Fort Bend Aggie Moms’ Club Awards Scholarships to Local Texas A&M Students

The Fort Bend County Aggie Moms’ Club recently announced the recipients of the 2018 scholarships and its graduating seniors. The organization seeks to support students through scholarships and donations to campus organizations by participation in fundraising events throughout the year.

The Federation of Texas A&M University Mothers’ Clubs unites students’ mothers for the purpose of supporting their children and the university they attend as they embark on their college careers. Monthly meetings and activities are held to raise money to provide scholarships.

At the May 14 meeting, the club awarded 19 scholarships totaling $25,000 to Brooke Michelle Aaron, Megan Bates, David Belleza, Aubrey Bilicek, Lauren Brown, Joseph Buckle, John Clayton, Dylan Crocker, Teresa Hresko, Robert Kellogg, Zachary Miller, Mary Frances Odukwe, Rebecca Parke, Charles Ransome, Madeline Rios, Jaclyn Rosenthal, Hunter Stewart, Michael Wang and Margo Warncke.

The club also honored graduating seniors Jeremy Beaty, Ryan Brown, Brian Buckle, Katherine Cornell, Amy Dodson, Emma Gaas, Maisie Harries, Collin Haun, Jacqueline Hickl, Emily Hughes, Colin Kirchof, Grant Lincecum, Lauren Teresa Holladay, Macey Mulcahy, Zach Ransome, Michael Sallean, Joshua Samuel, Patrick Seiler, Mason Smith, Mallory Smith, Kaitlyn Trei, Allison Voehringer, Michael Wang, Megan Whitworth and Jennifer Wu.

Visit FortBendMoms.AggieNetwork.com for more information.

 

 

Fort Bend ISD Schools Win Annual Blue Ribbon School Contest

Three Fort Bend ISD schools were honored by the Exchange Club of Sugar Land for their participation in the annual Blue Ribbon School contest. Approxi­mately 30 schools entered the contest, creating decorations for their buildings to bring awareness to child abuse during National Child Abuse Awareness Month. The three winners were announced during an awards breakfast.

1st Place – E. A. Jones Elementary

2nd Place – Briargate Elementary

3rd Place – Missouri City Middle School

The schools were also awarded cash prizes: Jones Elementary received $800; Briargate Elementary received $650; and Missouri City Middle School received $450.

 

 

Lamar CISD Artists Earn Coveted Gold Seals

George Ranch High School freshman Favour Umeakuana and Foster High School junior Sonali Puri both earned a Gold Seal at the 2018 State Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) contest, held April 27-28, in San Marcos.

A VASE Gold Seal is the highest honor a Texas high school art student can earn. Out of 35,000 VASE entries from across the state, only 150 Gold Seals are awarded. VASE is a program of the Texas Art Education Association.

 

 

Keep Texas Beautiful and TxDOT Announce Winners of K-12 Art Contest

Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation have announced the winners of this year’s Don’t Mess with Texas K-12 Art Contest. Entries came from 308 schools throughout Texas and the winning designs will be featured in the 2019 Don’t Mess with Texas Calendar.

The contest is a joint effort by Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation to encourage young Texans to keep Texas roadways and the environment clean and free of litter. The contest was open to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade and sponsored by H-E-B/Central Market, with student prizes provided by Samsung.

“We were amazed by the incredible talents of Texas schoolchildren from around the state,” said Suzanne Kho, executive director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “It was challenging to choose just 14 winners from the thousands of entries, but we are excited to share the winning designs that remind all Texans of the importance of keeping our great state clean and litter-free.”

The winning designs plus an additional back-cover winner will be featured in the 2019 calendar and will be showcased on the Don’t Mess with Texas and Keep Texas Beautiful websites as well as at the 2018 Keep Texas Beautiful annual conference in June.

More than 3,793 students submitted their artwork from 148 communities. One Sugar Land 10th grader, Aliza Li (Stephen F. Austin High School), will have her artwork featured in the calendar.

Contest rules required students to submit artwork that promoted the Don’t Mess with Texas or Keep Texas Beautiful slogans. Artwork was judged on creativity and uniqueness, inclusion of a litter prevention message, overall visual appeal, composition and age appropriateness.

More information, including how to request a free 2018 or upcoming 2019 calendar is available at ktb.org/artcontest.

 

 

Fort Bend Christian Academy student Simon Harper with his work, Acrobatica.

Sophomore’s Artwork Accepted Into the 2018 National Art Exhibition

Fort Bend Christian Academy student Simon Harper’s work, Acrobatica, was accepted into the 2018 National Art Honors Society Juried Exhibition.

National Art Education Association (NAEA) received 1,160 submissions, and 66 works have been selected for exhibition in the NAEA Gallery & Studio. The third annual NAEA juried exhibit will take place June 11-Sept. 21 in Alexandria, Virginia.

“This piece embodies free movement and an overall joyous feeling,” Simon said.

Representatives from twelve member schools of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) participated as jurors: The University of the Arts, Pacific Northwest College of Art; Laguna College Of Art + Design; Parsons School of Design, The New School; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Minneapolis College Of Art And Design; San Francisco Art Institute; Maryland Institute College of Art; Pennsylvania College of Art & Design; College for Creative Studies; Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts; and Kansas City Art Institute. A virtual gallery will be featured on the NAEA website at arteducators.org.

 

Sophomore’s Artwork Accepted Into the 2018 National Art Exhibition

Fort Bend Christian Academy student Simon Harper’s work, Acrobatica, was accepted into the 2018 National Art Honors Society Juried Exhibition.

National Art Education Association (NAEA) received 1,160 submissions, and 66 works have been selected for exhibition in the NAEA Gallery & Studio. The third annual NAEA juried exhibit will take place June 11-Sept. 21 in Alexandria, Virginia.

“This piece embodies free movement and an overall joyous feeling,” Simon said.

Representatives from twelve member schools of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) participated as jurors: The University of the Arts, Pacific Northwest College of Art; Laguna College Of Art + Design; Parsons School of Design, The New School; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Minneapolis College Of Art And Design; San Francisco Art Institute; Maryland Institute College of Art; Pennsylvania College of Art & Design; College for Creative Studies; Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts; and Kansas City Art Institute. A virtual gallery will be featured on the NAEA website at arteducators.org.

 

 

Fort Bend Christian Academy Softball Wins Third State Championship in a Row

Inheriting an undeveloped program, Kelly Carroll began coaching softball at Fort Bend Christian Academy in 2006. Within a short time span, she turned around the program, making it one of the strongest in the state. Over the past 11 years, the team has earned seven state championships, most recently its third consecutive one in 2018.

Carroll’s work ethic and love of just being at the field paved the way to her coaching success. In high school, she won several awards and All-District Honors, and while playing for Texas A&M University, she was named to the All Big XII team in 2002 and earned Team MVP in 2001. Now, multiple FBCA graduates have played college ball, and they have Coach Kelly to thank.

“We want to girls to have a mentality that they will not allow another team to beat them,” said Carroll. “They have to have the mental toughness. As for sportsmanship, we are very clear that you will not say or do anything inappropriate. We tell the girls to control the controllables, and the other team and umpires are out of their control, so control yourself.”

Clements Students Beautify School

Floral design students cleaned up flower beds and planted flowers on April 13 at the front entrance of Clements High School to beautify the school.

“It was a wonderful day. Students were able to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and get some hands-on learning while improving our school and the community,” said Ashley Schauffler, Ag Science and FFA advisor.

“During the annual FFA Booster Club flower sale, parents, neighbors, and community members were able to purchase plumbago flowers for the entrance of Clements. Board of Trustee President Kristin Tassin bought one of the plants,” said Schauffler. “It was exciting to see the community involved by purchasing the plants and then having the students plan and implement the project.”

Students enrolled in the floral design class assisted in plant bed and soil preparation and planting the flowers.

“Ranger Pride rides strong through Clements. Whether it is in academics, athletics, or agriculture, students work hard. This project is very much in alignment with the goals of Fort Bend ISD Profile of a Graduate. It equipped students with skills for life, allowed them to be a servant leader, become effective communicators, critical thinkers, compassionate citizens, a collaborative team member and hopefully they will use the above skills they showed today to stay a life-long agricultural learner,” said Schauffler. “Students spent some time outdoors putting their classroom knowledge into action.”

“Our high school is the third oldest in FBISD having been build 35-years ago. The student led project shows the hard work and dedication that Clements students strive to show in every aspect of their student life,” said David Yaffie, principal. “Anyone who drives by or walks up to the front entrance will see beautiful landscaping, the students are truly making a positive difference in our community.”

 

 

Fort Bend County Girl Scouts Earn Prestigious Girl Scouts Community Service Award

Members of Troop 28031 in Fort Bend recently earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest community service award a Girl Scout in fourth or fifth grade can achieve.

To earn the award, the troop took the original race ribbons presented to Texas Children’s Hospital patients from Snowdrop Foundation’s Bling for Bravery program and made a mural. The Bling for Bravery program collects medals from race runners and places them in new purple Hope Courage ribbons. The program then gives the donated medals to Texas Children’s Hospital patients for their bravery in their cancer battle. Larry DeSpain, the force behind donating the medals to the children, attended the presentation from Troop 28031 to Ellen Bennett who is also a proud Girl Scout. To learn more about Girl Scouts’ service awards, visit girlscouts.org.

 

 

Fluor Foundation Funds STEM Education

The Lamar Educational Awards Foundation accepted a $24,000 donation from the Fluor Foundation to underwrite STEM programs in Lamar CISD, including a $4000 donation to support STEAM Summer Camp for Girls.

 

 

Hightower High School Student Wins Congressional Student Art Competition

Hightower High School senior Nicholi Peters was named the winner of the 2018 Congressional Student Art Competition, sponsored by U.S. Representative Al Green, District 9. He submitted a self-portrait entitled Redemption to the contest.

Nicholi and a family member will fly to Washington, D.C. this summer for a reception with other winning students. His work, Redemption, will be on display in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol for an entire year, along with the other selected pieces of artwork. He also attended a reception held earlier this month, meeting Congressman Al Green and seeing his framed piece.

“For this to become a reality, it was a dream come true,” said Nicholi. “It will be amazing to go to Washington, D.C. and to see my story being honored.”

Nicholi moved to Texas two years ago from Trinidad and Tobago, but began his art career at seven, often using his art as an escape. Since becoming a student at Hightower, he credits his art teacher, Beth Agar, with inspiring and encouraging him. He will attend the Art Institute of Houston after graduation and hopes to become a graphic designer.

 

Lamar CISD Honors Volunteers

Lamar CISD honored the District’s volunteers May 4, at the annual Volunteers of the Year Banquet at the Brazos Crossing Administration Building

The High School Volunteers of the year are: Gloria Couch, Foster; Ida Jurkowski, Fulshear; Gina Burkett, George Ranch; Tarina Sheridan, Lamar Consolidated; and Jennifer Berry, Terry.

Junior High Volunteers of the Year are Julaine Mills, Briscoe; Tara Ward, George, Jr.; Jessica Calkins, Lamar, Jr.; Bernadine Crawford, Leaman; Wendy Moore and Michelle Real, Reading;

Middle School Volunteers of the Year are Pastor Riley Davis, Navarro; Carol Lansky, Ryon; Kristy White, Wertheimer; and Nicole Byrd, Wessendorf .

Elementary school honorees are: Heather Owens, Adolphus; Laura Monteverdi, Arredondo; Margaret Broussard and Julie Brand, Austin; Karen Drennan, Beasley; Kameela Lewis, Bentley; Gloria Lara and Cheryl Davis, Bowie; Katie Reed, Campbell; Jennifer Haldiman, Dickinson; John and Judith Weber, Frost; Darla Gould, Hubenak; Kris McComas, Huggins; Tim Berens, Hutchison; Brenna Jernigan, Jackson; Galen Dino, Lindsey; Jenny Jones, Long; Isabel Garcia, McNeill; Kathaleena (Leena) Dees, Meyer; Maria De Jesus Rodriguez, Pink; Karen Sikes and Louise Winton, Ray; Ana Velazquez, Seguin; Norma Vargas and Jo Ann Brown/St. John’s United Methodist Church school volunteers, Smith; Angie Barrios, Thomas; Gabriela Martinez, Travis; Hope Frohbieter, Velasquez; and Jonathan Cole, Williams.

Marlene Springer and Betsy Pirtle are the Volunteers of the Year for the ASAP Program, and Common Threads Volunteers of the Year are Viviana Gonzalez and Dahlia and Gracie Davila.

 

 

Burton Elementary Students Create Art for Litter Prevention Initiative

Burton Elementary recently partnered with the Teal Run GMA Home Owners Association to host the first Litter Prevention Campaign and Art Contest. More than 100 students participated in the art contest, and winners were chosen from two groups, Kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade.

The winning Sheriffs were:

K-2nd grade –1st Place, Bailee Norman; 2nd Place, Chizara Ajuzie; 3rd Place Aleeyah Barrow;

3rd-5th grade – 1st Place, Jayton Carroll; 2nd Place, Madison Marcelle; and 3rd Place, Chidmma Ajuzie.

The contest was held to bring awareness to litter prevention and to build community pride among the students. The students were asked to create posters that would help Teal Run residents avoid littering. Each winning poster would be turned into a road sign that would be posted in the neighborhood. But the students were so creative that even the runner-ups – Tai-ir Bell and Asyia Barnett - will have their posters turned into permanent signs to be displayed on campus.

Each first place winner was given a $50 gift card, second place winners received a $35 gift card, and third place winners were given a $25 gift card.

“Our efforts to increase school and community pride was a win-win because this project also made students’ extraordinary proud to be highlighted as artists and creative thinkers,” said Dr. Jill B. Gumbs, interim principal of Burton Elementary. “In addition, I was very pleased to collaborate and share this vision with Steven Gates and Gregory Linkous, the community leaders that afforded this opportunity.”

 

 

Calvary Episcopal Drama Students Enjoy Success at State Competitions

Calvary Episcopal Players (K-12 Drama Club) had an unprecedented year of spectacular performances and competition rankings. One-Act Play won District PSIA competition, garnering two Honorable Mention nods for Kase Boettcher and Lilli Matta and one All Star cast award for Paul Lazarou. CEP went on to State PSIA competition in Fort Worth. CEP’s play The Diviners finished third in Texas with the State Best Actor award going to Paul Lazarou for his portrayal of Buddy Laynan. Calvary also received an State Honorable Mention awards going to Rachel Lazarou and two State All Star Cast awards to Lilli Matta and Grant Fortune. Lizzie RicheyLizzie Richey received second place in Solo Acting monologue at State TAPPs competition.

Calvary wasn’t finished there. While students were preparing for One-Act Play and TAPPS competition they were also carrying line loads for the spectacular production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Sell-out crowds all three nights agreed that it was visually stimulating, beautiful character portrayal and astonishing to see 102 students in K-12 working together in one production.

Finally, Rachel Lazarou won a superior rating at the State Thespian Competition qualifying her to attend International Competition in Nebraska from June 25-29. Rachel played Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Jr., Goldie in the One-Act Play competition and will be singing Adelaide’s Lament from Guys and Dolls for her National solo musical theatre competition. She, like her brother Paul, is among the youngest in the state to compete at this level.

 

 

 

 

The Lamar Classroom Teachers’ Association (LCTA) honored colleagues at the annual Teacher of the Year Banquet held May 1.

In addition to honoring an Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year, the group honors Elementary and Secondary Paraprofessionals of the Year, as well.

Leaman Junior High’s Linda Morgart is the 2018 Secondary Teacher of the Year and Frost Elementary School’s Paula Carline is the Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Williams Elementary School’s Denise Santana is the 2018 Elementary Paraprofessional of the Year and Fulshear High School’s Maria Torres is the Secondary Professional of the Year.

The complete list of nominees for Teachers and Paraprofessionals of the Year includes:

Elementary Paraprofessional of the Year – Adolphus, Barbara Lucero; ALC, Jacob Woolley; Arredondo, Roberta Hall; Austin, Kathy Spellman; Beasley, Mary Zuniga; Bentley, Shelley Ward; Bowie, Andrew Toups; Campbell, Roxana Giurgea; Dickinson, Grace Holmes; Frost, Vicki Rigsby; Hubenak, Stacy Jacob; Huggins, Angie Aguilar; Hutchison, Jacqueline Paul; Jackson , Alma Cespedes; Long, Patrina Greer; McNeill, Mindy Gonzales; Meyer, Marcia Buck; Pink, Martha Otto; Ray, Brenda Valdez; Seguin, Cynthia Jordan; Smith, Melisa Hall; Thomas, Suzanne Bagley; Travis, Leona Ray; Velasquez, Diane Lybarger; and Williams, Denise Santana.

Elementary Teacher of the Year: Adolphus, Stacie Quarles; ALC, Jody Driskell; Arredondo, Nicole Davis; Austin, Laura Brown; Beasley, Marle Garza; Bentley, Rosemary Martinez; Bowie, Jessica Risien; Campbell, Lisa Alexander; Dickinson, Aimee Lenz; Frost, Paula Carline; Hubenak, April Triplett; Huggins, Brandy Krahn; Hutchison, Marci Berens; Jackson, Aide Piña; Long, Kristie Palacios; Lindsey, Marisol Rodriguez; McNeill, Kirah Martinez; Meyer, Bridget Adams; Pink, Maria Rochez-Calderon; Ray, Tonya Haut; Seguin, Alma Garcia; Smith, Brian Eggenberger; Thomas, Sara Quezada; Travis, Nancy Valdez; Velasquez, Thyra Williams; and Williams, Elizabeth Wleczyk.

Secondary Paraprofessional of the Year: ALC, Teresa Velasquez; Briscoe, Sandi Tamez; Foster, Ajuanda La Mothe; Fulshear, Maria Torres; George Jr., Sandra Guyton; George Ranch, Donna Hancock; Lamar Consolidated, Vanessa Andrews; Lamar Jr., Tianna Roberts; Leaman, Jennifer Leslie; Navarro, Adela Diaz; Reading, Stephaney Davis; Ryon, Melissa Jozwiak; Terry, Veronica Chavarria; Wertheimer, Claudia Mirza; and Wessendorff, Rebecca Widaski.

Secondary Teacher of the Year: ALC, Chris Morse; Briscoe, Melissa Inman; Foster, Tamra Wright; Fulshear, Heidi Schneider; George Jr., Debora Kretschmer; George Ranch, Monica Flores;
Lamar Consolidated, Kaleigh Herrera; Lamar Jr., Kiah Johnson; Leaman, Lynda Morgart; Navarro, Andrea Dion; Reading, Alexandra Herrick; Ryon, Jill Broussard; Terry, Shanna Wenzel; Wertheimer, Crystal McDonald; and Wessendorff, Karen Downey.