Judge Hazel Jones Shares With North Forest ISD Students
- By Staff Writer
- Published 11/6/2009
- Education
- Unrated
Judge Hazel Jones HOUSTON—In 2003, Hazel B. Jones left the D.A.’s office to become a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas, where she handled cases that fell under the federal government’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” initiative. After two years, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jones went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney.
When she declared her candidacy for the Harris County 338th Criminal District Court in 2008, Jones credited the foundation laid during her years as a student in North Forest ISD as a contributing factor to her success. Earlier this year, Jones was praised in a Texas Lawyer article for being one of several new judges in Harris County who was moving through dockets quickly and making solid rulings.
Recently, the Honorable Jones spent time away from the courthouse to visit students at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School as part of the Houston Bar Association’s Constitution Day activities taking place at schools throughout the city. She talked to the students about America’s history, the Constitution, rules, the law and our government.
Before leaving, she also shared with the second and third grade students some advice on the importance of education. Standing before the students as proof of herown words, Judge Jones, a member of M.B. Smiley’s class of 1984, said “You can be anything you want to be—a judge, a lawyer and a scientist. But you have to get a good education.”
North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) has a series of events scheduled for its annual Pride Week celebration, Monday through Saturday, Nov. 9-14, 2009 which includes an essay writing contest for fourth, seventh and 10th grade students. In classrooms across the District, students will write essays on the theme “Why North Forest ISD is Where I Want to Be.” Pride Week organizer and Fine Arts Coordinator Toni Dunn says the annual event is held to strengthen the bond between NFISD and the community it serves, to increase parental involvement, develop a sense of pride among students and to motivate students to achieve academically. All NFISD employees, parents, students and the entire North Forest community are invited to take part in Pride Week.