Harmony Public Schools Magazine - Summer 2019

M A G A Z I N E

SUMMER CAMPS & TRAVEL p.4 GRADUATES CHOOSE COLLEGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY p.6 NEW CAMPUSES ON THE WAY p.10 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT p.12

M A G A Z I N E

Welcome to Summer!

Here at Harmony, we have a lot to be excited about as another school year comes to a close, and not just the prospect of a moment to rest and relax.

The 2018-2019 school year was one of our best years ever, filled with several major recognitions and distinctions for our schools and students.

During this school year alone: • The Texas Education Agency awarded ‘A’-ratings to six Harmony districts. Additionally, every Harmony campus met or exceeded state standards.

• Seven high schools also received the College Success Award for college preparedness from GreatSchools.org.

• The U.S. Department of Education awarded Harmony an $8 million Education and Innovation Research grant to pioneer a new, early-education STEM program for elementary students.

• The TEA awarded Harmony a $1.7 million Principal Preparation Grant to provide scholarships for aspiring school leaders in Harmony districts across Texas to earn their master’s degree and principal’s certification.

• The TEA announced that each Harmony district earned a “Superior” rating for financial accountability.

The ratings consider a combination of 15 factors in determining how effectively and responsibly schools are using the public dollars entrusted to them.

• The Harmony School of Innovation-Fort Worth was recognized as an official state “School of Character”

by Character.org, one of only two high schools in the state to earn the distinction. Harmony School of Innovation-Houston and Harmony Science AcademyDallas also received honorable mentions.

• The Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) recognized Harmony with its highest award for financial responsibility, the Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations.

These achievements are a testament to the dedication and hard work of the students and staff throughout Harmony Public Schools, and a sign of more exciting things to come in 2019-2020.

• All 23 of our high schools statewide were named in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Top High Schools in America” list. In determining its top schools, U.S. News & World Report evaluates a variety of components, including college readiness, math and reading proficiency, math and reading performance, underserved student performance, and college curriculum breadth.

We can’t wait to see you again in August.

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Enjoy your summer!

Sincerely, Fatih Ay | CEO Harmony Public Schools

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Contents 4 Summer Travel and Camp Experiences 6 Harmony Grads Choose Their Destinations

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8 Harmony Helping Minority Students Achieve More 9 Parent Spotlight 10 New Campuses Coming Soon 11 Grants Awarded to Date 12 Alumni Spotlight 13 Find Your Calling with Harmony Career Pathways

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No Summer Brain Drain Here:

Summer Learning Camps and Travel Opportunities Plentiful for Harmony Students For some students, the last day of the school year is an endpoint.

But for many of the students at Harmony Public Schools, the end of the school year is the beginning of a summer filled with fun and new learning opportunities.

This summer alone, students from across Harmony will participate in summer camps and travel abroad programs across the state and around the world.

One of the most anticipated summer activities is the annual Harmony Residential Camp at the University of Texas-Dallas.

Split into two trips – one for boys and another for girls – the Residential Camp gives Harmony high schoolers a chance to tastetest real college life, as they stay in dorms and attend lectures taught by UT-Dallas graduate students and other staff members.

“It is a real college experience,” Mehmet Emir, Harmony’s Director of Student Engagement, said.

The STEM-focused courses include topics such as Hands-On Robotics, Games in Python, 3D Animations, and Java.

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At the end of the trip, students get to celebrate with a day of fun at Six Flags Over Texas amusement park. The camp is held in consecutive weeks in early June.

Around the same time, students with an interest in business and politics will be attending Summer Camp at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The five-day camp offers high school students a unique early peek at college life, while they study topics such as Diplomacy, American Foreign Policy, Global Issues, Marketing, Management, Accounting, Business Law, and Cyber Security. The camp takes place June 4-8.

Later this summer, students from across HPS with an interest in soccer will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best coaches at the “Real Madrid Campus Experience” in Spain.

Students will receive personal instruction from the coaches of the Real Madrid soccer club, one of the most famous sports organizations in the world. They’ll also explore the cities of Madrid and Toledo during a 10-day trip through Spain which also includes a visit to Warner Bros. Madrid theme park.

The trip is for boys and girls ages 14-17 entering 9th-12th grades.

Individual campuses also offer summer travel opportunities for their own students. For example, students at the Harmony School of Technology in Houston will be visiting Peru this summer to learn more about the country’s culture and rich history.

Trips like these are among the many international learning and study abroad opportunities offered by Harmony each year.

Last summer, Harmony students toured Europe, making stops in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

“Studying abroad is a lesson – an experience – that I don’t believe I could have learned in the traditional American classroom setting,” Harmony School of Ingenuity-Houston student Malik T. wrote about the trip.

“It required exposing myself to a new situation filled with new people and new experiences. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had.

“If there was one piece of advice I could offer to younger students considering studying abroad, it would be to ‘Go!’ Go out into the world and experience life. Find someplace that excites you. I can only hope, that when you go abroad, you too will enjoy every moment of your stay and learn something.”

Other recent international trips include Japan and Greece.

For younger students or those looking to stay closer to home over the summer, Harmony campuses statewide offer day-long and week-long summer camps and other educational opportunities.

Check with your campus or district to find out what’s happening near you.

DID YOU KNOW?

If you thought 4-H was just for farmers, think again. For the past two years, 4-H in Houston has partnered with Harmony Public Schools and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to offer a free summer robotics camp for Harmony students in Houston.

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Oh, the Places They’re Headed We believe at good education can take students anywhere they want to go.

Our Class of 2019 graduates are living proof.

To date, our seniors from across Texas have announced they’ll be attending more than 170 different college campuses in at least 34 states and three countries starting in the fall.

Other seniors have announced they’ll be enlisting in several branches of the U.S. military.

Check out the list on page 7 to see which colleges in which states our seniors have committed to for the fall, as well as some fun facts about the college choices of the Class of 2019 in the box at the right.

FULL LIST OF COLLEGES TO DATE

FUN FACTS

Number of States Represented: 34 Most Represented State: Texas, 92 colleges Most Represented State Outside Texas: California, 9 colleges Most Applied To: University of Houston Most Applied To Outside Texas: Stanford University (CA) Most Accepted: University of Houston Most Accepted Outside Texas: New England College (NH) Most Attending: University of Texas-Arlington

Harmony graduates chose colleges in 34 states across America (shown in blue)

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CL ASS OF 2019 COLLEGE CHOICES BY STATE ALABAMA Auburn University University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ARIZONA Arizona State University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Northern Arizona University University of Advancing Technology University of Arizona ARKANSAS University of Arkansas CALIFORNIA California Aeronautical University Musicians Institute Occidental College Pepperdine University Stanford University University of California University of California-Davis University of California-Santa Barbara University of Southern California COLORADO Johnson & Wales University - Denver Metropolitan State University University of Colorado-Boulder CONNECTICUT Yale University FLORIDA Florida Institute of Technology Florida State University Full Sail University Johnson & Wales University - North Miami Keiser University University of Central Florida University of Tampa GEORGIA Georgia State University Savannah College of Art and Design IDAHO Brigham Young University - Idaho ILLINOIS Aurora University Illinois College Knox College University of Chicago INDIANA Purdue University University of Notre Dame KANSAS Wichita State University KENTUCKY Berea College LOUISIANA Louisiana State University Tulane University Xavier University MAINE Colby College MARYLAND Johns Hopkins University Morgan State University University of Maryland-Eastern Shore MASSACHUSETTS Babson College Boston University Harvard University Massachusetts College of Art and Design University of Boston MINNESOTA Carleton College Metropolitan State University

MISSOURI Kansas City Art Institute Washington University in St. Louis MONTANA Montana State University-Bozeman NEW HAMPSHIRE New England College NEW MEXICO New Mexico State University University of New Mexico NEW YORK Cornell University Hofstra University Molloy College New York University Pratt Institute Rochester Institute of Technology NORTH CAROLINA Duke University OHIO Columbus College of Art and Design Wilmington College OKLAHOMA Oklahoma State University OREGON Corban University University of Oregon PENNSYLVANIA University of Pittsburgh TEXAS Abilene Christian University Angelo State University Arlington Baptist College Art Institute of Houston Austin College Austin Community College Baylor University Blinn College Brookhaven College Cedar Valley College Collin County Community College Concordia University Culinary Institute of America CyberTex Institute of Technology DeVry University Eastfield College El Centro College El Paso Community College Hardin-Simmons University Houston Baptist University Houston Community College Howard Payne University Huston-Tillotson University Lamar Institute of Technology Lamar University LeTourneau University Lincoln Technical Institute Lone Star College McLennan Community College McMurry University MIAT College of Technology North American University North Lake College Northwest Vista College Our Lady of the Lake University - Houston Our Lady of the Lake University - Rio Grande Valley Our Lady of the Lake University - San Antonio Palo Alto College Paul Quinn College Pima Medical Institute Prairie View A&M University Rice University

Richland College Richland Community College Sam Houston State University San Jacinto College Schreiner University Southern Methodist University Southwestern University St. Edward's University St. Mary's University St. Philip's College St. Thomas University Stephen F. Austin State University Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College Tarleton State University Tarrant County College District Texas A&M International University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University - Commerce Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Texas A&M University-Galveston Texas A&M University-San Antonio Texas Christian University Texas Southern University Texas Southmost College Texas State Technical College Texas State University Texas Tech University Texas Woman's University The College of Health Care Professions Trinity University Universal Technical Institute University of Houston University of Houston-Victoria University of Houston-Clear Lake University of Houston-Downtown University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of North Texas University of Texas University of Texas - Permian Basin University of Texas at Dallas University of Texas Rio Grande Valley University of Texas-Arlington University of Texas-El Paso University of Texas-San Antonio University of the Incarnate Word Valley Baptist Medical West Texas A&M University Wharton County Junior College UTAH Brigham Young University University of Utah VERMONT Bennington College VIRGINIA Liberty University University of Virginia WASHINGTON Seattle University University of Washington-Tacoma Whitworth University WISCONSIN University of Wisconsin-Madison U.S. MILITARY U.S. Air Force U.S. Army U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Naval Academy INTERNATIONAL IBA College (Ireland) Accademia di Belle Arti di Sanremo (Italy)

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Closing the Gap

Harmony Helping Minority Populations Achieve More

Graduation Rates 1 Sahin, A. (2013). STEM clubs and science fair competitions: Effects on post-secondary matriculation. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 14(1), 7-13.

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Education Week, (2011).

Harmony: 100%

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TX Avg: 72%

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U.S. Avg: 68%

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4 Year College Admission Rates for Harmony Graduates

African American Graduates

Hispanic Graduates

Economically Disadvantaged Graduates

88%

87%

87%

Sahin, A. (2013). STEM clubs and science fair competitions: Effects on post-secondary matriculation. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 14(1), 7-13.

National Center for Education Statistics, 2009.

African American Graduates

College Enrollment Rates

Harmony: 87%

Sahin, A., Ekmekci, A., & Waxman, H. C., Demirci, E., & Rangel, V. S. 1 Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015), 2 Desilver (2014), 3 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (2016)

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Hispanic Graduates

Harmony: 84%

TX Avg: 46%

U.S. Avg: 58%

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1

Economically Disadvantaged Graduates

Harmony: 82%

TX Avg: 53%

U.S. Avg: 72%

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2

TX Avg: 43%

U.S. Avg: 51%

Percentage of Harmony Graduates Choosing STEM Majors in College 1

Sahin, A., Ekmekci, A., & Waxman, H. C., Demirci, E., & Rangel, V. S. High School Longitudinal Study: 2009 (Ingels, et al., 2015), calculated using weights.

African American Graduates

Hispanic Graduates

Economically Disadvantaged Graduates

Harmony 56.7%

Harmony 58.1%

Harmony 70.4%

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TX Avg: 20.5%

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TX Avg: 29%

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TX Avg: 27.2%

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U.S. Avg: 13.8%

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U.S. Avg: 19.8%

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U.S. Avg: 18.3%

Spotlight Family

Celida & Derek Celida isn’t just an average Harmony Public Schools mom.

She’s also an alum, which is one of the reasons she finds it so enjoyable to drop her son Derek off at her former Harmony school each day.

I was attending Harmony, one of my teachers told me ‘Like a great “ While building needs a great foundation, our great foundation is education.’

To me that was important, and it stuck with me. I wanted Derek to have this experience, and I know Harmony has the tools to have a good foundation so that later on if he decides to go to college or do whatever he wants, he’ll have those tools to be able to be successful.

“

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COMING SOON‌ New Harmony Campuses in the Works Harmony Public Schools will continue its expansion efforts in the coming years to help meet the educational needs of more students across Texas.

Here’s a look at which new campuses are currently in the works.

COMING FALL 2019

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Harmony Science Academy-Cypress [ Photos 1-3 ]

Harmony Public Schools is proud to announce its first campus in the North Houston suburb of Cypress, opening in Fall 2019 on Greenhouse Road. Currently under construction, the K-5 campus will be led by principal Evangelena Taylor, a five-year Harmony veteran who earned her Master of Education (M. Ed) in Educational Leadership and Administration at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

COMING FALL 2020

El Paso Campus #4 [ Photos 4-6 ] El Paso Campus #5

Harmony Public Schools will debut its fourth and fifth campuses in El Paso in Fall 2020.

The side-by-side campuses are thoughtfully designed to fit the educational and social needs of the students and staff members inside, as well as the communities they serve outside, and will serve as the template for future Harmony campus designs going forward.

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$81.2 Million in Total Grant Money Awarded to Harmony Since 2011

Take a look at some of the recent grants bestowed upon Harmony and learn how they are being utilized to create new opportunities for our students and educators.

$30 million

Race to the Top – District (RTT-D) Grant by the US Department of Education Promotes personalized learning for all students through technology integration, data dashboards, and blended learning environments.

$26.7 million

Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grant by the US Department of Education Invests in personalized, professional learning and competency-based, career growth opportunities for educators to improve student outcomes, as well as rewarding high-performing educators with merit-based bonuses.

$8 million

Education Innovation Research (EIR) Grant by the US Department of Education Strengthens an early foundation in STEM education in elementary schools by integrating technology and project-based learning into the STEM curriculum, while focusing on growing strong elementary teachers in STEM.

$2 million

Principal Preparation Grant by the Texas Education Agency Provides scholarships for 30 aspiring school leaders in Harmony districts across Texas to earn their master’s degree and principal’s certification.

$14.5 million

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Creates innovative STEM pathways for high school students and establishes cutting edge science and engineering labs to deliver a hands-on project-based learning curriculum to prepare college-ready graduates and create a STEM pipeline to college.

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Alumni Spotlight

Maria Martinez Attending a new school for the first time can be intimidating for many students. But Maria Martinez’s first day at Harmony Science Academy-Austin wasn’t just her first at Harmony; it was her first at a U.S. school of any kind.

“I came from Mexico directly into Harmony when I was 12 years old with a little bit of English,” she said, “nothing but ‘my name is ____’ “ and how old I was, and that was it.”

Maria’s mother liked Harmony’s structured environment and “small school” culture. Both of these helped make the transition to a completely new education system easier for Maria.

“I thought it was going to be very hard for me to assimilate into the new school environment,” she said. “However, I was able to learn English in one semester thanks to the support of my teachers.”

At Harmony, Maria was able to plug into science and UIL competitions that met her burgeoning interests, and graduated in the top three of her class with the help of teachers and counselors.

After graduation, Maria went on to study at the University of Texas in Austin. But as she began to reach the end of her college career, she realized that her true calling was back with Harmony.

“I decided that I wanted to be a teacher, and I knew that I wanted to go back to Harmony. I wanted to be a teacher that supported students like my teachers did for me. I wanted to work in the same safe environment I was in during my school years. Now I am in my third year as a Harmony teacher, and I strive to be the positive role model my teachers were for me to my students. As a Harmony student turned Harmony teacher, I see myself in my students every single day. Because of the passion my teachers at Harmony showed me as a student, I understand the importance of my role as a teacher.”

DID YOU KNOW?

As part of Harmony Public Schools’ “Grow Your Own Teacher” (GYOT) program, Harmony offers up to $20,000 in college financial aid to current HPS students and recent grads interested in becoming Harmony teachers. To find out more, visit harmonytx.org/gyot.php 12 Harmony Public Schools | Summer 2019

Find Your Calling with Harmony Career Pathways Whether a student’s goal is college or a more direct path to the workforce, Harmony offers a variety of multi-course career pathways that will give them a head start toward the career of their dreams.

Check out some of the career pathways currently offered at some of our Harmony schools across the state:

Additionally, popular career-focused courses that are offered include:

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Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Arts, A/V Technology & Communications Business Management & Administration Finance Government & Public Administration Health Sciences Human Services Information Technology Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Marketing Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Course offerings vary by campus. See your neighborhood Harmony school to find out more about career pathways.

Accounting Advanced Energy & Natural Resource Technology Aerospace Engineering Audio/Video Production Biomedical Innovation Business Information Management Civil Engineering & Architecture Computer Maintenance Computer Programming Court Systems & Practices Cybersecurity Digital Media Engineering Design & Problem Solving Entrepreneurship Fashion Design Forensic Science Graphic Design & Illustration Law Enforcement Medical Microbiology Principles of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Robotics Scientific Research & Design Sports & Entertainment Marketing Statistics & Business Decision Making Video Game Design Harmony Public Schools | Summer 2019 13