Schools
Leonel Castillo Community Center will be hosting a Volunteer Fair for high school students who are looking to connect with agencies and organizations that need volunteers for the summer. This event will be held outdoors and snacks will be provided as well as other fun activities.
When: Sat, May 14th, 3-7pm
Where: Leonel Castillo Community Center, 2101 South St
Rachael Cahan with the Travis Foundation came out to the February WHCA Member Meeting to answer the pressing question. What are those strange mounds?
Has the Travis Spark Park been infested with giant gophers? No, it’s hügelkultur. What? Mounds or raised beds of organic tree material mimicking the fallen debris on a forest floor. Why? The soil surrounding our playing field is in poor condition with many exposed Cypress knees causing a serious trip hazard. Hügelkultur is the long-awaited soil remediation project the Travis Foundation is excited to have had installed during the winter break.
Hügelkultur are mounds constructed to provide a natural, self-fertilizing, slow-release composting soil remediation technique which requires minimal irrigation. Due to its raised nature, hügelkultur are more flood resilient and the answer to our soil and erosion problem.
Clear Perspex has been installed at the end of the mounds so you can take a closer look and watch the magic of decomposition. If you look, you will see distinctive layers of different types of dead tree material. Last year’s big freeze has provided a plethora of material including the bamboo located outside the cafeteria. It has all been put to great use feeding the soil and our beautiful Cypress trees. These mounds will eventually be covered in plants, but this will not happen until after winter, so until then, the plastic fencing will remain.
The Travis Foundation would like to thank all its donors for making this project happen. It has been years in the planning and would not have been possible without them.
For further information or questions, please email contact@travisfoundation.org
Looking for a fun way to spice up your 2020 Halloween? The Travis PTA is hosting Frights in the Heights where you can:
Enter for a chance to win an electric bike from CYKL
Enter your own pumpkin in the Art Contest
Order dinner from Mastranto’s on October 30th or 31st
Visit www.travispta.org/carnival-2020
All funds raised go to Travis Elementary PTA
Event sponsored by Sara Black, Nan & Co Properties, Christie’s International Real Estate
October 20, 2018
For Immediate Release:
Learn Local is hosting its third annual golf tournament on November 3, 2018 at Clear Creek Golf Club. The tournament is always a fun outing. The format is a casual, four-person, best ball scramble. All skill levels are welcome and is open to players 16 and up. $100 player fee ($350 for foursomes) includes green fees and golf cart, lunch, 4 drink tickets, 1 entry into the Putting Contest and player swag bags.
All proceeds will once again benefit Hogg Outdoors – a capital campaign to raise funds for enhancement to Hogg Middle School’s outdoor facilities. We are thrilled to share that demolition on the field & basketball court has begun. We hope the work will move quickly and we will have a new basketball court, field and track soon. The new fields will also include new outdoor seating, scoreboard, baseball and softball batting cages, and irrigation to keep the fields green. Once this phase is underway, we will start the design for Phase Two which includes acrylic surfacing on the basketball court and a playground for the students and neighborhood to enjoy.
Learn Local, Hogg families, SPARK, and Heights Community Business Partners have already raised over $140,000 toward the initiative! We still need additional donors to help achieve this vision for Hogg Middle School and for the community. We are very close to meeting our Phase One goals and a successful golf tournament will get us there.
Hogg Middle School is a STEM Magnet and an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program in the heart of the Woodland Heights neighborhood and is a feeder school for nine local elementary schools and Heights High School. Great strides are being made including having a wait list for the first time for the 2017-2018 school enrollment period. The historic school building has undergone renovation and beautification in the last few years and now efforts are being focused on bringing the same rejuvenation to the outdoor facilities. Learn Local is a grassroots non-profit created by community-minded, Heights neighborhood parents who are committed to making Hogg a first-class middle school and the first choice for local children.
Register or donate online at www.learnlocalopen.com
Prizes include Winning team, Closest to the Pin, Women’s and Men’s Longest Drive, Putting Contest and Honesty Award - donated by Liberty Kitchen, Buchanan’s Native Plants, 8th Wonder Distillery and Brewery, Pink’s Pizza, iPadel Houston, Pedras Wine, RIDE Indoor Cycling Studio, Arcis Golf Players Club and more.
Generous Community Sponsors include:
First Imperial Mortgage – Title Sponsor
Marianne and Kenny Terrell of Boulevard Realty – Golf Cart Sponsor
Ashley Day of Circa Realty – Swag Bag Sponsor
Lucas Craftsmanship – Putting Green Sponsor
Hole Sponsors: Caroline Schlemmer, L&B Limited, Bicycle Bungalows, Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Michalson Builders, Monarch Roofing, Nations Construction Management, Peltier Brothers Construction.
Register or donate online at learnlocalopen.com
For more information contact Shea Hill, Tournament Chair.
713-449-1850
tou_shea@yahoo.com
www.learnlocalopen.com
About Learn Local: Founded on September 24, 2013, our mission is to establish a bridge for our children between our successful Heights neighborhood elementary schools and Hogg Middle School, enabling progression within our strong, unique community.
Learn Local is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The Reagan production of the Science Fiction musical Little Shop of Horrors premieres November 12th and runs for two nights at 7pm. Theatre at arts teacher Nina Garcia, alongside Mr. Miller and the students that form the production’s cast and crew are working hard to create a dazzling live performance.
The musical is based on the hit film about a bloodthirsty plant and its part in the change of fortunes for a struggling flower shop. The musical is open to the public and the Heights neighborhood is encouraged to attend. Tickets are $10, or $7 when you use the code word ‘Family’ at the door. The musical features mild, comic violence, but no vulgar language.
Cast members explained their reasoning behind joining the Reagan production and what they had hoped to accomplish through it. “I experienced Little Shop of Horrors when I was younger,” said Tyler Leftwich, who plays sadistic dentist Orin Schrovello in the musical. “My connection to acting is why I joined.”
Donald Peacock, in the role of monster plant Audrey II, auditioned to turn his private hobby into a performance skill. “I always had a passion for singing,” said Donald. “I wanted to be a part of Reagan’s musicals to share that passion through art.” Before participating in Reagan musicals, Donald never knew what to say when people asked him about his talents. He now has an answer.
“I love being able to entertain people through acting and singing,” said Jacob De Hoyos. Jacob, as well as other cast members, are excited to perform the musical in front of an audience. “The moment when the crowd roars with applause is what makes it all worth it.”
From Travis Elementary Principal Tom Day:
If you are out and about and see a Travis Tiger showing “grit” – perseverance and determination to keep going, even if at first you do not succeed – make sure to point it out. Displaying grit in the face of difficulty is one of several positive character traits that are being discussed in classrooms at Travis Elementary this year as part of the school’s new character education program, “Tiger Traits.”
On early dismissal days, students and teachers will engage in lessons, activities, and discussion designed to foster a growth mindset and self-esteem while creating opportunities to develop social skills and more bonds among blended peer groups.
“Tiger Traits” combines existing campus practices and programs with new character building lessons and activities to form an aligned school initiative. It creates opportunity for students to build bonds with more of their peers while engaging in thoughtful dialogue about character traits and making connections to behavior and choices.
The German Club at Reagan High School will host the first ever Oktoberfest at the school on October 7th from 4pm to 6pm.
The event will provide food (Bratwürste und Crepes), drinks, entertainment and games for children and adults. Profits from the event will be donated to organizations helping refugees in the town of Leipzig.
If you're interested in sponsoring their efforts or purchasing tickets in advance ($8 adult, $5 kids) please contact the president of the German Club, Cynthia Torres, for information.
Vielen Dank!
Ms. Sugarek, a 14-year veteran educator and administrator, comes to Hogg Middle School from Durham Elementary School, where she spent the past two years as principal. During her tenure at Durham, Ms. Sugarek helped the school to secure its IB authorization, increased community engagement and lead students and teachers to significant gains on the STAAR exam.
Read MoreOnly some of the improvements to Hogg Middle School are as visible as our 10 million dollar construction update, but anyone at Hogg can see the school is in the midst of major developments.
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