The School Zone

Spring Branch ISD campuses have named more than 40 elementary and secondary educators as nominees for the annual campus Teacher of the Year competition and celebration. Nominations were submitted by campus and community members.

The district’s Teacher of the Year Committee will review nomination materials and then vote to select three elementary and secondary finalists for 2017 Teacher of the Year honors. After finalist group interviews, the district committee votes to pick its top candidate at each teaching level.

Superintendent of Schools Scott R. Muri, Ed.D., will recognize the district finalists and then announce the new Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year during this year’s Service Awards celebration, which will be held May 9 at the downtown Minute Maid Park facility during a Houston Astros baseball game.

As district winners, the two teachers receive a trophy-style Golden Apple Award as well as other awards and recognitions, including a $1,000 cash award and a $2,000 professional growth stipend.

SBISD’s Teachers of the Year represent the school district in regional competition. If successful at the regional level, they advance to compete for a top state honor – Texas Teacher of the Year.

During the past three decades, SBISD has had four teachers named regional and state Teacher of the Year winners. Numerous district-level educators have either been regional-level finalists or earned separate district, state and national awards.

This year’s SBISD Teacher of the Year nominees are:

Elementary Schools (Prekindergarten)

The Bear Boulevard School for Early Learning, Abby Tenorio
The Lion Lane School for Early Learning, Griselda Balbuena
The Panda Path School for Early Learning, Sarah Morris
The Tiger Trail School for Early Learning, Maricela Akshar
The Wildcat Way School for Early Learning, Cheryl Patterson

Elementary Schools

Bendwood Campus, Christina Swingle
Buffalo Creek Elementary, Anita Joshi
Bunker Hill Elementary, Megan Uzick
Cedar Brook Elementary, Marianela Amaya
Edgewood Elementary, Sandra Solis
Frostwood Elementary, Tracy Muras
Hollibrook Elementary, Kimberly Keefe
Housman Elementary, Kimberly Wiley
Hunters Creek Elementary, Nam Nguyen
Meadow Wood Elementary, Amy Griffith
Memorial Drive Elementary, Kim Kinard
Nottingham Elementary, Kelly Borally
Pine Shadows Elementary, Natasha Patel
Ridgecrest Elementary, Theresa Doherty
Rummel Creek Elementary, Rebecca Ramey
Spring Branch Academic Institute-Elementary, Sally Craddock
Shadow Oaks Elementary, Anne Marie Thomeer
Sherwood Elementary, Kara Ayala
Spring Branch Elementary, Serenity Bratton
Spring Shadows Elementary, Ashley Lopez-Davila
Terrace Elementary, Rosie Jones and Sarah Curry
Thornwood Elementary, Cristina Gossett
Treasure Forest Elementary, Tania Valladares
Valley Oaks Elementary, Amanda Kvinta
Westwood Elementary, Renee Mendez
Wilchester Elementary, Joanne Thomas
Woodview Elementary, Alyssa Grady

Secondary Schools

Academy of Choice, Vutheary Lazo
Cornerstone Academy, Linda Bosworth
District Alternative Education Program (DAEP), Ricardo Concepcion
Guthrie Center for Excellence, Erin Land
Landrum Middle School, Maricela Olivarez
Memorial High School, Stephanie Mosley
Memorial Middle School, Pilar Rivera
Northbrook High School, Jonathan Claydon
Northbrook Middle School, Crystal Nicholas
Spring Branch Middle School, George Ochoa
Spring Forest Middle School, Alissandre Robbins
Spring Oaks Middle School, Edith Lewis
Spring Woods High School, Alicia Maples
Spring Woods Middle School, Anthony Bergstrom
Stratford High School, Suza Sharp
Westchester Academy for International Studies, Daniel Robison

Treasure Forest Elementary students had some very special visitors to help them celebrate the start of National Reading Month and Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week.

Members of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation Young Professionals Group read Dr. Seuss books to 3^rd graders at the school in honor of the author’s birthday and the annual National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America Day.

In addition to their reading aloud activities, the Foundation provided each 3^rd grade classroom with a set of Dr. Seuss books for their libraries. Books will be used for reading aloud in class and literacy development. Reading aloud is shown to strength literacy skills for listeners and readers alike and research indicates it may even help predict a child’s later success with reading and writing.

Other early skills closely related to later success with reading and writing:

· Alphabet knowledge—the ability to name letters and the sounds they make

· Phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of spoken language (such as hear the beginning sound of a word)

· Rapid letter or number naming—the ability to quickly name letters or numbers

· Rapid object or color naming—the ability to quickly name random series of colors or objects

· Phonological memory—the ability to remember spoken information for a short period of time

· Writing letters or write a student’s own name—the ability to write single letters in isolation, or write their own name

#Every Child’sdevelopmental journey has its own pace. No matter what age or level your student, you can help foster important skills with activities that suit his or her current abilities and interests. A great resource for parents is SBISD’s ReadyRosie. Click here for more information about this resource.

This year's Character Without Question Award recipients

Forty-seven outstanding students enrolled in prekindergarten through 12th grade were honored as Character Without Question Award recipients during a recent ceremony for students and families hosted at Northbrook High School.

This year’s award presentation was conducted during the Feb. 27 monthly meeting of the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees. Winning students were recognized in a special event presentation that attracted many family members.

A unique and special recognition, SBISD’s Character Without Question Award honors students who exhibit great character traits and habits that include honesty and integrity, responsibility and dependability, respect, perseverance and effort, courage, caring and kindness, and citizenship and civic virtue.

“You are receiving this award,” states district Superintendent of Schools Scott R. Muri, Ed.D., “because of the outstanding character and positive actions you have demonstrated to your teachers and fellow students. “According to them, you are responsible citizens who show respect, caring and kindness to everyone and are always ready to ‘do the right thing’ in all situations. You truly make a difference in your school, your community, and in the lives of others.”

This year’s student recognitions included awards to two separate family members, a brother and sister who have a sibling honored with the same award a year ago.

Avery Ramsey, a Hunters Creek Elementary fifth-grader, joined her older brother, Preston, an eighth-grader at Spring Branch Middle School, on stage to receive the special honor. Their brother, Riley, now a sixth-grader, won the award last year.

Left to right: Preston, 8th grade, Spring Branch Middle; Kristen and John, parents; Jack, 5th grade, Hunters Creek Elementary; Riley, 6th grade; Front: Avery, 5th grade, Hunters Creek Elementary

“As a parent, if my kids are going to receive an award, this is the award that I want them to receive,” says Kristen Ramsey, their mom. “This award speaks to their personal character, and I believe that character will take them far in their lives.”

Preston, a football team captain at Spring Branch Middle School, is known for his leadership and as a student who stands up for others.

“Preston Ramsey was chosen as Spring Branch Middle School’s Character Without Question winner because of his ability and willingness to stand as a positive leader for his peers,” said eighth-grade counselor Patricia Cezeaux.

“Many students at Preston’s age follow negative role models or don’t have the self-confidence to stand up and speak out for what is right. Preston, no matter how soft-spoken he may be, allows his actions to speak loudly, and those actions are always kind, helpful and admirable.”

At Bunker Hill Elementary, Avery is well known for her empathy, and for helping others first. Last year, Riley was tested by an ACL surgery and recovery, and won notice for his perseverance and upbeat demeanor.

Kristen and her husband, John, were pleasantly surprised by double award winners this year. “We’re thrilled. It has truly been an honor for our kids, and we are all honored that they were even nominated,” she said.

The campus-based awards are coordinated through liaisons working with SBISD Social and Emotional Learning/Character Education. Student award recipients were presented with a copy of Kobi Yamada’s book, “What Do You Do with an Idea?”

The program and pre-event reception are supported generously by Wells Fargo and Spring Branch Education Foundation.

Additional support was provided by Events for all Seasons, Lion Market Catering with Culinary Arts, and Jennifer Cardenas and Allie Adams with Landrum Middle School.

Sarah Soliz and Paul Bryant with SBISD’s Community Relations/Communications provided publication and planning support.

2016-2017 Character Without Question Recipients:

Schools for Early Learning (Prekindergarten)
Bear Boulevard – David Mendieta
Lion Lane – Isis Aileen Garcia
Panda Path – Ariel Rubio
Tiger Trail – Alina Sahoo
Wildcat Way – Camila Rodriguez

Elementary Campuses
Buffalo Creek – Vanessa Espino, 5
Bunker Hill – Brooke Maddox, 5
Cedar Brook – Viviana Olivera Cardenas, 5
Edgewood – Getzamary Solano, 5
Frostwood – Michael Eubanks, 5
SB Academic Institute – Caroline Graham, 5
Hollibrook – Gabriela Romero, Garcia 5
Housman – Melissa Garza, 5
Hunters Creek – Avery Ramsey, 5
Meadow Wood – Lizzie Emerson, 5
Memorial Drive – Grace Al-Abdullah, 5
Nottingham – Kendall Zoboroski, 5
Pine Shadows – Yisell Garcia-Jaramillo, 5
Ridgecrest – Adriana Lizbeth Castillo, 5
Rummel Creek – Tatum Marye, 5
Shadow Oaks – Sara Flores, 4
Sherwood – Yelena Geanne Van De Coevering, 5
Spring Branch – Gabriel Zavala, 3
Spring Shadows – Michael Nathaniel Rangel, 5
Terrace – Angel Torres, 5
Thornwood – Ava Elizabeth Leon, 3
Treasure Forest – Jasmin Resendiz, 4
Valley Oaks – Goldie Chandler, 5
Westwood – Saherdeep Kaur, 5
Wilchester – Johnny Crawford, 5
Woodview – Donovan Tovar, 5

Middle School Campuses
Academy of Choice – Alondra Lissette Martinez, 8
Cornerstone Academy – Leyse Vasquez Maury, 8
Landrum Middle – Julius Constytine Alvarado, 8
Memorial Middle – Cameron Fuller, 8
Northbrook Middle – Carla Luna, 8
Spring Branch Middle – Preston Ramsey, 8
Spring Forest Middle – Samuel Bernardo Hinojosa, 8
Spring Oaks Middle – Thy Minh Ho, 8
Spring Woods Middle – Ananna Alam, 8
Westchester Academy – Angela Alvarado, 7

High School Campuses
Guthrie Center – Jamauri Bagby, 10
Memorial High – Allison Gentry, 11
Northbrook High – Samuel Chase Gonsoulin, 12
Spring Woods High – Johanna Ortega Rosales, 12
Stratford High – Anali Cervantes, 12
Westchester Academy – Alec Miller, 12

Guthrie-Spring Branch 2016-17 Orienteering Team

Navy Jr. ROTC cadets from the district’s Guthrie Center returned from contests in orienteering, group drills, academics and personal physical fitness with top awards recently. Two notable cadet competitions were held during February:

Stubblefield Orienteering Meet

Twelve cadets competed in the annual Stubblefield Orienteering Meet held Feb 18-19. The meet, hosted by the Houston Orienteering Club, was held near Stubblefield Campground, north of Lake Conroe in the Sam Houston National Forest.

The Stubblefield Orienteering competition is considered a rigorous event due to the denseness of the Sam Houston National Forest. This recent two-day meet served as the Navy Jr. ROTC Area 10 Orienteering Championship.

Three SBISD high school cadets earned age group medals at the campground meet. Orienteering is a competitive sport in which players, or orienteers, use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in a particular meet landscape.

SBISD cadets earning top recognitions included:

Daisy Baltazar, Northbrook High sophomore, first in 16-year-old females;
Chance Moberly, Stratford High junior, third in 18-year-old males; and
Dennis Lopez, Spring Woods High sophomore, fourth in 16-year-old males.

Other Guthrie Center cadets who competed in the orienteering event were Anthony Condon, senior, and Devin Williams, junior, both of Spring Woods High; Elba De La Rosa and Pedro Quiroz, seniors; Syrah Bamaca and Megan Olvera, juniors; and Megan Olvera, sophomore, all of Northbrook High; Brandon Hancock, sophomore, Stratford High; and Chris Barron, junior, Westchester Academy for International Studies.

A standard orienteering course consists of a starting point, a series of control sites marked by circles and connected by lines, and numbered in the order to be visited, plus a finish point.

On the ground, a control flag marks the location that the orienteer must visit. To verify a visit, an orienteer uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark a card. Different punches make separate patterns of holes in the paper. The route between control flags isn’t specified, and is entirely up to the orienteer – this element of route choice and ability to navigate through the forest landscape are orienteering key elements.

Cadets relax after Saturday competition.

Drill, Academics and Physical Fitness

Twenty-seven cadets competed Feb. 11 at Spring High School in drill, academics and physical fitness against nine other area Jr. ROTC programs from the Houston and Beaumont areas. The cadets took first place in both physical fitness and color guard drill, and placed third in academics.

First place medals were awarded for pushups to Pedro Quiroz, a Northbrook High senior, and Lauren Rodela, a junior at Spring Woods High. Also awarded the first place medal was Spring Woods High junior Azucena Gonzales for sit ups.

Third place medals for sit ups were also awarded to Spring Woods High seniors Anthony Condon and Dennis Lopez.

The next cadet competition will be held March 25 at the Caney Creek Top Gun Field Meet at Caney Creek High School.

The Guthrie-Spring Branch Navy Jr. ROTC is an elective citizenship development and leadership program available to all Spring Branch ISD high school students.

SBISD cadets are led by U.S. Navy Retired Commander Jerry Coufal and Navy Master Chief Retired Petty Officer Mark Heuser.

As a top highlight of the evening program, Tera Reid and Finance Dept. staff danced and sang during a performance of the Bruno Mars hit, “Uptown Funk."

More than 200 district employees attended a recent Bosses Night celebration sponsored by the Spring Branch Educational Support Association (SBESA). The dinner program’s fund-raising efforts resulted in thousands of dollars for student scholarship awards. SBESA’s Boss of the Year announcement was also made.

A silent auction held during the Feb. 9 dinner and event program at Frostwood Elementary School raised $2,310 for five high school scholarships, to be made later this month. Raffle winner Julie Hodson, district grants director, donated a large sum back to the association – $215 – when her ticket number was called.

During the celebration, Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman received the well-deserved Boss of the Year award.

Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman was named Boss of the Year, an overdue honor in the view of many Community Relations and Communications team members. “Linda is our guiding star, and we could not be more proud to be part of her ‘amazing team’,” her team nomination states in one section.

“Our team works many long hours to make connections with partners, engage community volunteers, communicate with our internal and external customers, support the District leadership and make sure our employees feel valued. Linda is right there in the trenches with us, and never asks us to do anything she would not do herself . . . At the end of every event, before our tired bodies even hit the pillow, we have a ‘Thank You!’ text from Linda, telling us, ‘You are the greatest team!’ This kind of praise makes us hungry for more and keeps us working hard,” the nomination also stated.

Staff teams nominated eight separate administrators for this top recognition, an internal sign of the district’s strong leadership and team values.

Others nominated for the Boss of the Year award this year were Kathy Menotti, Westchester Academy for International Studies assistant director; Ellen Green, Frostwood Elementary principal; Tera Harris, district director of accounting; Barbara Robillard, district director of purchasing; LaWanda Coffee, district director of external funding & compliance; Julie Hodson, district director of grants.

Bill Burger from Cornerstone Academy was Bosses Night emcee. In addition to a dinner from Maggiano’s Italian Grill, eight district staff members performed for a welcoming and appreciative audience.

Staff who performed included Ibn Walker, Chris Doyle and Annissa McDonald, all with the Transportation Dept. (Transportation); Scott Keairns (Northbrook High); Bill Kirkland (Westchester Academy), Jose Cavazos (PEIMS Dept.), TJ Lampart (SBESA) and Tera Reid (Finance Dept).

Talent show winner was Bill Kirkland, who dazzled with his rendition of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me!”

A top highlight of the evening program was Tera Reid and Finance Dept. staff’s dance and song performance of the Bruno Mars hit, “Uptown Funk,” to close out the Bosses Night celebration.
Five scholarships, one from each high school, will be awarded at the end of March at the SBESA Installation Dinner for new 2017-18 school year officers.

Transportation Dept.’s Matt Riely was Bosses Night photographer. Twelve student volunteers from The Guthrie Center helped serve dinner for service hours credit.

Report submitted by Jan Lampart, Bosses Night Chairman; SBISD Communications Dept. edited the initial report and added supporting material.

The Stratford High team won first place in To Be Continued: A Superhero Cliffhanger and Ready, Set, Balsa, Build.

Twenty-four Odyssey of the Mind campus teams will represent Spring Branch ISD at state next month after regional competition was held recently. Texas Odyssey of the Mind state competition will be held April 8 at Waller High School.

SBISD campuses supported 42 separate student teams from 17 schools for regional competition. More than 200 students took part in competition on teams with five to seven students collaborating on problems and solution responses.

Odyssey of the Mind, also called OM, is a creative, problem-solving competition open to students at all grade levels. OM student teams work together on a pre-set, or Long-Term Problem, during local, regional and state competitions.

Teams ranked from first to sixth place in for each problem advance to state finals.

During competition, OM teams must also solve a problem they haven’t ever seen before to find a Spontaneous Problem solution.

The Cornerstone Academy team won first place in Catch Us If You Can.

Cedar Brook team

Meadow Wood team

Rummel Creek team

SBISD state qualifying teams and Long-Term Problems they solved include:

Problem 1: Catch Us If You Can
Meadow Wood Elementary, 2nd place; Terrace Elementary, 4th place; Ridgecrest Elementary, 3rd place; Rummel Creek Elementary, 8th place(this team advances); Cornerstone Academy, 1st place; Spring Oaks Middle, 3rd place

Problem Synopsis: This is your Odyssey, should you choose to accept it . . . your team will design, build and run vehicles from a multi-level Parking Garage to a secret meeting place without being stopped. Vehicles will travel different routes to reach the same destination. During their Odyssey, the vehicles will do something that prevents them from being followed. The performance will include the reason for the meeting, someone who wants to prevent the meeting, a simulation of a scene taking place inside a vehicle as it travels, and a soundtrack to accompany the vehicles’ travel.

Problem 2: Odd-a-Bot
Hunters Creek Elementary, 4th place; Valley Oaks Elementary, 5th place; Wilchester Elementary, 6th place; Memorial Middle, 4th place; Cornerstone Academy, 5th place

Problem Synopsis: For this problem, teams will create a humorous story about a family that brings home an “Odd-a-Bot.” Instead of being programmed to perform tasks, this Odd-a-Bot robot learns from watching others. Teams will design, build and operate an original robot that demonstrates human characteristics when performing tasks. In the performance, the Odd-a-Bot will move and learn human actions from watching characters perform activities such as household chores, creating art, and dancing. The Odd-a-Bot learns more than it was expected to learn, and will confuse its actions with humorous results.

Problem 3: It’s Time, Omer
Ridgecrest Elementary, 1st place; Pine Shadows Elementary, 3rd place; KIPP Academy at Landrum Middle, 2nd place; Westchester Academy, 2nd place

Problem Synopsis: The future and the past collide in this problem about important works of art – both existing and yet-to-be created. Teams will create and present an original performance about time travelers looking to discover the inspiration for great works of art, little did they know – it was OMER every time! The travelers go back in time – twice into our past and once into our future. They will see OMER inspire two classical artists and a team-created artist from our future. The performance will include how the three works of art positively impact the world, a visual and audible effect that indicates when time travel is occurring, two re-creations of the classic works of art selected from a list, and a team-created work of art.

Problem 4: Ready, Set, Balsa, Build
Meadow Wood Elementary, 3rd place; Spring Forest Middle, 1st place; Memorial Middle, 4th place; Stratford High, 1st place; Spring Woods High, 4th place; Memorial High, 5th place

Problem Synopsis: Creativity can be defined by using only what you have to get a job done. In this problem, teams will design, build and test a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that will balance and support as much weight as possible. The structure must include sets of balsa pieces of predetermined sizes and quantities as listed in the problem. Some sets much be parts of the structure while others, if incorporated, will receive additional score – the more sets of pieces used, the higher the score! Teams will present a performance with a theme about what’s available and that incorporates weight-placement and assembling original team creations.

Problem 5: To Be Continued: A Superhero Cliffhanger
Meadow Wood Elementary, 2rd place; Stratford High, 1st place; Memorial High, 3rd place

Problem Synopsis: Creativity is being taken away from the world, and it is up to Odyssey teams to rescue it! Teams will create and present a humorous performance about an unexpected superhero that encounters three different situations where it must save creativity in some way. The superhero will change appearance when it displays its superpowers and go back to blending in with society when not. The performance will also include a clumsy sidekick, a nemesis character, a choreographed battle, and a cliffhanger ending.

When golfers gather at Sealy’s River Ridge Golf Course on Saturday, April 8, they will be part of a two-decades-old tradition of community leaders supporting SBISD’s 35,000 students. It’s a tradition that’s possible because of dedicated volunteers who have a heart for education.

This is year 21 for Spring Branch Education Foundation’s Golf Classic. Volunteers extraordinaire, hosts and co-chairs Mike Baker and Jay Sartain have great expectations. They’re looking for wonderful weather, great fun and a sold-out event.

Golf has been a life-long passion for Mike Baker. A golfer since 5th grade, he has searched out opportunities to play in tournaments since he moved to Houston more than a few years ago. He started playing in the SBEF Golf Classic about seven years back to support the school district that educated his children and the Foundation where his wife, Jennie, serves as a board member.

“Through Jennie, I’ve learned so much more about what SBEF does for SBISD’s students and teachers,” he says. “While we all pay our property taxes, much of what we pay is redistributed to other school districts in Texas. SBEF helps fill some of the funding gaps through fundraising events, with the objective of enhancing our students’ education and preparing them for life after high school. The annual golf tournament is one of the Foundation’s largest fundraisers, and that’s why I chose to co-chair it this year.”

Another volunteer, Debra Aitken, is not a golfer. She has, however, served on the SBEF board for 15 years for one simple reason: “I like giving back to my community. Strong schools make stronger communities. And I appreciate that SBISD prepared my children for success at UT Austin, Texas A&M and the MBA program at OU.

“At the golf tournament, we have fun, raise money and reach an audience who may or may not have children in our district. With 36 teams, we reach 144 men and women who clearly care about education and the Foundation’s mission of making our schools better for students and teachers.”

“The Golf Classic continues to grow,” says Cece Thompson, SBEF executive director. “It’s a popular tournament because golfers appreciate that the money goes for scholarships and campus grants. Everyone enjoys the day.”

The tournament is a four-player team scramble and includes a raffle, mulligans, a sponsored drive for scholarships and contests for putting, longest drive and closest to the hole. Breakfast and lunch are included. Team and individual registration is open through Tuesday, April 4: teams, $2,000; individuals, $500. Register online here >>

Call the SBEF office, 713-251-2381, for more information.

Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott, LLP has signed on as the tournament’s Eagle Clubhouse sponsor. Also teeing up as sponsors are Phillips 66; Group 1 Automotive; MetroNational; Stantec Architecture, Inc.; and PBK Architects, Inc. Other sponsorships are available.

In addition to Aitken, co-chairs Baker and Sartain have tapped community members to serve on the SBEF Golf Classic committee: Doug Goodson, Scooter Hicks, Kamden Kanaly, George Kurisky, Warren Matthews, Roy Montalbano, Paul Moreton, Ted Nowak, Ron Nunley, Lisa Schwartz, Debbie Slack, Warren Sloan, Rob Stewart and Cece Thompson.

About Spring Branch Education Foundation:
Spring Branch Education Foundation is committed to supporting SBISD students and educators. It partners with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and ̅students for the future. In 2016, Caruthers Institute ranked SBEF 42nd in the nation among 188 K-12 education foundations and in the top 10 of its division of foundations with $1 million to $1,999,999 in revenues. Since 1993, the Foundation has donated more than $10 million to the district. SBEF is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax deductible.

Memorial High School Scholastic Awards winning entries

Thirty-seven teenage artists from Spring Branch ISD middle and high schools have earned Scholastic Art Awards in regional annual competition sponsored through the Harris County Department of Education.

SBISD student photography and art were among 53 individual works selected for recent display with other regional winners; 11student artists won Gold Key awards to advance to a top judging category, the national level.

Gold Key winning photography entry Hoi An by Sarah Hambly (11th grade, Stratford High School)

Nineteen students took home Silver Key art awards, and many other students won Honorable Mention awards for works of art and photography.

View more winning artwork >>

SBISD high school award winners in Gold and Silver categories will have their works displayed March 11-30 at Spring Street Studio, 1824 Spring St. A young artist reception will be sponsored on March 11 from 2-4 p.m. at the Spring Street Studio, too, for these high school artists.

A separate Gold and Silver Exhibit will be held for all middle school art winners March 11-30 at Texas Art Supply, 2001 Montrose Blvd.

Regional Gold and Silver Ceremonies will be held for regional winners March 25 and March 30, depending on grade level, at the Alley Theater or the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston. Ceremony times are based on award levels and vary.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, now 94 years old, provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to show and also to have their work judged. Winning works are displayed to regional and national audiences, promoting and inspiring a new generation to create and consider fine arts careers.

Former national Scholastic Art & Writing winners have included such notable writers as Truman Capote and Lena Dunham, photographer Richard Avedon, pop artists Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana, director/actor Robert Redford, filmmaker Ken Burns, and fashion designer Zac Posen.

For more information about the regional Scholastic awards, please visit www.hcde-texas.org/.

SBISD Student Art Award Winners:

Gold Key Awards

Memorial High
Julia Delaney, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, for “The Shadow of Death” and “Reflections of Youth”
Raymond Zrike, 11th grade, Photography, “Larry the Birdman”

Memorial Middle
Saranna Zhang, Drawing and Illustration, “My Journey”

Spring Branch Middle
Alexandra O’Shell, 8th grade, Photography, “Season of Hope”

Stratford High
Sarah Hambly, 11th grade, Photography, “Hoi An”
Madeline Harms, 11th grade, Painting, “Colored Paint-cils”
Alyssa Stanford, 12th grade, Photography, for “Abandon” and “Opaque”
Juwon Yoo, 12th grade, Drawing and Ilustration, “Spaghetti for Dinner” and “Glutton”

Silver Key Awards

Memorial High
Leslie Clark, 12th grade, Drawing and Ilustration, “Danger in Emeralds” and “Prehistoric”
Julia Delaney, 12th grade, Art Portfolio, “Existence”
Katherine Hrap, 11th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Dawson and Tucker”
Katie Klaff, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Parrotdise”
Joy Lu, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Breadwinner”
Mary Torres, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Glass Reflection”

Spring Branch Middle
Chandler Gartner, 8th grade, Photography, “Layers of Grace”
Kirby Robinson, 8th grade, Photography, “Morning Dew”
Olivia Willard, 8th grade, Photography, “Burst of Passion”

Stratford High
Kate Bortner, 10th grade, Photography, “All Boarded Up”
Elizabeth Gex, 11th grade, Painting, “The Cupboard”
Samantha Hanslip, 12th grade, Photography, “Mom”
Madeline Harms, 11th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Queen of the Chair”
Giboom Park, 11th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Dominance”
Alyssa Stanford, 12th grade, Photography, “Vulnerable”
Collin Whitby, 12th grade, Photography, “Hands of Light”
Juwon Yoo, 12th grade, Art Portfolio, “Viva la Vida”
Juwon Yoo, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Little Space in Time”

Honorable Mention

Memorial High
Leslie Clark, 12th grade, Art Portfolio, “Wild Spirits”
Lauren Dickerson, 10th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Kk”
Eleanor Green, 10th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Selfie”
Rachel Jiang, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Oyster Omelette”
Katie Klaff, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Scrub a Dub”
Joy Lu, 12th grade, Art Portfolio, “The Joy of Art”
Adelle Schlenker, 12th grade, Painting, “pink”
Adelle Titterington, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Major”
Melanie Vargas Verde, 12th grade, Painting, “Blue eyed Felix”
Amy Womac, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Shooter”
Raymond Zrike, 11th grade, Photography, “East 41, NY” and “Walks in Peace” and “Something Fleeting”

Spring Branch Middle
Emma Feuer, 8th grade, Photography, “Life in the Darkness”

Spring Forest Middle
Kelly Chau, 8th grade, Mixed Media, “Wonders of Culture”

Stratford High
Maia Fageria, 11th grade, Photography, “8:43 A.M.”
Abigail Gex, 9th grade, Photography, “Welcome Home”
Lauren Graham, 11th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Cracked Open”
Robin Graves, 11th grade, Drawing and Ilustration, “Breakfast”
Zachary Harkins, 12th grade, Photography, “Starry Sky”
Audrey Hudson, 11th grade, Photography, “Fruit?”
Katherine Mesa, 11th grade, Photography, “Adolescence”
Lauren Pfeifer, 12th grade, Photography, “Hands”
Juwon Yoo, 12th grade, Drawing and Illustration, “Crumble World” and “Finding Beauty”

SBISD art and photography instructors who helped guide and support these award-winning students include Sharon Clark, Crystal Fiocchi and Marilyn Guerinot at Memorial High; Lynn Ludlam at Memorial Middle; Elisa Barry at Spring Branch Middle; Elaine Jones at Spring Forest Middle; and Bess Garison, Lillian Harris and Jennifer Clouse at Stratford High.

SBISD’s Community Relations department welcomed some 60 district partners Wednesday morning for a partnership summit to help better align partner activities with T-2-4 and the strategic plan, The Learner’s Journey.

Coordinator for Strategic Partnerships and Volunteer Programs Abby Walker said the morning’s purpose was twofold: to better align not just what partners are doing now but what needs to be done, and to develop a baseline of where to begin that alignment.

“We want to be more strategic about our alignment with district goals,” Walker said. “And we want to develop a Resilient Foundation (one of the pillars of The Learner’s Journey) for partnerships.”

Partners participated in a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, facilitated by Safal Partners, a local firm that consults nationally with educators. Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman lifted out one of the firm’s consultants, Leonel Olmedo, a 2006 graduate of Northbrook High School who went on to earn a biological sciences degree from the University of Chicago, where he was a Gates Millennium Scholar.

SBISD partners work at both the district and the campus level in a variety of programs. The district has more than 260 partners in its Good Neighbor program, which requires three or more activities in support of SBISD or the Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF), and some 10,000 approved volunteers.

“I feel really good about the summit,” Walker said. “We’ve gotten really good feedback so far … it’s been overwhelmingly positive.”

View a recent presentation on partnerships and volunteers >>

In early February, the Cohort II team met in a special Meet & Greet event attended by Superintendent of Schools Scott R. Muri, Ed.D. (fourth row, center).

Thirty-six Spring Branch ISD educators were welcomed publicly Feb. 24 as Cohort II members in the district’s innovative Vanguard Fellows teacher corps. They join 19 educators selected for the first-ever Vanguard Fellows team last May.

The 55-member Vanguard Fellows group represents 29 campuses, from prekindergarten up to high school. The teachers applied for positions and were then interviewed before selection. A long-term district effort to encourage and support innovative instruction through smarter use of technology integration and refocused curriculum design is a priority for these chosen teachers.

In early February, the Cohort II team met in a special Meet & Greet event. The second cohort increases representation by 15 campuses. On Feb. 24, all Vanguard Fellows attended special sessions and welcoming activities at the SBISD Technology Training Center.

“We are super excited to welcome these innovative educators to the Vanguard Fellows team,” Superintendent Scott Muri, Ed.D., told district leaders in announcing the new fellows.

Karen Justl, SBISD educational technology director, echoed his remarks. “Their energy and enthusiasm will definitely enrich the fellowship as we expand into 15 additional campuses. Through professional networking opportunities, their collaborative spirit translates into partnerships across campuses as they support one another on their #LearnersJourney,” Justl said, a reference to the district’s strategic plan for greater student learning and classroom innovation.

SBISD’s Vanguard Fellows will develop in its own way, but similar teams have been created successfully in other public school districts where Dr. Muri served. These include Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and Fulton County Schools in suburban Atlanta.

The Vanguard Fellows will meet in the months ahead in special team sessions.

Cohort II Vanguard Fellows (February 2017)

Lindsay Duke, Bear Boulevard School for Early Learning, Prekindergarten
Stephanie Chambers, Bendwood School, 3rd-5th Grade
Cassie Salas, Buffalo Creek Elementary, 1st Grade
Lauren Blouin, Cedar Brook Elementary, 3rd Grade, English Language Arts/Social Studies
Cassandra Cowen, Cedar Brook Elementary, 2nd Grade
Amanda Breland, Cornerstone Academy, 8th Grade, English Language Arts
Roldan Moreno, Housman Elementary, 5th Grade, Math & Science
Lucia Flores, Landrum Middle School, 7th Grade, Math
Juan Alvarez, Lion Lane School for Early Learning, Prekindergarten
Erika Wheeler, Meadow Wood Elementary, 3rd Grade, Science
Tabitha Pena, Meadow Wood Elementary, English Language Arts/Social Studies
Ami Rapp, Meadow Wood Elementary, 3rd Grade, Math & Science
Hayley MacDonald, Memorial Drive Elementary, 3rd Grade
Andrea Skaggs, Memorial Drive Elementary, Intervention
Christopher Villarreal, Memorial High School, English Language Arts
Baily Dizdar, Memorial High School, Chemistry
Gail Dunn, Memorial Middle School, Tech Apps
Laura Grabarschick, Northbrook Middle School, 7th Grade, English Language Arts
Leela Simmons, Northbrook Middle School, 7th Grade, Math
Jeanette Choy, Nottingham Elementary School, 7th Grade, English Language Arts
Melanie Marshall, Nottingham Elementary School, 2nd Grade, Math & Science
Candase Charles, Rummel Creek Elementary School, 5th Grade, Science
Sandra Hardie, Spring Branch Middle School, English Language Arts
Amy Wiley, Spring Oaks Middle School, 6th Grade, English Language Arts
Michelle Greenawalt, Spring Oaks Middle School, Career & Technology Education
Maria Luna, Spring Shadows Elementary School, 3rd Grade
Abigail Price, Spring Woods High School, English Language Arts IV
Ambila Bobmanuel, Spring Woods High School, Pre-Calculus
Stephanie Woods, Spring Woods Middle School, 7th Grade, English Language Arts
Laura Caldwell, Treasure Forest Elementary School, 4th Grade, Math & Science
Nichole Nakadate, Westchester Academy, 6th Grade, English Language Arts/Social Studies
Tamika Castonmiller, Westchester Academy, English Language Arts
Carol Mendez, Westwood Elementary School, 2nd Grade
Romelia Jimenez-Garza, Westwood Elementary School, 4th Grade
Veronica Evetts, Terrace Elementary School, 4th Grade, English Language Arts/Social Studies
Carrie Estes, Hollibrook Elementary School, 5th Grade, Math & Science

Cohort I Vanguard Fellows (May 2016)

Shelby Acevedo, Northbrook High, Special Education Co-Teacher
Christina Canney, Westchester Academy, 6th Grade Science
Jonathan Claydon, Northbrook High, Pre-Calculus and Calculus
Jamie Flint, Spring Woods High, Pre-Advanced Placement (AP) and AP Chemistry
Sofia Guerrero, Landrum Middle, 7th Grade Mathematics
Kari Heitman, Spring Oaks Middle, Teacher Librarian
Ashley Johnson, Hunters Creek Elementary, 1st Grade Self Contained
Edith Lewis, Spring Oaks Middle, 7th Grade Science
Sharon Mahabir, The Lion Lane School for Early Learning, Prekindergarten
Angela McNeil, Westwood Elementary, 4th Grade Self Contained
Annie Mitchell, Nottingham Elementary, 3rd Grade ELA Arts/Social Studies
Crystal Nicholas, Northbrook Middle, 7th Grade Mathematics
Lindsay O’Neil, Cedar Brook Elementary, 2nd Grade Self Contained
Jennifer Roberts, Westwood Elementary, 3rd Grade, Self Contained
Becky Singley, Stratford High, English Language Arts/English I
Anne Smalling, Memorial Drive Elementary, 4th Grade Self Contained
Francisco Villareal, The Panda Path School for Early Learning, Prekindergarten
Donna Ward, Spring Forest Middle, 7th Grade Mathematics
Amarilys William, Northbrook Middle, 8th Grade Science

A candidate forum for two positions on the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees will be held at 7 p.m. on March 30 in the Bunker Hill H-E-B Community Room.

Trustee positions for the upcoming election are Position 1, currently held by incumbent Josef D. Klam, and Position 2, which is held by incumbent Chris Gonzalez.

Klam, 43, is a pastor and is unopposed for Position 1. Klam was appointed to the seat in June of last year after the resignation of Wayne Schaper Sr.

Gonzalez, 41, who lists her occupation as director, will face Mary Curry Mettenbrink, 37, a non-profit executive, for Position 2. Gonzalez was appointed in 2011 after the resignation of Mary Grace Landrum and has twice been elected to the seat.

The League of Women Voters will moderate the forum, which is sponsored by the Spring Branch ISD Council of PTAs.

The Bunker Hill H-E-B is at 9710 Katy Freeway. The Community Room entrance is at the front of the building, facing the parking lot.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day, Saturday, May 6. Voters cast ballots at their zoned middle school.

Early voting will open on April 24 and run through May 2.

Cornerstone Academy will occupy the south classroom wing, facing Westview.

Losing weeks of construction time to weather delays, workers are putting finishing touches on new classroom wings and the refurbished auditorium and library at the Spring Branch Education Center on Westview.

The district expects the new facilities to be ready for furniture in June, and to be ready for classes in the fall, the 2017-18 school year.

The two-story wings will house SBISD’s Academy of Choice and Cornerstone Academy, occupants of the former building. A new cafeteria building will also serve as space for some of the district’s community learning courses.

Walls of windows in each classroom wing overlook a landscaped courtyard.

The auditorium and library are holdovers from the former Spring Branch High School, which was closed in 1985. The buildings are a living nod to the district’s legacy – Spring Branch High School opened in 1949 and was the only high school until Memorial opened in 1962.

A collection of Spring Branch High School and community artifacts will have a new – and much more visible – home in the former library area of the old high school, which has been updated to modern requirements but keeps the curved staircase intact.

Even the iconic SBHS bear will have a new home – a special built glassed-in display case in the old building’s main hallway.

This glass case will be the permanent home of Bruno, the longtime mascot of Spring Branch High School.

Work at SBEC was done as the last major piece of the $597.1 million bond program, approved by voters in 2007. That bond program rebuilt 13 elementary schools, made improvements to every district facility and upgraded technology and transportation throughout the district.

The new buildings are designed to complement the mid-century modern architectural style of the former high school, with an updated flair.

Cornerstone Academy and AOC have been housed at the East Transition Campus – the former Edgewood Elementary – for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years.

Stratford HIgh School's cast of "Me and My Girl"

Spring Woods High School and Stratford High School collectively earned 11 Tommy Tune Awards nominations for their winter musicals, ranging from Best Actor and Best Actress to Best Lighting Direction.

Stratford earned eight nominations for its production of “Me and My Girl,” while Spring Woods earned three for “Xanadu.”

Nominated from Spring Branch ISD:

Best Leading Actor

Matt Hopper as Bill Snibson in "Me and My Girl" (Stratford)

Best Leading Actress

Lauren Dodds as Sally Smith in "Me and My Girl" (Stratford)

Best Supporting Actress

Faith Berrigan as Maria, Duchess of Dene in "Me and My Girl" (Stratford)

Best Featured Performer

Karly Anderson as Calliope in "Xanadu" (Spring Woods)
Kyle Goodson as Herbert Parchester in "Me and My Girl" (Stratford)

Best Ensemble/Chorus

Stratford High School - "Me and My Girl"

Best Lighting Design

Spring Woods High School - "Xanadu"
Stratford High School - "Me and My Girl"

Best Musical Direction

Stratford High School - "Me and My Girl"

Best Direction

Spring Woods High School - "Xanadu"
Stratford High School - "Me and My Girl”

The 15th Annual Tommy Tune Awards recognizes and rewards excellence in the production of musical theatre by high school students and their teachers. Some 45 public and private high schools participated this year. The awards are named for Houston native, Lamar High School graduate and Broadway performer, director and choreographer Tommy Tune.

The awards event will be held on Tuesday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts, 800 Bagby.

Suzanna Jinks won this year's SBEF’s Running for the Arts 5K & ArtFest art competition.

Suzanna Jinks has a winning smile and a fierce love of art. She can’t help it. It’s in her blood. Her mom and grandmother, both artists, can “draw anything.” Suzanna can too, but she prefers drawing people.

So when her Memorial High School art teacher, Crystal Fiocchi, introduced Spring Branch Education Foundation’s Running for the Arts 5K & ArtFest art competition, the ideas started flowing. She drew a runner whose singlet is splashed with visual and performing arts symbols.

Suzanna Jinks' winning artwork

Suzanna’s drawing was selected from more than 20 entries. She was surprised.

“I was flooded with happiness when I won,” she says. Her whole family, Tom and Caroline Jinks, and her brother, West, a seventh-grader at Spring Branch Middle School, celebrated. Another fun part of winning – when she and her friends run in the 5K on Saturday, May 6, they’ll be wearing t-shirts emblazoned with her design.

The MHS junior has always attended SBISD schools, first Memorial Drive Elementary, then Spring Branch Middle. “It’s a great environment,” she says. “All the teachers are good, and I know they want me to do well.” While this will be her first year to participate in Running for the Arts 5K & ArtFest, she remembers benefitting from the event’s proceeds: grade-level field trips to the Houston Symphony, Alley Theatre and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Would she encourage others to enter art contests? You bet she would. “You never know what will happen. I didn’t expect to win!”

Crystal Fiocchi says there are contest opportunities for art students almost monthly. She presents them to students based on their personal interests because she believes contests provide fertile ground for learning.

“Each contest comes with its own lists of rules and requirements,” she explains. “There are deadlines, and there are also rewards. Students learn to accept critiques of their work. And the finished products are useful for students who are building their resumes and portfolios.”

“They prepare us for the real world,” Suzanna says, wise words for a 16-year-old.

Fiocchi, a 12-year SBISD veteran, personally enjoys the art of illustration and has illustrated several children’s books. “I love telling stories through art,” and she shares that love in the classroom. “It’s super important to express ourselves visually. Creating builds discipline and commitment.”

SBEF agrees that art is important to students and to the community. This is the first year the 5K will expand to an ArtFest. The Foundation has partnered with the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum to host the event and enhance the art auction. Local artists and artisans are invited to participate as auction donors and as vendors.

Community members – even non-runners – will be on hand to bid on auction artwork, stroll through art vendors’ booths, listen to garage bands and munch on goodies from a variety of food trucks. They’ll hear and see SBISD fine arts programs in action.

Look for some of Crystal Fiocchi’s students. They have submitted street art designs and will be on hand to create art throughout the event, 9 a.m. through 1 p.m., at the Museum, 901 Yorkchester.

Want to participate?
To donate to the art auction, email leann.ayam@yahoo.com.
To register for the run/walk or as a vendor, visit www.runningforthearts.com.

About Spring Branch Education Foundation:
Spring Branch Education Foundation is committed to supporting SBISD students and educators. It partners with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and ̅students for the future. In 2016, Caruthers Institute ranked SBEF 42nd in the nation among 188 K-12 education foundations and in the top 10 of its division of foundations with $1 million to $1,999,999 in revenues. Since 1993, the Foundation has donated more than $10 million to the district. SBEF is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax deductible.

The Spring Branch ISD Teacher of the Year Committee is pleased to announce that six educators have been named as 2017 SBISD Teacher of the Year finalists.

Teacher of the Year Committee interviews were recently held. The committee will soon vote on the six candidates. One finalist will be named the district Elementary Teacher of the Year and another will be named the new Secondary Teacher of the Year.

The two Teacher of the Year winners will be announced during the 2017 SBISD Employee Service Awards. This annual celebration will be held Tuesday, May 9, at Minute Maid Park downtown.

SBISD Superintendent Scott Muri, Ed.D., will announce the top vote-getters, who will be announced and recognized on the ballfield before the Houston Astros-Atlanta Braves game.

A private, pre-game reception for Teacher of the Year finalists, retirees and Service Award recipients is also planned in The Depot inside the baseball park grounds.

SBISD District Teachers of the Year will go on to compete in the annual Region IV Teacher of the Year Competition and in the 2017 Houston West Chamber of Commerce competition.

Elementary Teacher of the Year finalists this year are:

Amy Griffith, Meadow Wood Elementary. Amy is a Special Education Resource teacher;
Terri Doherty, Ridgecrest Elementary. Terri is a Health Fitness teacher; and
Rebecca Ramey, Rummel Creek Elementary.Rebecca is a second-grade teacher.

Secondary Teacher of the Year finalists this year are:

Jonathan Claydon, Northbrook High. Jonathan is a Pre-Calculus/Calculus teacher;
Stephanie Mosley, Memorial High. Stephanie is an Algebra I teacher; and
Ali Robbins, Spring Forest Middle. Ali is a sixth-grade teacher.

Teachers of the Year may be nominated by district students, parents and teachers via online nominations. After nomination, teachers who qualify and meet district priority goals are voted on by campus faculty members.

View the full list of campus Teachers of the Year >>

The SBISD Teacher of the Year Committee spent numerous hours reading and reviewing applications and watching videos submitted by the school-nominated Teacher of the Year candidates. These applications detail the unique perspectives and rich, varied backgrounds of our amazing educators.

The Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year will each receive a $1,000 cash award thanks to the generosity of district partners CenterPoint Energy and First Community Credit Union. They will also receive a $2,000 professional growth stipend, as well as the acclaim and recognition of their peers.

The SBISD Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award recognizes and honors qualifying educators who meet the district’s priority goals. Nominees must:

Support the district’s T-2-4 Goal for graduates to pursue military training, technical certification, or two- or four-year degrees, and also demonstrate commitment to SBISD’s beliefs and values
Be a dedicated, knowledgeable, effective and skilled teacher
Inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn/have a growth mindset
Have the respect and admiration of students, parents and colleagues
Play an active role in both the school and wider community
Demonstrate outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching
Teach at least 4 hours a day if a librarian or counselor
Plan to return to their campus or to SBISD next year

In separate but related news, 2017 Principals of the Year were recently named. They are Stefanie Spencer of Sherwood Elementary and Bryan Williams of Spring Branch Middle School.

Read more about Principals of the Year >>

It can be somewhat amusing – or jarring – to see a car painted like a mural, or decorated like a collage with all sorts of items attached, maybe adhering to a theme, or maybe not.

And so it is with Art Cars, those Houston-centric automobiles that are expressions both of their drivers and of a city that’s unique in so many ways. Houston is a serious place where business gets done yet is home to such distractions as the Orange Show and the Art Car Parade.

Many Spring Branch ISD students were treated Thursday, April 6, to a preview of Saturday’s downtown parade as several Art Cars participated in separate “drags,” with several cars created by SBISD students.

View more photos >>

Memorial Drive Elementary created an “Emoji” Art Car. Wilchester Elementary celebrated “50 years of Wildcat Pride” with its car. Spring Forest Middle created a “Flamingo Fancy” car, in conjunction with Nottingham Elementary’s “SpikeBikes.” At Meadow Wood Elementary, students decorated remote control cars as Art Cars. Cornerstone Academy created Art Cars from shoebox-size cars, and was one of the stops on the drag.

Also at Wilchester, preK students converted cardboard boxes into Art Cars and did their own version of a “drag” as they paraded in front of the student body, convened outside for the motorized drag. Teachers said it was a fun way for the younger students to feel like a part of the Parade while providing an outlet for creativity.

The SBISD drags take separate routes – one north and one south, stopping at selected schools along the way. At Wilchester on Thursday, students eagerly inspected the Art Cars in the drag, which included the Spring Forest car and Wilchester’s own car as well as several other Art Cars.

Special thanks this year to the SBISD Police Department, who picked up escort duty for the Art Car drags.

The Art Car Parade is Saturday, April 8 at 2 p.m. The parade route is downtown, along Smith Street.

Ruth Steinfeld recently spoke to the Cornerstone Academy student body.

World War II Holocaust survivor Ruth Steinfeld spoke recently to the student body at Cornerstone Academy, the district charter middle school. Her remarks about an ordeal no child should ever witness preceded this weekend’s Cornerstone student production of a one-act play about youths surviving inside a concentration camp.

The student play, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, will be performed this Friday and Saturday, April 7-8, at Spring Woods High School.

As a then 5-year-old girl, Steinfeld watched helplessly as Nazi soldiers wrecked and smashed up her family’s home in Germany during a Nov. 9, 1938, evening now known in world history as Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass.”

The Nazis led off her father and grandfather to the Dachau Concentration Camp, where they and so many others were systematically killed during World War II.

Steinfeld’s family was later shipped off to a concentration camp in southwestern France. A French group called the Agency for the Rescue of Children, posing as Red Cross officials, moved Steinfeld and others to a nearby medieval castle and area orphanages, pretending they were Christian children.

She and others later found safety in New York City. The Jewish Family Agency was able to get them out of France.

Steinfeld later moved to Houston in 1949, where she married and then had three daughters.

Cornerstone Academy’s final student production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly will be performed at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, in the Mini-Auditorium at Spring Woods High School, 2045 Gessner. The middle school’s new academic building on Westview is under construction. It will open in August.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly is both a book and play. Both tell the stories of the Holocaust concentration camp experience through the eyes and ears and senses of children.
One version is based on the art and poetry of Jewish children who lived in the Theresienstadt concentration camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Many families and children died there.

The book I Never Saw Another Butterfly is named after a poem by Pavel Friedman, who was incarcerated in the concentration camp and who later died in Auschwitz, another Nazi death camp. The one-act play centers around another child who is a survivor of the Terezin concentration camp.

Speaking of Steinfeld’s recent talk to Cornerstone Academy students, Theater Arts instructor Juli Pendergrass said that the student play and Holocaust survivor story made a big impact.

“We felt very privileged to have heard a survivor since not many are left anymore. She [Ruth Steinfeld] hopes our production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly goes well this weekend,” Pendergrass said.

Morning Drink by Memorial High ninth-grader Joy Chung

Works by eight Spring Branch ISD art students earned more than $100,000 in bids during the Art Auction held March 19 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. District art students may receive lesser amounts for personal or scholarship use.

The highest district student art auction bid was $50,000 for Memorial High ninth-grader Joy Chung’s mixed-medium work, “Morning Drink.”

Her work was among a selective Top 10 auction list, a notable Best of Show prize winner. Joy will reportedly get a check valued at about $7,000 based on the bid.

Memorial High senior Julia Delaney with chairmen of the School Art program, who purchased her artwork Pearls and Goats.

On a separate note, Memorial High senior Julia Delaney’s work marked a fourth-time selection for Rodeo art display, a rare accomplishment for a student artist. Julia’s works have sold in auction three out of four years, including this year.

Details of other reported SBISD student auction bids include:

Ashley Park, $22,000, for the painting, “Every Second Counts.” Ashley, who is a senior at Memorial High, will receive a check for about $2,500.
Julia Delaney, $3,000, for the monochromatic drawing, “Pearls and Goats.” Julia, a senior at Memorial High, will receive about $1,500.
Amy Womack, $7,000, for the colored drawing, “The New and the Old.” Amy, a senior at Memorial High, will receive about $1,500.
Chris Song, $6,000, for the painting, “All A Girl Needs.” Chris, a junior at Memorial High, will receive a check for at least $1,500.
Azelia Lau, $15,000, for the painting “Kicking Up Dust.” Azelia, a junior at Stratford High, will receive a check for at least $1,500.
Juwon Yoo, $17,000, for the colored drawing “Beginner’s Luck.” Juwon, a senior at Stratford High, will receive a check for at least $1,500.
Bea Jeon, $7,000, for the colored drawing, “Striding Through the Water.” Bea, a freshman at Stratford High, will receive a check for at least $1,500.

SBISD students displayed their works in January locally during the annual K-12 Rodeo Art Exhibit at the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum.

Fourteen student works earned a Best of Show, Gold Medal or a Special Merit ribbon, advancing to public display in the Hayloft Gallery during the Livestock Show and Rodeo. Eight were chosen for Grand Prix judging and final auction.

These art students and many others will be recognized by the SBISD Board of Trustees during its regular monthly meeting later this month.

The following leadership appointments have been announced:

Christina Masick has been named the district’s Chief Information Officer. Christina has a varied professional background ranging from the private sector to public schools. She has 19 years of experience and is moving to this position after serving as the general manager of information technology at Houston ISD. She replaces Venu Rao, who retired in January.

Alana Morris is the new Director of Talent Management. She has 29 years of experience in education. Her experiences include teaching, literacy consultant, program director and serving as a multilingual program specialist. Alana has worked in SBISD previously worked as the district instructional specialist. She is currently assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Spring ISD.

Community Superintendent D'Andre Weaver

D’Andre Weaver is wrapping up his first year both in Spring Branch ISD and as one of three community superintendents, positions created last summer in an administrative reorganization. Short Takes caught up with D’Andre late one afternoon as the Chicago native was grabbing a quick lunch at his desk.

ST: We can do this after your lunch, D’Andre.

DW: (Laughing) I just got out of a meeting that followed another meeting. I’m used to it. I eat whenever I can.

ST: OK then. Let’s start at the top. Who are the community superintendents?

DW: There’s myself, Kristin Craft and Jennifer Parker.

ST: And what is a community superintendent?

DW: Spring Branch ISD has 48 campuses with principals or directors. The question was how do we best support the diverse needs of those 48 campuses? How do we create a structure to support principals and teachers? They have to have support and a voice to implement the kind of work the district is undertaking. One person can’t support 48 campus leaders.

ST: So that’s where the community superintendents come in?

DW: That’s right. Each community superintendent has 16 schools, a blend of elementary and secondary. Schools aren’t grouped by geographical area but by other criteria. We can better support a smaller group of leaders, and the groupings make the district smaller for the principals.

ST: What do you do? What kind of support do you provide?

DW: The role is multifaceted. We provide one-on-one support. The principal group provides support for one another. And we’re also building the district’s leadership. This year, Dr. Muri has been clear that we’re focusing on the Resilient Foundation (the underpinning of the district’s strategic plan, The Learner’s Journey).

ST: What about the Professional Learning Communities? What’s that about?

DW: I see a PLC like a hospital. Doctors, nurses, technicians and other professionals come together to talk and to agree on certain ways of doing business, for a common goal. It’s the same thing in our district, only our common goal is student achievement. The idea is that we’re better when we’re collaborating.

ST: What’s Data Wise?

DW: Data Wise is a philosophy that helps us consider how we look at data, guiding us through something of a process. What does the data tell us? What do we do with that data? All of it is about student achievement. What do we want students to learn? How will we know when they learn it? What if they don’t? What do we do?

ST: So, a PLC is a group of principals working on common issues?

DW: It’s not just a group of principals – it’s any group that organizes around a common goal – in our case its student achievement. There could be PLCs inside schools, or between campuses. As community superintendents, we facilitate principal PLCs. We help them think through learning issues.

ST: Thanks for your time, D’Andre. I know how little you have.

DW: Anytime.

Campus Teachers of the Year Announced

This year’s SBISD Teacher of the Year nominees are:

Dr. Seuss Celebration Marks Start of National Reading Month

Character Without Question Awards

Navy Jr. ROTC Cadet Earn Orienteering and Other Awards

Bosses Night Funds Five Student Scholarships

Odyssey of the Mind Teams Prepare for State

Volunteers Make Spring Branch Education Foundation Golf Classic A Success

SBISD Scholastic Art Award Winners Honored

Partnership Summit Looks to Better Align Programs, Activities

Spring Branch ISD Names New Vanguard Fellows Teaching Cohort

SBISD Candidate Forum Set For March 30

New Construction on SBEC Site Nears Completion

Stratford, Spring Woods Earn Tommy Tune Nominations

Nominated from Spring Branch ISD:

Memorial High School Junior Wins SBEF Art Contest

Teacher of the Year Finalists Announced

Art Cars Take Shape At Several SBISD Schools

Cornerstone Academy Theater Spotlights Child Holocaust Survivors

Local Rodeo Art Auction Results Top $100,000

Personnel Announcements

Short Takes: A Brief Conversation with Community Superintendent D’Andre Weaver