“School is Even Better than Summer Vacation!”

Here’s a little something to get your day started off on the right note. Check out the Lovett Elementary School Band!

Virginia Croft, the school’s band director, told me the group is as good as any high school band, and I can promise you, they sound great! The band performed when a group of us visited Lovett’s new building on the first day of school. In the next few months, students will be holding concerts at Lovett’s new pavilion. The glass doors along the stage in the band room collapse and open to the outdoors. People will be able to sit outside and enjoy a great performance.

Lovett has bright and talented students. It has a great principal, Amy Simson, and a wonderful group of teachers, including HISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year, Heather Gaines. I had a great time visiting Heather’s classroom, and she was kind enough to let me read to her students!

Lovett is one of six new school buildings that we opened on the first day of school. The others include, Almeda, Frost, DeChaumes, Berry, and Horn. These are “green” schools, and we are seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for these campuses. They were built as part of the $805 million bond proposal approved by the voters in 2007. We are committed to delivering on the promises made during that construction campaign, and I want the people of Houston to know that the projects are being completed on budget and on time. I know the students in these buildings love their new schools. Just listen to what Samuel Morgan, a third-grade student at Lovett Elementary, had to say during our visit.

Samuel told us that being in school is even better than summer vacation. It is wonderful to see students so excited about learning!