Bookworm Festival

Five children’s authors and illustrators will read from their works and sign books during the upcoming Bookworm Festival, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 31, at Spring Oaks Middle School, 2150 Shadowdale.

Doors will open to the public at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with the Bookworm Festival program beginning at 9:30 a.m. Festival keynote speaker is author and illustrator Dan Santat, whose newest book is “A Crankenstein Valentine.”

View Bookworm Festival flyer >>

The Bookworm Festival is designed as a fun event celebrating emerging readers, and those who write for them. Connecting young readers with authors in face-to-face gatherings like the Bookworm Festival is one way that SBISD is supporting and fostering the joy of reading. The festival will run from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Bookworm Festival authors include:

• Deborah Freedman. Author and illustrator Freedman has written three books, including “Scribble,” “Blue Chicken,” and “The Story of Fish & Snail (2013). Her newest book, “By Mouse & Frog,” will be released in April.
• Tad Hills. American writer and illustrator Hills has published nine books in the “Duck & Goose” series that began with a picture book, also titled “Duck & Goose.” He’s also written “How Rocket Learned to Read,” and a sequel, “Rocket Writes a Story.”
• Dan Santat. In addition to his new book, “A Crankenstein Valentine,” this children’s author may be best known for “The Guild of Geniuses,” and for creating the Disney Channel animated series, The Replacements.
• Jennifer Hamburg. Houston-based Hamburg is author of “A Moose That Says Moo,” her first book, and has also written for several television shows on Disney Junior, PBS and Nick Jr. She won two Emmy Awards as writing team member for Between the Lions.
• Dan Hanna. He illustrated the many “Pout-Pout Fish” series books. He has more than 10 years of experience in the animation industry, and his works and illustrations have appeared on BBC, America and the Cartoon Network.

SBISD families, especially those with young children, are encouraged to attend the festival. Blue Willow Books, a district partner, supports this special literacy event.

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All-State Honors for Band, Choir and Orchestra

Memorial High winners (left to right) are Catherine Cai, Ryan McArthur,
Jonathan Keith, Cameron Trout, Tiffany Hu, Hannah Susman and
Meredith Aucock

American Idol it may not be, but this top honor means the world to Texas student musicians and singers.

Thirteen immensely talented Spring Branch ISD high school students have received state honors in their particular area of musical study. Students have been named Texas All-State winners in band, choir and orchestra from three area high schools.

Across Texas each year, about 1,500 students are named All-State winners after a lengthy review process that begins with more than 55,000 students statewide. The process begins with individual students performing musical selections for a panel of judges.

Spring Woods High School All-State vocalist Arlysse Ibarra, 12 grade (left)

and All-State violinist Christopher Matias Hivnor, 12th grade (right)

From this initial ranking, a select group of musicians and singers advances from a region to separate competitions that may qualify them to perform in Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Music groups.

All-State qualifying students and their families will be honored during the regular monthly meeting of the SBISD Board of Trustees in February. These students will perform during the TMEA annual convention.

This year, two band students qualified for All-State:

• Ryan McArthur, trumpet, 12^th grade, Memorial High
• Joon Lee, clarinet, 12^th grade, Stratford High

Four choir students qualified for All-State:

• Hannah Susman, Soprano 1, 12^th grade, Memorial High
• Cameron Trout, Tenor 1, 12^th grade, Memorial High
• Arlysse Ibarra, voice, 12^th grade, Spring Woods High
• Eliza Masewicz, voice, 11^th grade, Stratford High

Seven orchestra students qualified for All-State:

• Catherine Cai, violin, 11^th grade, Memorial High
• Tiffany Hu, cello, 12^th grade, Memorial High
• Jonathan Keith, bass, 11^th grade, Memorial High
• Meredith Aucock, 11^th grade, Memorial High
• Kevin Han, cello, 12^th grade, Stratford High
• Wilson Hui, violin, 12^th grade, Stratford High
• Christopher Matias Hivnor, violin, 12^th grade, Spring Woods High

Stratford HS Seniors Wilson Hui (left) and Kevin Han (right)

Tiffany Hu of Memorial High has been an All-State musician for four consecutive years. Catherine Cai was also named to All-State in viola and violin two previous years.

Memorial High Band is led by Director David Kastor. Suzanne Thompson is the assistant band director at Memorial High.

SBISD choir directors include Memorial High Director Lawrence Johnson and Assistant Director Kerri Watson-Elrod; Stratford High Director Peter Steinmetz and Assistant Director Marcie Baker; and Spring Woods High Director Scott Houston and Assistant Director Keith Dixon.

SBISD orchestra directors include Memorial High Director Bingiee Shiu and Co-director Danielle Prontka; Stratford High Director Michael Fahey and Assistant Director Peter Jagdeo; and Spring Woods High Director Michael Chandler.

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Eleven Named Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Art Show Finalists

Sunday Supper, Erica Kim, Memorial High

Artwork by 11 elementary, middle and high school students in Spring Branch ISD will be on public display in Hayloft Gallery at Reliant Park during the upcoming Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. The Rodeo will be held this year from March 3-22. 

The student finalists were named after SBISD hosted its annual K-12 Rodeo Art Exhibit at the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum, which drew hundreds of students and family members during a public viewing and official Rodeo judging session earlier this month.

View more winning artwork >>

Rodeo Clowns, Kush Mireles, Frostwood Elementary

Students awarded Best of Show, Gold Medal and Special Merit will have their art displayed in the Hayloft Gallery. Later, student artworks from across the Houston region will be chosen during Grand Prix judging for the Rodeo Art Auction which can result in six-figure bids and thousands of dollars in student scholarships.

District student winners headed to the Houston Rodeo for public display include:

Elementary

Best of Show – Kush Mireles, Frostwood Elementary

Gold Medal – Alanis Ochoa, Woodview Elementary

Middle School

Best of Show – Kathryn Love, Memorial Middle

Middle School Gold Medal – Julia Boyles, Spring Branch Middle

High School

Best of Show – Erica Kim, Memorial High

Gold Medal – Julia Delaney and David Salas, both of Memorial High

Special Merit – Flora Theroux-Chabuel, Ben Gold, Ruiyang Liu and Ashley Park, all of Memorial High School

SBISD art teachers whose students are represented in the Rodeo Show include Jane Salinas, Kathleen Frith, Lynn Ludlam, Elisa Berry, Cathleen May and Marilyn Guerinot.

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Cross Country State Championship Celebration

(Left to right) Coach Jennifer Clouse; junior Jake Roberts; seniors Austin

Richards and Douglas Baker; Coach Tony Brillion; seniors Paul Brastrom and

Hayden Richards; and sophomores Devin Fahey and Sam Evetts.

Photo: Stratford High Journalism.

For the fourth time in as many years, Stratford High students recently gathered in the Don Coleman Coliseum to celebrate a state UIL athletic championship.

On Jan. 13, the Stratford boys cross country team marked its second consecutive state championship. The team is coached by Tony Brillon and Jennifer Clouse.

With 2011 and 2012 Stratford swimming championships, students in the Class of 2015 have the unique distinction of graduating with state championships all four years.

During the Jan. 13 campus celebration event, the girls cross country was also recognized for competing at the state level, placing ninth in the 5A UIL contest. The girls team is coached by Jason Reed.

Superintendent Duncan Klussmann, Board of Trustees members and many SBISD Senior Staff leaders attended the celebration event.

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Revisit Early Rock with Bye Bye Birdie

(Left to right) Jenny Weber, Katie Moore, Collins Rush, Philip Bevers, Elsa Moen and

Caitlin Ehlinger. Photo by Claire Sharp

Stratford Playhouse high school players take to the stage this week with the musical Bye Bye Birdie, which focuses on up and coming rock and roll singer, Conrad Birdie.

When the character Birdie is drafted into the army, it produces a huge effect on the teenagers of the small Ohio town in which the musical is set. When a “Last Kiss” contest is created to mark Birdie’s departure, the whole town is sent into frenzy.

Directed by CeCe Prudhomme, Bye Bye Birdie is based on the incredible national sensation of Elvis Presley, and the effect that being drafted into the U.S. Army had on his later career.

Playhouse Director Prudhomme is thrilled to bring this fun, music and dance filled production to the Memorial/Spring Branch community, along with the fun and the nostalgia of 1950’s music and style.

Tickets for Bye Bye Birdie are $16 in advance. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7, with 2:30 p.m. matinees on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7.

Tickets are available online, or may be purchased at the Box Office at Stratford High School.

For more details or to buy tickets, visit www.shsplayhouse.org or phone 713-251-3449.

Review the full Playhouse Press Release >>

View the district’s Fine Arts Calendar >>

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