They are recruiting dads and other father figures to commit to spending at least one day in the next school year on their campus in an effort to have more male role models in our schools and help dads become more engaged with the educational process.

In turn, the campus gains an extra set of eyes and ears with each dad that volunteers.  Kids get the benefit of one on one mentoring and tutoring, and Dads get to learn more about what’s really happening at their child’s school.

Pictured are Fort Bend Education Foundation Board Members (front row, from left): Brenna Smelley, Executive Director; Terri Wang, Board Member; Lynn Halford, Past President; Peggy Jackson, Board Member; Pat Houck, Current President; Charles Dupre, FBISD Superintendent of Schools; Jim Brown, Vice President of Allocations; Gary Dante, Board Member; and (back row) Dr. John Novak, Board Member; Dr. Dennis Halford, Board Member; John Wantuch, Board Member; Chris Hill, Board Member; and Kay James, Board Member.

At its annual Grant Awards presentation held on May 14, the Fort Bend Education Foundation presented a $312,982 check to Fort Bend ISD to fund the Grants to Teachers and Schools, Professional Development Grants, New Teacher Grants, and other programs.

Since its inception, the Education Foundation has awarded nearly $4.1 million in grants to FBISD teachers and schools.

For the 2013-2014 school year, the Education Foundation awarded 161 grants for $236,482 to support the Grants to Teachers and School program.

Additionally, the Foundation awarded 150 New Teacher Grants for $17,000, $20,000 for the Professional Development Grants and $39,500 in pass through grants for a total of $312,982 being awarded this year.

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joe Girdner

The Austin Navy JROTC Unit is led by Lieutenant Commander Edwin Sellards, USN (ret) and Master Chief Petty Officer Joe Girdner, USN (ret).  This year, MCPO Girdner will be retiring from Austin High School Navy JROTC program.  For over seventeen years, MCPO Girdner has served in positions of great responsibility and trust within the NJROTC Citizenship Development program.

During this period Master Chief Girdner has served as the Naval Science Instructor at various High Schools including Booker T. Washington High School from August 1996 to August 1998, Richard King High School from August 1998 to July 1999, and Stephen F. Austin High School from July 1999 to June 2013.  His leadership and efforts have resulted in the motivating and inspiring of hundreds of Cadets during his time of service.  His steadfast support to Navy core values and customs at all times has reflected great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the Department of the Navy. His exceptionally meritorious public service as a devoted Naval Science Instructor (NSI) and as a dedicated mentor and leader for many Cadets of the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) will definitely be missed. He will be retiring to the Bastrop area with his wife, and near his son and grandchildren.

“MCPO Girdner has been in the service of his country for 43 years, 26 active duty Navy and 17 years as an NJROTC Instructor.  Joe’s tireless efforts, dedication to his cadets, and an unmatchable work ethic have helped to produce outstanding citizens for our nation.  It has been my honor to have worked side by side with Joe over the past seven years and the entire Stephen F. Austin High School family has been privileged to have been part of Master Chief Joe Girdner’s life.  All the best Master Chief…. Job well Done!”, said Lieutenant Commander Edwin Sellards.

At the May SMSD Board Meeting, Trustee Virginia Rosas asked that the continuing education and travel expenses for each board member be placed on the agenda. After it was explained by Dr. Hindt that as a new board member, a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education was required, and for existing board members, 5 hours, Ms. Rosas called for more prudent spending on attending these workshops and conferences. “We are an economically disadvantaged district. Under the circumstances we should minimize what we use. And I think the people should know where their money is going.”

At this time there is no limit of funds the board of trustees can use; however, Ms. Rosas would like to change that. She announced that after checking with several other districts, she learned their board members are given a flat amount of $3,000 per trustee to spend on continuing education courses. Additionally, she would like to take it one step further. “Personally, if I don’t use my $3,000, I don’t want anybody else to have the remainder. I want it to go back to the fund. When I ran, my platform was that I would be accountable for funds.”

After Trustee Rosas concluded her thoughts, a lively discussion ensued amongst the other board members. Trustee Cindy Hoelscher agreed and added, “This is a place where we can trim” so that money can go to other places like supplies and keeping taxes low. A counter-point was made by Trustee Etienne Zak that “Professional development is critical” adding that board members are unpaid volunteers and they “have to train ourselves to be fully informed.” Most of the trustees stated that they must “agree to disagree” on this topic and decided to table it for the upcoming workshop, but Virginia Rosas has a very good point – if the district is being asked to make a budget and stick to it, shouldn’t the same apply to the board of trustees?

*Both board members attended the National School Board Association (NSBA) conference in April. Their expenses have been finalized but the number of hours they earned are not recorded as of this date.

Taranen Malik

Taraneh Malik, 11th grade student at Dulles HS, has been awarded one of approximately 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships for 2013-2014. The NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students.

The NSLI-Y scholarship enables Taraneh to study Arabic in Morocco for the summer. The scholarship covers all program costs for participants including domestic and international travel; tuition and related academic preparation;  language testing; educational and cultural activities focused on language learning; orientations; meals; and accommodations, usually with a host family.

Launched as part of a U.S. government initiative in 2006, NSLI-Y seeks to increase Americans’ capacity to engage with native speakers of critical languages by providing formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment.

The goals of the NSLI-Y program include sparking a life-long interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue in the private, academic or government sectors.

Through her participation in the program, Taraneh will serve as a citizen diplomat while developing the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community.

If you have a passion for service and are interested in applying for the position of substitute cafeteria specialist, you are welcome to attend this event.

For more information, call 281-634-1858 or visit the FBISD website at www.fortbendisd.com.

Natalia Kapacinskas, a junior at Fort Bend Christian Academy, received national recognition with a silver medal for persuasive writing in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2013, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Of the 230,000 submissions received, fewer than 1% were recognized on the national level.  Fort Bend Christian Academy English teacher Mrs. Alex Dravis was also given credit by the Awards for her instruction on Natalia’s piece.

Natalia will be in attendance at this year’s National Celebration, which begins in New York City on May 31, for a special ceremony at Carnegie Hall where she and other recipients will be recognized.

The Awards are the country’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers, with 2013 marking their 90th anniversary.  Alumni of the Scholastic Awards have gone on to continue their education at many of the top colleges and universities across the country.  Distinguished alumni include Robert Redford, Andy Warhol, Joyce Carol Oates, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, John Updike, and Stephen King.

Natalia is the daughter of Catherine and Chris Kapacinskas of Sugar Land.

Shown are (From Left to Right) – Kurt Lasse, Sugar Land – First Colony Mall jcpenney Store Leader; and Eric Schenkelberg, Fort Bend Y District Executive Director.

The Fort Bend Family YMCA received a $5,000 grant from jcp cares, jcpenney’s new charitable giving program, to provide school-aged children with financial assistance to attend afterschool programs at the Y.  Specifically, the gifts are providing children at the Y afterschool programs at Stafford Elementary, Stafford, with financial assistance to participate.

The children that qualified for the assistance would not have been able to otherwise participate without the support of this grant.  More importantly, it is providing the supported children with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that cultivate the values, relationships and skills kids need to thrive.

“As a company founded on the Golden Rule, jcpenney has a strong legacy of giving back,” said Miki Woodard, president of jcp cares and vice president of philanthropy at jcpenney. “We are firmly committed to organizations like the Y, which truly make a difference in their communities.”

Eric Schenkelberg, Fort Bend YMCA District Executive, stated, “By working together we can not only keep children safer, but also help provide them with lasting benefits, including healthier lifestyles, improved social skills and an enhanced academic performance.”

For more information about the YMCA’s afterschool program, visit them on the web at (www.ymcahouston.org).  To learn more about jcp cares, jcpenney’s charitable giving program, go to (www.jcp.com).

Evan Carothers and Mary Ellen Edge (principal at AHS) in the renovated outside eating area.

Evan Carothers, member of Troop #38, chartered by Parkway United Methodist Church, completed a service project for Austin High School as part of his quest to become an Eagle Scout. To achieve this award, he had to plan and complete a service project for a nonprofit organization in his community. The purpose of this service project was to showcase his abilities as a leader and also benefit the chosen organization.

This Austin High School junior, completely redesigned the outside eating area at Austin. He power washed all the benches and tables to remove the rust and then repainted them. He also re-landscaped the entire area. This required cleaning and replanting in the existing flowerbeds and creating the new garden. Many of the plants were donated by families in New Territory, which Carothers gathered after sending a request on the New Territory Facebook page. Partial funding for the project was also provided by the AHS VIPS.

“I chose Austin High School outside eating area because it is the first thing students see when they get off the bus in the morning. I am hoping that it will start their day off right by seeing a beautiful area. I wanted to make a difference at my school and this is a project the principal has wanted to do but did not have the funding for, so I decided to give back through my Eagle Scout project.”

Through much planning, dedication, and hours of labor, Carothers completed the project portion of his Eagle Scout requirements. Now, he is working on completely all the badge work required to officially to became an Eagle Scout. He hopes to complete this work by June of 2013.

The program offers overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish. Romic is enrolled in the Global Studies Academy at Clements, and during his summer study trip he will serve as a citizen diplomat while developing the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community.

The goals of the program include sparking a life-long interest in foreign languages and cultures, developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue in the private, academic or government sectors, and building upon the foundations developed through person-to-person relationships while abroad.

Romic’s scholarship covers all program costs; including domestic and international travel, tuition and related academic preparation, language testing, educational and cultural activities focused on language learning, orientation, meals, and accommodations (usually with a host family).