HCE Hornets Win Rocket's Read to Achieve! Program

Congratulations to Hollibrook Elementary for taking first place in the Houston Rockets Read to Achieve program! Hollibrook students, grades one through five, read a total of 746,975 minutes and PreK/Kinder students read another 20,000 minutes.

The Houston Rockets Read to Achieve program is designed to promote the value and fun of reading for elementary students grades one to five. The contest was open to schools across the Houston. The goal is to see which school could read the most minutes during the month of March.

Leading the reading charge was librarian Kari Heitman. Here is what she did to capture the interest of her campus students and staff:

• Signs in the cafeteria
• Weekly updates total minutes read per grade
• Read-a-thon on March 8th
• Book Fair the week before Spring Break
• Library activities for Read Across America week along with Hat Day
• Principal and Librarian presented two book readings using VBrick broadcasting system.

Key to their success promote - promote - promote with school wide involvement.

The Rockets organization will be coming to Hollibrook Elementary in May for a school rally. Awesome job Hollibrook!

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Teen Sand Sculpture Competition

Nine student teams from Spring Branch ISD took part in the recent fourth annual Teen Sand Sculpture Competition at Stewart Beach in Galveston.

Nine student teams from two campuses, Northbrook Middle and Northbrook High schools, took home the top three prizes – the Golden Bucket for “The Largest Castle” and Silver Shovel for “Sinking Ship” to high school teams; and Bronze Spade award to middle school team for “Sand Castle.”

The sand-building contest was held May 21.

The yearly sand sculpture contest is the brainchild of SBISD art teacher Stephanie Walton, who now teaches at Wilchester Elementary, and Loren Gardner, a former Northbrook Middle School instructor.
Initial start-up funds for the springtime art activity came through the Spring Branch Education Foundation as a grant project. It paid for the tools, supplies, instructional video and transportation expenses for the first year. Fund-raising events are held to cover expenses now.

Each year, art teacher Walton creates new trophies. Judges include beachgoers like the one from Rhode Island who lauded the scene of students creating sculptures.

“It’s so nice to see students doing positive work together on a team and creating such amazing works of art!,” the visitor told Walton.

The creative playground of art, design and wet sand makes students learn to adapt and be creative. A mermaid, for example, became a sea lion. The nose on the top-rated meditating dog fell off, and student adapted and moved on.

Students mixed compacted sand and water in one area, then hauled it to the shore sculptures. The beach day required plenty of student sweat and muscles.

Art teacher Walton is hoping to include more middle and high school classes from across Houston next year.

“We’d like to continue to grow this event,” she said. “A temporary work of art is something amazing to see. I often wonder how long these sculptures actually last on the beach after we have gone!”
Thanks to social media, “I’m sure that our sculptures are being seen all over,” she adds.

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Northbrook High Decision Day

More than 280 seniors at Northbrook High took part in a Decision Day Event to recognize soon-to-be graduates who have either been accepted into colleges and universities, plan to enlist in the military, or are pursuing technical certifications and training.

The morning event, held May 1, was the third senior gathering of its kind and the largest ever at Northbrook.

In addition to breakfast and music provided by the Northbrook High Band, Spring Branch ISD Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., encouraged the seniors to chase their dreams – and more education in the form of either a two-year or four-year degree, technical certification, or a military degree.

By a show of student hands, Principal Randolph Adami noted that the counselors and others at Northbrook High had provided incredible support to the senior class. As contacted, counselors and academic advisor will provide summertime help.

Tania Sustaita, a Class of 2010 Northbrook High graduate, told seniors that only a determined, ambitious young person rises above circumstances, including personal immigration status. She will graduate next year from Texas A&M University in College Station with bachelor and master’s degree in business and management information systems.

She recalled driving through downtown Houston with her mother as a young child, looking up at a tall building downtown. “That’s where I want to work,” Tania said. This summer, she will intern in that tall building downtown. 

At the end of the program, all Northbrook High seniors came forward and declared where they plan to enroll. Students read, then signed a certificate pledging to finish their future endeavors and to better themselves and their communities.

“The best part about Decision Day for me was to see students walk to the podium and announce where they would be attending school this fall,” Tanisia Hoye said. She is the school’s college transition facilitator.

“To see some students who were not even able to articulate the difference between a two-year community college and a four-year university last fall make a definite decision about where they will spend the next two to four years and  understand that they’re taking a step toward ensuring a better future for themselves and their families was really special.  I am so proud of the class of 2014!” she said.

The top colleges and universities for Northbrook High students this year are:

• Houston Community College
• Lone Star College
• University of Houston
• University of Houston-Downtown
• Texas A&M University in College Station
• University of Texas at San Antonio

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Give Books, Create Readers

A local group of retired educators and other staff reached out to the next generation when the organization handed nearly 240 free special interest and elementary-level fiction books to third- and fourth-grade students at Edgewood Elementary School.

Dwayne Munos, a retired Spring Branch ISD coach and administrator who is now an officer with the Northwest Harris County Retired Teachers Association, joined school librarian Barbie Miller recently to distribute free books to students in the two grade levels.

The book giveaway was made possible through donations by members of the local retired teachers association, an affiliate of the Texas Retired Teachers Association, and the National Retired Teachers Association.

The district-related association has distributed free books to elementary students for several years now at several district campuses.

On April 11, Munos joined Miller in the school library to distribute books. Students gathered at library tables to review titles, picked the exact book that they liked, and then signed labels inside the front covers to make the choices their own.

Do books designed as reading for pleasure make a difference in children’s lives? Librarian Miller, for one, proclaims “Yes!”

“It’s about literacy. Young children need to be reading each and every day. All the research shows that reading is the key to everything – student achievement, regular attendance, test scores, graduation, just everything,” Miller says.

“Students need to read, read, read so that they love books and then become lifelong readers,” she adds.

For Munos, who coached and was an assistant principal and athletic administrator at the secondary level, watching young children pick out books for themselves has its own personal reward. “My years were spent in the secondary area. It’s exciting to see these little ones get excited about reading their own book, and it’s really fun,” Munos says.

Munos serves as second vice president for the local association. The giveaway at  Edgewood Elementary was one of the area Retired Teachers Association’s special projects this year.

To learn more about the association, visit the group online:
http://www.localunits.org/northwestharris/index.cfm/membership/

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Stratford Principal Stacks Up

Stratford High School Principal Chris Juntti emerged the winner on May 16 after a cup-stacking contest held during the ribbon cutting at a new donut and coffee shop.

As the winner, Principal Juntti and other Stratford High representatives became a lesson in generosity by sharing the $1,000 prize with three other nonprofit groups in west Houston. Earlier this year, Principal Juntti was named SBISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year by his peers. 

Principal Juntti won the $1,000 grand prize in the “Dunkin’ Cups for Charity” cup stacking competition during the recent opening of the new Dunkin’ Donuts located at 2808 Highway 6 South. Stratford’s portion of the prize will help send the school representative to the upcoming Boys State competition.

Helping Principal Juntti with stacking strategy and “wind blocking” duties were Stratford High Assistant Principal Danny Gex and Athletic Director Eliot Allen.

In a press release, Dunkin’ Donuts praised the Stratford leader and his teammates for displaying “true sportsmanship” when they collectively decided to split the $1,000 prize with the other competing nonprofits.

Competing in the cup stacking event were representatives with the Alief Family YMCA, Literacy Advance of Houston, and West Houston Assistance Ministries Inc. Contestants were given 60 seconds to build a pyramid of coffee cups, all stacked upside down, with the goal being to go higher than other contestants.

Principal Juntti split the prize equally to reinforce the good done by all. “Because all four groups present are kid-centered, we all decided that the money should be split four ways. West Houston Assistance Ministries shared that they could buy 1,200 pounds of food with $250! Everyone wins, and the four groups will put the money to good use,” he said.

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All-Greater Houston Soccer Athletes of the Year

The Houston Chronicle has named three Spring Branch ISD student athletes to its annual All-Greater Houston ranking of boys and girls high school soccer Athletes of the Year.

In separate but related soccer news, Spring Woods High School Coach Wadey Yaya was named Region III Coach of the Year by the state coaching association.

Luis Sanchez, a junior at Spring Woods High School, was named to the Boys First Team by the newspaper’s sports editors. Spring Woods High’s coach is Wadey Yaya.

Named to the Girls First Team was Memorial High School’s senior Olivia Brook. Newspaper editors picked Spring Woods High School senior Laya Garza to their Girls Second Team.
Coach at Memorial High School is Lindley Amarantos. The girls soccer coach at Spring Woods High is Maggie Fuchs.

Coach Yaya was chosen by the Texas Soccer Coaches Association (TASCO) as the Region III Coach of the Year. The boys team at Spring Woods High finished as the 42-4A district champions.
Spring Woods High’s Girls and Boys Soccer teams competed in the 4A Region III semifinals April 11-12 at Turner Stadium in Humble. It marked the first time for a boys and girls team from the same high school to move on to regional competition.

Tiger boys and girls soccer teams were buoyed by the support of 1.200 classmates during playoffs. The boys team beat Jacksonville 2-1 before falling a day later in a 3-1 overtime game against Lee High. Tiger girls fell 1-0 to College Station during an early round of state playoff competition.
To read the Chronicle’s All-Star team selections, subscribers should visit:

http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2014/05/photos-agh-soccer-teams-2014/#23463101=26

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Rummel Creek Elementary event caps bond program

Spring Branch ISD celebrated a bond program milestone as its Board of Trustees, district and campus leaders, and teachers and students met recently to mark the start of construction on the district’s final new, elementary school rebuilding project.  Click here to view photos from this event.

The well-attended afternoon program and outdoor groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 13 at Rummel Creek Elementary, located at 625 Brittmoore in the west Houston neighborhood.

The new Rummel Creek Elementary campus is the final elementary school replacement construction project authorized in November 2007 as part of a $597.1 million bond issue that has also made improvements to all SBISD campuses.

The original elementary campus dates back to 1962. The new Rummel Creek Elementary will be a modern, 117,000 square-feet, two-story facility with a brick and stone façade. It will accommodate up to 750 students on two floors. The new school will include special music, art and science classrooms and a large modern library that will function as a campus hub for student learning and technology applications.

The Rummel Creek PTA donated nearly $200,000 to add playground equipment, an improved running track and technology enhancements to the new school project.

Speakers for the groundbreaking program included Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D.; Board of Trustees Member Katherine Dawson; former Trustee and Rummel Creek graduate and parent Mike Falick; Texas District 133 Rep. Jim Murphy; and Rummel Creek  Elementary’s Principal, Nancy Harn.

In his remarks, Superintendent Klussmann noted that Rummel Creek wasn’t on the bond’s original 12 elementary school construction list. It was added four years ago when cost savings derived from low project bids and favorable bond rates made possible the addition of another rebuilding project.

“With the Board of Trustees’ management – and luck – we saved enough for a 13th school to be rebuilt. This is a complete school being built off the savings we realized in the Bond Program,” he said to applause from the audience.

To date, 11 new elementary schools in SBISD have been rebuilt and opened. Valley Oaks Elementary should open by January 2015 as the district’s 12th rebuilt elementary campus.

Board of Trustees member Katherine Dawson shared Board greetings and remarks after Scout Troop No. 598 led the public gathering in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Trustee Dawson reflected on personal memories in the old school – the sights and smells; PTA meetings; author visits in the “kiva,” a campus gathering space for sharing; art car parades; teachers’ workroom conversations; and cafeteria plays. New memories will be a part of the new school soon.

“Today’s ceremonial groundbreaking symbolizes the beginning of the construction phase that will ultimately lead to new memories and the creation of a new school that will be a rich learning environment for our kids and perfectly complement the outstanding teaching that occurs daily,” she said.

“Today, we celebrate and look forward to our next celebration – a ribbon cutting in a new building perfectly designed to inspire minds, shape lives and create fond memories for the generations of students to come,” the Trustee added.  (Read the full statement below…)

Former Trustee Mike Falick, a Rummel Creek graduate who later returned to the neighborhood to raise his own children, said that he was humbled to speak at the groundbreaking for a new school.

“When my parents moved to Hermitage Lane in 1966, they couldn’t have known that I’d end up here . . . that a seed was planted. I don’t think that they ever thought about replacing this building with a wonderful, newer building,” he said.

“This building means so much to me and to my family. We came back here for this school and for this community . . . in 50 years, one of these students here today may be standing up here and speaking about this great community,” the former Trustee added.

Texas Rep. Jim Murphy, who represents the Rummel Creek neighborhood in west Houston’s District 133, presented the school with a flag flown over the state Capitol.

He noted that families take pride in their neighborhood public school by the number of “RCE” decals he observes on cars and SUVs. Like Falick, Rummel Creek graduates often return as adults with children.

“I wish all the school districts in Texas were like you here, and like Spring Branch,” Rep. Murphy said. “Spring Branch ISD schools are a great stabilizing force in this community.”

During her remarks, Principal Nancy Harn noted that former Principal Shirley Lincoln, now deceased, shared nearly four decades of experience gained during the school’s 50th anniversary several years ago. Lincoln rated teaching at the school as its foundation.

“The foundation of Rummel Creek Elementary is the strong, professional and committed teaching and educational staff that has continued here over the years,” Principal Harn said.

“Our school has always been supported with the time, talents and money of our parents and community, and . . . the guidance, resources and knowledge of our district and our Board of Trustees,” Principal Harn added. (Read the full statement below…)

Rummel Creek Elementary’s student choir, directed by Karen Donathen, performed two songs, “Sweet Music,” and “Follow Your Dreams.”

Building projections call for the current school to be demolished this summer; the new Rummel Creek would then open by January 2016. Students and staff will move into the district’s transition campus near Westchester Academy for International Studies for about 18 months.

Project architectural services at Rummel Creek Elementary are provided by SHW Group Architects. The building general contractor is Westfall Constructors. SBISD project managers are Terry Bell and Kris Drosche.

Inside the New Rummel Creek Elementary School

Campus: Rummel Creek Elementary 
Address: 625 Brittmoore
Principal: Nancy Harn
Architect: SHW Group Architects
Builder: Westfall Constructors
Capacity: 750 students 
Grades: Kindergarten to 5th grade
Size: 117,000 square feet
Details: New building will replace 1962 school; New, two-story building includes a large library “hub” and special rooms for music, art and science instruction; projected opening is by January 2016 for students and teachers.

Statement by Board of Trustees Member Katherine Dawson

Good Afternoon, Road Runners and community members. My name is Katherine Dawson, and it is my pleasure to welcome you and bring you greetings on behalf of the SBISD Board of Trustees.

This is a remarkable day of celebration as we visibly begin a new chapter in the Rummel Creek Elementary journey. It is a time to celebrate and a time to thank our community, the architects, the builders, the RCE planning committee members and many others for their support, vision, input and toils during the design and development phase.

It is a time to express appreciation to the community for their support of the bond program that enabled the rebuilding of Rummel Creek and 12 other elementary schools. It is a time to recognize and show our appreciation to the RCE staff and parent volunteers for their time and hard work to make this transition possible. We have imagined great possibilities in a new building, and today, we take a step to make the drawings and plans of that new school a reality.

As we say good bye to this building, let’s pause and reflect on the memories we had in this school. For me, I will remember the smells, PTA meetings and author visits in the KIVA, art car parades and students working in the courtyards, conversations in the teachers’ workroom and the many plays in the cafeteria. But upon further remembrance, we realize these good memories were enhanced by the school building, but created by the RCE staff, the community and our children within the walls of the school.

These good memories will last forever and will sustain us as we reach the next milestone in our journey to a new Rummel Creek Elementary. Today’s ceremonial ground breaking symbolizes the beginning of the construction phase that will ultimately lead to new memories and the creation of a new school that will be a rich learning environment for our kids and perfectly complement the outstanding teaching that occurs daily. 

This new school will nestle into the fabric of our neighborhood and build on the beauty and nature that surrounds this campus. Today, we celebrate and look forward to our next celebration that of a ribbon cutting in a new building perfectly designed to inspire minds, shape lives and create fond memories for the generations of students to come.

Statement by Rummel Creek Elementary Principal Nancy Harn

First of all, the Rummel Creek family is extremely grateful to the SBISD Board of Trustees, Dr. Duncan Klussmann, and our community for approving the bond plan and for managing the program so well that the district was able to add a 13^th campus. 

When we began the design process with SHW, we asked for feedback from staff, students, parents and community members.  Our beautiful new plan is evidence that they listened. Thank you to SHW.

A couple of years ago, Rummel Creek had its 50^th Anniversary. During those days of celebrations, I got to visit with the late Shirley Lincoln – who was a great Principal here for 38 years.  We compared notes about what Rummel Creek was like then and now.  We agreed on a number of important issues that has made RCE outstanding then, now and in the years to come.

The foundation of Rummel Creek Elementary is the strong, professional and committed educational staff that has continued here over the years.  Our school has always been supported with the time, talents and money of our parents and community.  And the protection over our heads has been given through the guidance, resources and knowledge of our district and our Board of Trustees.

Thanks again to the School Board, Dr. Duncan Klussmann and our community for this opportunity to again establish a state-of- the-art school that will meet and exceed the hopes and dreams we have for our future leaders.

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