ADVANCEMENT TIMES
December 17,2021
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL DR. ATAS!
Dear HSA Families,
Happy Holidays! The holidays give us an opportunity to pause our busy lives and reflect on our proud accomplishments. The season offers us a chance to say “thank you” to the entire school community for all of the support that you provide to our students, our families, and our staff.
Your selfless work and dedication helps to make a positive difference and support student achievement. I want to thank you for all that you have done this year. We will continue to support each other, celebrate one another, and take pride in the accomplishments of all members of our HSA community. The HSA parents continue to amaze me with sustained commitment and dedication to student achievement. Your efforts are greatly appreciated as we know you all worked so hard and so tirelessly to bring out the best that we could do for our students, staff, and community.
We have had an outstanding first semester with many opportunities for our students to demonstrate their amazing talents and passions, even through the challenges of the difficult year we have endured. The success of our students is essential. Day-to-day events at HSA are the best indicators of our strong and dedicated staff and parents who consistently show commitment to excellence and a deep caring for all our students.
As a leader, I am continuously impressed with the amount of time and energy my staff and parents put into making sure all students are successful! I appreciate your extra effort and support to help ensure learning continues during these difficult times and to help our students succeed. I am so grateful for each of HSA’s incredibly amazing parents who consistently show they want nothing but the best for our students. Thank you for everything you do each and every day that helps to make HSA such a wonderful school. My goal is to make HSA the best school ever with your support and cooperation. Lastly, I hope that each one of you has a safe and joyful holiday season and has time to enjoy your family.
Kind Regards,
Bekir Atas, Ed.D.
Principal
HSA Students Take Studying to New Heights
HSA Students Earn Prestigious Questbridge Scholarships
A huge shoutout to our Questbridges recipients! We are very proud of you.
Filza A. will be attending Grinnell College in Iowa on a full academic scholarship.
Brayan M. will attend The University of Chicago on a full academic scholarship.
HSA HOSA STUDENTS SCORED AMONG THE TOP TEN IN OUR REGION FOR THEIR EVENT!
Sally N.- 4th Cultural Diversities & Disparities in Healthcare
Selmanur A.- 5th Dental Terminology
Adela D.- 9th Biomedical Laboratory Science
Clarissa D.- 7th Clinical Nursing
Filza A.- 8th Clinical Nursing
Arisha K.- 10th Veterinary Science
Sohan K. and Jonathan C.- 2nd CERT Skills
Jonathan T. and Mohammad-Reza Ali-Khan- 3rd CERT Skills
Dominique-Liz Arevalo, Khorie J., and Marcela Cerrato F.- 4th Creative Problem Solving
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL HSA DRONE TEAM STUDENTS FOR THE AMAZING SUCCESS!
Advancement Black Student Union Holds Panel Discussion on Colorism and Mental Health!
Student members of the Harmony School of Advancement Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a Panel Discussion entitled “Colorism: It’s Roots, Causes and Links to Mental Health in the Houston Community” on December 14th where a robust and rich dialogue regarding the definition of colorism, its ties to racism and White Supremacy, and its long-term effects on the mental health of the Greater Houston community, specifically adolescents and young adults.
Japanese educator, writer and philosopher Dr. Daisaku Ikeda has this to say about dialogue and discussion: “Conflict and tension do not in themselves render dialogue impossible; what builds the walls between us is our willingness to remain ignorant of others. This is why it is crucial to be the one to initiate dialogue. Dialogue is not some simplistic assertion of one’s own position, nor is it necessarily about persuading others to one’s point of view. Dialogue is about demonstrating respect for another’s life and being determined to learn when confronted with differences in personality and perspective. Everything begins with dialogue. It is the initial step in the creation of value, the starting point and unifying force in all human relationships.” It is in this spirit that the panel discussion commenced.
The panelists included representation from Harris Health System Department of Diversity & Inclusion, Advancement campus parents, local activists and members of the student body. Panelists discussed the connections between commerce, capitalism, racism and ultimately colorism and offered their personal experiences with colorism as young people, and how it adversely impacted their mental health. Audience members contributed their thoughts as well, concluding that to truly combat racism and colorism, one must question their own preconceived notions about others and engage in self-love with themselves to not fall prey to the mental stresses of social separation.
The Advancement BSU hopes to make panel discussion events such as this one a regular occurrence on campus to encourage open dialogue about difficult subjects and allow students the learning opportunity of open communication.
HSA Alumnus Honored as NASA Boeing Space Flight Awareness Trailblazer!
Ryan Demny, a graduate of Harmony School of Advancement (Class of 2013), as part of the ISS program, earned the space agency’s prestigious honor.
https://www.boeing.com/features/2021/11/nasa-honors-boeing-space-and-launch-trailblazers.page?
fbclid=IwAR1KtV7Bt17VnnNXZbD28DZPFWZa3Wagj4NHUCf9DyFe137U5sdWaH82KZA
Coffee with the Principal!
HSA ALUMNI DINNER
We would like to congratulate you on your achievement of graduating during the midst of a global pandemic, and congratulate all who have been accepted and are attending college. We miss you all dearly, and are excited about your next steps in your career. The past year made it difficult to enjoy each others' company, and for this, the Project Graduation Club for 2022 would like to welcome you back to visit for a night of fun and unity amongst each other once more. Our Alumni Dinner will be held on January 7th, 2022 from 5-7 pm. It will be held in the Harmony School of Advancement cafeteria, and all food and refreshment will be provided. We encourage you all to come and tell your friends to attend as well, as it would be a great opportunity to reunite.
RSVP: https://forms.gle/8Zuoiy3PgQwY1oKP9
Hope to see you soon!
STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS SCHOLARSHIP (SASS)
The Harmony School of Advancement College & Career Counseling (CCC) Department is launching the Student Academic Success Scholarship (SASS). This is a specialized scholarship fund intended for students who have financial needs and want to participate in academic activities such as extracurriculars and competitions.
The second round of SASS funds will be allotted for the upcoming Senior Florida Trip and will cover all costs of the camp for the chosen SASS finalists. Students can apply by picking up an application package from their assigned counselor in the Student Service Center in room 301 and submitting all materials by the deadline.
The CCC Department hopes to encourage students to take part in this exciting activity by providing scholarships to those students who otherwise would not be able to attend. If you would like to be a donor to this scholarship fund and assist Advancement students in being able to participate in activities, please visit the Advancement web page, click on RevTrak and add "SASS donation" in the notes.
For more information on the SASS or regarding the AP/EOC camp, please contact Mr. Akin at akaraarslan@harmonytx.org.
El Departamento de Consejería Universitaria y Profesional de Harmony School of Advancement (CCC) está lanzando la Beca de Éxito Académico Estudiantil (SASS). Este es un fondo de becas especializado destinado a estudiantes que tienen necesidades económicas y quieren participar en actividades académicas extracurriculares y concursos.
La primera ronda de fondos SASS se asignará específicamente para el próximo Campamento Senior Florida Trip y cubrirá todos los costos del campamento para los finalistas SASS elegidos. Los estudiantes pueden presentar su solicitud recogiendo un paquete de solicitud de su consejero asignado en el Centro de Servicios Estudiantiles en el salón 301 y enviando todos los materiales antes de la fecha límite.
El Departamento de CCC espera animar a los estudiantes a participar en esta emocionante actividad proporcionando becas a aquellos estudiantes que de otra manera no podrían asistir. Si desea ser un donante de este fondo de becas y ayudar a los estudiantes de Advancement a participar en las actividades, visite la página web de Advancement, haga clic en RevTrak, haga su donación y escriba "donación de SASS" en las notas.
Para obtener más información sobre el SASS o sobre el campamento AP / EOC, comuníquese con el Sr. Akin en akaraarslan@harmonytx.org
STUDENT ASSISTANCE FORM
As we embark on a new school year unlike any other, we at Harmony recognize the increase in challenges that many of our students and families are facing. As such, if there is any need, for example, a need for food, clothing, mental health support, or if your family is going through a difficult time and it is affecting your child, please let us know.
This year, we are offering parents the means to communicate any non-academics needs to the school through a Student Assistance Form, better known as a SAF. By submitting a SAF, you will be alerting the campus administrators to your child’s needs and will give us an opportunity to provide resources, support, or some form of assistance.
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING AT OUR SCHOOL?
Parent involvement in education is crucial. Studies have shown that, when parents are involved at school, the performance of all children at the school, not just their own students, exhibits improvement.
Become part of our new volunteer program and get alerted to new opportunities for you to volunteer at HSA!
Visit https://tinyurl.com/swhxekv7 for more information and to register.
Email akaraarslan@harmonytx.org if you have any questions about the volunteer program.
GET CONNECTED TO HSA!
Email: akaraarslan@harmonytx.org
Website: https://hsadvancement.harmonytx.org/
Location: 3171 North Sam Houston Pkwy W, Houston, TX 77038, USA
Phone: (281) 741-8899
Facebook: facebook.com/hsadvancement/