NEW JACK YATES PRINCIPAL NAMED

Community applauds selection of alum

Stephanie Square to lead Third Ward H.S.

By Laura Onyeneho

students with high needs and research states that uncertified personnel should not be matched with our highest need students,” said Michelle Williams, president of the Houston Education Association. “What we know is that frst year [uncertifed] teachers don’t last long. Once they abandon these classrooms, it puts a hardship on HISD students and teachers who have been there and still continue to be there after this experiment.”

Williams said that if Miles was concerned about the quality of education for Black and Brown youth, he would have followed former Superintendent Richard Carranza’s Achieve 180 initiative, a researched-based action plan to support, strengthen, and empower underserved and underperforming HISD feeder pattern communities to increase student achievement.

“Carranza’s Achieve 180 plan follows best practices in education and further supports certifed and experienced teachers,” she said. “Miles would have raised the salaries of veteran teachers and brought them in.

Tat’s what Richard Carranza did.”

Children at Risk’s Chief Equity Officer Sharon Jones said the academic success of the children is dependent on the wellbeing of the educator.

“We do believe that teachers need to be qualifed,” she said. “But regardless of who’s teaching, the person needs to be valued, happy, and whole. They need to be given the proper support, empathy, livable wage, and resources to be successful.”

In a heartwarming homecoming, Stephanie Square, an esteemed former student of Jack Yates High School, has taken on the role of the school’s new principal, igniting a wave of excitement and hope within the tight-knit Third Ward community. With her strong ties to the school and the community, Square is determined to lead the school into a bright future flled with opportunities and academic excellence.

Square wasted no time in connecting with the Yates community. She hosted a community session with parents, alumni and local stakeholders to gather valuable insights and input on her vision for the school.

“My heart is really in the classroom. I want to create an environment for teachers to feel more valued, more appreciated because they are needed in education,” she said. “A lot of the times in education, people who do their job, they get rewarded with more work, they burn out, then they leave the profession all together.”

During these sessions, Square encouraged open dialogue, allowing parents, alumni and community members to share their hopes, concerns and aspirations for the school. Te feedback received in these sessions will inform the strategic plans that Square aims to put in place to enhance the overall educational experience at Yates.

“To make any school, particularly a high school, great, you’ve got to have the support unteers. I’m over one of the largest student organizations on campus,” said William Saunders, professor at Texas Southern University’s Jessie H. Jones School of Business.

“I had probably 200 or more students in my classes, so I’ve got access to help. Te student organizations have to perform community service every year. We’re going to make Jack

Stephanie Square