Midtown a good fit for innovative campus

"We're just tickled they're here and are about to finish their first academic year," said David Robinson, president of the Neartown Association. "The facility is gorgeous. It's a showpiece for the community."

The new campus has transformed its 570 students' day-to-day learning experiences, Principal Ramon Moss said.

"This year, for the first time, we have standard laboratories for the sciences with state-of the-art equipment," Moss said.

For 10 years before moving to its new building, Carnegie Vanguard operated from the former Carnegie Elementary School site at 10401 Scott St. There, the school relied heavily on temporary classrooms.

In the previous building, the many temporary classrooms lacked adequate temperature control, and students had to walk outside to get to some parts of the campus.

"Once students left class, they were exposed to the outside elements," Moss said. "We're all enclosed now, and we have enough space to spread out."

Moss said the community has access to the building's athletic field after school.

"We wanted to be great neighbors and be part of our community from the onset," he said.

The school's two-story garage is available to the community during non-school hours.

The school that is now Carnegie Vanguard High School was founded more than 35 years ago as a school within a school at Jesse Jones High School, 7414 St. Lo.

The school was rated as exemplary by the Texas Education Agency from 2007-11. It was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008 and was included in Newsweek's Top 100 Public Schools 2009-11.

In March, TheBestSchools.org ranked Carnegie Vanguard No. 26 on its list of the top 50 public high schools in the nation.

Carnegie Vanguard's new home was designed by Rey de la Reza, founding principal of RdlR Architects of the Heights.

Early in the planning process, de la Reza met with the school faculty, staff and administrators, along with parents and community members, to hear their priorities for the building.

Everything about the resulting design, from the building's colors and lines to its technology, was added with creativity and learning in mind.

Special features include the building's two-story library named the "House of Learning," along with a nearby lounge area.

The building also has a roof where students can plant gardens and use outdoor classrooms.

Funding for the $17.4 million campus came mainly from a bond issue approved by Houston Independent School District voters in 2007.

Funding also was provided by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Fourth Ward Redevelopment Authority to support the community park on campus.

The building's 15.7-acre site already was home to the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, a fine arts magnet school for grades pre-kindergarten through eight at 1101 Taft.

Carnegie Vanguard's construction project has incorporated an Art Deco building on site.

That structure, the 1930s-era Settegast Estate building, will become the school's fine arts facility. Work on that project is expected to be completed in June.

"I'm cautiously optimistic the renovated historic building will be on par with and as excellent as the school building," Robinson said.

Catherine Roberts of the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, 1314 Andrews St., said she's optimistic about the high school, too.

"We look forward to a long relationship with Carnegie Vanguard High School," said Roberts, who serves on the museum's board of directors.

"We have been very blessed to have our first volunteer from there even before the school opened."

Giselle Phalo, now a senior at Carnegie Vanguard, has volunteered for two years for the museum, helping with restoration of historic houses, handling office administration work and assisting with the museum's Juneteenth event.

The museum strives to preserve the history of Freedmen's Town.

"I think the experience of working with us has really enhanced her education, and it has helped the Yates museum," said Roberts, adding that she hopes more students will volunteer there.

Said Moss: "We want to ensure our students receive the best academic education possible. As they leave here, their options are unlimited as far as higher education."

Moss said he's grateful for the support the school has received from community members, nearby neighborhood associations, area churches, businesses and community organizations.

Last June, the school held a community event with Gregory-Lincoln Education Center and the Freedmen's Town Association.

The celebration fell just before Juneteenth.

"We want to commemorate the one-year anniversary of that event with a dedication ceremony for the school," Moss said.

The Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum will present a Texas State Historic Marker dedication honoring attorney J. Vance Lewis from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at St. James United Methodist Church, 1217 Wilson St.

Details: www.yatesmuseum.org