Friday, December 20, 2013

Bullying- Not in Our House!


At Huntsville Elementary School in Huntsville, Texas, fourth graders Austin, Jacob, Justin and Robert made a video about the issue of bullying. Under the guidance of school counselor Stephanie Sanders and the help of much of the staff and faculty, they created the video below addressing what "Caring" means (the school's character word for December).


Meet the Filmmakers!

They interviewed classmates and teachers asking the following questions:

-What is bullying?

-How does it feel to be bullied?

-What does it mean to be a good friend?

-What should you do if you are bullied or if you see someone being bullied?

The video contains interviews and some acted scenes.
The filmmakers presented their video to each grade during enrichment time,
with the conversation guided by Mrs. Sanders.

Then the students participated in an activity that helped them understand the concept of caring.
These kids are drawing a picture, older grades wrote good things about a fellow student.
A helping hand for someone who fell off the slide.

Here's the video- they hope that you enjoy it, and that you find it helpful!


           

(The fourth grade team included some of their favorite songs, so there are some restrictions and you may not be able to play this video on your phone.  On a PC visiting Youtube you should have no problem.  In the event you encounter any issues, click here to go directly to YouTube.

They want to thank the students and staff interviewed for this video:  Ben, Cassia, Gregorio, Holden, James, Jazlyn, Ke'andrea, Lexi, Madison and Marshall.  Miss Fitzgerald, Mr. Lahey, Mrs.Nicks, Mrs. Sanders and Mrs.Turner

They also want to thank Mr. Baker and Mr. Hooks in our HISD Transportation Department, and the entire cafeteria staff at Huntsville Elementary School.

They want to thank Principal Nicks, Assistant Principal Turner and the everybody at Huntsville Elementary.

Matthew Lahey  Huntsville ISD Huntsville Independent School District

It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas!



It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas!


The students from our elementary schools were recently treated to a Christmas concert
at the High School, courtesy of the Hornet Symphony Band.  In the spirit of the season,
we thought we would have a little fun with our wording.  Please forgive any irregular 
meters that might appear in our version of Clement C. Moore's famous composition.









T’was the week before Christmas break, 
and all through the HHS halls
Lots of kid-creatures were stirring, 
Large, Medium, and Small.
                             





From Kinder to 4th Grade 
they arrived all in droves,
Wearing ear muffs and jackets, 
down the halls they did rove.











To the auditorium they headed 
as they walked in a line,
All grinning and bubbly, 
with nary a whine.










Soon the children were waiting, all snug in their seats,














For sounds of heavenly music and the welcoming drumbeat.











The Mighty Hornet Band played many a holiday tune,












As the children sat enraptured, till mid-afternoon.





                                       





Soon it was time to load buses and head 
back to their schools,
The students filed on most quickly, 
following every school rule.












But I heard them exclaim 
as they rode out of sight,
Merry Christmas to all 
and to all a good night!

                                      



Merry Christmas, Y'all!



"Good" Projects! HHS Student Council spreads the Holiday Cheer.

Who wouldn’t tis the season to be jolly with students like ours at HHS?!  Last week, Student Council students put on their work boots to pass out a little Christmas spirit and show appreciation to our staff for this holiday season.

Members of the Student Council on one of their treks in their mission to bring cheer.
(left to right,  Lily, Mariah and Yadira)
Council members loaded up a red & green, crepe papered cart full of sweet treats and covered every hallway of the high school, stopping to spread their cheer to staff as they passed by their classrooms, offices, and work stations.  

No Food or Drink- unless you are bringing us goodies!
“At first, teachers were asking us how much we were selling the cookies for, but we told them we brought them as gifts. They were really surprised” says senior Maria. “We were excited to be giving goodies to our wonderful, hardworking staff members.”

StuCo members actually did more than travel the hallways handing out treats. They actually donated all the items themselves. What began as a plan to give out candy canes as holiday gifts evolved into a much more elaborate venture.



All baked goods and treats were donated by the Student Council members.


Ms. Debbie Choate has serious deciding to do.
Ms. Carol Nichols is enjoying the treat.























"I am new to StuCo this year and it is a lot of hard work.  Thank goodness that I have some fantastic students involved.  We are hoping to carry on some old traditions and try and make some new ones." Ms. Stacy Godby, Student Council sponsor, notes that her students came up with the idea for this project and thought that it needed to be a big production in order to show their appreciation for their teachers. 

Their shirts say it all:  "Be the Good; Believe There is Good in the World."
This is not StuCo’s first "Good" project. Earlier in the semester, during teacher inservice, they brought goodies around to staff members preparing the building for the first day of school.

We truly appreciate our teachers and staff in Huntsville ISD, but it sure is wonderful to be shown just how much you mean to your students. We love our kids at HHS! Thanks to the Student Council for helping make HISD a great place in our community. Happy holidays indeed!

Cosmetology Students Bring the Spa to HES: An Awesome Idea that created a Couple of Awesome GIFs

Mrs. Vanessa Tindall's Cosmetology Students brought the "Spa to School" when they spent the day at Huntsville Elementary School offering Holiday Cheer...in the form of complimentary hand massage and paraffin wax treatments.

Miss Ebhamen enjoys Carolina's massage.
They created stations out of desks, dimmed the lights, played soothing music and turned on the Scentsy to bring as much of the full experience to their clients.  

Teachers and Staff came during conference times- here we have a full house.  Mrs. Bass smiles as Cosmo Two student Tanna works her magic.

Going to work.

Cosmo Two student Shiann and Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Smith share a conversation.

To the uninitiated, the paraffin wax process may look a little odd but it sure does work!

The right scent, the right music & the right lighting set the right mood.

HES Principal Koren Nicks asked Mrs. Tindall if her students would be available to visit, and Mrs. Tindall jumped at the chance to share her students' talents, spread some cheer (and get some extra practice in, too.)   The Cosmetology Salon (located at the High School) will be back open at the beginning of the year on Thursdays from 1:30 p.m. - 4:30p.m., and at 8:30 p.m. by appointment.  They also accept appointments for 7:45a.m. on Fridays.  Call them at 936-435-6134 for more information.

Cosmo Two students Rebecca and Jackie take a break.

Assistant Principal Turner says- "Thanks, I needed that!"


And now for the Automatically Awesome GIFS..!  An Auto Awesome GIF is a series of photos that are animated in a loop.  These have become very popular in the last year or two- they are all over Facebook and Tumblr, and now they have overtaken this post. :-)


We proudly present you Cosmetology Two in all their full color GIF-dom.
From Left to Right...

Top Row
Wendy (on Left, Dark Hair, Pulled Back), Maria (Long Hair, Red Blouse, Tan Jacket)
Viri (Long Dark Hair, Printed Top) Stacy (peeking from behind in back on far right)

Middle Rows 
Rebecca (far left, Red Hair & Glasses) Shiann (black necklace),
Rebecca (Glasses, Long Dark Hair)
Tanna in very center,  Kaily (just behind Tanna, with White Bow)
 Jackie (Pink shirt), Ana (striped blouse with highlights) Montoya (on Right in Blue)

Bottom Row
Tammany, MacKenzie and Lidia

At the end of the day, things got a little silly-is Cosmo 2 on a roller coaster or are they doing the wave!? 

With Google's recent photo editing upgrade in Google+ called Auto Awesome, the program will automatically create these for you when you upload a series of similar photos.  You can read all about Auto Awesome Features here.  These above are made up of 15-20 images.  

Everyone in the district has access to Google+, so you can do these, too.  Fun? Absolutely. Educational? You tell us- you or your students can get creative and share.  

You can read more about these and other photo editing features on the Google blog here and on technology website, The Verge.  The Auto Awesome features are definitely amazing, and we'll introduce you to more throughout posts in the new year.

Matthew Lahey  Huntsville ISD Huntsville Independent School District

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

HHS CJ Interns from Mrs. Godby's class share Project-Based-Learning (PBL) with 3rd graders at Stewart Elementary.




Jared Johnson engages the students
Last week, HHS Criminal Justice Interns presented lessons on bullying and drugs to students at Stewart Elementary.  


Vanessa Macias and Lilly Mejia



Each Intern had to use their creativity and problem solving skills to send a message to the 3rd graders about bullying and drugs. 


The Interns also discussed with the students about "How America is Unique" and the roles that these students have in being an American.  



            Zitlalic Madera and Dannie Reeves(holding flag)
     Tyler Harris, Jared Johnson, and Desiree Cortez in front.  

The PBL experience was beneficial for everyone and definitely showed confidence and talent in all students.


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Old Time Christmas Store is Open, But Not for Long!

And a Very Merry Christmas to You, from Eron.
Open- but not for long! Huntsville High School teacher Rachel Tatum, IA Lynn Hodges and all of their students have been busy preparing for the holiday season with the opening of their annual Old Time Christmas Store 
(also known as Room 1212).
Busy Shopping!



This is THE place for all things holiday! Snowman Soup? Holiday Ornaments? Fancy Pens? Check! check! check! 

And a cup of free cider, and a complimentary bag of popcorn? Yes and yes!

Students have spent hours cutting, gluing, measuring, mixing, painting, stamping, stuffing, and packaging many Christmas items.  All proceeds go to fun projects and field trips...but you have to act quickly, Wednesday, December 18th is the last day, and the store is open from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.


Terrin has the Christmas Spirit!
Customers Gladys and Annie of the Custodial Staff with their new pens!
Chelsea and Patsy spread holiday cheer! 
Mrs. Tatum is ready to take your order!
Mrs. Hodges likes to make the popcorn!
iTech Melissa likes to eat the popcorn!
Merry Christmas to All! (Yes, this ornament is for sale! :-) )

Matthew Lahey  Huntsville ISD Huntsville Independent School District

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Getting it Growing!

The students of DAEP have a new project in the works thanks to HHS Counselor Nikki Surley and the Huntsville Home Depot. They are building raised bed vegetable gardens behind HHS using donated supplies from Home Depot.


All these supplies were donated by Huntsville Home Depot!


The kids are excited about it, and the work on the garden will be used for an incentive for students in DAEP that have completed all their work and had good conduct and attendance.

Plus, once the garden starts producing, the student farmers will be able to take the fruits (or vegetables) of their labors home for healthy, fresh meals.

Our special thanks to Huntsville Home Depot and Mrs. Surley for their help in this. You rock!!!






Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Our Students Have a "Face to Face" with Congressman Kevin Brady

Ever wanted to get a face to face meeting with your Congressman?

Live from Washington, DC...it's Rep. Kevin Brady!
(Click the photo to enlarge, click enlarge photo to begin slide show.)
Students from Mrs. Herrington's Economics class and Mr. Marshall's Government class had that very opportunity earlier today.   The fact that Rep. Brady was in Washington, DC, and the students were in Room 1905 at the High School was no matter, as the students & Rep. Brady utilized Google Hangouts.
Afterward, Mariah said, "It was a good way to communicate and learn more information
about everything that is going on."

Demi, Lindsay Desmond and Rebecca listen intently.

Students had the opportunity to ask a wide range questions that directly affect them, from the likelihood of a raise in the minimum wage to the effect of cuts to the military on incoming recruits.

Here's a question that hits close to home. 
The Hangout was linked from the desktop (far left) to the screen.
Also notice the Hovercam placed on the A/V cart.   (This was used for Rep. Brady to see the students).

Mr. Marshall (right) moderated, Josh got to ask a question.
You may remember from a few weeks back that Ms. Pulling utilized Google Hangouts to include her nephew (who is serving in Afghanistan) in a lesson on Veterans' Day for her first graders.  Remember, this is available to all teachers in the district.  The service is free, and today's session went well.  (There was a short delay in the transmission, though everyone had an easy time compensating for it by waiting for a second before speaking.)  So teachers, contact us if you would like to incorporate a video call into your students' learning.  We'd love to get you started. Email us at iTechs (at sign) huntsville-isd.org


Matthew Lahey  Huntsville ISD Huntsville Independent School District