Premier High School - Houston Gallery Furniture North

09/15/2026

Mack has always believed in a hard day's work. Without Jim Mcingvale, many of the great stories we have and continue to share of overcoming obstacles, personal achievement, or strengthening the Trades would have been written.

Thank you, Mack!! From the students, the instructors, and everyone at Premier High Schools inside Gallery Furniture, and the amazing programs of WorkTexas. We appreciate you and the leadership Mike Feinberg continues to provide for our Trades Education community.

ResponsiveEd

09/08/2026

July 8th, 8:30 pm. A Home Depot cart: one backpack, one apprentice tool set, gloves, safety glasses. Gerardo R., Class of 2026, is buying his tools even before he has the job.

10:56 that night, all of it laid out on his bed like the night before the first day of school.

6:17 the next morning, at the front door of Hays Electrical Services, three tests waiting inside. He didn't pass. Not today.

But he waited out the thirty days the rules require. He kept the tools. Started working on getting his TWIC card, on his own, and even emailed Hays to say so, because he knew he would need it.

Thirty-three days later, Gerardo is back. Two tests this time. One took 15 minutes, one took 30. He passed both.

Friday, August 28, around 11 in the morning, his phone rang: Hays Electrical Services, with a spot in their training program. He accepted on the call. "I'm really excited to get started."

Four hours of classroom and four of hands-on, every day for 90 days — their 90 Day E1 Training Bootcamp + an electrician certificate at the end.

You've seen him on this page before, in February, in the Amazon tour group photo.

Right now, this morning at 6am, he started.

The first photo is ours, from Mr. Gibbs' class in February. The other six are his, one timestamp at a time. Every tool in that bag is his.

Premier taught him to wire a wall. The rest he did himself.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD!
, ResponsiveEd

09/06/2026

Six teams competed in the Royal High School parking lot in Brookshire, TX, and we finished, well... Sixth. However! The judges had something else to say to our very own Isaac B. during the award presentations: "Congratulations."

Saturday was the Services Build-Off in Brookshire, where four 'Premier' Welders got a set of plans, a stack of 3/16" plate, and a little over four hours to turn it into a fire pit, stars and stripes on three sides with a rim of barbed wire running around the top.

By 10:42, the feels-like temp was 112.8F, and if you've ever held a rod stinger in leathers and flame-resistant clothing in September, you know that number is just the floor for the heat you are about to experience.

Isaac B., Jacob F., Evelyn C., and Nevelett C. had every piece ground clean, tacked, and assembled when the clock stopped at 12:15. The welds weren't finished, but the pit was standing on its own.

Top Hand is the judges' pick of one welder out of everyone competing, and they gave it to Isaac! Acknowledged for his leadership, drive, and getting his team through a morning that included a judges' safety stop and a grinder that made its own mark for the day. After that, the four of them called out every arc and every grinder before it started, the way a real crew does. The prize was a DeWalt grinder, which is either a coincidence or a sign that the judges have a sense of humor.

Isaac's brother Emmanuel B. and Evelyn's brother Julian F. came along as the pit crew and did the half of the work nobody photographs: both canopies up before eight and everything heavy moved, while Julian planted himself next to the cooler and handed cold water to anyone who wandered within ten feet of it. Mrs. Lindsy gave up her Saturday to pick up some of the crew at their front doors at 5 a.m. and feed them a Whataburger breakfast on the way. It's the kind of thing that never makes a photo reel or a scoresheet but should.

Then the part that makes this series what it really is. Huntsville High School's Jeff Sockwell ran a second welder off his Huntsville rig for us and brought over a welding table. And when we were packing up, he told us to keep it. Roldan Salais, who hosted all six teams in Royal's shop, found us a stinger. Walker Rose from Pearland sat with Mr. Tim and laid out what a competitive team does differently, then spent the morning walking over to support our welders. Before he left, he offered to bring his program to our shop for a Saturday build. Richard Tuttle's Giddings crew and Greg Morris's Navasota crew worked the same lot, and both teams assisted our future competition team. Huntsville won it, and Royal took the peer award with three of the five coins the other teams had to give.

At lunch, with the clock already stopped, the four of them were deep into "next time, we should," and that's the line worth keeping from the whole day.

Thank you to Texas High School Welding Series, Royal HS, Huntsville Hornet Welding, Pearland Welding, Giddings High School, Navasota High School, and the five instructors who made room for a sixth team.

09/03/2026

Your Premier High School is cooking up something amazing! Our Dual Credit and Professional Trades program continues to expand, and this time, we are partnering with the CULINARY INSTITUTE LENOTRE.

LeNotre offers an exceptional opportunity, known worldwide for its programs and the exceptional chefs who lead instruction.

Their Department Head, Chef Francis Grosse, with over 40 years of culinary experience spanning the globe, shared his journey from education to Head Chef roles and to leading large brigades of over 250 people. Chef Francis took us on a journey with our imagination and our taste buds by doing a live demonstration of the delicate process of making French Crepes!

Chef Norma Elletson, once a student at LeNotre and now leading the front lines of their High School education programs, helped prepare and distribute the delicate treat. Chef Norma excitedly shared her passion for collaboration and how this is just the beginning. (Hint? - Think welding torches and smoked meats!)

But LeNotre is not about watching; it's hands-on learning, and that's exactly what happened when Reyna T. stepped up to the hot plate. Continuing to make treats for her classmates. Several other students had the opportunity to work with a Professional Chef, a rare experience.

We were excited to have Chad Smith of their High School and Admissions team lead the conversation with what their school has to offer. Not just an amazing introduction to the field, student life, competitions, and hospitality, but also to the Money they offer. In the form of scholarships!

LeNotre offers Diplomas, Associate degrees, and Bachelor of Science degrees in the culinary arts. Today, the Premier Phoenix got to get a fresh taste of the Culinary world.

Premier High School, as part of the ResponsiveEd family of Schools, continues to expand access so every student can find the right pathway to a future that fits their strengths, talents, and Passions. That's why we're excited to join forces with the Culinary Institute LeNotre.

08/31/2026

Evelyn C. - Payton F. - Jacob F. & Nevelett C. got back on the van in Abilene, TX, pretty bummed. Round one at the Texas High School Welding Series State Finals, and all four of ours were out.

Then somebody in the back said it. "Enough sulking. Time to get back out there."

So they went back out. The other events, the vendor tents, the TSTC lab with the fault panels. Later, a trip to the local mall, because they're teenagers. That's the part I'd have driven to Abilene for.

Rewind two days. The whole school lined the walk to the van with signs, and the four of them ran the high-five line. One sign, in marker: "Prove the HATERS WRONG (AKA, Your Brothers!)."

Mrs. Shelley Keener had built each of them a travel bag with a State Finals Passport on it and their name. A Blanket. A Neck pillow. Snacks, road-trip games.

They stopped at Dinosaur Valley and stood on the tracks in the Paluxy River in Crocs. Then Ms. Lindsy got in the river with them, and they splashed around for hours. And watch out! She also punched an arm for every windmill you didn't spot first on the 13-hour road adventure!.

The bags on their backs at Texas State Technical College were from WorkTexas. So was the van. So were the hotel rooms and every meal. Canvas tool bags, monogrammed, with a patch for each certification they had earned during the year sewn on the front. They walked in looking like they belonged there. And They Did.

Somebody called this a field trip. Field trips don't have a first round. Premier didn't send them on a trip. They earned one.

, , , , ResponsiveEd

08/27/2026

"Build like a girl." That's what the pink caps said. Twenty planter boxes later, it reads like instructions.

In the room, in pink caps: Idalis E., Evelyn C., Nevelett C., Gladys A., Michelle T., Jacqueline S., Alyssa F., Heylin M., Lizeth M., Delilah A., Alicia M., Destiney B., Viviana S., Ariana C., Denise L., Jennifer F., Miranda N., Natalie L., and Destiny A.

Women Building America brought their Girls Construction Camp into our shop last week, three mornings, August 18 through 20. Lisa Cortez ran it. Volunteers who make their living in the trades split the girls into small groups and went straight to the build: measure, cut on the miter saw, palm-sand the edges, assemble, paint, plant.

In between, the parts nobody put on a flyer. Career talks about the jobs these women were handed versus the ones they went out and got. Business cards in the girls' hands after the one-on-ones. A session on credit scores. A mason who let them lay brick.

Kathy Britton, owner of Perry Homes, came Wednesday to talk with them. Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale came by to thank the girls in person.

Most of these girls aren't headed for construction, and nobody pretended otherwise. What went home Thursday was a planter box each girl built herself, a certificate, and the specific memory of running a tool she'd never held on Tuesday.

Thank you, Women Building America, and every sponsor on the sign in our shop: Cornerstone Capital Bank, Whelan Advisory, Perry Homes, Builders FirstSource, Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA), Slim Plumbing LLC, Pulte Homes Group, Newmark Homes, John Burns Research & Consulting 🌱

Special Thanks to Gallery Furniture and WorkTexas for helping create this opportunity for the young women of Premier High Schools

Twenty girls, twenty boxes, three mornings.
So much more gained.

08/18/2026

It's time to celebrate!

We may have graded the students all year, but this time, the State of Texas and the Texas Education Agency graded our Premier High School at Gallery Furniture

Premier GFN achieved a TOP-TIER GRADE 'A' in the state's accountability ratings for the 2025-2026 school year!!!!! That's up two letter grades from the year before!

This one belongs to the teachers who did the classroom work every single day — Mrs. Ortiz, Ms. Arguello, Ms. Berranger, Ms. Cruz, Ms. Dokyi and Ms. Eden.

It belongs to Ms. Wright, who leads us. To Ms. Muñoz and Ms. Culp, who run the front office and all student data. To Ms. Corley, who leads individualized support. And to Mrs. Lindsy, who put a hot breakfast in front of every student on every single EOC morning.

A rating may just be a letter, but Premier GFN and our students earned every point behind it, and we are so proud of the school we have built!

Keep earning it, Phoenix!

ResponsiveEd

08/06/2026

MONDAY, August 10. FIRST BELL at 8:30.

We are so excited to kick off our 2026-27 School Year.

A few things worth knowing to make your experience a good one:

* The first week runs 8:30 to 12:30. Half days, all five.

* No uniform required week one, but school appropriate still applies.

*School shirt orders are Monday and Tuesday only. $10, cash only, so send it with them Monday if you can. Sweatshirts are $20. Hoodies are new this year at $30.

The short week is on purpose. Schedules, teachers, gear, and lab orientation all get handled before the real pace starts.

Labs are ready and so are we!

See you Monday, Phoenix.

ResponsiveEd

05/31/2026

05/01/2026

⚡ Six years ago, a young electrician helped wire the very shop our Premier High School students train in today....

Yesterday, that same man — now Hays Electrical’s Field Operations Manager — walked back into it to speak directly to our students. What a full-circle moment! ⚡

What started as a random idea in the middle of the day turned into one of the best class experiences we’ve had all year.

From the wonderful receptionist who didn't dismiss my unexpected call, to Oriana Olivo, who quickly looped in the right people, to Martin Jaquez, who showed up shortly after, excited and ready — they made it happen in a matter of hours.

Martin shared real talk about the electrical trade: the challenges, the rewards, the pride in work that matters (schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure that keep communities running). Martin also shared his own personal journey, which wasn't very different from what our young tradesmen and women face today. Our students were locked in — asking smart questions about the work, the path forward, pay, benefits, and what a real career looks like. They especially lit up hearing about the hands-on side and the problem-solving that comes with it.

He also highlighted what Hays is building for the next generation through their 5K Electrical Apprenticeship Program (a U.S. Department of Labor-registered program in partnership with 5K Training & Development). It offers real training, hands-on experience, pre-fab work in the shop, and credited hours toward a Journeyman license. Exactly the kind of opportunity these students need to see.

A huge thank you to:
- Hays Electrical Services — Martin, Oriana, the whole team — for dropping everything and showing up with such heart. Your commitment to growing the next generation of electricians is inspiring.

- Premier High School at Gallery Furniture for the space and support that make programs like this possible.

- ResponsiveEd for the incredible work they do connecting students to real opportunities and futures in the trades.

We’re already excited about what’s next — more visits, joint events with Hays apprentices, and building real pathways for our students and WorkTexas adults.

When a company responds this quickly and cares this much about the future of the trades, you jump on it. Days like yesterday restore a lot of faith.

Thank you, Hays — we see you, and we’re committed to paying it forward. Let’s keep building this together! 🙌