three projects over the course of the past school year to demonstrate their commitment to ending intolerance.

At YWCPA, girls took part in a number of activities designed to help them appreciate and celebrate their differences, including one game called “planters and lumberjacks” in which students were encouraged to use their words to build each other up rather than cut each other down.

“We have a diverse student population, so it is very important that all individuals feel at home,” explained YWCPA No Place for Hate Coordinator (and art teacher) Lynne Bennett. “Our goal is to create a nurturing environment where we can learn from one another’s cultures and respect people for their unique qualities.”

To learn more about the No Place for Hate program, visit the ADL’s website. A full list of No Place for Hate campuses in HISD as of 2011 is here (.pdf).