Leader12 5a

10
Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, December 5, 2015 • Vol. 60 • No. 57 832.419.9969 AREA SPECIALIST Public Information THE INDEX. Food/Drink/Art Opinion Church Puzzles Classifieds Coupons Obituaries 7A 7B 5A 9A 7A 4A 2A 4A ABOUT US 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 [email protected] www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER. where the experts are ™ Robert Torres www.realtyexecutives.com Realty Executives Since 1985 713-688-8844 Inside Today: ree arrested following robbery at Denny’s • Page 2A By Jonathan Garris [email protected] While still in the planning stages, a potential wid- ening of Antoine Drive has a number of residents and business owners concerned that the changes could be detrimental to surrounding neighborhoods. The project itself is split into two segments – a 1.3 mile North Segment stretching from Victory Drive to Bridge Forest Drive and a South Segment of about 3 miles which would run from Victory Drive to US 290. According to officials with Public Works & En- gineering, a planning study previously identified inadequacies with the area’s pavement, wastewa- ter, storm sewer and traffic mitigation. Officials are recommending a full reconstruction of the roadway including the “replacing and upgrading of under- ground utilities and pedestrian/bike facilities as needed.” Modifications include widening the existing road from 4 to 6 lanes between Tidwell and US 290, improving signals and turn lanes at intersections and adding off street bike paths. Julie Gilbert, PWE communications officer, said city officials realized through their planning study that traffic is going to significantly increase in the area. “We’re trying to plan for the next 40 or 50 years with a project like this,” Gilbert said. While the North Segment project is currently in the design phase, officials have been collecting public in- put regarding the South Segment for several months. Proposed Antoine Drive reconstruction has some on edge Montessori Makeover HISD breaks ground with new Montessori program at Waltrip High School By Jonathan Garris [email protected] Parents of children attending Montessori schools like Garden Oaks Elementary and Wilson Elementary have few options available for continuing a Montessori-based educa- tion because choices beyond middle school are limited. Pri- vate schools like School of the Woods can cost thousands of dollars in tuition, and not having a public Montessori high school program has left many yearning for a new initiative. Now, with the help of Waltrip High School, that’s about to change. Starting next year, Waltrip will be the first high school in HISD offering a public Montessori program. Cheryl McCosh, Montessori School representative for Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet and board member for Friends of Montessori, said they had met previously with former Waltrip principal Andria Schur and met with current principal Dale Mitchell earlier this year. “It’s been a dream of mine to have a school-within-a- school program,” McCosh said. “Parents and Montessori students want a Montessori high school. They want that student centered experience and the kids love the project oriented approach.” Mitchell calls the school-within-a-school program a good fit not only for the community but also for the continuing vision of Waltrip High School. “From the comprehensive high school standpoint, it’s a good marriage of instruction and extra curricular activi- ties,” Mitchell said. “Adding this program to our campus is a good way to bring the community even closer together and it’s a natural pathway for a large group of students just down the street from us.” According to the American Montessori Society, there are only three Secondary I-II Montessori programs, covering ages 12 to 18, in Texas. Those include Garden Oaks Mon- tessori, School of the Woods in Houston and White Rock Montessori School in Dallas. The program at Waltrip will be a first not only for the school district but also for the state; however breaking new ground isn’t necessarily the objec- tive, McCosh said. “We’re going to be primarily serving students that could not afford the schools that might cost up to $25,000 in tu- ition,” McCosh said. The Kids Are Alright Currently, McCosh and Mitchell say they are looking at starting with two teachers and a director for the program and will likely welcome between 40 to 50 students in its first year. Both said the smaller sizes will allow officials to gain data and work out any issues that might exist in the system for the first three years or so and adjust the program as needed. The program also fits in well with Waltrip’s recent expan- sion and its all new classrooms, Mitchell said. McCosh said that large, open classrooms with potential breakout places benefit the fluid kind of learning extolled in Montessori classrooms – something that David Santana, a teacher at Garden Oaks Montessori Magnent for the past five years, can support. “In general, the Montessori method allows teachers to meet students at their level,” Santana said. For adolescents, this means not only cultivating problem solving skills but INSIDE. Simmering selections at Si- mos Diner Find it on 1B In this week’s Business Leaders, we take a look at Simos Diner on North Shepherd in this edition’s Business Spotlight. A com- munity staple for years, the small diner has been a go-to breakfast and brunch spot for people of all ages in the community with a focus on fresh food and fast service. While the Mon- tessori educational approach is known to many, the background of the program might not be known quite as well. Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree and worked in a variety of fields including psychiatry, education and anthropology. According to the Interna- tional Montessori Index and the American Montessori Society, she believed each child is born with unique potential rather than a “blank slate” and focused on creating an educational method that builds on the way a child naturally learns. She opened the first Montessori school, the Casa de Bambini, in Rome at the begin- ning of 1907 and wrote extensively about her approach to education. She observed students carefully and, based on these sci- entific observations, introduced many ele- ments that have since become mainstays of the Montessori method. Large, open spaces encouraging students to move and work independently were established. She continued refining the program, designing learning materials and classroom environ- ments that fostered self-discipline and a natural desire to learn. By 1910, her work attracted international visitors and spread rapidly throughout the world and reached the US in 1911 and 1912. However, Montessori also lived in tur- bulent times and, despite an initial warm reception by Benito Mussolini, the Italian government would cease Montessori schools in the mid-1930s due to its ideal- ogy clashing with that of the then-Fascist government. She was forced to live in exile for the remainder of World War II and lived in India before returning to Amsterdam where she spent her final years. She died in 1952. Who was Maria Montessori? For The Leader Officials with the Planning & Devel- opment Department are seeking public input for creating historic preservation guidelines for three Heights historic districts. According to a press release, the first community meeting to begin the pro- cess to adopt the revised historic pres- ervation design guidelines for three his- toric districts (Houston Heights East, Houston Heights West and Houston Heights South) is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at 1819 Heights Blvd. One of the requirements of the amended preservation ordinance is that the city complete and adopt design guidelines for these districts within 16 months. Among some of the approved revisions to the ordinance in- “Adding this program to our campus is a good way to bring the community even closer together and it’s a natural pathway for a large group of students just down the street from us.” Waltrip High School Principal Dale Mitchell Photos by Jonathan Garris (Above) Students at Garden Oaks Elementary wait for their work to be graded during class. Parents and students alike believe the school’s Montessori program affords pupils a bet- ter opportunity at cultivating skills and a sense of indepen- dence better than in a conventional classroom. (Below) Stu- dents will now be able to continue their Montessori education at Waltrip High School, which will boast new classrooms and a new entryway once renovations are completed. The renova- tions offer convenient timing for the launch of the Montessori program in time for the 2016-17 school year. Contributed Art An example of a potential reconstruction of Antoine Drive provided by Public Works & Engineering shows what a six lane arrangement might look like from West Tidwell Road to ACorn Street. Officials seek input for preservation ordinance guidelines at meeting See Montessori P. 5A Planning & Development Department Historic Preservation Ordinance Design Guidelines Meeting St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 1819 Heights Blvd., Houston 77008 Tuesday, December 8 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. See Meeting P. 2A See Pinemont P. 3A INSIDE. A Turkey Day for Everyone Find it on 5B Volunteers at MANNA were busy leading up to Thanksgiving last week, frying turkeys and prepar- ing them for needy families across the area in time for the holiday. Check out some of the leftovers - er - photos from the event in this week’s issue. INSIDE. Holiday Home Tour $699,900 - $1,999,900 • 1,500 - 6,300 sq. ft. Modern lofts meet traditional custom homes in the New Orleans-inspired community of • Bell Heights • Superior craftsmanship, timeless architecture, and exquisite finishes. Donna Sonne Wright 713.557.3100 | [email protected] For information about the Houston Heights Associa- tion’s annual event, turn to Page 6A. Flower & Gift Shop 10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350 Something for everyone on your list. See our ad page 5B

description

December 5 Section A

Transcript of Leader12 5a

Page 1: Leader12 5a

Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North HoustonSaturday, December 5, 2015 • Vol. 60 • No. 57

832.419.9969

AREA SPECIALIST

Public Information

The INDeX.

Food/Drink/Art

Opinion

Church

Puzzles

Classifieds

Coupons

Obituaries

7A

7B

5A

9A

7A

4A

2A

4A

AbOut uS3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A

(713) 686-8494

[email protected]

Facebook/THE LEADER.

where the experts are ™

Robert Torres

www.realtyexecutives.com

Realty Executives

Since 1985

713-688-8844

Inside Today: Three arrested following robbery at Denny’s • Page 2A

By Jonathan [email protected]

While still in the planning stages, a potential wid-ening of Antoine Drive has a number of residents and business owners concerned that the changes could be detrimental to surrounding neighborhoods.

The project itself is split into two segments – a 1.3 mile North Segment stretching from Victory Drive to Bridge Forest Drive and a South Segment of about 3 miles which would run from Victory Drive to US 290. According to officials with Public Works & En-gineering, a planning study previously identified inadequacies with the area’s pavement, wastewa-ter, storm sewer and traffic mitigation. Officials are recommending a full reconstruction of the roadway including the “replacing and upgrading of under-ground utilities and pedestrian/bike facilities as needed.” Modifications include widening the existing road from 4 to 6 lanes between Tidwell and US 290, improving signals and turn lanes at intersections and adding off street bike paths.

Julie Gilbert, PWE communications officer, said city officials realized through their planning study that traffic is going to significantly increase in the area.

“We’re trying to plan for the next 40 or 50 years with a project like this,” Gilbert said.

While the North Segment project is currently in the design phase, officials have been collecting public in-put regarding the South Segment for several months.

Proposed Antoine Drive reconstruction has some on edge

Montessori Makeover

HISD breaks ground with new Montessori program at Waltrip High School

By Jonathan [email protected]

Parents of children attending Montessori schools like Garden Oaks Elementary and Wilson Elementary have few options available for continuing a Montessori-based educa-tion because choices beyond middle school are limited. Pri-vate schools like School of the Woods can cost thousands of dollars in tuition, and not having a public Montessori high school program has left many yearning for a new initiative.

Now, with the help of Waltrip High School, that’s about to change. Starting next year, Waltrip will be the first high school in HISD offering a public Montessori program.

Cheryl McCosh, Montessori School representative for Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet and board member for Friends of Montessori, said they had met previously with former Waltrip principal Andria Schur and met with current principal Dale Mitchell earlier this year.

“It’s been a dream of mine to have a school-within-a-school program,” McCosh said. “Parents and Montessori students want a Montessori high school. They want that student centered experience and the kids love the project oriented approach.”

Mitchell calls the school-within-a-school program a good fit not only for the community but also for the continuing vision of Waltrip High School.

“From the comprehensive high school standpoint, it’s a good marriage of instruction and extra curricular activi-ties,” Mitchell said. “Adding this program to our campus is a good way to bring the community even closer together and it’s a natural pathway for a large group of students just down the street from us.”

According to the American Montessori Society, there are only three Secondary I-II Montessori programs, covering ages 12 to 18, in Texas. Those include Garden Oaks Mon-tessori, School of the Woods in Houston and White Rock Montessori School in Dallas. The program at Waltrip will be a first not only for the school district but also for the state; however breaking new ground isn’t necessarily the objec-tive, McCosh said.

“We’re going to be primarily serving students that could not afford the schools that might cost up to $25,000 in tu-ition,” McCosh said.

The Kids Are Alright

Currently, McCosh and Mitchell say they are looking at starting with two teachers and a director for the program and will likely welcome between 40 to 50 students in its first year. Both said the smaller sizes will allow officials to gain data and work out any issues that might exist in the system for the first three years or so and adjust the program as needed.

The program also fits in well with Waltrip’s recent expan-sion and its all new classrooms, Mitchell said. McCosh said that large, open classrooms with potential breakout places benefit the fluid kind of learning extolled in Montessori classrooms – something that David Santana, a teacher at Garden Oaks Montessori Magnent for the past five years, can support.

“In general, the Montessori method allows teachers to meet students at their level,” Santana said. For adolescents, this means not only cultivating problem solving skills but

INSIDe.

Simmering selections at Si-

mos Diner

Find it on 1B

In this week’s Business Leaders, we take a look at Simos Diner on North Shepherd in this edition’s Business Spotlight. A com-munity staple for years, the small diner has been a go-to breakfast and brunch spot for people of all ages in the community with a focus on fresh food and fast service.

While the Mon-tessori educational approach is known to many, the background of the program might not be known quite as well.

Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree and worked in a variety of fields including psychiatry, education and anthropology. According to the Interna-tional Montessori Index and the American Montessori Society, she believed each child is born with unique potential rather than a “blank slate” and focused on creating an educational method that builds on the way a child naturally learns.

She opened the first Montessori school, the Casa de bambini, in Rome at the begin-ning of 1907 and wrote extensively about her approach to education. She observed students carefully and, based on these sci-entific observations, introduced many ele-ments that have since become mainstays of the Montessori method. Large, open spaces encouraging students to move and work independently were established. She continued refining the program, designing learning materials and classroom environ-ments that fostered self-discipline and a natural desire to learn. by 1910, her work attracted international visitors and spread rapidly throughout the world and reached the uS in 1911 and 1912.

However, Montessori also lived in tur-bulent times and, despite an initial warm reception by benito Mussolini, the Italian government would cease Montessori schools in the mid-1930s due to its ideal-ogy clashing with that of the then-Fascist government. She was forced to live in exile for the remainder of World War II and lived in India before returning to Amsterdam where she spent her final years. She died in 1952.

Who wasMaria

Montessori?

For The Leader

Officials with the Planning & Devel-opment Department are seeking public input for creating historic preservation guidelines for three Heights historic districts.

According to a press release, the first community meeting to begin the pro-cess to adopt the revised historic pres-ervation design guidelines for three his-toric districts (Houston Heights East, Houston Heights West and Houston Heights South) is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at 1819 Heights Blvd.

One of the requirements of the amended preservation ordinance is that the city complete and adopt design guidelines for these districts within 16 months. Among some of the approved revisions to the ordinance in-

“Adding this program to our campus is a good way to bring the community even closer together and it’s a natural pathway for a large group of

students just down the street from us.”

Waltrip high School Principal Dale Mitchell

Photos by Jonathan Garris(Above) Students at Garden Oaks Elementary wait for their work to be graded during class. Parents and students alike believe the school’s Montessori program affords pupils a bet-ter opportunity at cultivating skills and a sense of indepen-dence better than in a conventional classroom. (Below) Stu-dents will now be able to continue their Montessori education at Waltrip High School, which will boast new classrooms and a new entryway once renovations are completed. The renova-tions offer convenient timing for the launch of the Montessori program in time for the 2016-17 school year.

Contributed ArtAn example of a potential reconstruction of Antoine Drive provided by Public Works & Engineering shows what a six lane arrangement might look like from West Tidwell Road to ACorn Street.

Officials seek input forpreservation ordinanceguidelines at meeting

See Montessori P. 5A

Planning & Development DepartmentHistoric Preservation Ordinance

Design Guidelines Meeting

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church1819 Heights Blvd., Houston 77008

Tuesday, December 85:30 - 7:30 p.m.

See Meeting P. 2A

See Pinemont P. 3A

INSIDe.

A Turkey Day for everyone

Find it on 5B

Volunteers at MANNA were busy leading up to Thanksgiving last week, frying turkeys and prepar-ing them for needy families across the area in time for the holiday. Check out some of the leftovers - er - photos from the event in this week’s issue.

INSIDe.

holiday home Tour

$699,900 - $1,999,900 • 1,500 - 6,300 sq. ft.Modern lofts meet traditional custom homes in the New Orleans-inspired community of

• Bell Heights •

Superior craftsmanship, timeless architecture,and exquisite finishes.

Donna Sonne Wright713.557.3100 | [email protected]

For information about the Houston Heights Associa-tion’s annual event, turn to Page 6A.

Flower & Gift Shop10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350

Something for everyone on

your list.See our ad page 5B

Page 2: Leader12 5a

The public.Saturday, December 5, 2015 • page 2A

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police Reports • Nov. 16 - Nov. 24NOV. 16

Theft 11:03 AM 5300-5399 WASHINGTON

Assault 7:40 AM 4700-4799 SHERWOOD

NOV. 17Robbery 1:46 PM 4600-4699

WERNERTheft 5:35 AM 400-499 OXFORD

NOV. 18Burglary 11:45 PM 4600-4699

N MAINTheft 5:21 PM 1600-1699 N

LOOP WTheft 11:45 AM 2500-2599

SHEARN

NOV. 19Theft 5:57 AM 1800-1899 N

SHEPHERDTheft 5:32 AM 1200-1299 N

SHEPHERDTheft 1:22 PM 5200-5299

CORNISHTheft 12:07 PM 1300-1399 W

43RDBurglary 1:30 PM 1800-1899

W 18THTheft 3:40 PM 5000-5099 YALETheft 8 PM 200-299 REDANAssault 6:02 PM 5200-5299 N

SHEPHERD

NOV. 20Burglary 11:52 AM 100 BLOCK

OF W CROSSTIMBERSVandalism 4 AM 00 BLOCK OF

CROSSTIMBERSTheft 7:15 PM 1100-1199 ROYTheft 4:50 AM 2100-2199

WASHINGTONTheft 5:30 PM 200-299 W

NORMATheft 12 PM 2200-2299 BEVISTheft 5 PM 5100-5199 CENTERTheft 9 AM 200-299 W 19THRobbery 2:38 PM 2100-2199

YALETheft 5:39 AM 2000-2099

STUDEWOODRobbery 7:38 AM 3700-3799

YALETheft 11:02 AM 900-999 N

LOOP WAssault 8:46 PM 900-999 N

LOOP WTheft 10:41 AM 900-999 N

LOOP WTheft 1 PM 2600-2699 ELLATheft 3:10 PM 2600-2699 ELLATheft 6:46 PM 1400-1499

STUDEMONTTheft 6:58 PM 100-199 YALETheft 7:05 PM 4400-4499

WASHINGTONRobbery 10:43 AM 0-99

HARVARDTheft 5:18 AM 2200-2299

UNIONTheft 9:21 AM 1300-1399 W

43RDAssault 11:31 AM 3800-3899

SHERWOODBurglary 10:54 AM 200-299 W

27THTheft 2:30 PM 1300-1399 W

23RD

NOV. 21Theft 10 AM 1700-1799

SEAMISTTheft 5 PM 700-799 SHEPHERDTheft 9:16 AM 4000-4099

CENTERTheft 6 PM 1300-1399 BIRD-

SALLTheft 1 PM 5100-5199 YALETheft 10:13 AM 2500-2599

SHEARNTheft 4:41 AM 2200-2299

WASHINGTONTheft 9 AM 600-699 E CROSS-

TIMBERS

NOV. 22Theft 6:15 AM 1900-1999

TAYLORTheft 4 AM 400-499 TRUMANTheft 1:18 PM 100-199 YALE

Theft 1:46 PM 2800-2899 WHITE OAK

Theft 9 PM 800-899 JACKSON HILL

Theft 3:04 PM 5600-5699 WASHINGTON

Theft 5:30 PM 2400-2499 WASHINGTON

Burglary 7:30 AM 700-799 PINEMONT

Theft 9:13 AM 900-999 W DONOVAN

Theft 10:44 AM 2800-2899 W T C JESTER

Theft 10:50 AM 200-299 20THTheft 1:30 PM 3200-3299

WHITE OAKTheft 4:18 PM 100-199 YALEBurglary 1:39 AM 1700-1799 W

LOOP NTheft 8 PM 4700-4799 NETT

NOV. 23Burglary 9:30 AM 100-199

HEIGHTS BLVDTheft 7:31 AM 200-299 W 20THTheft 5:48 AM 100-199 E 13THTheft 3:50 AM 1000-1099

CANDLELIGHT LNTheft 4 PM 3800-3899 SHER-

WOODRobbery 1:20 PM 1600-1699

BEALLTheft 6:10 PM 2200-2299 BEVISRobbery 6:08 AM 3600-3699

N MAINTheft 10:10 AM 1300-1399

CROSSTIMBERSAssault 3:40 AM 1700-1799 W

34TH

Theft 12:30 PM 3100-3199 E T C JESTER

Theft 12:08 PM 2900-2999 MANGUM

Theft 3:09 PM 2200-2299 TAYLOR

Theft 1:30 PM 5000-5099 LAMONTE

Theft 1:30 PM 2200-2299 ELLA

NOV. 24Burglary 6:54 PM 500-599

PECOREBurglary 6:58 AM 1300-1399

N LOOPTheft 8:47 AM 1600-1699 E T

C JESTERTheft 6:46 AM 300-399 CROSS-

TIMBERS

Assault 1:58 AM 700-799 BARKLEY

Burglary 4:50 AM 100-199 HEIGHTS BLVD

Theft 11:10 AM 4900-4999 WASHINGTON

Theft 12:40 PM 5900-5999 N SHEPHERD

Theft 1 PM 400-499 OXFORDTheft 4 PM 400-499 OXFORDTheft 4 PM 5300-5399 LARKINTheft 4 PM 2100-2199 DETER-

INGTheft 10:15 AM 1000-1099

SAWYER

Reports are provided by Spot-Crime.com based on data from the Houston Police Department.

by Jonathan [email protected]

The Houston Police De-partment arrested two juve-niles and one 19-year-old in connection with a robbery that occurred early Monday morning at an area Denny’s restaurant.

Two juvenile males, ages 13 and 14, were taken into custody and referred to Har-ris County Juvenile Proba-tion on robbery charges and Quonze Davis, 19, currently has a pending charge of ag-gravated robbery according to HPD officials.

According to investigators, Davis and the other boys al-legedly entered the restaurant at East T.C. Jester and North Loop 610 and robbed the cus-tomers inside of the store at gunpoint. As the suspects fled the scene in their vehicle, of-ficials say a customer got into his own vehicle and followed it, calling authorities and lead-ing officers to the suspect’s vehicle.

Officers caught up with the trio, however they allegedly led officers on a chase un-til their vehicle crashed into a fence near T.C Jester and West Little York Road. The

suspects allegedly fled the scene on foot however a K-9 unit later found the three and they were taken into custody. Two weapons were recovered from the scene along with several items belonging to people who were inside of the restaurant, including personal items like wallets and cell phones.

Officials say there may have been a fourth robber involved in the incident how-ever it is currently unclear. The incident remains under investigation.

Precinct One: Bicycle stolen from porch overnightGarden Oaks crime Alert

Around 8:15 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, deputies were dispatched to a house in the 300 block of West 34th Street where a caller said his bicycle had been taken from his back porch overnight. The thief or thieves had entered through an unlocked gate. No suspect information was available and

a report was referred to HPD for investigation.

heights crime AlertOn Friday, Nov. 27, 2015,

deputies were dispatched to the 1200 block of Yale Street where a complainant said his vehicle had been burglarized between noon and 1p.m. The driver’s side window had been

broken out and several items were missing.

No information about a suspect was available and a report was referred to the Houston Police Department.

Please report suspicious activity to local law enforce-ment.

Three arrested following early robbery of North loop Denny’s

cludes the establishment of an Appeals Board to hear appeals of HAHC decisions.

Design guidelines provide useful information to prop-erty owners who are planning changes to their property that would require a Certificate of Appropriateness, according to the release. Once the de-sign guidelines are adopted by Houston City Council, the HAHC and historic preserva-tion staff will use those de-sign guidelines alongside the revised Historic Preservation Ordinance to review Certifi-cate of Appropriateness ap-plications.

The revised ordinance also clarifies terminology with new definitions for terms like “ex-terior feature” and others like “ordinary maintenance and repair” excludes the replace-ment of historic materials. The ordinance’s definition of “demolition” also includes de-molition by neglect and the or-dinance now has a number of features (including gutters and window screens) added to the exempt list.

New language also sought to clarify the Certificate of Ap-propriateness and the criteria for obtaining one, which was a topic of heated discussion throughout the amendment process.

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Page 3: Leader12 5a

By Jonathan [email protected]

Reverend Carl Lund of Church of the Holy Trin-ity says the objective of his church is clear – maintaining a family-oriented approach to teaching his congregation and the surrounding commu-nity of the Holy Trinity.

Lund has served at the church for the last four and a half years after previously living in the San Francisco Bay area in Northern Califor-nia. Lund knew full well he was heading into a tight knit community in the Woodland Heights area and came fully prepared to use that sense of community to drive his approach to leading the con-gregation.

“We use traditional wor-ship and we’ve merged it with some contemporary el-ements which we feel gives us a unique feel,” Lund said. “We also have a very talent-ed group of musicians here

who volunteer their time and skills to enhance our experi-ences.”

According to the church’s website, a typical service will “feature selections from the 1940 Hymnal, chant, several contemporary worship songs, and traditional and original liturgical music, all arranged for piano, organ, guitar, per-cussion, and strings.”

The previous church lead-ership had originally decided to move to Katy in 2004, how-ever members of the church purchased the property from

the diocese and Lund said that, since then, the church has gained an identity it didn’t have before.

“I think our family-cen-tered focus is what drives us and from what I’ve seen in the last four and a half years is that we’re probably trend-ing in a younger direction for our congregation,” Lund said. “People in the Wood-land Heights tend to gravi-tate towards places that are welcoming of people across generations.”

Typically, the church opens its doors up for the up-coming Lights in the Heights set to begin 6 p.m. Dec. 12. Also the Sunday night before Christmas is also an evening filled with caroling through the surrounding neighbor-hood.

“It’s a time for people to come in and meet us, sit and pray and really get to know us,” Lund said. “We’re look-ing forward to it.”

The church is located at

211 Byrne St. Holy commu-nion begins at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays, with an 8 a.m. morning prayer Tuesday and Friday and an evening prayer at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Podcasts and Sunday service streaming are also available on the church’s website at www.holytrinityrec.org. A blog is also maintained with updates regarding church ac-tivities and sermons.

For more information call 713-862-5657.

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ATTENTIONREAGAN: SAVE THE NAMEORGANIZATIONAL RALLY

When: Tuesday, December 8, 2015Time: 3 - 7 PMWhere: SPJST LODGE, 1435 Beall St., Houston , Texas, 77008Purpose: Protest of proposed bureaucratic action

We need volunteers to help the night of the rally. If you can help call Howard Moon. 713-686-7778

REAGAN: SAVE THE NAMEP.O. Box 800149Houston, Texas 77280

Remember, FREEDOM ISN’T FREE. Please mail your freewill donations in support of this effort to the following address.

Many college scholarships will not be awarded if HISD changes the name of John H. Reagan High School.

In 1990, Joel Sturdivant, and Joe P. Wright, former principal and alumnus respectively, of John H. Reagan High School established a golf tournament to generate funds to provide college scholarships for deserving graduates of Reagan High School. The first Scholarship in 1991 was for $4,000, in 2015 the contribution from the golf tournament and other sources was in excess of $160,000.

Should the name be changed, the 89 year heritage of John H. Reagan High school will be lost and so will the incentive of the Reagan Alumni to make donations. Many of those donors now live outside the district and may want to support their local school. Others will be angered the trustees spent taxpayer money meant for education so as to change the name of a school only to gratify their personal political reasons. THIS IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE!

MANY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP MAY BE LOST

While the deadline for com-ments had been set for Nov. 30, Gilbert said officials will continue to take public com-ments and meet with local groups to discuss the project throughout the planning stage. Comments can be emailed at [email protected]

“We will never not take comments within a reason-able timeframe throughout this process,” Gilbert said. “If anyone needs us to do an-other presentation or sit down and talk to us again, we can do that and we can let the project team know there is interest in connecting with people.”

The team had previously reached out to members of the community at an Oct. 20 meeting at the offices of the Near Northwest Management District, however, some feel PWE did not provide enough advance information to sur-rounding communities about the presentation.

“What concerns Super Neighborhood 12’s commu-nity leaders is that the city’s own Northwest Mobility Study took off the widening in its final, approved study after receiving numerous comments against such a pro-posal,” SN12 president Mark Klein said. “In fact, the pub-lic has long voiced concerns about plans to widen Antoine. What’s troubling is its sudden appearance in a recent PWE presentation. If this proposal can come up now – well after the public weighed in against it – then without concerned community members com-menting again, what will pre-vent the plan from resurfac-ing?”

However, Gilbert said the mobility study didn’t address moving from four to six lanes and didn’t directly indicate that officials shouldn’t con-sider it. Gilbert also said the expansion will stay within the

existing right of way, and doc-uments show that officials will work to maintain or improve sidewalks and bike lanes.

“We looked at what traffic volumes might be in the fu-ture along with the area and population growth rates,” Gilbert said. “We’re spend-ing quite a bit of money on our infrastructure and we have a responsibility to think ahead and spend that money wisely.”

However, Klein said those in the community, particularly the ones in attendance at a Nov. 18 meeting, aren’t con-vinced.

“I can safely say that the community leaders we’ve talked with are very con-cerned about the potential for the southern portion of Antoine to be widened,” Klein said. “That proposal would seriously impact the hom-eowners living along what is a residential corridor.”

Pinemont from P. 1A

By Betsy [email protected]

Issues with the existing bond budget – specifically an estimated $211 million shortfall in HISD’s $1.9 billion bond budget – garnered a lot of attention this fall. Although those issues clearly need to be addressed in order for renova-tion and rebuilds to be com-pleted at the chosen schools, Garden Oaks Montessori and Waltrip High School among them, parents zoned to local elementary schools wonder where their neighborhood schools are on the priority list for future projects.

With the recent rezoning of schools in The Leader area, parents zoned to Stevens have voiced their desire to see a new facility. The board is lis-

tening.“Stevens is among many

schools in HISD in need of a campus facility update, wheth-er that be a new campus or a major renovation, to meet the needs of students,” said HISD Board President Rhonda Skill-ern-Jones. “A third-party as-sessment of all HISD facilities is wrapping up, and we will use that information to iden-tify campuses with the most pressing facility needs for our next bond proposal, which I am sure we will ask voters to consider in the not-too-distant future. Stevens is a growing campus. This year, there are 735 students at Stevens, an 11 percent increase from 10 years ago.”

Skillern-Jones said that HISD is working to ensure that students at all schools, includ-

ing those serving Leader neigh-borhoods, have the resources they need.

“That starts with hiring and retaining the best teachers,” she said, noting that the school board voted this year to raise starting teacher pay to more than $50,000 a year.

“We also voted to pay ex-tra for teachers who are will-ing to work in our struggling schools,” she said. “We must also fund schools in a way that recognizes it costs more to ed-ucate students in schools with large populations of children from low-income families. And we must also ensure that stu-dents from all ZIP codes have the same access to our gifted and talented program and to our magnet programs.”

HISD exploring new facilities?

Lund

Faith Spotlight: Uniting local families through faith, music at Church of the Holy Trinity in the Heights

Page 4: Leader12 5a

The Topics.Saturday, December 5, 2015 • page 4A

THE CURB – Here I am performing my weekly task to create a greener planet, add to the beauty of Texas and com-mune with nature -- taking out the garbage. Across the street performing the same task must be our new neighbor, Elmo Hammod from Syra-cuse. I go over to welcome him to Running Rats Acres. “Greetings, Elmo Hammod from Syracuse.”

He smiles and extends his hand. “Actually, I am Al-Mo-hammed from Syria. We are refugees from the war. Thanks for letting us live here.”

“You speak good English for a foreigner. Learn it in grade school?”

“I’ve spent much time in your country. I was born in Damascus, raised in Pampa and received my doctor-ate from Rice in bio-generic molecular engineering and a post-doctorate from MIT in atomic isotope transmissions as they relate to auto-physi-cal neutrons. I’m a U.S. citizen, but Governor Greg Abbott believes that I’m a security risk, and threatened to cut off all state funding to my work-place, UTMB.”

“So what are you doing now?”

“I got a gig with Uber.”“Sounds a waste of your

talents.”“Not bad. I get to see a lot

of the city and meet many nice people. But the two black SUVs that follow me every-where are bad for business.”

His family’s arrival spruced up the next meeting of the Running Rats Acres Hom-eowners Association. Milton Mudflap brought it up. “I don’t want no commie Arab in my neighborhood. He’ll be building pyramids in his front yard like they do in Turkey.” Jimbo Jackknife pointed out that the pyramids were actu-ally in Iraq, but did note that Mudflap’s own front yard ex-ceeded the deed restrictions of no more than four cars on blocks at any one time. Deb-bie Sue Bonnie Bootstrap was next. “We’re getting swarms of them Muzzlems in here, and not one of them will do yard work. What’s the point of having migraine if they can’t rake leaves? I say send them back to Lesbian or Algebra.” She got a standing ovation.

The next week I ran into Al at the supermarket. “Hope you like it here. Don’t mind the

smell. It’s only when the wind blows over the hog rendering plant.”

“We are doing fine,” he says.” My son, Rocky, is cap-tain of the soccer team, and daughter, JoAnn Luci, is class president and perhaps vale-dictorian. And they still have time to work the overnight shift at the hog rendering plant. Oh, let me ask you. Is it normal for the Texas State Guard to set up camp in one’s front yard?”

“Al, Governor Abbott said he would do everything in his power to prohibit any more Syrians from coming to Texas. Unfortunately for him, his power has nothing to do with migration, immigration, salu-tations or vacations. In Texas we call this ‘grandstanding’ or ‘pandering.’ But it works. To be fair, the Texas State Guard followed Abbott’s orders and kept tabs on Operation Jade Helm 15. As a result of the guard’s vigilance, the military did not seize a single Texas city of any size, if you don’t count San Antonio.”

“I am worried that we are not welcome here, because your Texas senator, Ted Cruz, wants to bar all Syrians from immigrating who are not Christians.”

“Ted Cruz knows all about immigration, since he kept dual citizenship with Canada until last year when he was found out. But I agree totally – only Christians allowed in. So long Albert Einstein, Ir-ving Berlin and, retroactively, Elizabeth Taylor.”

“Don’t forget Barack Obama.” Al says. “A Pew Re-search Center survey found that 17 percent of Americans, including one third of con-servative Republicans, think Obama is a Muslim, and one third think he was born out-side the U.S. That’s double jeopardy. It is good to live in a country with so many in-telligent and well-educated people. No wonder more Americans voted in the 2014

‘American Idol’ finals, 132 mil-lion, than voted in the 2014 Presidential election, 122 mil-lion. Well, I’d better go now. The curfew, you know. ”

A few days later I drop by Al’s house to hand him a letter that had been mistakenly de-livered to my house. It’s from the Dept. of Homeland – Ter-rorists Div. A stranger comes to the door. “Allah be praised. It’s the infidel from across the street. I am Ali’s visiting cousin, Akmed, also known as Mohammed, Jose and Le-Roy, depending which pass-port check. Pardon my attire. I am just fitting for a new vest. Pockets holds 10, uh, hotdogs. Yes, that’s it, hotdogs in a bun. Ali not here, checking in with the Border Patrol, ICE and FBI. Weekly. He also needs a new battery for his ankle bracelet. Oh, let me show you a selfie I made recently in front of a sports stadium in Paris. Uh, selling hotdogs.”

“Do you live in town?”“No, I am refugee, fleeing

the bombs and bullets, the kidnappings and terrorism.”

“Baghdad? Damascus?”“No, Chicago. Actually, I

think I’ll move to Damascus. It’s safer.”

That week I read a news report: “The federal Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act has been stalled for eight years because the NRA and GOP lawmakers oppose it. So a legal loophole allowed more than 2,000 suspects on the FBI’s Terror Watchlist to le-gally purchase weapons from 2004 and 2014.” Right! The feds start prohibiting firearm sales to known terrorists, and pretty soon they’ll be prying my howitzer from my cold, dead bunker.

I ran into another neighbor, J.J. Beerbreath, at our school’s meeting of the PTA (Parents with Troubled Adolescents). “I hear you’re chummy with that Musler in the neighbor-hood. Do you know he prays five times a day? Even my preacher says that’s too much. And I hear he’s setting up a ca-liphate, or calcium, maybe it’s a California, in Running Rats Acres. That would mean wives must obey their husbands, and women can’t drive a car, and can’t buy anything without their husbands’ permission. I sent him twenty bucks.”

Ashby refugees at [email protected]

I’m sure there are plenty of jokes out there about how journalists aren’t exactly the greatest when it comes to math. Truth be told, I’d guess I’d fit the stereotype pretty well.

It may seem odd, but my rather large math-ematical deficiency is one of the reasons why I’m so excited about the news concerning the new Montessori program going in at Waltrip High School. To explain why, perhaps it’s best to talk about my own elementary and middle school education growing up in a rather poor school district.

I attended Beverly City School in New Jer-sey while growing up – a kindergarten through eighth grade school that had maybe a few hun-dred students, many of whom could likely be labeled at-risk. The school itself is rated in the second lowest socioeconomic rating by the New Jersey Department of Education and, even after what I hear are improvements, still ranks with a rather miserable grade on numer-ous school rating websites.

I can’t speak for what the faculty is like there currently, but it felt like it was where many bad teacher’s careers went to die a slow, painful death. Most of the talented teachers here would teach for a year or two before leap frogging into bigger, better school districts. (I can’t blame them, given the conditions of the school and the administration at the time.)

While I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a mother who emphasized reading at an early age – which I can certainly say without a doubt has paid off – mathematics were never my strong suit. For a time I remained unchal-lenged in classes like history and english, but I was always hampered in math classes that did little to communicate the practicality and use-fulness of what I was learning. There was little patience for anything outside of “by-the-book” learning which is disappointing as I’ve now seen the flexibility and importance across the spectrum of math.

I would have given anything for something different and I have to admit after working with the Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet School I’m a little jealous of how smart these kids are at such a young age.

I was first exposed to the Montessori pro-gram earlier this year when we published our

Children At Risk story, examining the rankings and their metrics. I wasn’t all that familiar with the method of learning and I didn’t know what to expect.

I think out of all the things that grabbed me at the school was the freedom. Children freely moved from class to class, completing their work, asking for help, participating in activities and, most importantly, asking questions. That kind of freedom in a classroom at such a young age was a concept that was completely foreign to me, and my inner child can’t help but yearn to be able to experience that.

Many people in this state and across the na-tion bemoan the lack of choice and reform in education, but the adoption of the Montessori program at Waltrip is a step in the right direc-tion for everyone. Having that kind of freedom isn’t for every pupil, as there are plenty of stu-dents I imagine would benefit from something more orderly to fit their needs, but the point is that choice exists there in the first place. We’re all too quick to want to turn to the private sec-tor for our choices in education but it appears we’ve lost sight that education options shouldn’t benefit just high income levels (or those willing to take on massive amounts of debt). Public op-tions in academia, whether it be through career academies or Montessori programs, is in my eyes the real pathway to ensuring that our chil-dren have the necessary tools and schools to remain competitive.

Take it from someone who has seen both ends of the public school spectrum – embrac-ing and pushing for a greater level of choice among Houston-area public schools will only make our city and its economy stronger.

So long as people don’t picket any more lan-guage magnet schools, at least.

Editor

Jonathan

Garris

Better choices in education benefits everyone involved Lynn

Ashby

Columnist

Who was that mosque man?

The reader. Email us your letters: [email protected]

Dear editor:There was a poll in the Chron-

icle created by Ms. Mellon who is the person with the Chronicle who does the educational “beat.” The results of that poll was 87% said NO to the name change 11% said yes and 2% said to change some schools. It seems that this poll has been ignored. WHY? Seems like a pretty good consensus that a vast majority of people don’t want the names changed.

Jim White

Dear editor:Yesterday, I spoke with a

beautiful 96 year old alumnus who graduated from John H. Reagan in 1937. She was a Red-coat and possibly the oldest liv-ing graduate. She is adamantly opposed to the name change.

I wish I could attend the rally, however I will be helping out with my new granddaughter in Minneapolis. Would hope to have another rally and have news media cover the event.

Annie Dubec Britton

Dear editor:I am a 1955 graduate of

Reagan High School, formerly Heights High. Back then our view of Houston was a city made up several small but proud neighborhoods. Heights still had the old trolley tracks and brick streets. The point I wish to make is that Reagan was more than just a school - it was a symbol of our heritage, of where and how we grew up. I always thought of Reagan the man as a hero of the Texas Revolution not the Confed-eracy. I sincerely hope that the name is not changed just to be politically correct. There are many things in life I find offensive but I am old enough and mature enough to know that life and history will go on and that tolerance and respect are life lessons not government protections.

William Noles

Dear editor:So, if rallying in effort to re-

tain the name “John H. Reagan Senior High School” is unsuc-cessful, I would suggest that we find out how to nominate a new name for our Alma Mater. My recommendation would be that the school be renamed for

my friend and first Houstonian killed in action in Iraq, Corporal Tomas Sotelo, Jr.

Thomas Gonzales

Dear editor:The renaming of John H.

Reagan High School because its namesake was tied to the Con-federacy is again an example of government trying to please one group of citizens over an-other while spending everyone’s tax dollars to do this. Fourteen presidents of the United States of America owned slaves. If we’re going to be politically correct and change names of schools because one group or the other finds it offensive, maybe we should start with President George Washington and go right down the list of presidents, senators, represen-tatives who owned slaves or participated with something we disagree or find offensive. To be fair let’s change all the names or none; move on to more pressing issues like healthcare, poverty, unemployment, educa-tion, tax reform, things that need to be fixed now.

Joseph stephen Mire

Dear editor:The poll did not take into ac-

count the many Reagan gradu-ates who died fighting for our country including their school. It would be a shame to take away some of their heritage.

howard Moon

Dear editor:We are the South, it is crazy

to think that people will agree to change the names of 60 to 70 percent of the schools in this state. This is history you just can’t erase it like it didn’t exist. Being of Hispanic origin, I can understand this as this is what happened in Texas history to our heroes who fought along-side others.

Karen Becerra

Dear editor:My alma mater was named

after a man whose nickname was Mr. Democrat. What if Republicans were offended by that?

Tom Zakesothers weary of Texans influence in Washington

Dear editor:I don’t agree with you that it

is “Texas fatigue.” Kevin Brady was not worthy to become Speaker of the House, since he invariably sided with Obama on important issues that matter most to Conservatives. Brady will not have my vote next election in his bid to remain in the position he now possesses. And, I might add — many of my Conservative friends feel the same as I do. There is a much better candidate waiting in the wings to take Brady’s place.

Barbie Miller

Reagan high school alumni to hold rally to preserve current name

SUDOKU

WORD SCRAMBLE

the leader Puzzlers.

aCrOss 1. Actor Damon 5. Resort 8. Low continuous

tones 11. Cape Verde capital 13. Abbreviation for

clean 14. Shoe retailer 15. Dashery 16. Head covering 17. Canadian flyers 18. A plant fiber used

for making rope 20. Prime Minister __

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holiday 30. Avowed 31. Ref 32. 2013 Philip. vol-

cano eruption 33. Beard lichen

genus 38. Tennis player

organization 41. More saline 43. New York City 45. A shipÕs cheapest

fare 47. A winglike part 49. At the stern 50. Oral polio vaccine

55. Tatouhou 56. In addition 57. Baltic flat-bot-

tomed boat (alt. sp.)

59. Search for 60. Gray sea eagle 61. Music timings 62. Make a mistake 63. Root mean square

(abbr.) 64. Sleeveless Arab

garments

dOwn 1. Speedometer rate 2. Turkish/Iranian

river 3. Japanese socks 4. Drawstrings 5. Formal separation

over doctrine 6. Tableland 7. Word with opposite

meaning 8. Cabs 9. 45th state 10. Matakam 12. Macaws 14. Scottish hillside 19. Load for shipment 23. Sleeping place 24. Linking verb 25. Br. University punt-

ing river

26. Marsh elder 27. Horse noise 28. Contract research

organization(abbr.)

29. Excessively orna-mented

34. Engine additive 35. Small bite 36. Snakelike fish 37. They __ 39. Performance

arena 40. Enact before an

audience 41. Special interest

group 42. Grows old 44. ConductorÕs

implements 45. A heavy cavalry

sword 46. Tropical shipÕs

wood 47. A domed or

vaulted recess 48. Lascivious look 51. Mentally quick and

resourceful 52. La __ Tar Pits,

Hollywood 53. Unstressed-

stressed 54. Celery cabbage 58. Wrong prefix

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

Page 5: Leader12 5a

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also providing real application and real expla-nation on how they will be utilizing that infor-mation in their careers.

“The focus of the adolescent program is to cultivate their communication skills with the ac-ademic portion itself,” Santana said. “Learning isn’t simply a process of memorization. It’s the ability to work with that information and apply it to their career. It’s such a fast paced world and it’s important students have flexibility with the knowledge they’ve received.”

Tonya Knauth said her children who attend Garden Oaks Elementary are encouraged to go at their own pace but are always challenged.

“They aren’t expected to wait for other chil-dren to master something but they also aren’t pushed ahead if they feel they haven’t gotten the hang of something yet,” Knauth said. She said that, even from the beginning, teachers empha-size independence with learning and also focus on time management skills at an early age.

Having a high school program continue that form of learning benefits everyone involved,

Santana said.“I think it’s groundbreaking,” Santana said.

“Being able to extend the Montessori program to the high school level has been years in the making and parents [at Garden Oaks and Wil-son] have been looking for it for quite some time. As an educator, I have been excited as it gives us a chance to service their needs and it’s also innovative for our district. It’s important for us to reach out and have new approaches to education in our city.”

Knauth’s son, Christopher, a seventh grader, said he is excited to be able to continue his education in the coming years at Waltrip’s new in-house Montessori program. He enjoys the self-directed work and small group projects and what he feels is a greater sense of purpose and responsibility in his schoolwork. Another ben-efit for students like Christopher is that they’ll also be able to participate in extra curricular programs at Waltrip like marching band and sports.

“[The Waltrip program] wasn’t something

we expected,” Christopher said. “There is Post Oak, but we couldn’t pay for private school as the cost was ridiculous. Now that this is here, this is amazing.”

Christopher’s favorite thing about Montessori learning? It’s all about the kids, he says.

“If I’m one or two grades ahead in math, I can be one or two grades ahead,” Christopher said. “I don’t have to wait for the other children and do work that isn’t challenging. I’m con-stantly being challenged.”

Stepping StonesOver the next month, officials with Friends

of Montessori and HISD will begin establishing criteria for hiring two teachers and establishing some of the more technical side of implement-ing the program. Officials will also be looking for community partners such as businesses and other institutions, as another major aspect of a high school program are internship experi-ences.

Mitchell also admitted he was surprised that

approaching the superintendent and other dis-trict officials with the idea of adding the pro-gram was “easier than originally thought.”

“It would be no different if I was looking to add some type of medical study program to our curriculum,” Mitchell said. “The biggest issue will be scheduling and certifications. We want to make sure we have block times for the pro-gram and we also want to offer choice but we also know our limitations.”

McCosh said visits from current eighth grad-ers and parents at some of the newly finished classrooms at Waltrip will also happen in the coming weeks and months. With the program beginning next year, Mitchell and other repre-sentatives of Friends of Montessori are looking forward to a new beginning at HISD.

“This will be opening a whole new window of opportunity and we believe it will be very successful,” McCosh said.

Montessori from P. 1A

Page 6: Leader12 5a

For The Leader

The Houston Heights As-sociation will once again be “home for the holidays” as it celebrates this year’s Heights Holiday Home Tour.

This year’s tour features four unique Heights homes “bedecked for the holidays with musicians, carolers, and special treats adding to the festivities.” The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 4 and 3 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5.

Among the homes includ-ed in this year’s home tour:

Klaybor Home1615 CortlandtOwners: Gayle & Mi-

chael KlayborBuilt in 1927Michael and Gayle Klay-

bor put their mark on the kitchen and baths of this many-times-over lovingly renovated 95-year-old home, which features a beautiful stained-glass window over the master bath and an 18th century fountain from a Jap-anese Shinto Temple in the backyard.

Silkwood and Milnarich Home

706 Mosby CircleOwners: Chris Silkwood

& Gary MilnarichBuilt in 1994In keeping with the Itali-

anate-style of homes on this reclaimed residential cul-de-sac, Chris Silkwood and Gary Milnarich contracted with Sterling Victorian Homes to build 706 Mosby Circle in 1994 on a 14,000-square-foot lot.

Whitfield Home915 Heights BoulevardOwners: Heather & Col-

by WhitfieldCirca 1919Newlyweds Colby and

Heather Whitfield purchased this circa-1919 Queen Anne-style bungalow in 2009 and fully renovated and right-sized the home for a mod-ern family in 2014. Taking great care to match origi-nal features both inside and out resulted in the Whitfield Home’s nomination for an HHA Community Improve-ment Award.

This year’s tour head-quarters will also be at the Historic Heights Fire Sta-tion, located at 107 W. 12th St., and will open one hour prior to the start of the tours. Shuttle rides are included with ticket purchases. Event organizers recommend park-ing at or near the Fire Station and riding the shuttles.

Tickets purchased on tour days are $25 and no refunds are offered. Tickets will also not be sold at individual homes this year.

For more information, visit www.houstonheights.org.

By Betsy [email protected]

In an ongoing effort to spot-light all the principals at Leader area HISD schools, this week The Leader visited with Wain-wright Elementary’s Christina Aguirre-Oliva.

What has been your career path to principal? How long have you been in HISD?

This is my 21st year in HISD. I started as a third grade teacher here at Wainwright Elementary. After 12 years I moved down the street as an administrator at Scarborough High School which was also my alma mater. After 5 years at Scarborough, I was the founding assistant principal at the Mandarin Chinese School in HISD. I became the princi-pal here at Wainwright in Au-gust of 2013.

Wainwright is a Math and Science Magnet? How is that reflected in the cur-riculum?

We have three dedicated science teachers here at Wain-wright who each work out of a fully functional science lab classroom. All of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students go to science as a separate class every day. K-2nd grade go to these labs once a week as part of their ancillary schedule. We

are also a departmentalized school, which means our stu-dents have separate teachers for Math and ELA (English & Language Arts). This allows for a longer Math block and students receive extended in-struction besides the recom-mended time allotments.

This is your first year to be a dual language school. Why did you decide this was a direction you want-ed to take the school in?

Honestly, my experience helping open the Mandarin Chinese School had a huge im-pact on my decision. Having a program that allows students to become fluent in more than one language and learn about other cultures not only increas-es academic performance, but develops students into learn-ers who can really contribute

to a city that represents a very diverse and global community. The benefits to students are long lasting and exceed be-yond the classroom. My own daughter is in her fourth year at the Mandarin school and I see firsthand how quickly she is learning a second language and also academically how she is out performing her peers. I want that same success for my students here at Wainwright, so when the district offered the opportunity to became a dual language program for Spanish, I jumped at the chance.

You are also a Neigh-borhood Vanguard school. What percentage of stu-dents are classified G&T? What kind of instruction do they receive?

Currently, 7% of our stu-dents are labeled as GT. We have testing beginning soon to identify additional students. All of our teachers are GT certified and students who are identified receive specialized instruction, mostly in the form of Project Based Learning.

Are there any other pro-grams at Wainwright that you want people to know about?

Our magnet and dual lan-guage program are our biggest programs. Currently we are accepting magnet applications for the upcoming school year.

Our dual language program will expand from kindergarten to include 1st grade, which we are very excited about.

Are there any miscon-ceptions that you think people have about Wain-wright that you would like to clear up?

I think there have been con-cerns on whether Wainwright would continue to be a magnet school, and I’d like the com-munity to know that there are no plans from the district to remove our magnet status.

What do you consid-er Wainwright’s main

strengths?I think that our main

strengths are our unique scheduling that allows for three dedicated science teach-ers and daily, rigorous science instruction in a lab setting for our 3rd-5th graders. We also have very dedicated parents who volunteer a lot of time and materials to help our students and teachers have the very best. There has never been a time when we have asked for help and not received it. It is a wonderful thing.

What is the main thing that the community can do to support you?

We would love the com-munity to learn more about our magnet and dual language programs so that they can in-form others of what we have to offer. We also are always looking for community volun-teers, especially to help read with students or work with our teachers on special projects that their classes have going on.

Where do you want Wain-wright to be in 5 years?

In five years, I want Wain-wright to be a school with aca-demic distinctions in all areas that is also the neighborhood school where all parents want

Page 6A • Saturday, December 5, 2015

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ATTENTIONREAGAN: SAVE THE NAME

Reagan Friends,

Our world has become such a uncertain, unstable place that it requires us to judiciously pick our battles. In the same way, most of us have to budget our time and our money. Frankly I would have previously said that fighting with the HISD school board, or any school board about anything other than the educa-tion of children, would not be worth either our time or money.

However after further consideration of the current issue, I believe we would be neglecting our school, our alumni, our heritage, school law and common sense to not challenge the reasoning and motivating factors of those attempting to assume the right or authority to even attempt this action.

Generally it will NOT be about the education of HISD students or the well being of the district or the particular school. It is about the publicity for the various board members and the furtherance of empha-sizing “political correctness.”

In the specific case of John Henninger Reagan, we have a notable, distinguished gentleman who served his state and nation well both before and after the horrible Civil War. He was the first judge of Hender-son County, Texas and subsequently became the Judge representing the 9th Judicial District. Reagan was appointed the post master general for the Confederacy, was in charge of the Confederate Treasury for a little more than a month, prior to his capture along with former Texas Governor Francis R. Lub-bock.

Are we also looking to rename Lubbock??

Ultimately Reagan received a full pardon and was elected to serve this time as a United States Senator. Moving on, Reagan was appointed, by Governor James S. Hogg, to become the first chairman of the newly formed Railroad Commission of Texas.

Under Reagan’s leadership and with the support of Governor Hogg, the Commission became an effec-tive reality at the state level as a kind of extension of The Interstate Commerce Commission at the Fed-eral level. This effort resulted in an enormous boon to the economic growth of our Texas Economy.

John Reagan deserved and deserves to be honored by his State and the United States for his positive contributions to the people who elected him under a multitude of changing circumstances, including the tragedy of the Civil War.

With all due respect, it would be a travesty to have his name dishonored by those whose individual contributions or those of most of us, pales by comparison to his.

Personally, I recommend “going to the mats” on this issue if necessary. Perhaps it is an opportunity to educate our collective students, children and citizens at large about the not so subtle approach toward the direction of Anarchy encouraged by various factions in our society.

It is also an opportunity, by taking this action, to honor the superb individuals who taught us to think, to study, to debate and intelligently discuss those things that are important. It is an opportunity to honor our Alumni who fought in every American Battle, some paying the ultimate price, since Reagan was established.

With all the Bulldog fervor I can muster, Jim Smith

Approved and paid for by Reagan: Save The Name

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Aguirre-Oliva

Q&A: Wainwright principal talks math, science at school

Houston Heights Association readies for its annual Holiday Home Tour

File PhotoThe Historic Heights Fire Sta-tion will serve as this year’s headquarters for the Houston Heights Association’s annual Holiday Home Tour

Page 7: Leader12 5a

Saturday, December 5, 2015 • Page 7A

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Fear and anger are natural human emotions and it is perfectly appropriate to feel them in the appropriate circumstances. These emotions, which are closely

allied with our bodies’ “fight or flight” reactions, are natural mechanisms for self-preservation. It is clearly a good thing to feel fear when in the presence of real danger or anger. Fear and anger are a bit like warning bells or alarms, telling us that we need to fight or flee, but sometimes the alarm is going off and there’s no real danger. Some politicians and certain media outlets are good at stoking fear and anger, and seem bent on keeping us in a perpetual state of fear and anger. If a tornado is heading your way, it’s probably appropriate to be fearful (and to get in the basement), but should we really be angry or fearful about national or international politics? We should not be passively resigned in the face of politics. People should be informed and get involved in local, state and national politics, but we need not get overly disturbed about it. The real problem with all of the fear and anger generated these days is how unproductive and debilitating it is. It keeps the talking heads happy, but it leaves the rest of us fearful, angry, and powerless to do much about it. So, perhaps we should keep our heads calm and unruffled, and save the fear and anger for when we really need it.

ChurChMESSAGE OF THE WEEK

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Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m.www.gethsemanelutheran.org

4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227

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Worship Services 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. (Nursery Provided)Sunday School & Bible Classes 9:15 a.m.

GETHSEMANE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Reverend John Cain, Pastor

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(Disciples of Christ)

Pastor Don Joseph

www.oakscchouston.orgVisit us on FaceBook

Banish Fear and anger

it is the norhill Church of Christ.Hear The Gospel - Mark 16:15; Roman 10: 14-17Believe The Gospel - John 8:24; Hebrews 11:6Repent - Luke 17:3-5; Acts 17:30Confess - Mathew 10:32; Romans 10:9-10Be Baptized - Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Col 2:11-13Live Faithfully Till Death - John 8:31; Revelation 2:10; Hebrew 10:23The Norhill Church of Christ is a non-denominational church locat-ed in the near north side of Houston in the inner loop 77009 area. It has operated as a church of Christ since 1927, it is located at 634 West Cottage on the corner of West Cottage and Reagan streets. The Norhill Church of Christ teaches only the Bible, without refer-ence to any man-originated creed. Bible study services for all ages are held at 9:30am Sunday mornings. Sunday morning Worship be-gins at 10:15am. Sunday evening worship is at 5:00pm Wednesday evening worship and Bible study is held at 7:30pm. Norhill welcomes everyone to attend worship or Bible study to learn more about the truth of the Bible.

www.noRHiLLCoC.oRG

You are cordially invited to the church that can guide you in what you must do to be saved.

A House of Hope and Prayer in the Heart of HoustonRev. Elizabeth Grasham

(713) 682-25561576 Chantilly @ Piney Woods

Oaks Presbyterian Church

Reverend Noelie Day

www.oakspresbyterian.org

New Beginnings Happen Here

www.fbcheights.org201 E. 9th St. • 713-861-3102

First Church Heights First Church

Sunday School ........9:15 amSunday Worship......10:30am

Pastor C. David Harrison

Thursday Bible Study & Prayer Service 6:00pm

Sunday Worship - 10:30amBible Study: 1st & 3rd Wednesday Noon - 1:30pm

Bible Study: 2nd & 4th Tuesday 7:00 - 8:30pm Senior Adult Game Days: 2nd & 4th Tues 9:30-1:00pm includes lunch

stUdIo oPen hoUse And sAlehouston studio Glass

Come to Houston Studio Glass, 610 Jackson Hill St., and check out handmade glass by Houston artists and glassblow-ing demonstrations. The preview reception will be from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 4. The 17th annual open house and demonstrations will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 5. There will be extended shopping from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Information: 713-802-0500, www.houstonstudioglass.com.

BreAKFAst wIth sAntAoak Forest homeowners Association

Breakfast with Santa will be at the Candlelight Community Center, 1520 Candlelight Ln., from 9-11 a.m. Dec. 5. Aitu Pham Taube, Oak Forest Allstate Agent is sponsoring the event. In-Kind Sponsors are Susan Ericksen Kostelecky of SK Designs Custom Drapery will be providing Santa’s backdrop. Shipley Donuts will provide donuts and; Christy and Kelley McClosky Cupcake Bar will provide cupcakes.

moVIe In the PArKoak Forest homeowners Association

Three movies for the price of Free at Oak Forest Park Dec. 5. Frosty the Snowman will be at 6 p.m., followed at 6:30 p.m. with Charlie Brown Christmas, and 7 p.m. with Elf. Jonathan Kolmetz of Oaks Wealth Management

is sponsoring the event. Black Middle School and Waltrip High School will provide concession stands selling hot dogs, popcorn, candy, soft drinks and hot choco-late. Any child (under 13) who dresses like Buddy the Elf will receive a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins.

Art mArKethouston Vineyard cafe

Several local artists will be featured in an Art Market at the Houston Vineyard Cafe, 1035 E. 11th St. The event will be from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. On display will be paintings, photography, art notecards, mixed media artwork, and hand crafted soaps. Each of the artists will be contributing part of their proceeds towards various chari-table organizations. Information: 713-471-3621, www.penny4his-thots.com.

AArP monthlY meetInGAArP chapter 1265

The monthly meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Dec. 7, in the community room at 1520 Candle-light Dr. A X-mas party will be held, along with holiday wishes from President Richard Rabe. The meeting is open to anyone 50 or older, and will be preceded by a meet-and-greet at 9:30 a.m. Information: 713-681-1133.

sAVe the nAme orGAnIZAtIonAl rAllYreagan high school Alumni

In protest of the proposed

bureaucratic action of renam-ing John H. Reagan High School, a rally has been scheduled at the SPJST Lodge, 1435 Beall St., from 3-7 p.m. Dec. 8. There will be knowledgeable speakers and barbecue served. To mail a freewill donation, send to: Reagan: Save the Name, P.O. Box 800149, Houston 77280. Please RSVP plans to attend this rally to: [email protected], [email protected]. To volun-teer, call 713-686-7778.

monthlY hAPPY hoUrhYPo Meet, network, socialize and make direct connections with other professionals. This month’s event will be from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 10, and is hosted at Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring St. There will be complimentary drinks, appe-tizers and live music. December’s holiday event will include a tacki-est sweater competition, winner takes home a prize. Bring a toy for the YMCA of Greater Houston annual toy drive. Information: 713-861-6735, www.heights-chamber.com.

Free VAccInAtIonschildren’s museum of houston

Free immunizations will be given to children, 6 weeks to 18 years of age, every second Thursday of the month during Free Family Night, now through May 2016. The service is limited to the first 40 children. To qualify, guardians must bring their child’s

immunization records. Children must qualify for the Vaccines for Children Program. Pre-registra-tion is not required. The next Free Family Night will be from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 10, at the Children’s Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz St. Information: 832-824-6780, www.cmhouston.org.

FAJItA PlAte FUndrAIserwaltrip lady rams soccer

Support the Lady Rams and buy a delicious fajita plate from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 12, at Waltrip High School, 1900 W. 34th St. Plate includes beef fajitas, rice, beans, potato salad and two corn tortillas. The cost is $8 per plate. Information: [email protected], 281-299-9149.

commUnItY Blood drIVeFoster YmcA and heights rotary club

The Foster YMCA and Heights

Rotary Club are teaming up to help strengthen the community by doing a community blood drive at the Foster YMCA, 1234 W. 34th St., from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Visit the website to sign up for a time. Information: 713-869-3378, www.commitfor-life.org.

BreAKFAst wIth sAntAnorthwest mall

Celebrate the holidays at North-west Mall, 9500 Hempstead Hwy., and have breakfast with Santa at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 19. The breakfast is free to all children with the donation of two canned goods or a new unwrapped toy. Reserva-tion is required. Children can also register to win a new bike.

KRBE 104.1 with Special K will be there from 2-4 p.m. Dec. 12; and Gerardo Aparicio of El Norte 107.9 will be there 1-3 p.m. Dec. 19. Information: 713-681-1321, www.northwest-mall.com.

PIctUres wIth sAntAAlli’s Pizzaria

Come take a picture with Santa for the Holidays at Alli’s Pizzaria, 350 W. 19th St. The cost is $25 and includes two 4x6 prints, four wallet size and a digital copy via email. Picture taking will be from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 20; then Monday Dec. 21, Tuesday Dec. 22 and Wednesday Dec. 23. Information: 713-360-6204.

st. rose of lima school holds holiday market

St. Rose of Lima School is hosting its annual Holiday Market from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 5. Free admission. There will be more than 30 vendors. The Silent Auction features everything from the vendors. There will be pictures with Santa and concession stand. All proceeds benefit the Cath-olic school.

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Community is located at 3600 Brinkman Dr. Call 713-691-0104 for information.

VIPs luncheon at st. stephen’s

Adults age 50+ are wel-come to attend the VIPs lun-cheon, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m., in the fellowship hall. The cost is $8 per person and includes a chili lunch and entertainment. RSVP to the church by Dec. 7.

A children’s Christmas program is 6 p.m. Dec. 13. A reception will follow in the fel-lowship hall.

St. Stephen’s UMC is locat-ed at 2003 W. 43rd St. For in-formation, call 713-686-8241 or visit www.stsumc.org and the church’s Facebook page.

Breakfast with santa at Advent lutheran

Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus will be held at Ad-vent Lutheran Church, 5820 Pinemont, from 8-10 a.m. Dec. 12. Bring a camera. Pictures available from 8:30-9:45 a.m. Advance ticket purchase re-quested. The cost for adults is

$6, Kids $3, and under 3 free.Call 713-686-8201 for infor-

mation.

Free pancake breakfast at st. matthew’s

The free monthly pancake breakfast will be held Dec. 5, 8:30-10 a.m., in the fellowship hall. A Birthday Party for Je-sus, will be 3 p.m. Dec. 13.

Bible Study “Sent: Deliver-ing the Gift of Hope at Christ-mas,” will be held for the next four Sundays.

St. Matthew’s United Meth-odist Church is located at 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. For informa-tion, call 713-697-0671 or visit the website at www.stmat-thewsmethodist.org.

christmas in the woods presented by Kingdom Blue Productions

Kingdom Blue Produc-tions presents Christmas in the Woods, at 3 p.m. Dec. 5, at Acres Home Multi Service Center, 6719 W. Montgomery 77091, 832-393-4145; Dec. 19, at 3 p.m. at the 5th Ward Multi Service Center, 4014 Market St. 77020, 832-393-3800.

Tickets are $15, children ages 1-12, $5. Tickets are also available at the door. Call 857-957-1885, 832-814-0230 or email [email protected] for information.

oak Forest Baptist pres-ents christmas musical ‘emmanuel’

The Celebration Choir of Oak Forest Baptist Church presents it’s Christmas Musi-cal, “Emmanuel” Celebrating

Heaven’s Child A Ready To Sing Christmas, at 4:15 p.m. Dec. 13. The musical was cre-ated by Joel Lindsey. There will be fellowship following the musical.

Oak Forest Baptist Church is located at 1700 W. 43rd St. For information, call 713-682-4942.

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A M O N G T H E 1 , 2 0 0 C O M M U N I T Y

C O L L E G E S

I N T H E C O U N T R Y,

H O U S T O N C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E I S

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A S S O C I AT E D E G R E E S

T O A L L M I N O R I T I E S

T H E R E A R E A L O T O F G R E AT T H I N G S

H A P P E N I N G AT H C C .

L E A R N M O R E AT H C C S . E D U

I N T H E

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Page 9: Leader12 5a

Food, drink ArTSaturday, December 5, 2015 • Page 9A

Art Valet By Mitch CohenArts Columnist

Thirsty ExplorerManaging Editor

By Christina Martinez

Go behind the scences with Heights artist It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Visiting an artist studio is equal to going be-

hind the scenes at a movie studio, or factory. Walking into James J Armentor’s studio is an overwhelming visual experience. A car takes up most of the space upon walking in and as Armentor leads the way through his process of creating, new rooms are around every cor-ner – one with mirrors strategically placed to make the space appear larger.

Heights resident Armentor grew up in Spring Branch and is a self-taught artist, spe-cializing in the airbrush. He has worked hard at perfecting his craft, though, not exactly arriving where he is today by any traditional means.

Armentor uses automotive paints for many of his projects, and has built an elaborate fan system to filter and remove the paint infused air from the room. A homemade spray booth has an outside air source so Armentor can breathe and wait out the short dry time after clear coating his work.

“I like to tell people I have O.T.D., Obses-sive Tinkering Disorder,” Armentor tells me about all of his homemade filters, fans and equipment.

The mirrors, he said, are to keep his san-ity after spending many hours painting, giving him the comforting illusion of space in an oth-

erwise very small space where he creates. How did you get started as with the

airbrush?My dad says as soon as I could hold a pen-

cil I started drawing. My mom and dad were always very supportive, but I was a complete loner when it came to art. I think being a loner, however, really allowed me to have a unique style even if it may have slowed my progress as an artist somewhat.

I’ve always loved airbrush. I liked tradi-tional painting, especially water color. I think I always loved machines and technical things, as well, and airbrush is very technical.

I airbrushed on t-shirts, jeans, and paper for a long time beginning as a teenager. Finally I think I just got frustrated with the limited technology of the time so I went back to pen and ink. I still do a lot of that today. I love it.

You use to airbrush motorcycles, tell me about the transition to art on “can-vas.”

I wanted to paint my old ‘75 Duster. I did not know anything about automotive paint so I figured I’d dust off the old airbrush, looked at online forums and started grabbing any old sheet metal off my job sites – I was a fire sprinkler fitter at the time. So I started mak-ing trades for the metal I needed; I love horse trading.

One day I was showing some of my artwork to other sprinkler fitters and one happened to

be an old biker. Cliff was a very, very, very persistent man. He loved the dragon I had painted on sheet metal. He really pestered me about painting a motorcycle tank he had lay-ing around for a Harley Davidson Sportster. I kept telling him I really was not interested, that I did not ride and did not want to paint motorcycles at all.

Well, Cliff got his way, one thing led to an-other, I started posting pictures of the tank online and, bam, customers started rolling in. All of a sudden I was airbrushing whole bikes, working with professional body men and mo-torcycle builders, both custom and semi-cus-tom, and doing bike shows. I was still painting fine art when I could. It was a wild ride. But then I got burned out; I wanted to paint what I wanted.

Armentor will be a guest artist at First Sat-urday Arts Market this Saturday, keep up with him on his blog and website: artfreewill.com armentorart.com.

Cohen is the founder and manager of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him at [email protected] or visit him on the web at ArtValet.

Armentor in his studio, demonstrating some of his techniques.

Featured art by James J ArmentorArt entitled dualing dreams.

Featured at by James J ArmentorArt entitled Top Side down.

James in the “clean room,” Armentor’s homemade spray booth, wearing his own version of a respi-rator that feeds in fresh air from outside.

Just this week, my phone gave me an alert that wasn’t your typical reminder. A girl friend of mine scheduled a reminder in my phone to send my Christmas list to her - she’s a little adamant on lists, and to say the least, I am behind on making my list and checking it twice.

This weekend, there are some great options to get a jump start on holiday shop-ping in the neighborhood, and, of course, several include a sip and stroll. Here’s a few to plan out the weekend.

Art And Craft MarketOver at Ladybirds bar, catch

local artists displaying art, handmade crafts, and good conversation. The event kicks off from 7-10 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4. There will be live music, and complimentary cheese and wine.

Visit Ladybirds at 5519 Allen St. 77007.

11th Annual Heights Holiday Market

Also this week, an event that hits a little close to home, my cousin will be setting up for this year’s Heights Holiday Market. This year’s market will be from 11-5 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 935 Harvard Street 77008.

The market will be filled with local artists, gifts and crafters alike.

If you attend the market, look for my cousin, Kim Mar-tinez, with her colorful hand beaded jewelry and prayer bowls by the Huichol Indians of Mexico and more of her great finds from this year’s family adventures in Mexico.

Holiday on 19thI mentioned last week about

shopping local and this week-end presents another opportu-nity at the shops on 19th Street in the Heights.

The 19th Street merchants proudly invite you to this year’s Holiday on 19th. Shop, sip, and stroll with family and friends to enjoy the merriment of the season with music, food and more. The sip and stroll starts from 6-10 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 19th Street between Shepherd and Yale Street.

reinbeer gamesSomething a little outside

from shopping, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. will be hosting their 2nd Annual Reinbeer games.

A Houston microenter-prise, The Community Cloth, has made it their mission to empower refugee women in Houston. Along with providing means and needs to remain a well woman, The Community Cloth also supports them and helps in creating and selling handmade, indigenous arts and crafts such as woven bags, knitted scarves, household items and more.

From 12-3 p.m., on Satur-day, Dec. 5, find handmade goods with a Buffalo Bayou Beer in hand.

The event is donation based off of how giving you feel and how many beers you’d like to enjoy while shopping. Check out their eventbrite for dona-tion suggestions and tickets

- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reinbeer-games-for-the-community-cloth-tickets-19607050215

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. is located at 5301 Nolda St.

Cheers! Email [email protected] and follow on Twitter @ThirstyExplorer

Contributed photo Hand beaded prayer bowls by the Huichol people of Central Mexico.

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NibblesNew menu additions at The Durham House

By Christina Martinez [email protected]

Just this week, the newly revamped Dur-ham House, previously Woodrow’s Heights, launched their lunch and brunch menu. So what’s on the menu? You can select from several offerings specific to lunch, as well as items showcased on their small plates and dinner menus. The lunch menu will also offer a prix fixe, three-course option where customers can choose from select salads or soups, entrees and desserts.

The Durham House will also be opening their doors and patio to guests this Sun-day, December 6, as they unveil their new brunch menu with dishes boasting fresh, lo-cal seasonal fare.NEw DiNiNg hourS

Tuesday and Wednesday - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thursday - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday - 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last seating;

kitchen closes at 5 p.m.)

Town in City launches Wing Wednesday

Over at the Heights microbrewery, some-thing new is coming out of their food truck, Tied House Kitchen, on Wednesday’s - wings. Every Wednesday, grab six Korean gochujang wings (sweet and savory red

pepper) or traditional buffalo, a side of side harvest coleslaw - made with purple cab-bage, apples and carrots, and a 10oz beer for $9. Wednesday will never be the same.

Treadsack opens third restaurant, Bernadine’s

This week, the local restaurant group, Treadsack, opened its sixth concept, Ber-nadine’s at 1801 N. Shepherd 77008. Ber-nadine’s will be open for dinner Monday through Sunday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday, with lunch service scheduled to begin in January 2016.

Have a tip for Nibbles? Email [email protected]

Contributed photo The Frisse Salad, a new lunch item at The dur-ham House.

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Page 10: Leader12 5a

Page 10A • Saturday, December 5, 2015

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December 13th @ 10:30am FCHeights Children’s Christmas Program

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201 E. 9th St 713-861-3102www.fbcheights.org

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Pastor C David Harrison

Rev. Laura Mayo Covenant Church

My genealogy is not my destiny. Yes, the generations that have come before me through blood, through adoption, through second marriage, through spirit, through friendship, through con-nection and disconnection impact my life and who I am but they don’t make me, they don’t define me, they free me as much as they limit me. I must find a path carry-ing what is helpful and dropping what is not.

This seems to be the message the first chapter of Matthew is trying to convey as the stage is set for the birth of Jesus. The au-thor does some unusual things with ‘so and so begat so and so’ in order to draw our attention to relationships. Matthew’s geneal-ogy shows connection much more than simple bloodlines.

Matthew is focused on Joseph. Luke is the source of Mary’s Magnificat and angels visit-ing Mary. Luke contains the stories of babies leaping in wombs and traces Mary’s family tree.1 But, in Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story, it is Joseph, not Mary, who has a dream and is given the inter-esting news that Mary is pregnant “from the Holy Spirit.” It is Joseph whose ancestors are named. It is Joseph who holds in his wood-worn hands the right to have Mary stoned to death.

Matthew begins with Abraham. Then, there’s Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and on an on. Mat-thew’s audience would have known the stories when they heard the names but our First Testament knowledge may not be quite as good.

For those of us who don’t re-member: Abraham was a liar who was willing to kill his own son. Isaac was a liar (told an al-most identical lie as his dad – he should have read Friedman’s Gen-eration to Generation). Jacob was a liar and a conniving cheater.

Interestingly, in Matthew’s male-focused telling of Jesus’ genealogy, more theology than genetics, five women appear. The first woman named is Tamar. Tamar was the widowed daughter-in-law of Judah who disguised herself as a prosti-tute in order to conceive a child with Judah. (Her story is told in Genesis 38.)

The second woman mentioned is Rahab who is identified as a prostitute and a Gentile living in Jericho. She gave hospitality to the Jewish spies who came to Jericho and hid them from the king of Jeri-cho who wanted to kill them. (Her story is found in Joshua 2 and 6.)

Rahab, like Tamar, used cre-ativity to make her way in a world with precious few choices for women. She then married Salmon and had a son, Boaz.

Boaz married Ruth, the third woman mentioned in the geneal-ogy of Jesus. Ruth was a widow and a Moabite. She loved her mother-in-law, Naomi. Her words to Naomi are used in many wed-ding vows: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Like the women before her, Ruth had limited choices. Yet, she used the resources available to her and made a way. Planning with her mother-in-law, Naomi, she seduces Boaz and gains another mother-in-law, Rahab. I can only imagine the conversations had by Naomi, Ruth,

and Rahab.The fourth woman mentioned

in Jesus’ genealogy is not actu-ally named. She is referred to only as “Uriah’s wife.” This phrasing is certainly intentional. Bathsheba was Uriah’s wife when King David saw her and took her and then had her husband killed. Bathsheba is often referred to as an adulteress but that term implies choices that, given power and status differences, were likely not available to her.2

It is through Bathsheba that the line of decedents is carried first to Solomon and then on and on until the fifth and final woman mentioned in this genealogy: Mary. Mary is mentioned in this genealogy simply as wife to Jo-seph and mother to Jesus.

Joseph’s grandmothers shout out from the confines of socially accepted silence to pave the way for his acceptance of Mary and Jesus. Joseph is descended from a line of very strong, resilient, loyal, resourceful, and faithful women. He is descended from powerful women each surrounded by their own sexual scandal. Does family lore enable Joseph to ac-cept this fifth woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy - this fifth woman who is found to be pregnant before she is married?

Although I would like to make this story neat and tidy and declare that Joseph is Jesus’ biological fa-ther, the story really won’t let me do that. If Joseph were the dad, I feel it safe to assume he would not hesitate to proceed with his planned marriage to Mary – they were engaged before she got preg-nant, after all.

After pondering what to do, Jo-seph has a dream and after waking decides to heed the dream by mak-ing Mary his wife and claiming the child as his own.

I wonder why Matthew chooses to focus on the details of the mys-terious paternity of Jesus – hasn’t he ever heard of being vague – let-ting people draw their own conclu-

sions – how many people really take the effort to count the months between the wedding and the ba-by’s birth? Luke’s Gospel manages to tell the entire Christmas story without mentioning the question-able paternity of Jesus. Was Mat-thew dealing with an early rumor, one that asserted a Roman soldier raped Mary?3 If it is Matthew’s goal to squelch rumors surround-ing Jesus’ paternity, it is interesting that he begins his story with a ge-nealogy full of sexual impropriety.

The Christmas story is tinged with scandal. Was there really no room in any of the inns or were the young couple being shunned, sent off, and turned away to be with the animals where they belonged?

Our interpretation of the stories of Jesus might shift as we con-sider a Jesus who grew up amidst rumors of scandal and pointed insults. Jesus’ protection of the woman caught in adultery, for ex-ample, takes on a new level of in-tensity: “If any one of you is with-out sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). These are the words of the great-grandson of Bathsheba.

The Gospels tell us that the adult Jesus is mocked and ridiculed. He is abused for spending his time with sinners and prostitutes. Jesus comes to the defense of the poor, the widowed, the outcast, again and again. Perhaps Mary and Jo-seph made sure he knew the sto-ries of his ancestors. Perhaps he had learned through family secrets that resourcefulness and creativity are often unorthodox.

Jesus had a history and a family and that mattered. It didn’t matter most. Consider Matthew, chapter 12: “While Jesus was still speak-ing to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’* But Je-sus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And point-

ing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”

Or in Matthew 16 when Je-sus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” Doesn’t he know? Oh he knows and every-one else knows, too. He’s that boy from those people. Jesus’ compassion for the outcasts comes from somewhere. We’ve made the Christmas story sentimental. We’ve decided that barns smell like evergreen trees rather than steaming manure. We’ve ignored the impli-cations of scandal, both recent and generations old.

It is not a comfortable story that creates Jesus. Oh no, the man who stands on a mountain and proclaims “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you” knows what it is to be insulted – knows what it is to come from a family with members soci-ety labels disgraceful (Matthew 5).

Jesus is making his own way – a way steeped in history but not confined by it. There’s a lot of bro-kenness and a lot of pain in Jesus’ family tree. There’s a lot of love and loyalty, too.

In Joseph’s dream, the angel tells him to name the baby, Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins.” Perhaps Jesus saves us from our sins, not by dying on a cross, but by sitting with us, by

knowing what it is to be shamed, by refusing to let scandal and the opinions of others determine his actions. Perhaps this is the salva-tion of a God with us.

From the very beginning, the stories of Jesus give us a way to understand God as relational – a God like us who knows what it is to be ridiculed and embarrassed; a God like us who knows what is to love and be loved; a God like us with family – with history – with a family system full of connec-tion and disconnection, creativ-ity and dysfunction, skeletons and role models, mistakes repeated again and again and some lessons learned.

This Advent, as you dust off the shepherds and the wise ones, as you place the angels and the animals, consider the ancestry of Jesus – consider that the God we meet in the life of Jesus knows all about human frailty and dysfunc-tion, knows all about creativity and survival, knows all about connec-tion and disconnection. As you decorate with garlands and bows, consider that the Christmas story is challenging. It is full of love that smells like a barn full of black sheep. It is full of love that sounds like a crying baby conceived out of wedlock. Christmas love knows what it is to be sent out back away from the respectable people. It teaches compassion and chooses mercy. This love creates a savior who is with us – who is one of us.

Amen.

These People Are Us (Matthew 1:1-17)

Christmas Worship


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