Katy ISD Announces Wood Group, Alley Theatre, Morton Ranch High School Collaborative
From Katy ISD Partner in Education:
This school year’s beginning marks the inauguration of a unique, highly interactive Katy ISD partnership between Wood Group, Alley Theatre and Morton Ranch High School. Initiated by Wood Group’s chief financial officer, Alan Semple, the partnership supports a year-long residency program between the Morton Ranch High School theatre department and Houston’s Alley Theatre Company.
A feature of the partnership is Playwriting 360°, a multi-curriculum project combining the school’s creative writing instruction with its theatre classes. Students will write and perform a 10 minute play as instructed, directed and critiqued by Alley artists-in-residence. Ultimately, one play and playwright will be included in the Alley’s spring Houston Young Playwrights Exchange (HYPE) showcase presented at the theatre.
The Alley’s School Programs Manager Rob Kimbro observes, “Developing new works and supporting new playwrights is an important part of the mission of the Alley Theatre. For more than a decade, the Houston Young Playwrights Exchange has given teen playwrights an opportunity to develop their work and see it presented on stage. Read more
Help Katy School Children by Contributing to Operation Backpack
For the fifth consecutive year, “YMCA Operation Backpack” joins the forces of 38 YMCAs, local churches and other partners to touch the lives of tens of thousands of Houston area children and families this school year.
Thousands of school supplies will be collected for children who might otherwise go back to school unprepared.
Through Aug. 16, YMCA Operation Backpack will collect brand new backpacks filled with school supplies and distribute them to children in 31 Houston area school districts. Read more
Baseball Great Larry Dierker to Feature in HCC Musical
Former Houston Astros ace pitcher, broadcaster and winning manager Larry Dierker will make a star appearance in his new musical, Old Stories – A Tale of Baseball and Love this summer at the HCC Spring Branch Campus.
Written by Larry Dierker, Dr. Aubrey Tucker and Paul English, Old Stories is a fun, frolicking romp about the mythical Washington Capitols and their quest for the National League championship in 1970. “King” Cole, the Caps’ long-time home run hitter, meets and falls in love with Cindy, the cousin of a friend, and the complicated rest is – musical theater! Read more
HCC Faculty Member Receives Second Fulbright Scholarship
Bryant Evans, a Houston Community College geography professor, will travel with thirteen others from across the country to the Middle East this summer as a recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Scholarship. The Fulbright-Hays travel seminar is a short-term study abroad program for primary through postsecondary instructors. Mr. Evans, who has taught at HCC for six years, is expected to depart in mid-June for Washington D.C. where he will undergo an orientation to the Middle East prior to departing to Oman and Jordan. Read more
Student Excellence Award Winners Announced
Katy ISD has announced 73 winners of the 2009 Student Excellence Award for 2009, the district’s highest award for graduating seniors. Award winners are selected by their individual high schools, with 12 students each from the six four-year schools and two students from Miller Career & Technology Center. Each student names an outstanding teacher, who has served as a special mentor, supporter and inspiration to him or her. The Class of 2009 winners, the area they represent and their outstanding teachers (in parentheses) are: Read more
2009 Katy ISD Teachers of the Year
What do a visit to the zoo by a group of teenagers and a “mini-marathon” run by a group of elementary students have in common? They are two of the strategies that Katy ISD’s 2009 Teachers of the Year use to provide hands-on learning and teach life lessons to their students.
The two districtwide Teachers of the Year, announced on May 9, are Carol Rogers, science department chair at Katy High School (secondary), and Courtney Calfee, fifth grade reading teacher at Williams Elementary School (elementary). Read more
New Organizational Structure at Katy ISD
After months of evaluating organizational configurations that better facilitate the learning demands of students and growth of the district, Katy ISD Superintendent Alton Frailey announced today a new organizational structure designed specifically to support the district’s campuses in carrying out their mission. The new structure will go into effect May 1.
At the center of the reorganization is the formation of three Area Assistant Superintendent positions. The Area Assistant Superintendents will be responsible for the Teaching and Learning Division, currently headed by the Chief Academic Officer, by supporting instructional delivery at each campus in their assigned area.
Katy ISD Offers Two-Way Immersion Program
A limited number of native English-speaking and native Spanish-speaking Katy ISD incoming kindergarten and first grade students will have the opportunity to enroll in an optional Two-Way Immersion Program for the 2009-10 school year at Fielder and Memorial Parkway Elementary Schools.
The Two-Way Immersion Program provides instruction in both English and Spanish with the goal that participating students will become bilingual, bi-cultural and bi-literate citizens. Students are expected to perform at or above grade level expectations and become fully literate in both languages by the end of fifth grade. Although students may Read more
HCC Faculty Member Tom Haymes Photo featured in Popular Photography Magazine
Houston Community College invites you to check out the April issue of Popular Photography to see Urban Canyon on page 68. This unique shot of the Pennzoil Place was taken by Tom Haymes, Director of Technology and Instructional Computing for both the Katy and Town & Country Campuses.
Tom Haymes has been doing fine art photography for over 25 years. He graduated from the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas with a certification in Media Arts (photography and writing) and subsequently spent six years doing professional photographic sales. Mr. Haymes has two Master’s Degrees from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s from UT Austin. Read more
HCC’s Pandora’s Box Presents: Stolen IDs: Preventions and Cures . . . a Personal Story
Could your ID be stolen? How? Is this preventable? What are the ramifications? On Wednesday, March 4, Houston Community College’s Pandora’s Box presents Joe Stiles, a Katy businessman and motivational speaker, who will talk about ID theft. Working from a personal experience and its effects on his life and on his credit scores, he will outline the dos and don’ts of protecting one’s identity. Community Outreach Coordinator Kim Montgomery will introduce the speaker.
HCC students, faculty, staff, and the public are invited. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. in the HCC Katy Campus Cyber Lounge located at 1550 Foxlake Drive, Houston, Tx 77084. Read more
Two Students Nominated for Presidential Scholar Program
From Katy ISD Communications:
Two Katy ISD students are among an elite 3,000 graduating seniors who have been selected as candidates in the 2009 Presidential Scholars program.
Inclusion in the Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 45th year, is one of the highest honors bestowed on graduating seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities. Read more
Scholarship Opportunities in Katy & Houston
A college education is more important than ever, and now is the perfect time to seek free money to help pay for it! See below for some incredible scholarships. Also important, if you are entering college in the fall of 2009, you should apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, www.fafsa.ed.gov/, no later than the April 15, 2009 priority deadline. Read more
Katy ISD Announces New Process for Establishing Attendance Boundaries
From Katy ISD Communications:
Katy ISD officials announced today a new process for establishing attendance boundaries that places a greater emphasis on effective stewardship of tax dollars, staff accountability, objectivity, and lessening the probability of neighborhood conflicts. This new process will be used for the setting of attendance boundaries for Elementary 32, located in the southwest quadrant of the district. Read more
Exit-Level TAKS and TAAS March Retest
From Katy ISD Communications:
Students who did not receive a high school diploma because they did not meet the passing standard on sections of the exit Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) or Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) will have the opportunity to retake the necessary portions of the tests in March 2009. Read more
HCC Northwest Launches Biotechnology Equipment Lending Library for Area ISD Teachers
Houston Community College Northwest recently launched a biotechnology equipment lending library for Katy ISD, Houston ISD, and Spring Branch ISD high school teachers. The kits will contain everything needed to conduct hands-on experiments in the teachers’ classrooms including equipment, supplies, and detailed instructions. Teachers may check out the kits for two weeks at a time.
The purpose of the library is to make hands-on biotechnology accessible to the greater HCC community and to make science fun for students. Read more
To Fill Oil Industry Demand, Houston Community College Expands Training in AVEVA PDMS
On November 6, 2008, AVEVA (LSE: AVV) today announced that Houston Community College (HCC) is increasing the number of courses, as well as the number of campuses, that provide training in AVEVA’s Plant Design Management System (PDMS). AVEVA’s higher education-industry partnership with HCC is part of an ongoing effort to help alleviate the severe labor shortage of engineers and piping designers trained in 3-D design that continues to challenge the energy industry. Read more
Morton Ranch High School Teacher Honored for Bringing History Alive & Empowering Teens
Once in a lifetime, teachers like Allison Merrell come along. Merrell—an 11th-grade history teacher who makes the past come alive and varsity volleyball head coach whom students respect on-and-off the court — Is being honored as Staples Foundation for Learning/Education Foundation of Harris County Teacher of the Month on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The surprise award presentation takes place in Merrell’s classroom where she uses an approach called “History Alive.” Students experience WWI trench warfare on the floor between desks as the teacher read excerpts from the diary Read more
