On May 7, the City of Houston unveiled four Solid Waste Management vehicles adorned with the artwork of four talented HISD students. The artists are the winners of the second annual Truck Art Contest, a competition devised and executed by HISD’s Energy and Sustainability Department in partnership with the City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department to increase awareness of recycling and waste diversion in the city’s youth. The trucks were unveiled at City Hall following an announcement of the winners during a Houston City Council meeting where the young artists met Mayor John Whitmire ..read more

The HISD Teacher Recruitment and Selection Team will host a 2024-2025 Non-NES Campus Hiring Event on Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at Delmar Fieldhouse (2020 Mangum Road, 77092). K-12 educators are invited to learn about Team HISD and the life-changing, student-centered work underway. Key compensation highlights: Non-NES starting teacher salary: $64,000 Special Education, Non-NES starting teacher salary: $80,000 Bilingual Teacher stipend: $5,000 By the 2025-2026 school year, HISD plans for the average teacher salary to be $75,000. This event is open to the following position types: t ..read more

Layla Lee, a sophomore at Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, is only fifteen years old, but she is already on a mission to change the world around her for the better. Lee founded and runs a nonprofit organization called Community Cuisine, a project devised to combat food insecurity in her community. Inspired by a school visit from the Pangea Network, an organization devoted to empowering women and youth, Lee applied for their Young Women’s Leadership Challenge (YWLC), a program that encourages young people to start their own community service projects. Participating in YWLC as a fresh ..read more

As part of its new Continuum of Care model for student wraparound supports, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is expanding its partnership with Hazel Health to every campus and Sunrise Center in the District. Currently offered at 88 campuses, Hazel Health services will be available Districtwide beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, giving all HISD students access to no-cost telehealth care conveniently coordinated through their school. “HISD is reimagining what it means to meet students’ needs in and out of the classroom,” said Najah Callendar, senior ..read more

HISD’s Dyad classes are an innovative educational tool designed to expose students to unique skills taught by members of the community. The beauty of Dyad is its versatility and the one-of-a-kind opportunities it allows students to experience. The Boy Scouts of America have stepped in to partner with HISD and bring Scouting to Shadydale Elementary School and Key Middle School in a special Dyad course called ScoutReach. These students and this partnership were lauded at the Houston Sports Breakfast on May 1 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Houston Sports Breakfast takes place annu ..read more

HISD’s highest achieving high school seniors gathered at Delmar Fieldhouse on April 30 to celebrate the 2023-2024 valedictorians and salutatorians at this year’s Scholars Recognition Ceremony. These students have worked hard to reach the highest echelon of high school academics and were recognized in front of friends, family, and educators in a touching sendoff to their high school careers. The Bellaire High School JROTC kicked off the event with the presentation of colors and the pledge of allegiance. HISD’s Director of Counseling, Karen Young-Jones, welcomed students and their families to t ..read more

Since its inception, Mykawa Farm has been the beating heart of the mission of HISD’s Nutrition Services Department. The headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center (FALC), Mykawa Farm is a working educational farm where students gain not only foundational knowledge about agriculture and the environment, but have an opportunity to volunteer or work for pay, developing skills they will take with them into adulthood. Nutrition Services welcomed more than 70 volunteers from local organizations The Mission Continues and CarMax to the farm on Saturday, April 27 (a make-up date after une ..read more

The USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, more commonly known as FFVP, provides fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to elementary school students and accompanying educational programs taught by chefs and certified nutritionists who aim to teach students where their food comes from and how they can grow their own healthy snacks at home. On the last day of the twice-weekly program, Sherman Elementary students enjoyed juicy watermelon chunks, a favorite among the kids. The program ends officially in May for the academic year and will return in the fall with even more exciting learning opportuni ..read more

Each year, HISD celebrates its Volunteers in Public Schools with the annual VIPS Awards Breakfast Ceremony. This year, on April 25, volunteers including parents, teachers, community members, and students gathered to celebrate their accomplishments with a breakfast catered by HISD’s Nutrition Services Department. Najah Callander, Senior Executive Director of External Engagement with HISD’s Family and Community Engagement Department, welcomed guests with a sample of AI-generated jokes in reference to HISD’s goal of harnessing more AI technology and spoke on the importance of volunteers in HISD ..read more

The HISD Teacher Recruitment and Selection Team will host a 2024-2025 Campus Hiring Event on Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at two locations: Non-NES: Delmar Fieldhouse (2020 Mangum Road, 77092) NES: Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th Street, 77092) K-12 educators are invited to learn about Team HISD and the life-changing, student-centered work underway. Key compensation highlights: Starting teacher salaries: Non-NES schools: $64,000 NES schools (by school level): Elementary: $75,435 Middle: $80,059 High: $82,816 Special education teacher salaries: Non-NES s ..read more