Friday, May 9, 2014

Student Art Honors

Talented students of all ages were honored April 28 by the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees during its regular monthly meeting.

In all, 55 young artists were honored for winning a variety of regional, state and national awards and scholarships. At the Board of Trustees meeting, 27 students appeared in person to receive a district medal and to be honored by Trustees.

Students were honored for awards that ranged from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s ultimate recognition, Grand Champion, to many national Scholastic Key awards.

At the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s school art auction, works by students in SBISD high schools sold for $313,000 total. Students retain a portion of Rodeo auction proceeds.

Separately, district art students who are seniors have won additional scholarships valued at more than $260,000 through various colleges, universities and business organizations.

SBISD Visual Arts Coordinator Sally Doyle prepared and moderated the Board of Trustees presentation, which included art created by the honored students.


Theater Students Win Big at Tommy Tune Awards

Seniors from two Spring Branch ISD high schools received Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) scholarships on April 16 during an annual celebration of student musical theatre. 

Receiving $3,000 TUTS scholarships were Memorial High’s Katherine Fester and Stratford High’s Mary Kate Goss. They accepted the scholarships in front of 2,500 people at the 12th annual Tommy Tune Awards gala celebration.

Every year, TUTS presents 10 student scholarships to outstanding participants of The Tommy Tune Awards at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts downtown.

The scholarships include the prestigious Ruth Denney Scholarship, named in honor of the legendary Lamar High School drama teacher who mentored Houston famous Broadway entertainer and dancer Tommy Tune.

Students considered are required to submit an application and an essay, in addition to meeting requirements set by the TUTS Scholarship Committee.

Both of this year’s SBISD recipients are leaders in their school theater departments and plan to pursue careers in the fine arts.

This fall, Katherine Fester will attend The University of North Carolina as a scenic technologies and stage properties major.  In addition to the TUTS scholarship, she was recently selected to intern for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston, a nonprofit theater company.

Katherine Fester

Goss won early decision acceptance into Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she plans to study musical theater. She recently appeared in the starring role in the Stratford Playhouse production of  Almost, Maine as Sandrine.


Assistance League of Houston Scholarships

Twelve graduating seniors from Spring Branch ISD high schools received $24,000 in scholarships to attend colleges and universities in Texas during a recent awards event sponsored by the Assistance League of Houston.

Seniors earned $2,000 each for exemplary academic performance and for their contributions to the community.

Scholarship recipients included:

·        Memorial High School seniors Efrain Batista, Katalina Santibanez and McCall Montz
·        Stratford High School senior Abril Maria Brugo
·        Spring Woods High School seniors Michelle Deveau, Karina Mendoza and Jacqueline Silva
·        Northbrook High School senior My Nguyen
·        Westchester Academy for International Studies seniors Yansi Arevalo, Melissa Iracheta, Saul Isaac Lopez and Duane Patterson

The Assistance League of Houston is a volunteer, nonprofit group that provides a variety of philanthropic programs to the Houston area. Operation School Bell has provided school uniforms to students for decades, Head Start Readers is a literacy enrichment program, and graduating seniors receive annual scholarships.


Since its founding in 1966, the Assistance League of Houston has given back up to $9 million to the Houston community through philanthropic and scholarship efforts and programs.

UIL Program Ratings & Results

Spring Branch ISD students returned earlier this spring from UIL performing arts and academic competitions with, respectively, top tier state rankings and regional results.

Performing Arts groups completed the UIL season with 33 campus groups earning a Sweepstakes Award, which results from Superior rankings in concerts and sight-readings. Last year, 27 groups received the Sweepstakes recognition.

In addition, 10 other groups received First Division Superior ratings for their stage performances and another six groups for sight-reading performances. “Superior teaching brings superior results. Congratulations to these fine teachers and their students,” states district Performing Arts Director Rusty Hess.

Sight-Reading Only Award: 
Landrum Middle School Varsity Band
Memorial High School Non-Varsity Treble Choir
Spring Branch Middle School Varsity Orchestra
Spring Woods High School Non-Varsity Band
Stratford High School Non-Varsity Band
Memorial High School Varsity Band

Concert Stage Only Award:
Spring Oaks Middle School Non-varsity Band
Landrum Middle School Varsity Mixed Choir
Memorial High School Varsity Mixed Choir
Spring Woods High School Non-Varsity Tenor/Bass Choir
Stratford High School Non-Varsity Tenor Choir
Memorial High School Non-varsity Tenor/Bass Choir
Spring Woods High School Varsity Orchestra
Spring Woods High School Non-Varsity Orchestra
Northbrook High School Varsity Band
Stratford High School Varsity Band

Sweepstakes – Both Concert and Sight-reading Awards:
Spring Forest Middle School Non-varsity Band
Spring Forest Middle School Varsity Band
Spring Oaks Middle School Varsity Band
Spring Woods Middle School Varsity Band
Memorial Middle School Varsity Band
Spring Branch Middle School Varsity Band
Spring Oaks Middle School Varsity Mixed Choir
Spring Forest Middle School Non-varsity Mixed Choir
Spring Forest Middle School Varsity Tenor Choir
Memorial High School Varsity Tenor Choir
Spring Woods High School Varsity Mixed Choir
Stratford High School Varsity Mixed Choir
Northbrook High School Varsity Tenor Choir
Northbrook High School Non-varsity Tenor Choir
Spring Woods High School Non-varsity A Tenor Choir
Spring Woods High School Non-varsity B Tenor Choir
Stratford High School Varsity Tenor Choir
Stratford High School Non-varsity Tenor Choir
Memorial Middle School Non-varsity Orchestra
Spring Forest Middle School Non-varsity Orchestra

Additional Sweepstakes:
Stratford High School Full Orchestra
Memorial High School Non-varsity A Orchestra 
Memorial High School Non-varsity B Orchestra 
Memorial High School Non-varsity C Orchestra 
Stratford High School Non-varsity A Orchestra
Stratford High School Non-varsity B Orchestra
Stratford High School Varsity Orchestra
Northbrook Middle School Varsity Orchestra
Stratford Middle School Varsity Orchestra
Spring Oaks Middle School Varsity Orchestra
Spring Woods Middle School Varsity Orchestra
Spring Woods High School Varsity Band
Memorial High School Varsity Orchestra

In Texas Academic UIL competition, meanwhile, eight students from Memorial, Spring Woods and Stratford high schools placed in the top six in their events in 4A Region III Academic UIL competition and will now advance to state competition. 

Spring Branch ISD high school students competed May 1-3 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and at the 5A Region III Academic UIL competition held at Cypress Woods High School. 
The UIL Academic State competition will be held May 19-21 at the University of Texas at Austin. Students in attendance are eligible for multiple scholarships and will be exposed to a variety of educational experiences. 

Regional results: 
Memorial High School
Byoung Ryu – 3rd Place in Mathematics
Brian Li – 1st Place in Chemistry
Spring Woods High School
Josselyn Gomez – 4th Place in Prose Interpretation
Vo Christine – 5th Place in Persuasive Speaking
Max Rombado – 6th Place in Informative Speaking
Stratford High School
Fariha Jawed – 4th Place in Persuasive Speaking
Justin Todes – 3rd Place in Headline Writing
Kali Venable – 5th Place in Editorial Writing

State Tennis Results & Track Meet

Memorial High School’s Ciro Lampasas and Sam Giammalva won the UIL 5A Boys Doubles title on April 29 during the annual state tennis tournament held in Austin.  View photo gallery here >>

Memorial High School’s Ciro Lampasas and Sam Giammalva won the UIL 5A Boys Doubles title on April 29 during the annual state tennis tournament held in Austin.

Three district runners, meanwhile, have qualified for the state UIL Track & Field competitions that will be held this weekend (May 9-10) a the University of Texas in Austin.

In state tennis, the Memorial boys defeated Dillon Pineda and Josh McKinney of north Texas’ Allen High School 6-2, 7-6 (3) in final competition play.

“It’s a great experience to actually play here and then win it,” Giammalva told Houston Chronicle writer Joe Harrington. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but overall, (the state tournament) has been pretty good.”

Memorial High’s girls doubles team of Nousha Nowamooz and Courtney Wright ended the season as state finalists, falling to Tiffany Hollebeck and Alahna Reto 6-3, 6-2, according to the newspaper.

The 5A high school had state quarterfinalists in mixed doubles and boys doubles.

Stratford High tennis coach Rory Frazee reports that senior Kaylin Kruseman and junior Josh Holloway qualified for state after winning Region III-4A singles titles. The two went to state last year in mixed doubles after they won district and region mixed double championships.

According to her coach, Kruseman set a SBISD record for tennis players by being the first four-time state qualifier who competed in three different divisions of play – girls doubles, mixed doubles and girls singles.

She is a four-time district and regional champion, and a four-time, 1st Team All-District and two-time, All-Greater Houston Tennis Team honoree.

“To qualify for state, Coach Frazee said, “she won the regional title in straight sets losing only five individual games along the way – her first two rounds were 6-0, 6-0, with a 6-4, 6-0 win over George Ranch in the finals. Kaylin defeated Shwetha Prabakar from Vandergrift in the quarterfinal round at State 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the semifinal round against the eventual State Champion from Highland Park, Chandler Carter. The match took three hours to complete with Kaylin getting sick in the middle of the second set before pushing the set to a tiebreaker – final score was 6-4, 7-6.”

Next year, she will play tennis on an athletic scholarship at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. “Kaylin exits Stratford with her head held high knowing that she set records that can only ever be tied and never broken. She will go done in Stratford history as one of the best to ever play the game,” Coach Frazee added.

Junior Josh Hollaway of Stratford advanced to state for a second time. He is a two-time district and regional champion, a two-time 1st Team All-District and also All-Greater Houston Team pick. His history of winning in straight sets was long.

At state, he beat Davis Stewart from Amarillo 6-0, 6-0 in quarterfinals play before falling to Taylor Cramer from Texas City in the semifinals 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to win the bronze medal.

“Josh is one of the best players in Texas currently and is a great role model for all up and coming players. He is talented and highly coachable, and has a work ethic second to none,” Coach Frazee said.

In state track and field competition this weekend, Memorial High sophomore Khayla Patel will compete in the 3,200 meters at the UIL State meet for the second year in a row.

“This will make Khayla a four-time state qualifier by combining her two appearances in cross country,” says Memorial cross country and girls track coach Vicki Bevan.

“She is a fierce competitor, but more importantly, she places a high priority on academics. We are very proud of Khayla and all she has accomplished in such a short time period. She sets the bar high for our entire team.”

State Tennis Qualifiers in 4A & 5A UIL 
UIL 5A Boys Doubles State Champions:
Ciro Lampasas and Sam Giammalva, Memorial High School
UIL 5A Girls Doubles State Finalists:
Nousha Nowamooz & Courtney Wright, Memorial High School
UIL 4A Boys Singles State Semifinalist:
Josh Hollaway, Stratford High School
UIL 4A Girls Singles State Semifinalist:
Kaylin Kruseman, Stratford High School
UIL 5A Mixed Doubles State Quarterfinalists:
Meredith Hughes and Max Palmer, Memorial High School
UIL 5A Boys Doubles State Quarterfinalists:
Tadgh Collins and Parker Siller, Memorial High School
State Qualifiers UIL 4A & 5A Track & Field
May 9-10 at the University of Texas at the University of Texas:
Austin Richards, Stratford High School – 3200 Meters
Brian Quinlan, Stratford High School – 1600 Meters
Khayla Patel, Memorial High School – 3200 Meters

SBISD Teachers of the Year Named

A third-grade language arts and social studies teacher with a wonderful talent for teaching students to read and write well and a high school instructor who teaches in five separate subject areas have been selected as Spring Branch ISD’s 2014 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year.  View photo gallery from event >>

Hunters Creek Elementary School’s Naomi “Omi” Ford and Academy of Choice’s Nicole Harris were announced as Spring Branch ISD’s Teachers of the Year during the May 7 Service Awards employee recognition event held at the Omni Houston Hotel Westside.

Hunters Creek Elementary's Naomi Ford - SBISD Elementary Teacher of the Year (2014)
Academy of Choice's Nicole Harris - SBISD Secondary Teacher of the Year (2014)
Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., announced the Teachers of the Year after student speakers praised and extolled the virtues of the district’s six finalists for the annual award.

In addition to Ford and Harris,Teacher of the Year Finalists were Delfino Guillen of Buffalo Creek Elementary, Adelina Phucas of Housman Elementary, Abigayl Flores of Landrum Middle, and Claudia Castillo of Northbrook High.

More than 400 educators and guests attended this year’s annual dinner. Serving as this year’s masters of ceremonies were Spring Woods High seniors Christian Rice and Avery Reinhart, who are award-winning debate students.

SWHS Theatre Performance at the 2014 Service Awards Event


At dinner time, musical theatre selections were provided by Spring Woods High’s Safari Players. The student troupe sang and danced to music from State Fair, also serving as the evening’s festive theme.

As this year’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, Ford and Harris will represent the district in regional competition. If successful, they’ll compete later at the state and then national level.

The two teachers each will receive a $2,000 professional development stipend from SBISD and a $250 award from First Community Credit Union, a regular sponsor of yearly Service Awards event.

Omi Ford earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. She’s taught students of varied demographic backgrounds for nine years, including six years at Hunters Creek. 

“My contribution is my heart,” Omi says. “I’ve been in different schools and I’ve worked with students at each extreme. No matter rich, poor, dyslexic, gifted, English-language learner, boy or girl, I hope that the time I invest in them has made a difference to them. I hope that they know that I continue to believe in them and they are loved.”

Hunters Creek Elementary Principal Robye Snyder states that Omi has extremely high expectations for herself and her students, and she helps each student reach his or her full potential.

“Omi is able to keep each student challenged and right on the cutting edge of learning without causing the child to be stressed. Her bright students are challenged and motivated to learn. Her struggling learners are challenged and motivated as well,” Principal Snyder says. “She is able to provide each student with just the right amount of support to be the best that [student] can be.”

Hunters Creek Elementary third-grader Zoey Epley spoke at Service Awards from a simple and direct point of view: “I think Mrs. Ford really enjoys teaching us kids, and I really enjoy being one of her students. She has done a lot for us; she is always patient and kind and never gives up on us . . . even though we talk a lot!!”

At SBISD’s Academy of Choice for the past three years, Nicole Harris has taught world geography, government, economics, psychology and sociology. A teacher for 11 years, Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas, and then a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wayland Baptist in Plainview, Texas.

Nicole has as many as five course preps in a single day. Her talent for leading secondary students who have chosen AOC’s nontraditional path to personal growth, self-awareness and graduation is matched by few. 

“Giving of love, knowledge, or passion does not draw from your stock, but plants a seed to help others cultivate their own. Students blossom with independence and are able to attribute their successes and learning back to themselves,” Nicole says.

“Nicole Harris is a tremendous asset to our team at the Academy of Choice,” states Principal Michele Hilberth, Ed.D. “Nicole maintains a high degree of flexibility and understanding as a professional educator. These standards, among many others that Ms. Harris possesses, are crucial to the nontraditional goals set forth in the mission we have here at the Academy of Choice.”

Academy of Choice sophomore Yancey Elguezabel told the gathered Omni Hotel audience that Ms. Harris has high energy, a positive attitude and cares for her kids.

“In my mind, Ms. Harris is one of the best teachers I have ever met. Her style of teaching is unbelievable. She doesn’t just teach the class, she engages us. Plus, she acts like her true being, making us feel welcomed and human,” Yancey says.

“This quote says it all: ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.’ This is Ms. Harris’ teaching style, and I am inspired by her,” she told the ballroom audience.

Other students who spoke on behalf of  Teachers of the Year Finalists were Angel Beltran of Buffalo Creek Elementary, Mayianni Rodriguez of Housman Elementary, Rocio Sidonio of Landrum Middle School and Lizette Lopez of Northbrook High.

During the evening program, the Spring Branch Education Association presented its annual Red Apple Award to two separate groups. Seitel Inc. and Richard Seitel were honored for 10 years of service and support to students, teachers and staff at the Panda Path School for Early Learning.

Sharing in this year’s Red Apple Award were SPARK Parks and leader Kathleen Ownby. The group has now built more than 200 community parks in area school districts, including SBISD. The district has more than a dozen such school parks, and new ones are planned at four more SBISD campuses soon.

SBISD Board of Trustees member Chris Gonzalez accepted the SPARK Parks award on behalf of Kathleen Ownby.

Principals of the Year, announced before the May 7 event, were also recognized and presented awards. Honored this year were Nancy Harn of Rummel Creek Elementary School and Chris Juntti of Stratford High School. Both spoke briefly. 

Students speaking on their behalf were Rummel Creek’s Andrew Holland and Katherine Kennedy of Stratford High.

Previous Teachers of the Year delivered short speeches on their service experience. Sharing their remarks were the past Teachers of the Year Theresa Schwab-Trevino of Rummel Creek Elementary and Danielle Prontka of Memorial High.

SBISD Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman honored retirees by sharing that these employees had a combined total of 3,154 years in education, and average number of years in education of 25½ years. They averaged 20 years of service with SBISD, or more than 2,400 years in the district.

In addition, district employees with service years ranging from five up to 40 years were honored by Trustees.