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| Students and district leaders celebrate with ribbon cutting. |
Housman Elementary is one of 13 elementary schools that have been rebuilt under the $597 million 2007 Bond Plan.
Remaining schools in the design or construction phase are Frostwood, Valley Oaks and Rummel Creek elementaries.
The original Housman school opened in 1950. The new Housman Elementary is a two-story, 100,500-square-feet building with a wide central hallway and exterior façade of brick, Texas limestone, split face concrete block, glazed curtain walls and shiny aluminum canopies.
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| The new Housman Elementary School - A 2007 Bond Program Project |
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| Students and area families enjoyed tours of the new facility and refreshments. |
After more than a year in a transition building, students and staff returned to their east-side neighborhood on Jan. 8. Several hundred people gathered Jan. 22 for an after-school celebration in the new cafeteria.
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| Superintendent Klussmann thanks student leaders for their participation in the grand opening celebration. |
Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., delivered the welcoming remarks and introduced several special guests. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Board of Trustees member Katherine Dawson delivered greetings from Trustees. A former Housman third-grade teacher, she recalled past memories and asked the students and others to make new special ones.
Other Trustees who attended the Housman Grand Opening were Board President Pam Goodson, Mike Falick, Wayne Schaper, Sr., Chris Gonzalez, Bob Stevenson and Chris Vierra.
“Great things have occurred for years at Housman, and now you have a building that exemplifies this excellence of today and the hopes and promise of tomorrow. This is a new beginning and a time to celebrate. So what memories will you begin making today, and moving forward, in this new Housman Elementary building?”
She told gathered students: “This is your time to shine in this awesome new building and to show your Mustang pride by keeping the building nice, coming to school every day to learn, working hard, studying hard, and making memories. The memories that you make starting today and all the important things that you learn while at Housman will help you become what you want to be as a grown up.” (Read below for full statement)
Housman Principal Mary Lou Davalos noted that the old building held special memories, but new ones are being made. “The new Housman is beautiful. It is stunning. I get choked up by it. The new Housman will spark our children to do well in the future, too,” she said.
Student performances and presentations included a Zumba Fitness Dance by kindergartners set to the music of “Baila de Emociona Calypso;” poems by two fourth-graders; and special Words of Gratitude readings by fifth-graders. (Read below for student statements)
A video, titled “A Visual: Housman from Old to New,” was also shown. After the program, cookies were served to event guests.
Bay-IBI Group Architects provided building design services. Gamma Construction was the project contractor. SBISD Planning and Construction’s Kris Drosche was the project director.
Greetings from the SBISD Board of Trustees President Katherine Dawson
It is a privilege to bring you greetings
from the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees. Also, it is a special honor
for me to stand here and deliver this welcome because almost sixteen years ago
I began my teaching career here at Housman.
I have some incredible memories, those
special things you remember for a lifetime. I remember the smiling faces
every morning when I picked up my students from the main front hallway and our
brisk outdoor walks to the back part of the building and being the lone third
grade teacher on the amazing 5th grade wing.
I remember being thankful that my room
had carpet where other classrooms did not. I remember our lessons on the
rainforest and our parents who shared about their jobs during our community
lessons. I remember our awesome HUG volunteers of the past who continue
today to truly make a difference in our students' lives.
I remember our Community in Schools
staff who continue to provide our kids the tools and resources that help them
succeed in school. I even remember thinking about running for the Board
of Trustees because I wanted to represent our Housman kids and make
opportunities for all our kids to succeed.
Most of all I remember the strong
community and amazing parents, students and facility that make up the Housman
family. This strong community continues to be part of today's memories
and the reason we are here to today to celebrate the grand opening of the new
Housman building.
Today, I stand here making a new memory
in a new building. Our community believed in the importance of passing a
bond so we could build schools for our future. Spring Branch believes in
our future and your potential as seen in our ambitious goal to double
the number of students completing a technical certificate, military training,
two-year degree or four-year degree.
We call this Spring Branch T24. Our
community and district have given you a structure and a goal. This new school
is an investment in you. What you do within this building determines your
future and will help you achieve you goal. You have transitioned from a sixty
year old building to a transition campus and now with great excitement and
anticipation you are back home in this new, bright, open and colorful
building.
Great things have occurred for years at
Housman and now you have a building that exemplifies this excellence of today
and the hopes and promise of tomorrow. This is a new beginning and a time
to celebrate. So what memories will you begin making today and moving
forward in this new Housman building?
To our community, one must begin by
saying thank you. Thank you for having the confidence and belief in our
kids and SBISD as we "build our future in Spring Branch." This
is a community school, a partnership with those in this room, and your
investment in Housman assures our kids a bright future. Utilize this
cheerful, beautiful and functional space to mentor, provide programs and find
new ways to get involved. Let the contagiousness of something new spill over
into your efforts and energize you to do more. Community members are a
key factor to helping our kids believe and succeed in our Spring Branch
T24. May this be the beginning of many celebratory memories you have at
Housman.
To our parents, this is your
neighborhood school. May you feel welcomed at all times and may you
actively participate in the education of your children. Join your PTA,
become a volunteer, find ways to become active at this school. Even the
smallest effort and a little bit of time can make a big impact, create a
special memory and have a lasting effect on your child's education.
To the Housman staff, you inspire your
students daily to learn and grow, to dream and hope and see the importance of
today's efforts in shaping their future. May you be inspired by this new
facility and may you pass on that inspiration to your students. Enjoy the
things a new building brings such as cubbies for the kids' belongs, well
designed rooms, planning spaces and from what I have heard consistent
temperature control; all factors that affect a day of learning. Beyond
these things know that this new building reflects the greatness that has been
occurring daily in your teaching and may you continue to perpetuate your
strengths will enjoying and incorporating the benefits this new school has to
offer. You are true memory makers in the minds and hearts of our students.
Finally and most importantly, to the
Housman students, take a moment and look around this room. The people
that fill this room are here because of you. Today, we will cut a ribbon
that is meant to create a memory regarding the opening of this school.
This is your school and you are the reason this new building was
constructed. We believe in you and your bright future.
Just raise your hand if you have thought
about what you want to be when you grow up. Whatever you decide, it starts here
in this building. Learn those math facts, take time to discover new
places and things through reading a good book, dream and imagine then share those
thoughts through your writings, listen to your teachers they are here for you
and choose to do your best.
This is your time to shine in this
awesome new building and to show your mustang pride by keeping the building
nice, coming to school every day ready to learn, working hard, studying hard
and making memories. The memories you make starting today and all the
important things you learn while at Houseman will help you become what you want
to be as a grown up.
In closing, I ask you again what memories
will you make here in this spectacular building. It is truly humbling to
think about what this building holds for today and tomorrow and the memories
that will be made in the next sixty years. Enjoy this new beginning and
start making those special memories.
At this point in time, I am going to
share another memory and that is walking into this school for a tour during
construction and meeting an energetic, smiling individual who beamed with pride
for her school and her mustang community. This is individual is Mary Lou
Davalos, your Housman Principal and it is my privilege to introduce her to you
today. Mary Lou.
Words
of Gratitude from Housman 5th Grade Class Representatives
Kassandra
Ortiz
When
I came to Housman Elementary in second grade, I quickly felt at home because my
teacher made me feel welcomed. I thought it couldn’t get better than this. When
I was in 3rd grade, however, I received the exciting news that we
would have a new school built. Ms. Davalos and Mr. Mendizabal showed us an
example of what it might look like.
In
what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was announced that we would finally be
coming back ‘home’. My imagination ran wild with what to expect and I got that
cool nervous feeling inside me.
When
I walked into my new school, the first thing I saw was the mustang painting
made up of a thousand Housman words. Everywhere I looked was simply amazing.
During lunch time I sit and stare at our beautiful stage picturing me graduating
in May.
This
is the first of many dreams coming true. Thank you, Dr. Klussmann, School Board
Members, Principals and Teachers, so much for all the hard work.
Vanessa
Barrera
After
long months of waiting, for this magnificent transformation and the many
efforts and sacrifices of our families, teachers and builders, the day to
return to Housman was finally here. We could not sleep thinking about the big
day and our new school that would welcome us with open arms. Many remember the
emotions when the bus stopped in front of the school and we looked at each
other with big smiles. Everything was like a dream come true. We could not
believe it, we felt like it was a university.
This
beautiful work inspires us for the future, with a library as the central point
to dream big, this school is the result of our achievements and it will help us
take on new roles in life.
We
will be the first class to graduate from this colorful and wonderful building.
Thank you for the opportunity to learn in the most modern of facilities. It is
a real pride to belong to this school and be a part of the Spring Branch
Independent School District.
Jackie
Hernandez
My
name is Jackie Hernandez-Ortiz and I’m a 5th grade student. First of
all I need to say about the new school is that I’m very impressed with the size
of this school. My jaw dropped when I walked in for the first time. I couldn’t
believe that this was going to be my new “home”.
Yet
a part of me is saddened knowing that I will be graduating in a few short
months. But on the other hand, I get to be the first to walk across our
gorgeous stage. This new building will allow me to get closer to achieving my
dreams of becoming a doctor someday. I want to thank you, Dr. Klussmann, School
Board Members, principals and teachers for your endless hours of work.
Jonathan
Romero
As
a fifth grader I am honored to be a Housman Mustang and one of the first to
graduate this new school. I hope my classmates feel the same way about this
building as I know how much work was put into it.
We
as students should try to keep it clean for the next generation of kids to
enjoy it. I want to thank the teachers, workers, students who helped in the
making of this school. I hope the next generation’s future is as bright as
mine.
This
building is a gift to all of us. I would like to thank Ms. Davalos and Mr.
Mendizabal for being our principal and assistant principal in guiding us to our
future and lives. Thank you teachers for teaching us and maturing us for the
future.
Poems
from Fourth Grade Students
New
Housman- Avery English
New
and clean,
Up
and down,
New
sights to see all around.
Stripes
of color on the walls,
Be
careful not to scratch the wall,
Lot’s
of rooms in one huge hall.
The
New School that SAID! - Stephanie Martinez
On
the playground, I don’t fill you with fright,
But
I fill you with delight,
You
can explore me in an abundance of ways,
And
discover something you’ve never seen before
Don’t
shout and don’t be a bully in my halls,
Remember,
I’m two stories tall,
And
think of those who clean your mess,
I
bet it kind of makes them upset.
I
know I’m not gold,
But
take care of me,
So
I can be part of your treasure,
That
fills you with pleasure!
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