Executive Summary
A School Where All Students CAN and DO Learn.
Memorial Hall School was established in 1966 by Donna White Aurich, and shortly after Reverend George Aurich joined the school serving as Headmaster. The school was established in order to provide a small structured, supportive and secure environment for students with learning differences. Over the past 30 years, there have been substantial changes in the complexion of our student body due to the growing influx of International Students.
The school is located in the Northwest area of Houston, the heart of the the city, which is surrounded by multiple outlying suburbs with easy access to freeways. Many of these students live with relatives, teachers or “host families,” and some not in the immediate area, travel great distances to and from school each day.
One uniqueness of Memorial Hall is that all of our students are international, comprised of students from Vietnam, China, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Brazil. They have been entrusted to us by their families, to help them navigate through the educational process as well as make them feel safe and secure while in our care. It is evident when you walk the halls of our school that there is a “family” atmosphere. Building an environment of supporting one another while celebrating our differences is one of our strong points.
Our school is a 501-3c nonprofit school, governed by a Board of Directors, whose members act as trustees of the assets and exercise due diligence to oversee that the organization is well-managed and remains financially sound. The Board has given authority to our present director, Mrs. Kimberly Aurich Taylor to manage and coordinate day-to-day activities and learning, fostering the school’s purpose. Memorial Hall School is fully accredited by AdvanceED/SACS CASI. We are an approved school under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enroll nonimmigrant students on F-1, student visas.
Memorial Hall School communicates a shared vision and direction for improving the performance and effectiveness of the school. We are privileged to work with and provide exciting, structured and personalized educational environment for the students from many countries.
We continue to experience change in the complexion of the student body. The face of the student body has changed – but the individual realistic needs of the students remains the same – language barriers, coupled with one extremely complicated difference – diverse cultures. ESL is taught to all students not proficient in English. The International Plan must also address cultural and social differences.
One of the outstanding characteristics of the International Student is the ability to focus and set high expectations with enthusiasm. This is an attitude that is infectious and catching amongst the student body and faculty.
The students enter Memorial Hall at many different times in their academic careers. The earlier they enter the more opportunity exists to enable them to establish a solid foundation in English, thinking abilities, and to continue to progress in every academic area. The lack of proficiency of English is not a handicap but rather another challenge which we must address in order for them to succeed.
Student and faculty are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects high morals and ethical standards, with respect for others, while adhering to the policies and procedures as defined by the Student and Faculty Handbooks. Our curriculum is aligned with the State Standards of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Stanford Achievement Testing is administered each semester to measure each students’ progress. The scores provide a benchmark for our Leadership and Instructional Staff to gain an understanding of each student’s academic level, where they may need instruction and their progress. Instructional Staff use the results to analyze and determine when to implement student accommodations accordingly.
Our school benefits from its limited size, which provides the staff the opportunity to work with the individual student on a one on one basis. The motto of Memorial Hall School from the very beginning has been –
“A School Where All Students Can and Do Learn.”
This is evident in the attitude of the student body. They feel they can learn, do learn, and will succeed. This is apparent not only in academics but also in the cultural and social areas. It is not enough to give instruction in course material, but also extremely important to provide a structure to enable the student to mature and develop into an individual who can live, perform and continue to grow in sometimes a totally new and different cultural setting. The uniqueness of Memorial Hall School is emphasized by the fact that we have become and function as “Family” for many of our students. Memorial Hall is family – from our Leadership, Instructional Staff and throughout the student body.