Alief ISD was recognized by the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, the School Superintendents Association, as a Texas educational leader working to provide resources to uninsured students and their families so that they can obtain low-cost or free health care coverage. According to the Children’s Defense Fund Texas Associate Director Laura Guerra-Cardus, school districts like Alief have been “natural allies” in its efforts “to ensure every Texas child has a healthy start in life.”

Taylor High School student Jeffrey Ehimuh and Hastings High School student Kairon
Deschamps will be participating in this year’s Via Colori Street Painting Festival on November 21-22. Via Colori benefits the Houston Center for Hearing and Speech and has grown into one of Houston’s signature art events. The event is free to the public and is the only street painting festival in the region.

O’Donnell Middle School, Olle Middle School and Alief Middle School finished first, second and third place respectively at the annual Academic Plus competition. The event, which was hosted by Olle this year, is the University Interscholastic League (UIL) academic competition for middle school students in Alief ISD. Approximately 230 students from Alief’s middle schools competed in the following five UIL events: dictionary skills, listening, mathematics, science and maps, graphs and charts.

The Hastings High School Marching Band and Cummings Elementary received first and third place respectively for their showmanship in the Alief Community Association’s Alief International Parade.

Taylor High School student Leonardo Zavala was selected to participate in the online distance learning portion of the Texas High School Aerospace Scholars program.

Killough Middle School Assistant Principal Linda Henderson and Administrative Intern Krystal White were selected to present at the American Educational Studies Association conference in San Antonio. Their presentation on effective mentoring practices was well-received.
Much of the presentation highlighted the successful mentoring program established at Killough during the 2014-15 school year.

Congratulations to the following projects funded through DonorsChoose.org:

  • Mahanay Elementary Library Information Specialist Lora Nance received funding for scripts and costumes. The items will be used for Readers Theater, an integrated approach for involving students in reading, writing, listening and speaking activities to improve their fluency. This project was funded by Gymboree and its Let’s Color Together campaign.
  • Heflin Elementary teacher Ashley Shelton received funding for various hands-on puzzles, literacy centers and folder games to help her kindergarteners become successful readers. This project was funded by OshKosh B’gosh.
  • Cummings Elementary Library Information Specialist Karen Shiver received funding for prepared slides, magnifiers and USB microscopes to help students explore the world around them in detail and to spark their interest in science. This project was funded by Chevron and its Fuel Your School campaign.